A WEEKEND AT THE BEACH: MAGALAWA

Manuel, a good friend of mine who's into backpacking and mountaineering is coming back to the Philippines for a short stay after a very long foreign assignment. He was the one who introduced me to camping. So prior to his trip back to US, we're pushing through with this long standing plan to go to Magalawa to pitch tent on the beach for one weekend.

Magalawa Island is my destination for the month of March.

Magalawa is a white sand island of the farthest coast of Zambales. It's a good destination but is oftenly overshadowed by Anawangin and Nagsasa Coves which are about two hour less communtes from the capital city of Manila. Aside from the fact that there is only one scheduled trip a day that takes you directly to the drop off point, getting to Magalawa is not much of a convenience but is sure is worth the extra effort because the place is a lot better than Anawangin or Nagsasa which are overly crowded nowadays.

We missed that one bus trip so we first took a ride to Iba. Iba is the capital city of Zambales and is a five hour drive from manila. From Iba, we then took another ordinary bus to Sta Cruz and asked the conductor to drop us off at Palauig. From there, a 20-30 minute ride via tricycle over rought rocky terrain and then a 10 minute boat ride before you finally arrive at Magalawa Island.

Magalawa's east side is mostly beach lined by an extensive foliage.

It's amazing to find yourself at a white sand beach off the coast of Zambales. White sand beaches are particulary rare around this area. Aside from it's white shore line, Magalawa also boast a lot of attractions such as a mangrove area on the west coast. A coral system on the nearby open water. And the most popular attraction is the island's abundance of starfishes.

The west end of the island remains undeveloped, wild and populated by mangroves.

Aside from pinching tent, airconditioned accomodations are also available but are a bit pricey. There is limited freshwater in Magalawa so better be prepared to bring potable and drinkable water. Food can be cooked at your convenience at around 200 peso per meal but I prefer brining packed meals and bread for breakfast. A boat to the coral area will cost you around 100 per head.


These are the things you see if you go for a swim at Magalawa.



I had a restfull weekend at Magalawa.

Magalawa is nothing compared to El Nido in terms of the quality of it's beaches and corals but I particularly love it's more laid back feel. If you are looking for a quiet shade facing an unspoiled beach real state that is away from the busy and crowded beaches of Anawangin, then Magalawa is the place to be.

THE ULTIMATE BEACH BUMMING EXPERIENCE: EL NIDO

As Merriam-Webster would define, ultimate means the best achievable or imaginable of its kind. And that for me is El Nido. My travel to El Nido is my longest out of the office vacation so far. A total of six days in the making. But its not about the length of the stay or the number of days that you spend at one destination that makes a vacation ultimate. It's quality of the place. I had never enjoyed the beach this much. This, and so much more, makes El Nido my the ultimate beach bumming experience so far.

DAY 1 - Getting to El Nido
The first day of our El Nido escapade is pretty much occupied by travel and meeting new people. For this vacation, I am travelling alone to Puerto Prinsesa. It's my first time to land here by plane. I am excited to see the airport as I think it has one of the most memorable facades of our local air strips. The triangular roof and all glass facade is indeed a product of good design and marketing recall.


Puerto Prinsesa Airport

Much to my surprise, the vicinity prior to landing is also a delight. I took several pictures of the aerial view on the plane's final decent. It's a delight to anyone who loves nature.

Sea of mangroves.

Its in Puerto Prinsesa that I got reunited with the group. A lot of pretty new faces this time. Of all, most memorable is Donna which I bonded really well. It was really nice to meet and spend time with her.

Lakwatseros

The transit from Puerto Prinsesa is a loooooong one. It's a six hour drive thru zigzag road at almost 100kph average speed. It was fast, and it was crazy! We're 15 in the group so we took two Hi-ace vans so we can all comfortably lounge while on route. Prior to transit, we stopped by Robinsons Palawan for some groceries and took our late lunch two hours along the road at Roxas town.

Stopping by Robinsons for our week-long supplies.

The terrain towards El Nido is very relaxing. You are presented with a view of the coastline at one side and an extensive forest on the other. We stopped several times along the way to get a picture of the view.

Overlooking the islands of El Nido

Winding roads over mountains

It was almost night time when we reached our hotel. After our hearty dinner, it is now time to explore the local town.

Dinner time at the hotel.

There are foreigners all around. Even some owners of the local stores are of different nationalities. It felt like I was a tourist at some other country yet I felt comftable with the local and laid-back ambiance of the town.

Crepes for dessert!

 

At one local clothing store.

Chill out bars.

