El Nido

After three stressfull, busy weeks of final exams and goodbyes, we needed a quite place to just relax and celebrate christmas eve, before six more weeks of backpacking through South East Asia.
We we´re a group of ca fifteen travelling together to El Nido, Palawan Island, the Philippines.

According to the locals, Alex Garland wrote his novel "The Beach" while he was in El Nido. This is were he found his inspiration. El Nido is quiet and beautiful with towering marble cliffs, sandy white beaches and crystal clear water. It really is paradise.
Reaching this tropical paradise was on the other hand a bit time consuming and complicated. We booked a flight Hong Kong - Cebu, Cebu - Puerto Princessa, with a five hour stop + delays in Cebu. Finally arriving in Puerto Princessa its was five-six more hours in a minivan along the cost of Palawan Island, to El Nido.
But it was worth the trip, El Nido is truly paradise.


Our friend Velina had been so kind and booked rooms for the whole group on a beautiful hostel, right on the beach. And as a bonus they served delicious banan pancakes with sirup for breakfast every morning.

Island Front Cottages - view from the room

Breakfast on the beach

We did not do much during our stay at El Nido. We simply enjoyed life by sleeping in, kayaking, eating delicious food - like fresh fish, reading lots of books, sunbathing, island jumping, snorkling.. the normal activities you do in paradise. We had a wonderful week, and a fantastic christmas eve.

Love the fresh coconuts!

..and apparently we were not the only ones loving them.

Island jumping in old boats.

Beautiful sunsets every evning from the hostel.

A million fish when snorkling, just amazing!

Peter enjoying a break on his private little island when our diving boat had a little break down.
(We had to wait around two hours for a new boat to come and pick us up,
but we did not mind the wait at all)

P A R A D I S E 

Daily island jumping departures just outside the hostel. We booked the trip we felt
like in the morning at the hostel. Ofcourse you have to get used to the
philippino time departures, which means you might have to wait a bit but you
quickly get used to it.

Me and Cecilie went kayakking from the hostel to an island just outside. Half way
to the island our kayakk were filled with so much water we had to get out and swim back.
We´re still not sure why nobody told us not to use that specific kayak - hahaah. Or why
we did not figure that this kayak were not to use since it was dragged far up on the beach, Stupid (and
lots of fun ofcourse).

Rasmus surrounded by local kids.