Palawan – Tapik Beach

Day 1 – More Travel

Once again we had to get up early to catch a flight. Looking out if the window and seeing the favela in daylight confirmed we had made the right decision to stay in the previous evening.  We went and had breakfast, which was pretty poor before waiting for a cab to take us to the airport.

We’d read in the Rough Guide that due to the volume of poor homeless children in Manila. Gangs had been formed which were called Rugby boys, not named after the sport but the type of glue they sniff. You didn’t really want to come across these if you could help it!.

On our way we asked the driver to find an ATM as we only had a small amount of currency and according to our Rough Guide there were very few ATM’s in Palawan.  He stopped at the first one we came to but made us nervous as he insisted on driving the car right next to the machine as people often get mugged at them.  No joy at the first one so he took us to another one and did the same thing, unfortunately no cash from this one either, reminding us to lock our doors when we got back into the car. We then spotted another one but a shady looking character was guiding us towards it so we thought we would give it a miss and take our chances in Palawan instead.

A short while later and after the driver getting a few directions we found ourselves at the small private terminal where Daryll and his new mystery woman Rachael were already there waiting for us.  It was great to see Daryll as he had made the effort to come and visit us whilst we were on our travels. Also it was great as Daryll had sorted out all the flights, accommodation, etc for the next couple of weeks (nice not to have to do this ourselves for a while) and he also came with printed itinerary’s for us (can see he has been busy at work!!!)

 

The only bad thing was that as it was a small plane there was only a 10kg baggage allowance so Shell and I had to pay for our 14kg excess.  Also the flight was slightly delayed but that wasn’t so bad as the waiting area had free drinks and a buffet.

Soon though we were on our way and it was only a short flight of around 1 hour and we were soon landing in Palowan, although it looked as though we were landing in the sea as the Runway started at the end of the beach. 

Once we embarked from the plane you could tell we were somewhere else as there were Jeepney’s waiting to take us to the terminal, which are a hybrid of a Jeep crossbred with a minibus!

 

Also once at the terminal (in the loosest possible terms) we found this to be a palm thatched building with four women singing to us, hula stylie, as we entered the building.  Once you entered it it was more like a thatched barn where drinks and a buffet was waiting for us – quaintest airport I have ever been to.

After a short while our baggage was delivered to a nearby hut where they were handed out to us by the porters and then we had to find some transport into the nearest town (El Nido), which turned out to be a new form of Tuk-Tuk, a motorbike with an improvised side-car-carriage attached to it.

 

Once in El Nido we quickly found ‘the only ATM in the village’ and managed to get some more cash out, to our relief.  We then met back with the others and found a local travel firm and negotiated a minibus to take us to our lodgings in Tapik later in the afternoon.

So with a couple of hours to kill we headed to the beach and found a restaurant to have some food and drinks and get to know Rachael better.  The food was a pretty decent selection of Squid, Prawns and fish with a very pretty view.

Around 2.00 we caught our mini-bus to take us to Tapik, the roads were not too bad and we got to see a lot of Palm Trees, Sea-views and bays along the way.  The only thing that spoilt it was that a large monitor lizard ran across the road in front of the van and when I turned round I could see it was an Ex-Monitor Lizard!

We were then taken down a bumpy lane and dropped off by the sea from there we had to take our bags round a small path which found us at Tapik Beach resort. 

The place was fantastic with small Bamboo Thatched cottages and huts.  Daryll had booked Shell and I into one of the large cottages that also had a balcony area and was lovely, unfortunately for him he had booked himself into one of the small huts when he thought he was coming by himself, but now with Rachael in tow it was a bit more cramped and basic for young love!!  But to be honest his hut was right on the waterfront which made up for it.

Once we unpacked our stuff we met up in the bar restaurant area and had some beers whilst looking out over the bay and island beyond until it was time for dinner.

For dinner the resort set up tables on the beach and fashioned large bamboo poles with fairy lights around them which was really atmospheric.  So we decided to eat there as it pretty much the only option we had anyway as we were in a pretty remote area, and we had some fairly nice food on the beach – not the worst place I have ever had dinner!!!