DAY 2 - Tour A: Tour of Lagoons
Its on the second day that we get to start our island hopping adventures. It's cloudy just like how the local weather forecast predicted, yet it did not stop us from pushing thru with our adventure. To get the best of El Nido, you have to take four tours. Each one is composed of four-five islands which you have to cover in a day. Were kicking off with tour A - or what I call the tour of lagoons.


All set for island hopping!

Our first stop for the day is the secret lagoon. The place is barely as wide as your average house but the trick is that you have to go thru a small opening in order to get inside. The water feature is basically fenced by tall limestone formations and would have been really nice if there is sun. Nevertheless, everyone was so excited that the gloomy weather did not stop us from taking a dip at its cold waters.

Secret lagoon - our first destination in El Nido.

The nearby beach to secret lagoon was equally beautiful that we did not let the chance for photo ops pass.

And they say I look like a manong bangkero here.. lol..

We then head next to Shimizu Island for our lunch .We did snorkeling over the big waves that were pushing against the island beach. It was so hard to swim but the challenge to swim was so fun I could not resist.

Looks calm at one side but scary from the beach front. I wonder why I invited them to swim.

We love the limestone rocks of Palawan dont we?

Lunch was hearty. There is fish, meat, and seafood which was served with fruits and vegetables. More picture taking and were off to see more lagoons.

Lunch time!

In small lagoon, you have to swim past a small opening as well to be able to enter. Its actually big for me when I got in, so I was wondering how big lagoon would be like once we get there next. Small lagoon actually gets really deep as your reach the end of the water feature. There is a rock at the middle where you can rest. It was here that I tried swimming without a life vest as water is calm.

Braving the not so small - Small Lagoon.

Meanwhile in big lagoon, which is really BIG, is where i tried platform diving. There is a wooded platform at the middle of the lagoon wherein boats can dock and tourist can jump off this floating platform for a refreshing dive. We had so much fun doing this.

The Big Lagoon is huge!

Rewinding a jump shot! - Thanks whine.

Our last stop for the day is Siete Comandos which is a long stretch of white sand  beach where they sell buko. Fresh one! - this litterally made my day. I am a big fan of fresh buko. I immediately grabbed one.

One of the longest stretch of white beach in El Nido.

At night, together with Mitch and Donna, I tried the night life and some home made crepes. The three of us sat down over a pitcher of margarita at one local bar which plays good music. What an amazinng day 2!

DAY 3 - Tour B: Caves and Coves
Better destinations await our third day at El Nido. First stop is Pinagbuyutan Island where the water is literally emerald green. I'm not really sure if this is because of the excessive algae growth or  because of the monsoon rains the prior day. But I aint complaining. It looks good both in picture and in person.

Emerald green waters - will you take a dip?

There is also a free standing house at the corner of the island but it's deserted. We did not bother to know it's history but we just had to take a picture of its quiet presence.

Free standing and simple.

The wind was blowing so strong that day too. I think that's the closest that I had experienced to a sand storm. Sand is literally blasting to on your skin and its more of painful rather than disturbing.

Sand-blast! Haha!

Just a few meters worth of walk and you end up on the other side of the island where a lone coconut tree stands guards the shoreline - isolated from the group but standing taller among the rest. The other side is also populated by huge dark rocks eroded from the rock-mountain. The view is just perfect for group shots.

Moments with the lone coconut tree.

We just loves the limestones of El Nido!

We also made a short stop at Cathedral Island for a short snorkel experience. There were large blue jelly fish that were twice as big as your fist so we decided to cut the dip short, but the reef was so alive. There were large groups clown fish that we saw.


Quick dive at the reef near Cathedral Island

Lunch was served at Cadugnon Cove which is a pristine white beach that is privately owned. A lot of tourist stopped by the island that day. The reef was also good but full of sea grass. We then explored the nearby cave after lunch.

Swam at the beach here then ate a hearty lunch.

Yes we also did spelunking. It's a challenge!

The most interesting visit for this day is Snake Island. These are acutally two nearby islands which are joined by a winding sandbar that looks like a snake when viewed from the viewing deck on top of one island. It's quite a hike but the view is will take your breath away. It's one of my favorites!

One of the most photographed island of El Nido - the winding Snake Island!

For our final destination, we again settled at a nearby beach to the town. The sun is still up and strong when we got there. We end our day by making sand sculptures and exploring the nearby rock formations at the far edge of the cove.

Our last stop for the day. It's still scorching hot!

We also did a tour of El Nido town that night. It was town fiesta so we decided to pass by the carnival. We just can't let the chance pass especially for Donna who has not been to one. We tried betting games and shooting games to test our luck - I won 50 pesos on my first try! Found ourselves all hungry after that and Rhyzel was kind enough to treat us to authentic pugon pizza. Its very appetizing!


