"IT'S LIKE A CIRCUS UNDERWATER,"

EL NIDO, PHILIPPINES
Temperature: 36 Degrees Celsius

Track of the day: Bright Lights, Matchbox 20

"I can't wait," Alecs yells over the sound of the bangka (boat) engine, "I'm really excited to use our snorkels." We are sitting side by side on a wooden bench of a blue and white painted boat, cruising across the Philippine Sea to 'small lagoon', one of the many attractions here in northern Palawan. All around us we can see towering limestone cliffs jutting from out from the crystal blue water, the morning sun illuminating the tops of the palm trees and reflecting on the ocean below. Our boat driver maneuvers past a rocky island and upon turning the corner we see the 'small lagoon' in all it's glory. The driver shuts off the engine, gliding over the corals below. I hear a loud splash behind me as the captain throws down the anchor and we hop off the boat right into the water. "It's warm," I say excitedly to Alecs, "are your ready to go?" We pull our masks over our faces, bite down on the mouthpiece of the snorkel and stop to feel the salt water flowing over us. Following our guide, we swim through a large opening in the limestone karsts and find ourselves completely enclosed in a paradise of beaches. Treading water, we stop to admire the scenery around us, both in awe of the natural wonder we wish only the two of us knew about. Snapping photo's like mad, I find it impossible to take anything but good pictures as the towering rocks and sparkling water create a photographers dream. We swim along the outside of the oval-shaped lagoon where fish and corals line the ocean floor. Keeping our heads down, following our guides fins we suddenly loose him and surface to find him crawling into a cave. We follow suit, climbing over the sharp rocks into a cool pool of water inside the island. We casually swim to the back of the cave where it becomes much more cold and dark and our heads bob on the surface and we tread water to keep afloat. "Wow, this is awesome," Alecs says, "and it's only stop number one for the day," he adds, almost shaking with excitement. We spendmuch more time exploring the many corals and swimming around the entirety of the lagoon before heading back through the cliff opening to the boat. "Don't go over there," our guide tells us, pointing to an area close to our boat, "there are lots of tiger fish there and they bite." He explains that although their bite is not hard enough to pierce the skin it's still rather painful and these little fish are very territorial. "Duly noted," Alecs says, dipping his head under water to check out what they look like. "They're striped like tigers," Alecs says to me after we get on the boat, "we should make sure we avoid them at the other islands too." Back on the boat, the engine starts up and we putt along to the next lagoon on the agenda, 'big lagoon.' This place is the most photographed sight in all of Palawan (this part of the Philippines) and it's no wonder why. Here the water is too deep to see the bottom, but it's not what's underwater that makes this place so special. The limestone cliffs here tower over us, shooting high out towards the heavens, almost blocking out the sun. The motionless water reflects off whatever light seeps in and creates an almost magical, mystical atmosphere. Our guide points to a jagged end of the cliff high above us and in true Filipino style tells us it's shaped like Virheng Maria (Virgin Mary). "Actually," I say to Alecs examining the piece of limestone above, "it does look like the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus." We spend some time standing on a man-made dock in the middle of the lagoon trying to grasp the reality that we are actually here. "After seeing so many photos and reading so much about this place, I can't believe we're standing here," I say to Alecs. "I know, and it's so much better in person than any photo could ever depict," he adds, jumping back onto the boat. It's nearly noon now, and for Filipino's that means it's time for the third meal of the day - lunch. Inyang, our driver and Bong, our guide, collect wood around the sandy island and quickly start a fire. While we explore the small pebbly cove, covered in palm and mango trees Bong descales four fish in the water and Inyang cooks them over the fire. I stand in the sun, feeling the sand under my feet while the waves lap against the shore and an eagle soars above us. "Tanghalian na Mam, Sir (lunch time)" Bong shouts, snapping us out of our daze. We spoon rice, barbecued chicken wings and a whole fish onto our plates, find a log to sit on and dig in. "Swimming sure makes me hungry," Alecs says eating his third chicken wing and stealing some of my fish. "Back off get your own sandwich - I mean fish," I say, turning my back to Alecs playfuly denying him of my food. After several helpings of rice and chicken Alecs is finally full and we head to the water for more snorkeling. "Take these," Inyang says handing us each a small yellow banana, "crush them with your fingers and feed the fish," he adds. I give Alecs a surprised look and quickly dive into the water, banana in hand. Alecs quickly joins me and underwater we peel our banana's, crushing it in our hands and suddenly schools of fish are swarming us, each vying for their own piece of the fruit. A brave blue and yellow fish takes a bite right off the banana in Alecs hand and he looks over at me giving the thumbs up. We spend close to an hour feeding the fish and exploring the coral before we are called back to the boat, heading to another new place. We zoom across the sea to another island, a wave splashes against the side of the boat and I touch my tongue to my lips tasting the salty water. A school of small fish leap out of the water at the bow of the boat, disappearing almost as quickly as they arrived. "Did you see that?" I ask Alecs, nudging him awake. I point to where I saw the fish and luckily another school of them fly across the surface and Alecs is now once again awake. The boat coasts onto another pebbly beach and we follow Bong to a small hole in the rocks and after climbing through it we are rewarded with a small cove, and a cool pool in the middle. During high tide the water flows through the hole in the rocks filling the five-foot deep pool inside. Now, during low tide, visitors can climb through the rocks and get the chance to take a cool dip in a tranquil pool. Floating on our backs, we glide from side to side of the small enclosed cove, listening to the sound of water running into our ears. It's nearly four in the afternoon and Alecs and I are both completely exhausted after spending a day in the sun and water. We silently lean on each other, struggling to keep our eyes open for the duration of the trip back to El Nido. Bidding Inyang and Bong farewell we walk the half  meter to our guesthouse, quickly shower and head out fordinner on the beach. We stop at a small bar cum restaurant where a live band sets up on the stage and we each order some fresh seafood. The sun dips below the mountainous island to the west and laughing children splash in the water, diving off floating bangkas, enjoying the warm summer night. I of course befriend a stray dog with floppy ears and leave the restaurant still hungry after feeding more than half my meal to those pleading eyes. 

