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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Small Lagoon

First Day of Island Hopping in El Nido
by lakwatserong tatay
This is one of my anticipated activity on our trip, our 2 days of island hopping activity. Our group was able to booked island tour package reservation courtesy of Marina Garden Beach Resorts, they arranged our 2 days of island hopping courtesy of Cadlao Tours, courtesy of Ate Beth. Upon our first night of stay at El Nido, we had some couple drinks, after our tremendous trek to Nagkalit-kalit, we just have a little bit late group dinner, in one of carinderia's around the town and buy some couple of beers, we ended our night a bit drunk....hehehehe....most of the tripper boyz spend until almost 2am, and one of us really got drunk, and it was Carlo...hehehehe...buti nalang sa island hopping namin sa starts with Small Lagoon nagising siya kasi kelangan talaga lumangoy kahit lango pa siya sa alak (joke..joke..)...hehehehe...
The trippers on photo mode activity....^_^
Here's the option of CADLAO TOUR'S Island Hopping Activity (just add Php100 for snorkeling gadgets)
contact information : Beth Fabregas   (0927-5460691)
email address:    cadlaotour_beth@yahoo.com

Tour A(Php700)    Small & Big Lagoon / Shimizu Island / Secret Lagoon / Entalula / 7 Commando
Tour B(Php800)    Pangalusian / Cudognon Cave / Cathedral Cave / Snake Island / Pinagbuyutan
Tour C(Php900)    Hidden Beach / Star Beach / Matinloc Shrine / Tapiutan Island / Secret Beach
Tour D(Php700)    Helicopter Island / Cadlao Lagoon / Paradise Beach / Sabang Beach

We suppose to choose all of the tours, but we ended up to choose two tours, A and B, because of...all the trippers know that thing...^_^..... And then our first morning at El Nido arrives, our island hopping will gonna start around 9am, so we could have some time to prepare ourselves, our wake-up call time was around 630 in the morning, and we have to eat our free breakfast around 730 in the morning courtesy of Marina Garden Beach Resorts it ws included on our 3 days of stay in that resort...hahahaha...
e kung mahulog kaya ko rito noh?
All of us were excited with island hopping activity except for one person that is shown in the picture below left front row of the boat...that's my co-tripper Carlo..lango pa siya nun mga time na yan...buti nalang Small Lagoon ang una sa list...hehehehe...^_^.
@ another angle....basag po kasama nmn c carlo dyn..nsa harap...^_^
Sad to say i just had the glimpse of Helicopter island, hopefully on my next visit ill gonna set my foot on this island...^_^.
The Helicopter Island
It was around 10:15 in the morning, when we finally reached the parking space for boat of Small Lagoon snorkeling activity, yah it was a really different kind of snorkeling activity...parang swimming lessons eh...hehehehe...nawala tuloy hangover ng kasama kong tripper.
Some of the limestone along Small Lagoon
The entrance and parking space for Small Lagoon was really crowded that time, maybe because we have opted to choose this destination in the month of love....where most of the tourist looking for time to spend with their love ones...hmmm...
The parking space for boats in Small Lagoon
I really love looking at the limestone around this Small Lagoon which is part of Miniloc Island. At first i really thought it was a small lagoon, but when i've swimmed and entered it's lagoon, i was really amazed with  it's beautiful limestone that surrounded the lagoon.
TIP: One thing that is most important and i've missed on this trip is to borrow from someone else, maybe from my friend or relative, an underwater camera.....huhuhu...buti nalang Eric brought a waterproof digital camera bag, or else wala kami souvenir pictures from our water adventures....thanks pre...^_^



