How to Choose from 7107 Tropical Islands?

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When traveling to foreign and unfamiliar countries you always have to make some really difficult choices; what places should you visit; where will you find the most unique, the most authentic or the most exiting place? There is always the danger of leaving out places that you should've visited, and going places you shouldn't have gone. There is so much to see and do, but almost every time I travel I feel that my time is too limited, and of course, my budget doesn't always allowing me to do everything I want. Choosing where to go and what to see was particularly difficult in the Philippines. This vast tropical country consists of no less than 7107 islands! Katrine and I ended up with three main destinations: Manila, Boracay and Palawan, all of which gave us some unforgettable experiences and memories, both good and bad.

When you're exploring new destinations,
it is extremely important to keep your head above the surface...

Unfortunately, we had some problems starting our travels on time, due to the occupation of Bangkok International Airport. Because of this we lost three days in Manila, but it could have been much worse as Thai Airways wouldn't promise to get us there at all. However, as a result of hard work and hours on the phone we managed to get a flight via Singapore instead, and at least get two full days in Manila. In Singapore we stayed overnight with two god friends. We even had a few hours to kill the next day before our flight. Chen and Miki were our personal guides to the plethora of shopping malls in Singapore.

Our first meeting with Manila was rather chaotic and not too pleasant. First of all, we didn't really arrive in Manila, but at Clark, an old American military base, two hours outside Manila. Anyway, we got on a bus and a couple of hours later we were dropped at a run-down bus terminal in the deepest of Manila, at midnight... We grabbed the first taxi we saw and headed for Alabang, where some of Katrine's family live. We tried to bargain on the taxi, but failed miserably. I guess it was both because of the fact that we were way out of 'practice', and who wants to stay downtown Manila at midnight with all your belongings trying to save a couple of bucks? Not us... We arrived Alabang safely and Katrine's uncle, Ingar, welcomed us with dinner at around 1 am! The next day we went with Ingar to see one of the projects he's working on. Driving through Metro Manila in daylight was undoubtedly nicer than by night, but Tondo, the place we were going, was definitely not the sunny side of Manila. Tondo is one of the poorest and most dangerous places in Manila, and the Philippines overall. (A couple of weeks later, sitting in a bar in Puerto Princesa (far from Manila), telling two guys that we had been to Tondo, they both just said 'Wow, and you came out alive!?'). Here we visited some abandoned warehouses that have been taken over by Filipinos, desperate for shelter. These warehouses have the somewhat ironic name 'Happy land'. Ingar and his companions have started clearing out tons of garbage, installing electricity, and offering medical help to the most needy. Walking through these warehouses, smelling and seeing the unbearable situation, where people live in conditions many times worse than what animals experience in most countries, seeing critical cases of mal-nutrition, extensive sniffing, and the lack of essential human needs, made a strong impression on us both. At the same time, experiencing the smiles and the laughter, the joy of the kids, and seeing how the situation actually has improved, was good proof that even the worst cases can get better; and it isn't much that is needed.

The next day we went to see a very different side of Manila, the Mall of Asia. It is currently the fourth biggest shopping mall in the world. What can I say, it was BIG... After two days full of contrasts and good company, we headed off to the premier tourist destination in the Philippines, Boracay.

The day we arrived in Boracay it was raining cats, dogs, and cattle... Luckily, it got better. Boracay had some colorful markets with the freshest fruits and live seafood.

After an hour on a small aircraft and a 15 minutes boat trip, we found ourselves on an island referred to as both a paradise and as a prime example of the destructive effects of mass tourism. We found it somewhere in between, but closer to a holiday paradise that the opposite. The thing is, you have to accept Boracay for what it is. If you don't like tourists, resorts, 2-for-1 cocktail deals, cheap massage, jet skis, Richard Clydeman for breakfast, Boney M for lunch and DJ Tiesto for dinner, buffet dinners on the beach, etc., Boracay is probably not the place for you. I can definitely do without most of this, but at the same time Boracay's snow white 'White Beach' that stretches for 3 km. and is covered by palm trees, the smiling Filipinos, the crystal clear water, the fresh mangos, the chilled out beach oasis where you can sleep in bean bags or hammocks, and the lovely old women who gives you the cheapest massage while criticizing the government, make it a beach holiday destination far beyond most you'll find in, for instance, Europe.

