So we went to this island called Palawan. It's a long skinny strip of land on the southwest "corner" of the Philippines. It's pretty awesome. It's a place where boat travel is more convenient, and cheaper, than traveling by road. It's a place where, if a storm comes, there'll be no traveling at all. It's where you can get drinks served to you while you lay in the sand, but they probably won't be blended because there's only electricity for a few hours each day. It's where dogs and roosters lounge on the highway, and a rogue water buffalo can stop traffic. It's where hot showers are unheard of, and totally unnecessary. Where jellyfish are not to be trifled with. Where a paved road is prime real estate for drying grain, when there's a paved road at all. Where bamboo is the building material of choice. Where the best seat in the bus is on the roof. Where it's all sand and sun and snorkeling. Where you could go days without wearing a shirt (three and a half, to be exact). Where a menu is pointless because the kitchen's only got what they caught that day. Where every beach is the new best beach you've ever been to. But enough of this prolix description...
Let me just show you, with way too many pictures:
(Disclaimer: I took a lot of pictures from Nicole, who was on the trip with us, because her camera is much better than mine and, frankly, she's a much better photographer. If you see any really good pictures odds are she took them.)
Arrival - Port Barton
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Lunch
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| The gang's all here! fr. left: DMD, Jaclyn, Nicole, Sarah, Myself |
Secret Paradise Resort
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| Hungry chameleon |
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Fishing/Snorkeling trip
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The amazing waters of blue cove.
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| Rough seas, back to Port Barton |
El Nido
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| Poor weather |
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| Learning the ropes. |
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| DMD looking for snakes |
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| This starfish is not made of rubber |
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| Snake Island |
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Spelunking
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"To conquer fear you must become fear"
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White-knuckle ride
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Monkey in a tree
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Huge seashell
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Sand factory
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| Not a bad place to call home |
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Barefoot trek
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| Tyler's Angels |
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My first shower in weeks
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| Had to cross nine rivers (literally) to get this picture |
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Music video filming. The cow is clearly unimpressed
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| 150 people die from falling coconuts annually, according to the infallible interweb |
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| Tilley found a place to shoot some hoops |
Sabang - Daluyon Resort
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| DMD enjoying our first and only "trike" ride |
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| Tokay gecko = loud |
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| 360 Rainbow |
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| View from the room |
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Couple's massage
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| "Happy 90th Grandpa!" |
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All tuckered out from a tough vacation
The End! |
Off we go! Until next time...