Pizza and perya (local term for carnival) can be a good mix. Haha!

DAY 4 - Tour C: Braving the Open Seas
So I guess this is it, I'm still very nervous when we started sailing for the open sea. Were doing the most difficult and dangerous of the tours today. Its a more than an hour ride in the harsh open waters plus a grueling 15 ride against waves that are almost the size of our boat. Not to mention the 3-meter shark that we saw tailing us.

Extra calm waters as you enter the cove.

It was very worth the ride. You are welcomed by very calm water as laid back as a flat river once your boat enters the cove. Different white sand shores line the horizon. And we're headed to the farthest one first - the very famous Secret Beach. Said to be the beach that inspired the author of the Leonardo de Caprio film - The Beach.

This for me is the best destination in El Nido.

Alas! Tide was rising so we had to go. Star beach which was famous for its starfishes is our next stop. We're having lunch here  but what is memorable for me is the snorkel experience. Aside from the starfishes, It's my first time to see so many types of aquarium fish. The coral reef terminates into a very deep ridge which was very scary. The adjacent view is so wonderful.

I had the best snorkel experience here at Star beach.

I could have stayed all day in Star Beach given the chance but Mantiloc Shrine was waiting. Its a deserted catholic retreat house situated in a heart-shaped island. One would easily notice the elaborate material and architecture of the place even if its in an abandoned state. I just hope they give priority to restore and secure the area. Above the towering limestones is where you find the best view of El Nido. Its a bit steep though but the challenge is worth the view.

A hot afternoon at Mantiloc Shrine.

Bird's eye view from the limestone cliffs.

Finally we sail out of the cove through very rough water again. It was particularly windy that day so the waves are really big. There was news that the big waves were able to leave two tourist boats' hull open and their passengers calling in for rescue. We go to Cadlao island for the last beach of the day. It's like a sanctuary after the big waves. Sea weeds abound the shoreline so yaya decided to mark the island with my name.

Fun moments at the beach.

Last minute swim.

Mukhang paa. Hahaha!

Simply one of the most breath-taking sunsets.

DAY 5 - Tour D: Something Laidback
Nearby islands are our destination for today which is kind of laidback after our man vs wild adventures over the past days.

Personalized El Nido headwear!

Our first stop is the famous helicopter island which literally looks like an oversized helicopter minus the blades. The waves are big and are hard to swim. Took more pictures here literally and had fun riding the waves.

Helicopter island was one wild stop.

We then settle for something more quiet as our boat drove into one of the cove of paradise beach. Since water was calm, I again swam without a life vest here. We tried diving with our snorkels but it was hard for a firt timer like me. I enjoyed fooling around around with non swimmers here by dragging them into the deep parts. I was such a bully. Haha!

More swimming at paradise beach.

Were revisiting one of the beaches of Cadlao Island four our lunch. This time were drawing a big "Lakwatsero" sign as if we own the island privately. It's on second visit that I get to notice the towering coconut trees that seem to be lifted from a movie scene. We explored the nearby caves after our hearty meal. The rocks are just too steep. Lucky I was wearing aqua shoes.

Back to Cadlao cove for lunch.

More spelunking on our last tour day!

Our last stop is Bacuit Bay where we literally spent the whole afternoon. Snorkel, white sand, hot sun, beach bumming, guides vs guest games - is was all about bonding. It was the best way to end our island hopping adventures.

One of my most memorable beach bumming destination.

DAY 6 - I'll Miss the Simple Life
I was still half asleep while everyone was busy outside taking last minute pictures from our beach front hotel. Sadly, it's the last day of El Nido and we once again embark on a 6-hr journey back to Puerto Princesa.

Last morning in El Nido.

Life in El Nido is simple and humble. It's laid back, prices are cheap and adventures are for everyone. It would surely be great to settle there but reality is calling me back to the city.

It's in Puerto Princesa, capital city of Palawan, that we did our last minute shopping for pasalubongs. We also had a group shirt customized at one store. This is followed by a late lunch at one famous restaurant near the airport.

Late lunch at Kinabuch after pasalubong buying.

Sporting our customized traveler shirts

Thank you El Nido.
Being on the beach for one whole week has been a life changing experience to me. You have the luxury of time to think about things, re-asses your goals, tag your priorities, ask and formulate signs from god and genrally take a good if not a better look at life. I always do this especially on the long commutes to a secluded destination - the long drives are the best part for me. I always end up being a new person after each vacation - now that explains why El Nido is my ultimate beach bumming experience!