The good thing about the Philippines, however, is that it has thousands of other islands to chose from, when you are fed up by Korean charter tourists, corny Christmas remixes, and neon-lit palm trees. We chose Palawan. And we couldn't have chosen better!

Palawan is, according to Lonely Planet, the last ecological frontier of the Philippines, and it sure is wild, beautiful, and untouched. We flew from Caticlan (near Boracay) to Puerto Princesa in a tiny aircraft, with too much air condition. Just as we took off I actually spotted a gigantic whale shark. I could even see the white spots on its back! Domestic flights in the Philippines is not just cheap and necessary, but also very enjoyable, if you are seated by the window that is. You'll see massive mountains, endless palm tree forests, and small isolated islands surrounded by white beaches, reefs, and turquoise water. In the baggage claim in Puerto we met an Italian guy and a Filipino girl. Together, the four of us hired a driver and a car, and from the airport we went straight north to El Nido. First three hours on sealed road to Roxas, and from there four hours on an extremely bumpy dirt road full of pot holes and stray dogs. Except for the times our heads almost hit the roof, the scenery made you forget about the bad road; the green, lush hills, the even rice paddies, small villages of bamboo huts, the overloaded and colorful jeepneys, the winding, narrow roads, and the mighty mountain tops. We arrived El Nido after dark and little did we know of the amazing view from our beach cottage that was revealed the next morning.

The first picture shows the view from our beach cottage.
The others are from around the archipelago.

The following six days were spent island hopping, exploring the most exotic, idyllic, and post card perfect islands of your dreams. The Bacuit Archipelago (bay) is an extraordinary seascape, consisting of numerous big and small islands. Our Creator has sure let his imagination run wild here. The bay is a collection of jugged limestone islands that leap hundreds of meters to the sky from crystal clear water, where all the nuances of green and blue are represented. On many of the islands there are sheltered bays that conceal white-sand beaches, tall palm trees, stunning lagoons, hidden caves, and vivid coral gardens. We spent three full days exploring the archipelago by bangka (traditional Filipino boat) together with out good boatman, guide and cook Delon, and a few other travelers. We also spent one day sea kayaking and found ourselves a personal little paradise on a small island. There were no people other than the two of us, so we felt a bit like cast aways... The rest of the time was spent reading Obama's well written and engaging Dreams from My Father (which I stole from my American house mate in Australia, thanks Tom), eating, sleeping, and wandering around the small and charming El Nido.

The underwater world is amazing around the islands of Bacuit. The visibility was extraordinary and we even found Nemo!

After six fantastic days in El Nido it was time to get back to Puerto, where we strolled around the city and its big Christmas market for a couple of days. We also had time for a day trip to Sabang (two hours west of Puerto) and its world famous underground river. We dressed up in life jacket and helmet and took a seat in a small paddle boat which brought us into a spectacular cave opening and 1,5 km upstream the river. (You can actually continue upstream for another 7 km!). Inside it was, obviously, pitch black, but we had a big torch and for the next 45 minutes we paddled inside the mountain, surrounded by thousands of bats and unbelievable natural sculptures. It was good to return to fresh air and daylight after that dark and sticky experience. Outside we were greated by a bunch of monkeys and some giant lizards. From Puerto we flew to Cebu, the second biggest city in the Philippines, where we spent one night before heading towards Christmas in Indonesia.

Outside the underwater river

We had an exceptional experience in the Philippines

and the best tip we can give you is:
JUST GO THERE!