Palawan part 2

I rented a motorcycle on my last day in Coron and drove out to the small settlements along the west coast of the island.  It was kind of a rough ride on mostly unpaved road, but it helped to remind me just how friendly the Philippines really are.  Once you get away from the tourist center, people are genuinely excited to see you, and really make you feel welcome.  It was also nice to get away from the business of town (even a small town like Coron).  Classic Philippines situation:  motorbike rental lady asks me if I have my international drivers license.  Um...no.  Whoops.  After a brief moment of indecision, she says "...then you must be very careful" and hands me the keys.

The following morning I hopped a small boat that would hopefully take me to El Nido in about 8 easy hours. I don't know if I forgot where I was, or what, but I was somehow shocked when the boat left an hour late and then took an extra three hours for the ride.  About a third of the way through the trip, the seas picked up, and we had a really rough ride.  I'm generally ok on
boats, but I was feeling like I might be seasick for a few minutes there.  Just as it really started to get dark, and people were beginning to get nervous in the rough seas, we saw the lights of town off in the distance.  Whew...

Ok...so it's not exactly the booming metropolis I make it out to be,
but still not my kind of place.

I fell out onto the pier along with an Australian couple, and we wandered the town in search of a place to stay and some quick food.  In the morning, I discovered that El Nido wasn't quite the quiet town I had expected.  It was swarming with tourists, and the main street was dotted with the typical backpacker hotspots: coffeeshops, reggae themed bars, small restaurants serving crepes, and overpriced restaurants.  At least the tour operators and tricycle drivers weren't too pushy.  I had plans for doing some kayaking, but due to Typhoon Nari, the coast guard said no boats on the water.  (Apparently the coast guard operates here without radios.  Not sure how that works, but it definitely didn't help knowing that while our boat was being tossed around as darkness approached on the trip to El Nido.)

El Nido beach

Though El Nido wasn't quite my kind of town, there's no denying that it is an absolutely beautiful location.  I rented a motorbike again, since boating was out, and drove a big loop around the northern tip of the island.  There were some nice, empty beaches, great little communities, and more water buffalo than you can shake a stick at.

A long bus ride later, I'm in the town of Puerto Princesa.  The tourist literature here promotes Palawan as the "last frontier", but luckily McDonalds and Jollibee rode their horses out here quickly.  Ok fine...I ate breakfast at Jollibee.  Are you happy!?  It's nice to have 24 hour electricity and working internet here in PP, but I think I'm going to spend one more day out on a quiet beach at Port Barton a few hours north.

In a few days I'm on to Singapore and then to Malaysia!  Take care out there!