After dinner it was a few more drinks before heading off to our separate lodgings for the night – goodnight John-Boy!!

Day 2 – Boat Trips & Jelly Fish!

The day before we had arranged an Island Hopping/Snorkelling day trip with the resort so after a nice breakfast we were met by the boat crew and boarded a Bangka (Boat with Outriggers) and we all headed off to explore the nearby Islands and waters.

After around half an hour we stopped and were told we could snorkel in the area, so we all donned our masks and jumped in.  Looking around we were over a lovely coral reef with plenty of tropical fish which included Large Angel Fish, Colourful Parrot Fish and other pretty reef fish.  We swam around enjoying this for around half an hour before going back to the boat to go to another location.

 

Another 15 minutes and we moored up again this time the skipper told us there were some baby Black Tipped Sharks down there, so we were pretty excited to get down and have a look.  Unfortunately though it was Jellyfish season and there were hundreds of small specimens that none of us fancied taking the pain for (we had already received a couple of stings from the first stop), so we up anchored and went to a different location.

About half an hour later we anchored up again at another site and we all got in the water, however there still was quite a number of our stinging friends knocking around and after us all picking up the odd sting we decided it was not much fun so all boarded the boat again (the captain must have thought we were pussies!!).

 

It was getting around midday by now so we were then taken to a stunning Island with beautiful sandbars leading to other Island’s and Crystal Blue water, where we were told we could explore whilst the crew cooked our lunch for us.  Shell and I took a nice walk around the edge of the Island and had a swim whilst the young lovers frolicked in the water!! 

Unfortunately Shell picked up a particular nasty sting, you could actually see where the tentacle had made contact with her arm through a nasty line if blisters. If the mosquitos don’t get her the Jelly fish will!

It was then time for lunch which was served to us in a little Bamboo Thatched Shelter on the beach and we were amazed when we were presented with a lovely large grilled whole fish, Chicken, Rice and Salad which was lovely.  After lunch we were told we had another hour to sunbath, swim, etc before we were going to set off again.

 

We boarded the boat again around 3.00 and headed back to the previously Jellyfish ridden shark location and by this time it appeared most of them had moved on.  One of the crew members jumped in the water with us this time (his flippers fashioned out of a bit of wood and rubber strap) and he led us to an area where he thought the sharks would be.  Soon we spotted some baby sharks, about 3 of them to be precise, they were only about a foot long but I (Not Shell) was quite pleased of that fact, being the first time I had been in the water with sharks.

 

Once the sharks had disappeared we swam round for about another 20 minutes then boarded the boat to head back home.  Along the way back home Daryll spotted and pointed out a Sea-Snake swimming along the surface and we were pretty pleased we did not come across that whilst snorkelling (being the most venomous animal on the planet – if it can bite you fingers or toes!!), but it was pretty cool to see.  All in all it was a fantastic day out for the cost of around £20 per person!

Once back on dry land Shell and I went to the bar and had a couple of drinks before going back to the cottage to get ready to go out in the evening.

We decided to check out the beach bar at the next little resort further down the beach, Ursula and were greeted by a monkey that was a resident pet in the tree (we were happy to find out later that this was a rescued/orphaned monkey).  Although we were trying to give them a bit of space Daryll and Rachael were already sat at the bar so we joined them.

Again they had romantic tables on the beach so we decided after a couple of drinks to eat there (well Shell did, my food did not turn up and I couldn’t be bother to order again and eat on my own). So instead we went back to the bar and ordered some quite powerful cocktails,  it was at this point my feet felt like they were on fire and when I removed my shoes I was been attacked by ants (I’m guessing fire ants by the pain!) much to the amusement of Shell and Daryll (although the former refused my dare to put his hand in the line of fire – not believing it hurt as much as I was making out).

A few more drinks and then it was back to the cottage for the night, the only problem being that the Tyrannosaurus-Rex of Gecko’s must have taken up residence just  outside by our bed.  We are used by now to the cute little chirruping of Gecko’s but we now found out where they got their name from as all night long he blasted out, GHEEE-KKOOO,  GHEEE-KKOOO!! (Mind you he most probably kept the mosquito’s away as well as keeping us awake).