Some of the limestone and cliff edge stone around Small Lagoon
Ok, photo opps muna bago lumusong...sayang lang ang DSLR, but if you have the gutz and courage, you could bring your DSLR's camera via riding a kayak, together with your friend or maybe you could ask someone in your guides to padel for you to get some good and very nice picture around and inside the Small Lagoon....so what do you think? Sad to say no one with us have to courage to do that...thanks to Eric for bringing her waterproof pack...or else....inggit kami sa iba....my souvenir photos around Small Lagoon.
super thumbs up ako rito....
My photo opps....upon entering the Small Lagoon
Here are some of our photo opps courtesy of Eric's camera...thank talaga ng marami pre....Our group really had a great time, even Waks, son of Eric had a great time, he is just riding a floating salbabida and one of the guide is swimming with him...sarap talaga....






wow sarap....
It's me, having swimming lessons...hahaha
We stayed on this lagoon for almost 2 hours.....kasi naman grabe ang naging swimming lessons namin, most of us are not ready for tha looooooong swim up to the end of this lagoon....hahahaha....
bye...bye....Small Lagoon...i'll be back...very sure..^_^
L. T. has x-plored "Small Lagoon"
Tip: Be sure to check your time, or else you will not missed out some of your schedule destination on your island hopping activity, like what just happened to us, instead of a stopover in Miniloc Island, we just passed by it....huhuhuhu....hopefully by next time, i will not miss that island...^_^.

Next stop is our lunch time at Shimizu Island.....^_^

This story is part of: Five Days of Trip at Palawan

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Trippers Trek to Nagkalit-kalit Falls

Brgy. Pasadena, El Nido, Palawan
by lakwatserong tatay
After a long drive from Puerto Princesa, a quick stopover at the town of Roxas, and back to history trip in Taytay, Palawan. We arrived at El Nido around 1pm and our check-in time at Marina Garden Beach Resort is at 2pm, we just hailed our thing right in the van and stroll around the town in El Nido, to look for our first time lunch at El Nido. Most of us had our lunch on a carinderia nearby Municipal Townhall of El Nido, we had ate so many, maybe due to our long travel, most of us got really hungry. It was around pass 2pm when we get back at Marina and did our check-in procedures.
Trippers photo-opps before going to Nagkalit-kalit
Before this trip was plan. i was one of the trippers who joined last, and upon joining this trip, i've researched some interesting place to visit around the town of El Nido, and because of that, one thing that cames to my mind, if our group could do some trekking, and whala........it happens, thanks to Kuya Ronald, who suggested this place for us to visit because he knew that most of us could do this. After making some discussion with the group, we got ourselves to the van, by paying Php100 each, totaling to Php1100, we got our selves into our first adventure in El Nido. Upon asking to the desk officer of Marina, their were some travel and tour agencies offers to go to Nagkalit-kalit falls but its kind expensive, option 2 is hire a tricycle that will also cost you around Php850 for 4 persons in a tricycle (expensive again) and last option is to trek starting from the town of El Nido that is not recommended to our group....hehehehe...(mostly mga tamad un kasama that time...joke..joke...)...And our last option is to hire again our rented van, extra trip kung sa baga, sa kanya na un kita...hehehehe (wag po kayo maingay...sana hindi mabasa to ni Kuya M....^_^), upon haggling the cost of the trip, we ended by paying Php100 each, so the journey starts.....yahoooooo!!!!!
Start of the Trek
It was around 2:45pm when we departed Marina to go to jumpoff start of Nagkalit-kalit Falls, it was a bit bumpy ride and before proceeding to the jumpoff, we went to Kuya Ronald's friend who will be guiding our trek to Nagkalit-kalit Falls. We arrived at the jumpoff around 3:10pm, and of course we had so much photo-opps before starting our trek, below is one of our shot....
The smiling face of Trippers
I could really say that Palawan has numbers of popular tourist destinations including caves, beaches and waterfalls. Nagkalit-kalit Falls is one of the popular attractions in El Nido. This spot is also a frequent destination for some trekker adventurers like me, because one needs to hike for 45minutes to 1 hour or depends to your group's pacing to reach the falls.
upon entering the place....
green green grass of.......^_^
At first all of the trippers trekkers are excited what they will see at the end of this trail....(at first!!!!!!hahaha)
We began with enjoyable trek to falls where you will begin with local villages around the area. Then will pass through some rice fields and few jungle trails. The trek involves also some river crossings so one must prepare to get your shoes and feet wet.Wear beach shoes, sandals, or any footwear that can take for soaking in waters.
go caloy.....
water supply for there crops...

