“IN PHOTOS” is a series I will use to share many of the hundreds of photos I have taken during my travels. It is a series I have thought about for a while now, but did not want to start until I got back home from my trip. However after spending a week in Chefchaouen, Morocco I couldn’t wait any longer. “IN PHOTOS” will not have a set schedule like my “MUSIC MONDAY” or “PHOTO ROUND UP” series. “IN PHOTOS” will be a post with several photos with no limit. The only restriction this series will have is that it must be about a certain subject or theme. I will write a brief paragraph or sentence describing the subject or theme of the photos and then post the photos. I will not caption the photos like I do on my “PHOTO ROUND UP” with my thoughts. I want to use “IN PHOTOS” to share my photos and let you come up with your own thoughts about the images and hope you share them with me. I have also numbered them in case you want to leave a comment about a specific photo.
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The truth is I don’t even know how to write about this place. Niether my words or my photos can do it justice. El Nido (latin for birds nest) is a small town at the Northern most point of the island of Palawan in the Philippines. The locals sometimes call it “the last frontier”. To get there you must arrive at the islands largest city Puerto Princesa and then catch an 8 hour bus or 5 hour private van up there. The road is halfway paved so halfway through it’s nice and smooth as the drivers speeds through crazy twists, turns and climbs but the second half is a long bumpy ride as the driver continues to speed it’s way there. El Nido is so new to tourism it doesn’t even have an ATM you either have to withdraw before you arrive or be charged an armful by doing cash advances at the towns only gas station. The good thing is that it still has many cheap hotels to fit every budget and many with some breathtaking views. When you arrive to El Nido every where you look you will see 4 tours offered A, B, C, & D. As much as I hate taking tours it really is the best way to see El Nido and make the most of your time there. The best ones are Tour A & C and are the two I did and holy shit they were amazing.
The tours start like any other tours promptly early in the morning. We got on our boat and since they were providing lunch we made sure we brought the good stuff, you know the cheap rHum that made me get naked in Boracay. Off we went and as we turned the corner out of the bay we were left speechless. I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes huge jagged limestone rocks tearing out of the ocean into the open sky and forming what really looks like a birds nest all around us. As you make your way through and around the huge peaks you see many shades of blue and immaculate beaches untouched by civilization. The tours consist of 4 stops each Tour A takes you to Secret Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Seven Commandos Beach Tour C takes you to Hidden Beach, Star Beach, Matinloc Island Shrine and Helicopter Island. The entire time stop after stop I kept thinking this can not be real, I mean it seemed so magical and so unreal. I had never seen anything like this in my life before.
I’m often asked what is the most beautiful thing I have seen on my travels and I must admit that El Nido comes in 2nd. You all know for me the most amazing thing I’ve seen on Earth is the Sahara Desert nothing is more amazing then feeling so tiny next to it and seeing the dunes role out as far as the eye can see. In the end though I love that El Nido gives me some type of magical feeling like I’m in a land before time and should expect a dinosaur to come out and eat me. I know crazy, but it really does and even though I know none of the photos do this place justice I hope you are able to experience a tiny bit of the majestic El Nido I experienced.
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—Yes the water is that clear.—
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—Yes the sand is that white.—
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—This is where we had lunch during Tour A.—
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—The sunset was amazing.—
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—See that hole on the left hand side? We had to swim through that & once on the other side is a fucking amazing hidden beach.—
—It was so deep… we just kept diving in.—
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—This is where we had lunch during Tour C.—
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—Do you see the head? Eyes, nose, lips ears & even a neck.—
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—One of the most amazing views I have ever seen in my life.—
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—I loved the sand so much.—
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—In the end though my experience in El Nido wouldn’t have been what it was without the people I hung out with during my time there. Ahhh the memories.—
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Hope you enjoyed the photos & I hope you share your thoughts below.
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u captured el nido at its best jaime:)
Thank you very much Louis!
you had to swim through a hole to reach a hidden beach?! that’s what dreams are made of. I am so glad you are seeing these places and loving life. Thanks for continuing to share it all with us back home!
