So, it was raining very hard the night before but by 9am, we were ready to go island hopping! Our boatman and his crew, and our tour guide Marvin , together with 4 other people on the tour make up our group.
First stop of the island hopping tour was the Big Lagoon. Well, it was actually not a 'stop' because the boat didn't stop, hahaha but just circled around the lagoon and gave us a lot time of to take pictures! The place was beautiful and set us in a very good mood since the rain stopped for a while.
Next stop was Simizu Island. According to Marvin, Simizu was a Japanese diver who drowned in one of the underwater caves when they were still mapping them, and so the cave was named after him. The rock formation was beautiful, and the sand was white. The water was very clear and perfect for snorkeling.
We also stayed at Simizu for our lunch so we had a lot of time enjoying the island. For the 6 of us, we had one big grilled snapper, stuffed and grilled squid, grilled pork and crabs. There was also a vegetable salad, with the I love El Nido design made by our tour guide (can you see it?) and watermelon and pineapple.
The ladies from Mindanao didn't eat the pork and the others were allergic to crabs so I had so much to eat, hahahah! It was a great lunch and all I wanted was to sleep afterwards.
Our next stop was the Small Lagoon. The boat docked outside the opening and we swam (or floated, in may case, hahaha). Parts of the lagoon were really deep, as deep as 27 meters! I didn't care, I had my life vest with me, hahaha. I also had lots of fun snorkeling and just looking at the dark and deep water below. Too bad, I didn't have a waterproof camera.
Our last stop for the day was the Papaya Island. We were supposed to visit the 7 Commando beach, which was just beside Papaya island but the current was strong and docking the boat would be difficult. According to our guide, there used to be an access between the two beach, a 5-minute walk on the forest, but the owners of the island are not on good terms so it was blocked. 7 Commando beach is just by that boulder on the picture below. The sand on the beach was so fine, finer than the sand in Boracay!!! We also spent the afternoon just floating on the water while the others played beach volleyball with the guide and boatmen. We were lucky to have the beach almost to ourselves, save for the Manong who was selling snacks, as well as coffee.
The Secret Lagoon was supposed to be part of Tour A but it was not accessible due to the high tide. We left Papaya Island a little before 4pm and we were happy to call it a day!
Next post:
Day 3: El Nido Island Hopping Tour B
