Author Archives: Björn

More Island Hopping

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Today was basically a copy of yesterday – spent island hopping again – though this time only up until the early afternoon.

We were first heading out for Ubugon Lagoon – with more snorkeling for me.

We continued to a nearby beach – and this time an empty one – with no other boats around. The reason for that was simple: big waves (two+ meters) were coming in and making the beach accessible to strong swimmers only. I spent most of the time in the water, playing in and with the waves.

We continued for a further beach; this time with the usual sun bathing and snorkeling option – – and made it back to town in time for a late lunch.

In the afternoon it started to rain – so it turned out a lazy one … reading, walk into town for an espresso and really nothing more.

El Nido Impressions

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We made it into El Nido in the early afternoon and in time for lunch. The rest of the day was at our liberty – – and I spent my time, exploring the little town. Below some impressions from El Nido’s beach.

In the evening – this was Christmas Eve at last – we had a group dinner in a restaurant at Lio beach – sea food and fish galore … yummy.

Leaving 67th Heaven

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Today we were leaving the resort and continuing for El Nido. A drive of 4 hours or 200km was ahead of us.

The van surely was fittingly named … especially after our gin-heavy adventures up North – tthe photo below is from the actual van, we were sitting in.

En-route we had a stop in Elfredo’s restaurant in Roxas, offering all services, a traveler might need (clean toilets, quick and good drinks and food), but also showcasing some of the not so endemic Palawan species (elephant or zebra anyone?).

Quiet Time at the Beach

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After lunch it was back to the vans to continue to the 67th heaven resort, a drive of about 1.5 hours/ 65km. En-route we had one stop for photos. I don’t recall much of the drive though … seems I (as most of the rest in the van) used the drive for a nice postprandial nap.

Puerto Princesa Underground River

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We had arrived in Puerto Princesa slightly delayed the evening before; we got to the hotel only after dinner – and most had called it a night right here.

Today we were heading of for one of the prime attractions of Puerto Princesa, the underground river (officially known as Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park). We left the hotel in Puerto Princesa in the morning, to engage into a drive of about 2 hours/ 75km. Goal was to be at the little port of the park in Sabang before 09:30, to ensure a not too-long wait for the transport to the entrance of the underground river.

By big boats we first made the 20 minutes trip from Sabang port to a bay around the corner and got ashore at the beach. We now had a small walk ahead of us, before arriving at yet another beach. Here we got into a much smaller boat – and were now being paddled into the entrance of the cave. We spent about 40 minutes in the cave – being paddled around and shown some impressive stone formations.

We eventually made it back to the beach, had another little walk to the other beach, to then make it back to Sabang. It was now about time for lunch, so we ended up heading for a buffet restaurant with a good options.

First Farewell Dinner

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This first part of the tour had come to an end and here we were sitting in the (almost)-rooftop restaurant of the Bayleaf Hotel in intramuros for this first farewell dinner for this trip.

For me this was with mixed feelings. On the one hand side, there was still a second part of the trip coming – plus the relief, that my ankle was indeed just sprained (and not broken) and I – as such – was able to continue. On the other hand though, only three of us were continuing and another tour leader was waiting for us – so it felt a bit like our little family falling apart – it indeed had been a nice group, with everyone getting along with everyone and everyone looking out for everyone else …

The tour to the highlands of Luzon clearly had been up to my taste. A great combination of individual destinations with different focuses (culture and nature), yet all put together in an active way and truly Philippine – with great people and a great tour leader – – oh, and a bit of gin …

Now let’s see, how the second part scores here …so stay tuned, there is more to come here …

Of a sprained Ankle

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Well – I was still on a mountain, right? So there was still the way back ahead of me. My ankle ended up with a new bandage, I also had managed, to get a second walking stick – – so now slowly but surely got going and – one step after the other and highly concentrated – made the 5km hike back to, where the 4WDs were waiting for us. The hike down did follow the same trail as the way in yesterday – and took me just less than three hours to complete. In retrospect, I have to say, considering the circumstances, it worked out quiet well.

Obviously I was very busy on the way down (concentrating on and planning for the next couple of steps), hence no photos from that part – I only restarted taking photos, once I sat in the 4WD and we were heading back to the guesthouse, where our main luggage was stored.

After a lunch in the same coffee shop as yesterday (spaghetti and salad again – no reason, to not go for this yummy and delicious option again) we had the opportunity, to freshen up (i.e. take a shower) – and for me also to assess the damage. – – The foot was swollen considerably and there were bruises all around – clearly this had to be examined by a professional and also an x-ray was called for … a hospital visit was indeed a necessity.

With everyone freshened up, we got onto our bus and engaged into the 120km drive to Manila (with a stop at an outlet mall on the way).

My destination was the Manila Doctors Hospital, where I went through the relevant checks (including x-ray). To make a long story short, the diagnosis in the end was, that the ankle was indeed just sprained and that – with some medication and a bit of rest – I was good to proceed with the trip. So – with the prescription – I got my drugs and was then on the way to the hotel …

You can probably not imagine, how relieved I was at that point in time 🙂 . Remains the question, where I caught more radiation – during the x-ray or during my visit to Chernobyl in September?