Hey KELLI, yes… it was so cool, yet scary. I kept yelling… “OMG I’M SO SCARED” it was like so deep & then you make it to the other side & left speechless… the beach is like no other. Oh man yes… I must agree this is what dreams are made of.
Awesome Photos!!! I love the Secret Beach and Hidden Beach!!!
EEEKKS I miss El Nido!!!
Ada Travels recently posted..Photo Essay: His love for Cherry Blossoms
Thanks Ada, oh man El Nido is just something else… everyone must see it in their life time.
OMG, what an amazing place!! I am sold, we have to go to the Philippines for sure when we return to Asia.
Dani recently posted..Our first look at Buenos Aires, through the eyes of a local
Dani, this place is out of this world… I mean it. Nothing like this have I ever seen. Yes y’all must visit when y’all are back in Asia for sure. Oh y’all would love it.
Damn, looks amazing! We are really hoping to get there next year!
Scott recently posted..The Mountains Win Again
Scott you must… it’s out of this world. It’s like nothing you will have ever seen before.
WOW! No words can describe how I love the place. I want to go there NOW! I don’t want to miss this! The place is indeed MAGICAL. How about the hotel and island hopping rates? Thank you
Georgina Garcia recently posted..Top 3 beaches in pangasinan
Hi Georgina, yes you must it’s amazing indeed. The tours are cheap… they cost about $15 each and the hotels it was a group of us so were paying between $7.50-$10 each per night.
I miss this paradise!
Micamyx|Senyorita recently posted..No Coffee, No Sunset at Triad Coffee Shop – Larena, Siquijor
I miss it too already… it was amazing. I mean really out of this world.
i will visit EL NIDO! it will be my first out of town activity this coming 2013. I should be in CARAMOAN ISLANDS (Philippines) but ur photos convinced me to visit this magical place again!:)
Oh you will love it Louis, it’s one of a kind. This place is just magical and like nothing else I have ever seen. You won’t regret it.
glad you made it to El Nido Jaime… sorry for the late response… saw your tweet too (saw it late as well)… been busy building new websites to raise more funds for next year’s travel 🙂
stay safe as always and stay happy 🙂
Thanks Flip, don’t worry it’s all good. El Nido was out of this world… like really one of my favorite places on Earth. It’s just so beautiful. Good luck on the site building and traveling the world.
great photos!! made me think about the hundred islands in the philippines! loved it there!
Thanks Bernie, I know I only saw a small portion of the Philippines and hope one day I can see more.
Crazy world…while you were in El Nido, I was over in Coron, on the Busuanga Island. I gotta agree, there is something otherworldly about these islands in the Philippines. From what I hear they’re a lot better than the current state of Cebu or Boracay. But what an amazing country!! I heartily recommend it to anyone. Check out some scenes from my video in the Philippines. 3:44 on is all Busuanga.
http://traveltransmissions.com/blog/2012/12/video-travel-to-philippines/
I think I need to stay in better tune with your blog in case we’re close enough to meet up again 😉
Dave @ Travel Transmissions recently posted..A Bittersweet Homecoming
Oh damn that sucks Dave we were so close to each other yet so far away ja! Oh & yes the islands in the Philippines are just out of this world… I mean really I’d never seen so many beautiful beaches in my life. I too recommend them to anyone. I’ll be sure to check out your video once I have a better net connection. I do tweet more often about where I am then on my blog. My blog is normally about 2 weeks behind, but yeah tweet me and we’ll meet up.
Hey Jamie! We are starting to look at our Asia route. How long would you plan for Philippines? We were thinking around 2-3weeks mainly just Boracay and El Nido, any other suggestions?
Ahhhh cant wait to be there in a few weeks!!
And i was almost skipping this paradise to go just to Coron. In the end im.doing both…what the hell…we only live once right?! :))
Awesome pics!!
OMG YOU ARE GONNA LOVE IT… LOVE IT!!! It’s just amazing.
What is the best month to go to El Nido? I am travelling to Philippines sometimes in February 2017 but not sure if it’s the best time to go island hopping.
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