Adventurous Getaway

PROBABLY the last frontier of the archipelago that makes up the Philippines, the island province of Palawan is still draped with virgin forests. Here lies El Nido, or “The Nest” in Spanish, a place which lays claim to being one of the best beach destinations of that country.
If you are game for some good diving and a bit of an adventurous getaway from bustling city crowds, El Nido, some 420km southwest of Manila, seems to be an ideal choice.
Our plane from Subic Bay (100km north of Manila) landed at the airport of Palawan’s provincial capital, Puerto Princesa, and within 10 minutes we were transfered via bus to Deep Forest Garden Inn. As The Philippines is the world’s third largest English speaking nation, communication with the locals was not an issue for us.

Badjao Seafront Restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in Puerto Princesa and that was where we had a great dinner.

Upon checking into my air-conditioned room, I hung out at the jacuzzi, and later had my lunch by the pool, spending my Saturday afternoon lazily at the hotel.
We were told that the Badjao Seafront Restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in Puerto Princesa and that was where we had a great dinner.
To get to El Nido, we had to catch a bus. The journey through the rolling hills of Palawan province took us past little towns and villages, and along a scenic coastal road.
After six hours, we reached our destination – a paradise of clear water with a beach of fine, soft-as-cotton, white sand.

we reached our destination – a paradise of clear water with a beach of fine, soft-as-cotton, white sand.

It's easy to settle into the relaxing island way of life at El-Nido.

El Nido is such a small town that there aren’t any hospitals or ATM machines, while electricity is only available from 2pm to 6am. However, the place is very safe, with an almost zero crime rate. And you also get to see the same people again and again; in our case, we kept bumping into two South Korean women who were on the same bus with us.
Soon, we headed out to find the Deep Blue Seafari dive centre. Tourists can choose scuba diving or island hopping packages.

The rate was Peso 3,500 (RM270) for three boat dives inclusive of lunch, all equipment, and after the dive, a free half hour massage!
Dive master Diana Acera also told us that we could choose from over 20 dive sites, ranging in depths from 6m to 40m to suit beginners right up to experienced divers.
“As El Nido’s Bacuit Bay is rich with marine life, you have the chance to see an array of wildlife as well as many corals and tunnels,” she added.

Me and my buddy post for photograph during our dive at West Intalula dive site.  

We did our first dive at West Intalula, and as we moved to deeper waters, saw plenty of marine life and a healthy mix of hard and soft corals.
We also saw green turtles, butterfly fishes and nudibranchs.
I had once been told by Daniel Quilter, the founder of conservation group Ecoteer, that seeing is believing.
“We all love to take photos on land, so why not take photos while diving. Then show the world the marine life you have seen.”
So we took our time snapping photos before ending our dive an hour later.
After an interval of about an hour on the surface, we did our second dive at South Miniloc which is one of the best dive sites in El Nido.
With good visibility between 10m–20m, the coral reefs here were in excellent condition, giving us many opportunities to indulge in macro or close up photography.

A scuba diver swims with green turtle in West Intalula dive site. and the healthy mix of hard and soft corals can be seen during our dive.

Jose Calzadilla, a master scuba diver trainer, said we were very lucky that the weather was good and the seas were “calm like a mirror” during our dive.
He also told us that the town was “very quiet” 10 years ago with only handful of tourists. As tourism has boomed in the last two years, Calzadilla hopes that visitors will be aware of the fragile marine environment and take care not to spoil it.
“To quote Michael Jackson, ‘If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change’,” a tourist at El Nido told us.

 For our final dive of the day, we went cave exploring at a depth of 18m. The cave’s entrance was wide enough for more than two divers to enter together, and an 18m tunnel led to an air pocket chamber in the centre of the cavern.
Visibility around us was good, making it yet another a perfect chance for underwater photography. We ended our day with a massage.
And our dinner of pizza and pasta, both in seafood flavours with lots of cheese, was enjoyed with our two new South Korean acquaintances.
After just three days, I was already settled down into the serene island way of life, but soon realised that it was time to leave. I packed my bags with a heavy heart and told myself that I had to return to this lovely place.
Copyright© The Star
For more photo and story visit Brian Moh FB and  The dive nest

The Perfect Getaway

Nature lovers or scuba enthusiasts who wants the comforts of city life at the same time now have, another option to consider with the opening with PURE Activity Centre in Gaya Island Resort.
 Comprising of 120 wooden villas resting along the coast of Malohom Bay, it is seen as a natural sanctuary nestled in the hillside of an ancient rainforest with a stunning outline of Mount Kinabalu on the horizon.Managed by YTL Hotel and Properties and the only one apart from the Hilton Niseko Village Hotel in Japan, the activities based on four activity Paths, Discovery, Vigour,Creativity and last but not least balance.


The sunrise from behind Mount Kinabalu amidst the changing colours of the morning sky from the beach can be seen form higher part resort.

PURE has enough activities to keep guests of all ages occupied, according to PURE Activities manager Silvia Yen. The resort started operating on July 1 and received their first guest on Aug 1 from Brazil.

Food is always a astronomical delight at any YTL hotel.

My first activity the next day was scuba diving. The Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (TARP) have more than 25 named sites, all with their own marvels and catering to all levels of divers. 

It was a hard decision but I finally settled on my first dive site called EdgellPatches. Along deeper coral reefs with plenty of marine life and a healthy mix of hard corals, soft corals and Sponges. Visibility was good and the current was not too strong.

The coral reefs along the dive site are excellent condition, making it a surprisingly good diving destination and variety of marine life u can see.

There were also a wide variety of marine fishes like Giant Puffer fish, Giant Clark’s Anemone Fish and BlueRiged Angel fish.After a good lunch on the Pulau Mamutik, we continue with the second dive later in the afternoon.

I went for the Sulug North dive site and the dives range in depths of around 26m.
But I was compensated by the coral reefs along the dive site and the chance to see more varieties of marine life like Yellow Snapper and Hawksbill Turtle.

Edgell Patches dive site along deeper coral reefs with plenty of marine life and a healthy mix of hard corals, soft corals and Sponges.

"Our guests can choose to swim or take a romantic sunset stroll. There is no better way to take a sunset cruise, cruise the neighbouring islands on board a 64-foot private yacht and enjoy your cool drink as you admire the stunning sunset display," she said. 

I woke up early at 5am to catch the sunrise from behind Mount Kinabalu amidst the changing colours of the morning sky from the beach.

The Guess with Resident naturalist for the Nature Walks.

I boarded a speedboat to embark on Tailored Trails of Borneo cultural journey, a short and sweet but enriching trip to Penampang. 

"This trip is specially tailored for the resort guest. No other operators had done this yet," said the friendly tour guide Clay Vincent.
Our first stop is the Donggongon daily market, a place for social gathering as well as selling and buying of fresh produce.

We visited St Michael church next, which was built by the Mill Hill Catholic Missionaries in 1885 and built without a single nail.  

Our visit ended with lunch at the Motung Lotung Picnic area. There are also options to sign up for other packages like deep sea fishing excursion, guided nature walks, sunrise power walk, golf and spa.

I was already settled down into the serene island way of life when day four rolled by and I realized it was time to leave the beautiful Gaya Island Resort. 

I packed my bags with a heavy heart and told myself I plan to return to the lovely place again.

It is in The Star Metro Central ( 6th September 2012) and Star Metro South & East ( 4th September 2012).

Copyright© The Star

For more photo and story visit Brian Moh FB and  Big Day FB 完美亚庇之旅