I have been looking forward to my winter vacation ever since I found out that I will be actually having one. The previous winters I usually just stayed in Toronto and hung out with my high school friends, university crew, co-workers or with my cousins. This is the first year that I spent my time travelling to another country to experience something new during the winter vacation period. My winter vacation was from January 21st to February 3rd to Palawan, Philippines with my friends Warren, Steven and Kristin.
Side Note: 1 peso = 30 Korean won, 1000 won = $1 CDN (all approximate numbers).
First day was spent at Puerto Princesa, the capital city of Palawan. We just stayed there for one night but we managed to tour around the city quite a bit. There are tricycles everywhere so we could easily hop into one and the driver would take us anywhere for 20-50 pesos (depending on how far the location was). The dinner we had that night was the best meal I had in the longest time. Portion sizes for 5 people was plentiful, taste and flavour were amazing too. 5 people because we made a new friend at the hostel place we were staying. His name was Will and he's from the UK. He's an avid traveller and shared stories of his experiences in many places in the world.
The next four nights we stayed at El Nido (northern part of Palawan). During our stay in El Nido, we later found out, the filming of The Bourne Legacy movie was happening at one of the smaller islands! The first day of El Nido, we decided to take it easy and just enjoy the natural beauty around us. The second day we decided to go island hopping. I even tried snorkelling for the first time in my life. It will also be the last time too. I scrapped my left knee against the corals and it was painful the next day. The third day I decided to get a massage for 400 pesos. It was relaxing, and felt really good, especially after all that island hopping from the previous day. The last day, we decided to go island hopping again. This time, no snorkelling but relaxing on various smaller islands in El Nido. The best island from the island hopping experience was called "Snake Island" and my favourite experience was when I was able to sleep on a gigantic palm leaf under a palm tree with the cool breeze from the water hitting my body. I fell asleep for an hour. It was a great tropical island experience that I always wanted.
The next two nights we stayed in Sabang. The first night, we did not have reservations so we had to find a place on our own. For three hours we looked but finally we found one near a mountain. It was a sketchy place at first but the owner of the cottage was very friendly. She made us a huge dinner (fish curry and banana blossom curry with rice) and it was delicious. The next day we went to the Underground River, which was recently voted as one of the new 7 wonders of nature. It was a great experience in my opinion but I wouldn't call it a wonder of the world though. After the underground river experience, we came back for lunch and decided to do whatever we wanted to do. Kristin and Steven decided to read books along the beach, Warren was busy checking out the town while I decided to go play basketball with the local kids. I played 2 on 2 basketball for about 30 minutes until the court got occupied by the older group of locals.
After Sabang, we headed to Port Barton for four nights. Port Barton was a quiet place to just relax on a hammock and that's exactly what I did most of the time. I played chess with Warren in the mornings or afternoons and I managed to have 3 days of massages (500 pesos, 400 pesos and 500 pesos respectively). I had extra pesos left so I might as well enjoy my time in Philippines by eating chicken adobos (a classic Filipino dish), drink halo halos (ice drink with fruits - mango was my choice, obviously), quench myself with fresh coconut juice, and have massages. Port Barton was by far the quietest place I have ever been to.
Finally, one last day in Puerto Princesa again to get ourselves organized for our long journey back to Busan, South Korea and our temporary homes. Overall, my vacation was wonderful. I wouldn't change anything about it. I brought enough pesos to do everything I wanted to do. I tried something new (snorkelling), I tried new dishes (chicken adobos), I tried new drinks (halo halos), and enjoyed all the mangoes that I wanted. The funniest part is that mango season doesn't start until May! Coincidentally, that's when I was born. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a mango festival happening in the Philippines on May 6th.
Anyways, I enjoyed everything about this winter vacation that it made me realize how small the world truly is. I have always wanted to travel and a geography major it was always a dream but I was also hesitant because I never flew on an airplane before. However, all that changed after I moved to Korea for a year. I understand the airport procedures, the research and organization needed to execute an enjoyable vacation, and the amount of money is needed to have a fun time.
PS: I collected a bag full of seashells to give away as souvenirs to my family and friends in Canada but that got confiscated at the Manila airport because seashells are not allowed on airplanes. I guess I should have hid them better next time. Oh, well.
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