Palawan is a Philippine resort island about an hour flight south of Manila. It is one of the few non-volcanic islands in the Philippines. Off the coast of the main island are hundreds of smaller islands and limestone outcroppings rising form the ocean. For anyone who has been to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota, it reminds me of that area on a much larger scale.We stayed on Miniloc Island, part of El Nido Resort. To get there, we flew in a small 12-seater from
Manila to El Nido airport, a 
private, dirt runway airport used by the resort. At the airport, we were greeted by a local group of singers who rode up in a cart pulled by a carabao, the local cow. We then rode in a jeepney about 15 minutes to the local pier. We were then split into two different boats depending on our destination—the green life jackets for Miniloc and the yellow life jackets for Lagan. The same company owns both locations and you can go back and forth between them if you would like to utilize any of the facilities at the other location.
A few years ago there was a kidnapping of foreign tourists at one of the Palawan resorts (not the one we were going to), so a high level of security was provided, although it was discreet, at least as Philippine standards go. The security personnel met us at the airport and accompanied the group on the jeepney and to the resort. They carried their guns in gun cases rather than out in the open.We boarded our banca and sped off to the resort admiring the large cliffs along the way. The birds that inhabit this area (swiftlets) build nests that are valued for use in making bird's nest soup. The birds will swoop down very near you, but avoid making contact through the use of echolocation, much like bats. The water is a beautiful teal color and very clear.
Arriving at the resort, you are greeted by the staff that are waving and singing to welcome you. The resort is set in a well-protected cove. There are some huts that are built out on stilts out on a pier next to the cliffs. Our huts were nestled against the cliffs at the backside of the beach.One of the first things we did was go down to the pier to watch them feed the fish. The number and variety of fish in this area was incredible. After watching them feed the fish, we immediately
went to get some snorkel gear to get a better a look. With the clear water and abundant food supply, there were always fish around. These ranged from small zebra fish and “Nemo” clown fish the very large jack fish and an occasional sea turtle. The jack fish would change color based on their state of aggression. When calm they were silver in color, and when being fed or in a frenzy, they would turn black.
Around the bend from the cove was a couple of lagoons. They had well protected entrances and so the water inside was very calm. We had taken kayaks over to the lagoons and spent a wonderful couple of hours paddling around, swimming, and snorkeling. We paddled back into the deepest reaches of the lagoon with shear cliffs rising from both sides of your kayak.
One of the boat trips took us to a cave filled with bats, although they were pretty quiet when were there in the morning. From there we went to snake island, so named for the shape of the island and its long sand bar, and not because of reptile inhabitants. We swam and snorkeled on the sand bar and ran across some very large starfish. We hiked to the top of Snake Island and had a wonderful view of the main island of Palawan and all the surrounding islands.Our next stop was lunch. A full lunch buffet awaited us in a large thatched roof building built on one of the larger and flatter islands for the resort guests. The area right off the beach had some fantastic snorkeling. We saw so many different kinds of fish, including a puffer fish caught by our guide, and clams imbedded in rocks and coral. The sea bottom was a nice mixture of sand, rocks, and coral. With a gentle current, we worked our way down the beach for a few hundred meters. I could have done that all day.
Back at the resort, we tried our hand at a few new activities. One of the most exciting was everyone’s first scuba dive. Although we had done a lot of snorkeling, none of us had ever scuba dived before. We all did a 10-minute introductory buddy dive where we went down about 15 feet. This was done right off the end of the pier, so it was very easy to “take the plunge”. Everyone enjoyed getting right up close to the deep coral and fish. We all got to pet a clown fish that was living in some soft coral.
Back on the topside of the water, we tried wind surfing. This was an activity that seemed easier the lighter or smaller than you are. Ray had minimal success while Hailey was going from end to end of the cove. Another adventure was going out on a hobie cat (a small catamaran sailing boat). The wind was not too strong, but we sure picked up some speed in the lightweight boat. We were all just passengers as none of us had any sailing experience. We split up and went out in 2 shifts, as the boat was not big enough to hold all of us at once.When we woke up in the morning, the monkeys had come out of the woods and were scavenging around between the huts and out on the beach. The employees would chase them off whenever they saw them, but the kids enjoyed watching them and thought they should be able to stay around.
We took a trip to Lagan Island to see the other area of the resort. This is a much newer building, but is set up in a similar fashion. While there, we all took palm leaves and made outselves sun hats. They start soft and green, but after a few days, they become stiff and started to turn brown.
The sunsets are usually beautiful due to the many small islands and some thin clouds. We went out late one afternoon to enjoy a combination fishing excursion and sunset cruise. We were fishing at over 100’ of depth with heavy duty monofilament line and pieces of cut fish and shrimp. There were no poles, just a spool to wind and unwind the line on. When you caught something, you pulled up the line hand over hand until you got to the fish. We did not go home empty handed as we caught a few fish while we were out enjoying the gorgeous scenery.
The last morning we headed out to a secluded island for some pure relaxation and a picnic lunch. At the appointed time, a boat pulled up with a bamboo table and chairs, hot meals and cold drinks. They set everything up and left to allow us to enjoy the meal. We were situated under an outcropping with plenty of shade. When it was time to head back, we were picked up and whisked back to the resort and prepared to reverse our trip back to Manila. However, becasue of the tides being high when we left, we were able to go a short distance upriver directly to the airport, eliminating the jeepney ride through the countryside. We would put Miniloc on top of our list as the most beautiful and relaxing place we have been.