Before we know it morning has come to the small town of El Nido and busy shop owners open their Sari Sari's (tiny convenience stores) while fishermen bring in their catch to women who walk around with scales selling them off. Back in our hotel room we pack for another day of island hopping on the Bacuit Archipelago. After enjoying an included Filipino Breakfast of Longsilog (sweet sausage, rice and fried egg) at the hotel we walk out to the beach and meet our new boat captain. The smiling man before us has some of the most unique eyes I've ever seen and he introduces himself as Kuya (a common Filipino term, sort of like older brother) Jun (his name). Kuya Jun's 14-year old son asked to tag along to see the island himself as he has now finished his school finals and can finally enjoy summer. So the four of us and his helper for the day (his regulars grandmother just passed away and is of course not working at the moment) set off to see another set of islands here in paradise. Kuya Jun guides us into the sparkling waters of the first island where we spend an hour diving under the water, watching colourful fish twitter about the corals, splashing one another and feeling completely at home in the water. Alecs and I have always been happiest in water and we both agree that placing Siem Reap, Cambodia here on the edge of the Bacuit Archipelago, filling it with our loved ones and our dogs would be heaven on earth. "If only," I sigh, dreaming about the impossible as we head to secret beach, stop number two for the day. We follow Kuya Jun, wading in the crystal waters

below, strapping on our masks and snorkels and diving in. My breath is immediately taken away as the underwater view here is the most amazing of all. A circus act of fish speeding through the coral causeways of the ocean, dancing around one another captivates us both. Kuya Jun waves to us under the water and we quickly swim to his side. Below us a family of clown fish, or as I like to call them Nemo Fish twirl around the protection of a gel-like sea anemone (like really cook seaweed). I tap Alecs' arm, my eyes wide as saucers giving him the thumbs up. We dive under the water to get a closer look at these brightly painted fish that look exactly like

the ones in the cartoon movie 'Finding Nemo.' "That's unreal," I say to Alecs as we surface, giant dopey smiles on our faces, "it's just like in the movie." We continue swimming around the massive island rock and Kuya Jun dives below the surface once again and brings up a blue starfish for us to see.  "It's like a circus underwater," I say to Alecs as we come close to returning to the boat, "it's a completely different world under there." We talk about all the strange sea creatures we have just seen before continuing on to our lunch destination. The rest of the day is spent with our heads underwater pointing things out to one another, doing our best to evolve into fish. Sitting back at our usual restaurant on the beach, listening to the band play some Johnny Cash I notice Alecs swaying every few seconds. "Are you okay?" I ask Alecs,

a little concerned. Alecs laughs, "I still feel like the waves are hitting me," he says, "it's like vertigo, I'm moving to the flow of the ocean."

Tomorrow we may take a day off from island hopping but as for now, nothing is sure except that we will be in the water.

