Among Shades of Blue: A Perfect Day in the Islands of El Nido
When Secret Lagoons, Kayaks and Magical Sunsets Create an Unforgettable Experience
📍El Nido, Philippines
On my first evening in El Nido, I booked a tour for the next day, after sitting down and setting up an organized schedule for the coming days, this time without mistakes. There are so many tourism agencies here, and they all sell the same tours at the same prices.
I decided to book from the agency located at the corner of the two main streets. During registration, I saw that only a few people were on the participant list. Later that day, when I passed by the agency again, I saw it full of people waiting in line to book their tour for tomorrow.
How do I know it's for tomorrow? Because even when I wanted to book my second tour for the coming days, the representative said it's better to book just one day in advance, as things might change. I understood how dynamic the approach is here, and I was surprised they didn't want my money right away. Any other tourism company would have already taken payment from me a week in advance.
The next morning, after breakfast (excellent avocado toast!), I arrived at the same agency. The entire preparation took an hour and a half, including the waiting time at the pier for our boat, along with all the other tourists on the island doing tours at the same time. It was worth the wait.
During this time, I met new friends, a girl from England and a guy from Uruguay. We all arrived alone, and as you might have noticed in previous stories, excited Maya simply talks to everyone around her (and doesn't stop talking), so that's what happened throughout the day.
There were 24 of us on the boat, which is relatively few compared to other boats. We set out to the open sea and saw amazing landscapes! The main island is surrounded by small islands, huge rocks, and all the shades of blue that exist in the world were there, right before my eyes.
The tour stops at five places, including exotic beaches and enchanting lagoons, and it was simply amazing! Each stop was better than the previous one. We started with snorkeling activities near one of the private beaches. It turns out that most of the beaches here are private, and I wonder who the billionaires are who bought a beach in the Philippines and aren't even there.
The visibility was excellent, the waters were incredibly clear, and you could see all kinds of fish in the area. It was wonderful!
Five minutes by boat brought us to a particularly famous beach - 7 Commandos - known for being especially Instagrammable. The arranged palm trees, the white sand, the clearest and bluest waters I've ever seen - yes, this beach earned its reputation honestly.
What an amazing place. I felt so lucky that my eyes were seeing this landscape. I wanted to burn it into my memory, and for me, it was clear - this needs to be tied to something good.
I managed to snack on a sugared banana pastry that was a delight, and exactly what I needed, alongside ice-cold water that felt like divine nectar in this heat.
I could have stayed at the sea all day, or sunbathed there all week, but we had to continue the tour.
We continued to the secret lagoon (which isn't so secret), but the entrance to it is through a small hole in the rock, so I definitely understand how one could miss it. It was like a piece of paradise in a parallel universe, as if all the magic in the world came from here.
There I saw a good opportunity to take some pictures of myself. I thought the smart glasses I always wear do a great job, but I don't have a lot of "evidence" that I'm here. So in a quick improvisation, I placed my life vest on the water, on top of it the waterproof bag I bought yesterday following a recommendation (thanks, Liat!), and placed my phone while praying that I wasn't doing something really stupid that would cost me a wet phone.
It turns out that was pretty smart, and everyone around me was really excited about the idea. "Did you plan this before?" the girl from England asked me. "No, I swear, I just went with what was in my head, and it seems it turned out well."
I felt a little pride, and perhaps even a familiar feeling of problem-solving. This technical sense of mine, the one they discovered during my military screenings - I mean, only then did they put a label on it, but it was always there. I wonder where it came from... oh, of course, from all the times I helped my dad build things at home as a child. Yes, me. My two older brothers? They had "more important" things to do.
From there, we reached lunch at the adjacent beach. I was surprised to find a huge meal, containers filled with enormous amounts of food, exactly what the hungry crowd needed.
The food was excellent! Grilled fish, stir-fried vegetables seasoned wonderfully, pancit (the Filipino pad thai that I'm already well familiar with), rice (of course), chicken, fruits, and a huge feast - just for us.
After lunch, we arrived at the highlight of the tour - kayaking in the big lagoon.
It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had, precisely because it's so special - I had never kayaked before, certainly not in a lagoon on an island in the Philippines. I felt like I was in a dream, I couldn't stop filming because I wanted to remember these moments even a decade from now.
I rented a kayak with the guy from Uruguay. 300 pesos for a kayak isn't expensive, but I felt it was something better done in pairs.
We got on the kayak and had so much fun! We explored all corners of the lagoon, reached side paths, a small cave that could easily be missed, stopped to swim, because kayaking is a competitive sport, apparently, but it was worth every moment.
I was so happy to be able to capture everything through my smart glasses while moving - the real moments when we almost crashed into a rock, or crashed into other kayaks (oopsie), the moment we thought about swimming somewhere and after a minute saw that the water there was full of jellyfish and even a baby shark (!)
On the way back to the main island, I surrendered to the gentle rocking of the boat on the waves. The setting sun painted the skies in shades of orange and pink, as if nature decided to end this perfect day with a special light show.
I closed my eyes for a moment and felt how the sweet fatigue of a day full of experiences was creeping up on me. The light breeze caressed my face, and I almost fell asleep, absorbed in thoughts about how lucky I am to be here, experiencing all this.
I opened my eyes when one of the crew members announced that we were approaching the shore. I looked around at the people who had become friends for a day - the girl from England who shared her sunscreen with me and the guy from Uruguay who was a perfect kayak partner.
I got off the boat with a huge smile on my face, with a more tanned skin (and maybe a bit sunburned), with live documentation of the amazing day in my smart glasses, and with a clear knowledge that this was one of the perfect days of my journey. This trip is worth every moment, every dollar, and every drop of sweat in the Philippine heat. And yes, I'm already planning the next tour.
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Hi Maya, it is a great pleasure and privilege for me to be able to travel the world with you while I am sitting in my comfortable Ikea chair at home.
I haven't traveled the world extensively, but if you have the chance I highly recommend visiting the Galapagos Islands. I checked that off my bucket list about a dozen years ago. I even went by myself, the only time I've traveled alone internationally! I wish I had the nerve to do what you've been doing.