Another early morning caught us unawares as Chris' fancy new phone cock-a-doodle-dooed us awake at 5 AM so that we could get to the airport for our 7.30 AM flight. Last night, I heard Jun tell Pacholo at Club Mwah that we had to leave early to catch a plane to "El [unintelligible]" and Chris had told me that this was to be a charter flight, so I had a few clues about our destination, but it really was still anyone's guess as to where we were going.
Even this early on a Saturday morning, there was some traffic, but we made our way to the airport quickly enough and found the Island Transvoyager office and checked in. A small-ish plane with two propellers sat on the tarmac beyond a leafy patio. Going through security screening, checking my bag, and receiving a boarding pass seemed a bit ridiculous, since I felt like I was preparing to board a flying taxi cab. (Did you know that "taxi cab" is short for "taximeter cabriolet"?) We waited in the lounge and enjoyed an iced tea (Nestea, which I now crave.) until a staffer came on the PA to announce that boarding was imminent, so we should take advantage of the restrooms on the ground since there's no lavatory on the plane. I began to regret my iced tea. A smartly-dressed womon walked out of a nearby office and conducted the standard safety information routine right there in the lounge. She mentioned that the cabin of the plane isn't pressurized. What had Chris gotten us into? At the boarding announcement, we headed out of the lounge and walked the twenty feet to the plane, stepped on the door, and entered. I sat. I buckled myself in. I tightened the belt. We took off. As it turned out, the ride was quite smooth and comfortable. We flew fairly low, but that just let me take in a bit of scenery and shoot some photos from the plane. About 90 minutes later, we landed at El Nido airport (ENI) on northern Palawan where we were greeted by musicians. We were shown to the arrivals lounge, where we enjoyed refreshments and browsed in the gift shop before boarding a Jeepney that took us to the dock. We transferred to an out-rigger boat and rode for another hour... to paradise.
Absolute paradise. We glided over topaz-blue water past giant limestone boulders serving as islands that were lushly covered with greenery. Great clouds piled up in the sky trying to mimic and out-do the limestone islands. A string of cottages came into view and we had arrived at our destination, El Nido Resorts' Lagen Island. The resort was a cluster of cottages lined up along the edges of a lagoon and nestled in a tropical forest, centered around a large clubhouse, pool, and restaurant. Sheer limestone cliffs hundreds of feet tall provided a dramatic backdrop to this fantastic scene. I was at a loss for words. How had Chris found this place? How had he managed to arrange such an elaborate get-away? What had I done to deserve such an unimaginable voyage?
Staff helped us off of the boat at the docks and led us to the clubhouse where more musicians greeted us and a staffer oriented us to the resort and its facilities. The resort generates its own electricity and processes its own sewage. Bacuit Bay, in which the resort is located, is a protected natural area. They asked us to please use the biodegradable soaps and shampoos that they provided, instead of our own, to minimize the introduction of foreign chemicals into the waters. Rubbish is shipped back to Manila for recycling or disposal. All activities (snorkeling, boat transportation to local sights, kayaking, hiking, banana leaf hat-making, tours, an intro SCUBA dive) and all food (three gourmet meals per day) were included. I couldn't decide if I was dreaming of myself in an episode of Fantasy Island or Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous!
We kayaked through Big and Small Lagoons of Miniloc Island, explored caves, had a picnic lunch on a semi-private beach, swam in waters hotter than a Jacuzzi tub, marveled at exotic sea shells and aquatic life, enjoyed a sunset cruise on the bay, took underwater photos and fed fish while snorkeling, and ate like kings. I had an introductory SCUBA dive near the resort dock while Chris snorkeled above me. Others explored the dozens of dive sites around Bacuit Bay, went deep-sea fishing, hiked a nature trail to one of the island hilltops, and went bird-watching in a mangrove. The staff were invariably friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and efficient; one activities coordinator could ask us once what we wanted to do each day and it immediately seemed as though even the landscaping crew knew what we were doing when. There was no schedule except our own; the staff were ready to accommodate us whenever we felt like undertaking a new adventure. We quickly became acquainted with some of the other guests: couples from South Africa and Geneva as well as some young, American ex-pats working in Manila). Every meal included sushi and smoked fish; rice; fresh fruit juices; and an array of foods from Asia (sushi, bok choy, kimchee), Europe (pastas), the Philippines (garlic rice), and North America (fried chicken, Cocoa Puffs). Did I mention the desserts? These people know what to do with chocolate! There was a dense chocolate torte one night and a memorable flourless chocolate cake the next, besides heavenly cookies. Yum! I cannot say enough good about El Nido Resorts. If you can find the time and money to go there for a week or more, it's well worth the effort that it takes to get there!
Our stay at the resort turned out to be a fitting final flourish to the trip of a lifetime. But, a final flourish it was. We returned to Manila on Monday evening. Chris went back to work on Tuesday and I spent most of the day putting photos on Flickr and packing. I'd intended to go to the mall for a manicure and to buy some final souvenirs, but a torrential rain kept me inside all day. I nervously watched the television news talk about terrorist bombings that had taken place over the weekend on Mindanao and follow up by reporting that Manila was under a red terrorist alert; police had information that terrorists were in Manila and preparing to carry out an attack in the capital. Yay. At about 7 PM, Chris returned and delivered me to the airport for my 10.30 PM flight. I said the sad, but inevitable goodbye and walked inside the terminal. As a guard was wanding a hand-held metal detector over me, I turned and saw the van pull away in the dark and rain from nearly the exact spot where it had warmly greeted me on a bright, early morning nearly two weeks before.
I checked in for my flight, paid the P550 (US$11) terminal fee, and completed an immigration departure form. Rather than read my passport and type the information into a computer as the arrivals officer had done, the departures officer placed my passport face-down on a small flat-bed scanner and pressed a key; a light flashed and that was it. Due to the red terrorist alert, I had to go through multiple screenings to enter the terminal, move between the check-in and gate areas, sit down at the gate, and board the plane. My bag was x-rayed twice and searched twice. I removed my shoes and emptied the contents of my pockets twice. Three small tubes of toothpaste were removed from my bag, including one from a sealed container emblazoned "Philippine Airlines". I wasn't complaining. I bought a few more postcards and gazed longingly at the offerings of Goldilocks bakery before boarding the plane. The trip back east seemed quite short compared to the westward flight. Once again, PAL took good care of us, feeding us four times, showing us three movies, and providing us with little extras to keep us comfortable. I slept for most of the flight across the Pacific Ocean. I cleared US Customs without a fuss, had a bite to eat in the airport, and slept again for much of my flight across the US. Upon arriving in Charlotte, I found my car in good condition, got a bit lost leaving the airport, but found I-85 quickly enough. I stopped in China Grove to deliver to Chris' sister some gifts that he'd sent back early for her children, then made my way home, where I was greeted by three ecstatic animals and the scent of cat urine. Ah, home again! :J
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