"Did you have mangoes in your bag?" asked an officer. I just shook my head and my husband replied with a friendly "No sir." Mango fruit seems like a dangerous item here. On the notice board, it even says "Plant Quarantine Service Check Point". I can't help but wonder what's with the mangoes here?
The minivan we were riding in three hours ago is back on the road with the uneven asphalt. This minivan journey starts in Puerto Princesa City, the capital city of Palawan Province, Philippines. This city can be reached by plane within one hour from Manila City. Upon landing at Puerto Princesa International Airport, several travel agents lined up to greet us with papers containing travel packages and minivan tickets to El Nido, our destination. It was getting late and the minivan finally stopped at a small market, which turned out to be the end of the journey. As soon as we got off, some pedicab drivers immediately offered their services to take us to the beach area where many inns are built. We only saw that there were stalls selling vegetables, fruit, and fish. There is no beach or inn. Finally, we agreed to their offer of a PHP 50 fee. We rode in an El Nido trishaw.
We entered a dense residential area. Residents' homes, inns, restaurants, shops, and several travel agents are integrated into this area. El Nido is located in the northernmost region of Palawan Province and is a small town flanked by cliffs and the sea. To explore the city, we only need to walk about 20-30 minutes from end to end. In addition to tourists, El Nido is also an attraction for film producers around the world. The Bourne Legacy is one of the films that take El Nido as the background story.
From Island to Island
The Secret Lagoon is a small crater surrounded by giant cliffs. We can not swim in this lagoon because it's very shallow. We chose to quickly get out of the Secret Lagoon and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding beaches. We don't wonder why film producers fell in love with El Nido. The beaches are truly beautiful and natural.
At noon, we headed to a small island full of rocks called Shimizu. Like on Seven Commandos beach, the sand on this island is so soft and white. It's just that this island is surrounded by towering karst limestone. The crew informed us that on this island we would have lunch.
While waiting for lunch to be served, we took a walk around the island. A Filipino couple explained to us the "mango secret" when we arrived yesterday. According to them, some areas in the Philippines have mango trees whose fruit is always full of insects. The El Nido government didn't want this to spread to their area, so they banned tourists from bringing mangoes.
Paradise in the Lagoon
After eating lunch consisting of rice, fish, and pork (as Muslims, of course, we only eat rice and fish), the journey continues to the Big Lagoon and the Small Lagoon. To enjoy this lagoon, we can swim or use a kayak. The road to the Big Lagoon makes us feel like we are entering a new world. We will see a knee-length calm green sea flanked by two high cliffs, like being in a canyon. The canyon will take us to a location resembling a dark turquoise lake which is also surrounded by karst limestone. Small Lagoon didn't want to lose. Although the entrance is only a narrow alley, the beauty of the lagoon also hypnotizes us.
The Big Lagoon is at the end of our tour trip. After all, gathered on the ship, we finally returned to El Nido beach and parted with the ship's crew and tour participants.
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