Day 257 - Marine Life!

Yesterday was chill out and relax at the resort day, so today was tour around Coron day! We went to the lakes and lagoons and hot springs and somewhere in the middle of the sea in an area called Siete Picados where we saw lots and lots of fish. That's where I took this photo (with my underwater camera!).

I'm actually kind of afraid of fish. When we were in Davao, a fish, that had teeth like a dog, bit my leg. But these fish are harmless. Or so they were in my experience. Anyway, I'm happy to see marine life and hopefully the seas don't get too polluted that they'll be around for a long long time.

Day 255 - Only One of the Destinations

Today our entire family rode an airplane. But here's the kicker: Not together, and not to the same destinations, i.e. my sister and E went to Hong Kong, my brother and M went to Boracay, and my mom, dad and I went to El Rio Y Mar Resort in Coron, Palawan. The photo is of the entrance of the resort. Pretty amazing. I mean, not just the resort, but the fact that semi-coincidentally, we all had a trip on the same day. :)

Day 69 - Bilao't Palayok

This enormous bilao't palayok are at the front of a restaurant named the same, at Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It was recommended by one of the ladies we went to Honda Bay with, because of their delicious clam soup, so it's where we had lunch on our last day in Palawan.

The clam soup was indeed delicious, and this display at the front was a lot of fun to take pictures of. And the ambiance of the place was very very native Filipino, with bamboo chairs and tables. But I'd say that on a scale of 1 to 5, I'd only give this restaurant a 3. It's only open from 12nn 'til 2PM, they didn't have mango shake, and the baked clams were a tad disappointing. Oh, but who wants to talk negativity? Alright, their guyabano shake was very very good, and the clam soup was very very very good, seriously. It was actually worth all the trouble. :)

Day 68 - Beach Umbrella?

The weather was strange when we went to a tour of the Honda Bay Islands in Palawan, today. It would be sunny and very very hot one moment and raining and very very cold the next. You can even see how one side of the sky in this picture is dark, and the other side clear. Luckily for my friend K, her umbrella is both waterproof and has UV-ray protection. If I didn't know better, I'd say the makers of the umbrella made it specifically for days like these.

I took this picture while we were walking at Snake Island. The beach is more than a mile long so we didn't reach the end, but nevertheless had fun walking on the sand.

Day 67 - Woods from the Dark Side

After seeing the famous Underground River of Palawan, we went and did the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour for an extra P150 each. It was something new to do, since the last time I was in Puerto Princesa was in 2004, and this tour only started operation about 2 years ago. Although I wasn't really all that crazy about seeing a bunch of mangroves, I learned to appreciate it when we were there.

It was quiet, and the boatman sang to us. We went to the middle of this forest and it was actually kind of creepy. The first thing I remembered was the TV show Tales from the Dark Side, which still has the creepiest theme song I can remember. But I was reminded of Lord of the Rings as well.

Apparently, that's one of its features. The next day, when we told our tour guide that we went to the mangroves, he asked us, "So did you see the forest that's just like the one in Lord of the Rings?"

K and L both looked at me and asked, "Is it really like Lord of the Rings?"

I realized just then that I was in the unique position of confirming exactly that, having been one of the (I'm assuming) few people who have experienced both the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour, and the Lord of the Rings Tour in Wellington, New Zealand. I nodded and told them that it was. And then to myself, I wondered, "Hey! Why hasn't anyone made a Lord of the Rings type epic movie in the Philippines that showcases our amazing landscapes?" I mean, Peter Jackson definitely put New Zealand on the map with that movie, so it is possible for even just one movie to drastically change the tourism of an entire country.

Gosh. Me and my idealistic/naive self.

Day 66 - Taking Pictures at the Tarmac

PLEASE AVOID TAKING PICTURES AT THE TARMAC - says the voice over the intercom before you're allowed to alight the plane. But being naturally pasaway, we take pictures anyway.

I suppose this isn't an original shot considering that airlines have found a need to remind people not to do this as much as they remind people to stow their tray tables and keep their seats upright when preparing for landing, but it's really fun to see people so excited as soon as they've landed on a place they've never been to. I mean, what fun is traveling after all, if you don't have photographs documenting the whole thing?

These are L (with the camera) and K, by the way. 2 of my former officemates but friends until present ;)