Until next time, so long

Alecs and Meg in El Nido 

"I TRAVEL A LOT; I HATE HAVING MY LIFE DISRUPTED BY ROUTINE"

PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINES

Temperature: 29 Degrees Celsius

Track of the day: Wonderwall, Oasis

"The forces are always against us when we try and visit the Philippines," Alecs says after we spend nearly two hours trying to get our boarding passes to fly to Manila. It seems the immigration laws have changed in the Philippines and all travelers now require proof of a departure flight before being permitted into the country. We were finally forced to book a flight from Manila to Hong Kong that was nearly triple what we should be paying in order to catch this flight. Luckily the travel agent gave us an address in Manila where we should be able to cancel our flight and book a new and cheaper one - fingers crossed!! So now we are finally in the terminal waiting to board our three hour flight, leaving Indochina in pursuit of the Philippines. "I'm dreading Philippine immigration," Alecs says as our plane lands on the tarmac in Manila, "it's just such a hassle." However, we arrive at four o'clock in the morning and find

immigration lines empty and painless and before we know it we are on our connecting flight to the island of Palawan. In January of 2008, Alecs and I visited Palawan and loved it so much we promised each other we must return. So here we are, only a little more than a year later we have returned to see what we missed before. "I can't believe we're back here," Alecs says as we check into the same hotel as before, "it's surreal." The remainder of our day and night is spent catching up on sleep as we have been awake for over 36 hours, traveling and missing Cambodia. 

"Ready to see the city?" Alecs asks after we finish a traditional Filipino breakfast of longsilog (sweet sausage). I nod my head and we join our tour guide to see the city sights - the first stop of which is a Crocodile Farm. Puerto Princesa mayor - Hagerdorn is something of a national figure because of his strict environmental conservation policies. A former illegal logger and fisher he works with protection organizations and locals to foster a relationship that benefits everyone. Eco-tourism is the main attraction in the island of Palawan and Hagerdorn understands the importance of

protecting the environment and all the creatures living in it. The crocodile farm is an educational centre where locals and tourists alike can learn about the species and their importance to the island. The massive bones of a crocodile - the largest ever found in Palawan - sit inside a glass box at the entrance. Alecs and I look at each other in disbelief at the sheer size of the massive prehistoric looking croc. Our tour takes us through the many stages of growth, from eggs to hatching's to teenage crocodiles and finally full-grown ones. As we exit the farm we find ourselves unable to pass up a photo op with one of the smaller croc's, paying the 100 Pesos to have an elastic band put around it's mouth. "Give it a kiss," the handler tells me, placing the reptile in Alecs' hands. Slowly I reluctantly lean over and timidly pucker my lips moving towards his toothy mouth.  Having survived our close encounter - okay maybe it wasn't really that close - we head to a Penal Colony close by. "This prison has maximum, medium and minimum security prisoners," our guide tells us, "the minimum security prisoners are give many rights." We pass rice fields and vegetable crops being tended to by prisoners who will harvest the crops, give half to the government and sell

 the remainder for their own personal gain. A prisoner rides his bike down a dirt road carrying a machete around his waist outside the gates. Min. security prisoners are allowed to live in colonies outside the prison gates (there is a limit to how far) with a leader who reports headcounts weekly. Upon passing through the prison gate (which has no walls beside it) we must give our names to the guards, who of course are prisoners themselves. "The government believes that by giving these criminals a chance to rehabilitate themselves they will once again become productive members of society," our guide tells us. We pass a large school on our left where the children of inmates can benefit from a public education, beside which is housing for prisoners families. We stop at a gift-shop where medium security inmates sit around joking with one another selling us their handicrafts. "I have to buy some of these things," Alecs says excitedly as he converses casually with these people. It's easy to forget they have all committed a crime, but as our guide said some might be illegal fishers or loggers, in other words they don't all need to

words they don't all need to be feared. "I like that system," I say to Alecs as we leave the prison, "it's not a detention centre it's a place where people can learn their lessons and integrate back into society and contribute something." Alecs nods his head, pointing to a prisoner driving a car to his house in a small colony just outside the prison.  Our city tour ends with a stop at lover's lane as I'd like to call it where we get to see a fantastic view over Honda Bay, the islands we visited last year. Just before we reach our hotel, Alecs tries his hand at traditional weaving - but I think the locals and I would both agree he should stick to his day job. Back in our hotel room we catch up on some phone calls and e-mails, talking to each other and reminiscing about Cambodia. "Wow, we've already done so much," Alecs says after we talk about all the different hotels we've stayed in, "it went by way too fast," he adds. Indeed this trip has gone by so quickly, but we have to remind ourselves that it has not yet ended, the next two years will be a great adventure unto themselves. "I like this quote by Caskie Stinnett," I say to Alecs, reading from a book of inspiring travel quotes, "I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." We talk about our goals and dreams for the next few years and we both agree a more modest lifestyle at home with the ability to do big trips more often is success for us. "I 

like this quote," Alecs says laughing, "when preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." I laugh, nodding my head, agreeing all too well with this Susan Heller quote that might as well be the motto for this trip. Talking well into the night, we drift off to sleep dreaming about the ocean we will see tomorrow.

In the morning we will catch a bus to El Nido where we will spend over a week at the Bacuit Archipelago visiting island after island, soaking in the sun and hopefully developing gills as we will be spending all our time in the ocean. 

Until next time so long,

Alecs and Meg in Puerto Princesa

Ps. We have added two videos to our post "WE'LL BE BACK, I PROMISE"