how i wish i could rest.....
After few minutes of walking between rice fields and some river streams, the group had take some rest, (by this time most of the tripper trekkers are pissed of me.....syempre kasi haba na daw nung lakad and hindi na sila ulit uulit....hahahaha) and of course it time to take some few souvenir photos. It will be a big mistake if you will miss to bring a camera when visiting this kind of spots.
at last........
Seeing those amazing sights and wonderful experiences in these popular tourist attractions will be wasted if you could not have captured it with a camera, taking your selves a pose each of that spots. Where we travelers have a plenty of opportunity to capture images of the green rice fields along with some exotic flora and fauna that can be seen around this area.
this is one of a kind tree....^_^
ang sarap ng higa nila....
kaiinggit ang kalabaw...kasi sobra na init nung time naun...^_^
And this is the start of real journey......start of our jungle trek.....yahoo.....
The start real trek......
Another river crossing stream, actually sad to say i did not count how many river crossings we had that trek.
photo opps while crossing the river streams....
Again and again, river crossing is present, we were lucky to visit this place that the water at the falls is not dry, so that's why we had so much river crossing to sight......^_^
here's another one....
the cold river stream



i can't remember how many stream we crossed...hehehehe...
a quite very long trek.....
Pagnakita nyo tong trail na toh, ung nasa ibabaw na pic, malapit napo.....hahahaha....By this time, all of the tripper trekkers were smiling a bit because of Kuya Ronald's shouting that were near na sa falls....yahooo...
what if you hold this? hmmmmm....
So what to see when you arrive at Nagkalit-kalit Falls after a grueling 1 hour trek? Well, you will witness a majestic waterfalls with gushing water that cascades onto rocks from a heights of approximate 10 mtrs. The sparkling waters that drop from the falls collect into a large natural pool that the trekkers could swim. For me, personally i had a great dip in the pool of Nagkalit-kalit Falls after that grueling trek and so much photo sessions along the way. As shown below...hahahahaha!!!!!!
Thanks to our photo guro.....Wendz...^_^
Nagkalit-kalit Waterfalls
Closer look of Nagkalit-kalit Falls
Some of my photo sourvenirs within the majestic Nagkalit-kalit Falls......^_^...The Brown Buddha, The Fat Oblation, The Falls Boyz.....and of course my "FB" pic...hehehehehe...^_^
Brown Buddha.....(?)..pede ba (?)
The Falls Boyz
L.T. at Nagkalit-kalit Falls
Travel and Trekking Tips:
1. Suggested trip to Nagkalit-kalit should be before or after the summer season, because lack of rainshower in summertime could effect the dry up the river that supplies the water to the waterfalls.Unless you want to visit the falls without gushing water or swim on a stagnant pool, it is really better to avoid visit it during the hot summer months.
2. Trekking to Nagkalit-kalit Falls is quite a while, it could up to 1 hour or more depending on your groups pacing towards to reach the falls, it is really suggested to bring hydration packs or a liter or 2 of drinking water. There were no convienience store along the trail and start of the jumpoff, i think that's the major reason why some of my cotrippers want to go back and not continue the trek, due to dehydration along the way.
3. The tropical heat in the area can be intensee between the hours of 11am up to 3am, so you could avoid hiking within this time period.
4. One of the most important thing you have on your bags, and i personally always considered important to use insect repellants, in avoiding the dangers of mosquito and bug bites, remember your not in a familiar place, it is a forest.
5. Last one, is one of the most important principle that most of the tourists that should they always  remember...."....Take nothing but Pictures......Leave nothing but Footprints.....Kill nothing but Time...."

This story is part of: Five Days of Trip at Palawan