Like a porn star working on a scene (this time with Sasha Grey) for the third day in a row. Wait, let me rephrase that. Like an experience, equaling a porn star reporting for duty at the tail-end of a three day shoot, we took another boat ride early morning of our fourth day in El Nido, still dazed and hang-over from the drinking game with Inah and the three crazy Dutch guys the previous night.
I assumed there was nothing else to experience or see that we hadn't done in the previous two days. We had already completed Tour A and Tour B, as well as a terrifying episode in which a bomb exploded near our inn. We could have packed our belongings and returned to Puerto Princesa, or we could have simply sat on the beach with a beer in hand. Regardless, we signed up for a Tour C tour, which turned out to be something we will never regret.
First, we went to "Helicopter Island," which looks like an early Sikorsky chopper model from a distance. We went snorkeling with fins here. My friend Josiah reported seeing a huddled group of squids. I tried to follow him, but I got hammered by the currents after a while, so I just went back to the beach and rested while I pondered life aha! A few moments later, I noticed another boat approaching. Three sexy female Caucasians and one lucky dude disembarked. Immediately, I saw them going for a walk to the farthest part of the island.
Hidden beach was anything everyone have told me about. It was hidden from the view by a towering limestone cliff, and as Kuya Rogie said, visitors needs to swim underneath a hole in order to go inside. I swam without a life-vest but I held its strings and made sure it is within my reach in case I cramped out or saw a threatening sea creature. Swimming below the hole, I saw scores of fishes swimming in synchronicity. It was truly amazing and from a few meters deep you could see the light stemming from the other side of the water, and slowly as I came back to top I found myself at the other side, into the "Hidden Beach" itself. It was like going through a portal and exiting to another planet.
I wish I had photos, but my borrowed underwater camera died on us on our second day in El Nido, so you'll have to rely on my drunken description of the hidden beach. The water inside becomes shallow as it approaches a small shore. A circling limestone formation encircles the beach. It's easy to get caught up in one's own thoughts. Mine wandered around for a while, trying to imprint the location in my mind. I hope I never forget it. Kuya Rogie told us how much he enjoys the simple life in El Nido. As a tour guide, he has seen this place many times, but each visit feels like the first time as the hidden beach never fails to serve him with a visual feast. I definitely agree.
Following that romantic delusion, we went to 'Star Beach' for lunch. And after that, we went to Matinloc Island. When viewed from the top, the island resembles like a heart. In the 1980s, a group of missionaries established a base here. Fishermen would go to the island for blessings and would often return with boatloads of catch. The missionaries' numbers soon dwindled, and the area was abandoned. The "Secret Beach," another version of a beach hidden from view, rounded out our Tour C. We didn't enjoy it as much as the "Hidden Beach" because it was late in the afternoon and the tide was already low, making it difficult to swim over the corals to the beach itself. Our final stop was Cadlao Island, a sight of abundant corals ideal for finishing the day with some snorkeling.
For Tour Inquiries: You can contact Servant Tours at: 0939-917-9443, 0917-808-8599 or 0915-415-7245
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