Day 3 – Crap Bike

After a gecko interrupted sleep we got up and went for breakfast. Speaking to Daryll and Rachael and after some advice from the owner of the bar next door, we agreed to try and get some motorbikes and check out the beaches down the coast.

The staff from the resort managed to scramble two bikes from locals and we were in business, Daryll opted for the automatic scooter and we ended up with the semi-automatic bike.  Daryll and I had a bit of practice on the beach and then we were off.

 

The roads were 50/50, half gravel track and half concrete so you had to be careful.  I did not have much option as my bike had seen better days and I think about 110 of its 125 horses must have escaped judging by the 5mph we could pull up hill.

Daryll must have got bored waiting for us so he charged on ahead leaving us for dust so Shell and I just pootled along, but when we stopped for a short while the electric starter decided to pack up.  Fortunately the bike had a kick start too, so after a few kicks we were on our way again.

 

We kept on driving but did not catch up with Daryll and decided we must have missed our turning and gone too far so we turned back. We found the turning and finally reached our destination of Nacpan Beach and just as we were registering and paying our entrance fee?? Daryll and Rachael pulled up behind us (Hare and Tortoise springs to mind), they too had gone too far and waited for us and then decided to double back.

The beach was beautiful white sand with a number of little islands dotted around it and a couple of beach bars.  So we went to one of the beach bars and had a few beers before taking a dip.

 

The sea was nice and warm and had some half decent waves which allowed us to do a bit of body surfing and then dry off and have a couple more beers.

 

Later in the afternoon we all decided to check out another beach further up the coast, Dulli Beach, which we just about managed to find and the road to it turned into a narrow pathway that only bikes could get down.

Surprisingly though when we got to the beach there was someone waiting at the end of the track to take money off us to park there! Shell negotiated some cheaper entry fee’s as it was pushing 4pm so we wouldn’t be there long.

The beach itself was fantastic, a large sandy bay with fairly decent surf and practically nobody on it.  There was however one small resort in the corner of the bay with a bar/restaurant and two cottages for accommodation. 

 

So we headed for that and found that it  was a Dutch couple that were running it and trying to build it up, although it looked like hard work as everything, food, building materials, etc were delivered along the beach by oxen.

 

We stopped and had some food (not great very dry fish) and a Gin and Tonic whilst waiting/hoping that the turtle eggs the owners were protecting/rearing were going to hatch and that we would see baby turtles running down the beach. 

Unfortunately there were little movements in the sand but the sun was starting to go down so we decided it was better if we drove back home.

 

The owner also hinted that we could run it for them for a couple of months if we wanted as the woman was very heavily pregnant and they would need someone to look after it for them during this time- tempting but we have other stuff to see!

Once again Daryll left us for dead speeding off whilst our donkey struggled, in fact once I had to ask Shell to get off the back so that the bike could get up the hill (Disclaimer: not due to Shell’s weight just the crapness of the bike).

 

Anyway we left it too late and we were now driving in pitch darkness with me wearing quite a lot of the local bug life and getting startled by the odd owl passing in front of us.  As it was that dark it was hard to work out where we were going and we were getting very low on fuel, fortunately just as I envisaged us pushing the bike back for miles we stumbled across a roadside shop where I think we woke up the owner and managed to get a couple of bottles of fuel off her and she let us use the torch on her phone to navigate filling the tank.

Anyway we ploughed on but really had no idea where we were or if in fact we had past our resort, so driving at around 5mph (on purpose) to see if we could make out anything a car drew alongside and asked if we had a problem, when we told her that we could not find where we were going she told us she was going that way and to follow her.

After following and trying to keep up and despite having to drive through clouds of dust and dirt kicked up by other vehicles along the way the driver stopped and told us the final directions.  We thanked her and soon enough we found ourselves back on the beach and then back at our beach cottage.

Daryll and Rachael had already decided to take an early night and were nowhere to be seen (Not sure why you would go to bed at 8.00!!!!!!), so Shell and I went to the bar next door to have a few drinks to calm down before turning in for the night.