Have you ever started going somewhere and stopped and thought "I hope this is worth it?" I have and it was on this trip! Darryl and I flew to the Philippines from South China, it was a short 2.5 hour flight to Manila (with a 4 hour layover) and another hour to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. We landed at dusk, the air was warm and, the San Miguel's were cold. We started scouting for our cab to take us to El Nido. We quickly realized we'd be taking a mini bus to El Nido with at least 10 other people. Finally after 30 minutes of waiting around, we got a full van. Then we were informed it was going to take 4 hours to get there! We looked at each other in disbelief (this was my lack of planning). So 4 hours later on an unpaved road we made a stop... a half way stop! I thought no way! Do we really have to endure another 4 hours of this hell. We DID! We arrived to El Nido (in one piece) around 4am. We rolled out of bed up the next morning to this view above... El Nido really is heaven on earth, just don't expect a paved road to get there! 
This would be the most off the beaten path, rugged and rewarding trip I've ever taken to this day! 

Still laughing off last night, we had breakfast and booked our first boat excursion. We stayed at the Aqua Travel Lodge, it's located in the heart of El Nido. The staff was extremely accommodating with preplanned, complimentary breakfast and they set up all of our activities. We had 4 full days and didn't want to waste a minute. Our first boating excursion we went on Tour C provided by El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe. On this tour it included island hoping to Matinloc, Tapiutan and, Secret Beach. I'm pretty sure when Conde Nast name Palawan #1 Island in the World they were talking about Matinloc Island. It was stunning, water so clear you can see all the way down to the bottom. Best part NO sharks, the water is to warm!! Each tour had tons of opportunities to snorkel and swim. Our guides made the day even better, definitely recommend booking through Art Cafe.
Added Bonus:  
Art Cafe provides snorkel gear to rent and lunch. They do recommend bringing your own towel and sun block. Darryl and I also picked up a bag like this in Thailand we used on both boat excursions... life saver! 

That evening we headed to Trattoria Altrove! Darryl lit up like a Christmas tree when our delicious pizza came out. You'd never guess from climbing up the shaky stairs to this crumbling building that this restaurant would deliver a 5 star pizza... We went back every night. 

As the day winds down at Nacpan Beach you can find a few stands that offer fresh coconut, mango and a few traditional dishes. 
We dove back to El Nido just in time to witness this amazing sunset below! But before we got back we had a few hiccups along the way. A brief rain storm swept through the area leaving the clay roads practically flooded. Our scooter lost traction making it down a small hill. The scooter fell over and skidded down, our legs caught between the bike and the clay. OUCH! Not to mention its quite freaky being in the absolute middle of nowhere during a rain storm. My only pair of sandals were sucked into this murky clay puddle. As Darryl reached in to find them my mind went racing with images of pythons and sink holes (dramatic much?). Shoes were rescued and we ran (limped) with our bike back to the paved road!!! 

On our last full day in El Nido before we headed back to Puerto Princesa, we took another boat excursion! This time on tour A we visited Big and Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Simisu Island and 7 Commando beach. So many breathtaking views my phone was running out of storage. Swimming is not allowed in Big and Small Lagoon, so we cruised through, which was enough for me to want to leave the real world behind and become a tour guide in El Nido. 

Before we went to Commando Beach we had lunch on Simisu Island. It feels like a dream when I think back to this perfectly cooked meal and staring off into the ocean. Art Cafe provided fresh caught fish they barbecued on the back of our boat (yea they do that) white rice, and MANGO. 

Just outside of Secret Lagoon

Our trip was cut short due to my poor planning... We had 5 days off and almost 2 full days were spent on travel. 
​
A few tips I have when traveling to El Nido: 

• Factor in 7-8 hour bus rides to and from Puerto Princesa with your flight time and where you are staying!
• Jelly fish sting... and there is such a thing as Sea Lice (trust me.. I got it)
• Not a coffee culture, expect powder coffee everywhere! 
• El Nido doesn't have an ATM and 90% of places will not accept Credit Card!! Get your cash in PP.

What to bring and when to go!

• Casual attire (leave your jewels at home), swimsuits, sunblock, GoPro, Calamine lotion (for sea lice) and feminine products (they do not have them).
• We went in May and it was hot but actually quite perfect, they predicted rain but it lasted 20 minutes for 1 day. I'd say peak season is February, March and, April just like Thailand. 

I truly mean it when I say this, El Nido was the coolest trip I've ever been on! Yea some crap happened, but I wouldn't change any of it because El Nido feels untouched. I honestly hope it never becomes commercialized. The locals love and want to protect their waters, so you know its a special place. 

Okay planning my trip back...

Any questions please don't be afraid to ask below or by emailing me at abby@basicambition.com 

PS. Philippine mangos are INSANELY good! 

​xx. Abby 

​Hello, This is my first post! I'm excited to start sharing some of my experiences and memories with you from around the world.
Writing to you today from Frankfurt, Germany. We just got "home" from a 3-day weekend in Prague, Czech Republic! It’s a quick drive from Frankfurt, only about 4.5 hours. One thing I want to mention before I discuss Prague is how ingenious German rest stops are! If you haven’t noticed the ease of getting on and off the Autobahn, it totally makes running to the bathroom less painful and quick! Well, you do have to pay .70 euro for the bathroom in Germany, but I can assure you they are slightly more pleasant and 100% cleaner.
Prague is so much more than the few images and information I found online about it. I have to say shamefully this was not a destination city for me. We went because of the close proximity to Frankfurt. It blew. me. away. I don’t say that lightly either. I am picky and I am critical. Usually I am less impressed by a city if it doesn’t have a large body of water or coastline present. However, I am still left in aw over Prague with the Vltava River running right through the center of it.
Darryl is supporting us both right now, so we always find a way to make our trips more affordable. In Prague we stayed at Downtown Hostel, this hostel is awesome (we’ve had a few nightmare-ish ones)! We had a private room and bath that was exceptionally clean and comfortable. The location was great too. Located right across from Café Louvre (amazing breakfast place) on Narodni. 

Prague over Easter weekend was loaded with tourists... Which can put a damper on things when you really want to climb the Astronomical Clock Tower but refuse to wait in a 2-3 hour line. All the people didn't really bother me though, it kind of added to the magical feel of walking over cobblestone roads everywhere. We didn't get to do everything we wanted, but still we felt like we saw the city. 
When going to Prague in March, I say you should pack warm! It really cooled down at night, during the day when the sun was out it was enjoyable. This is a walking city, I recommend bringing comfortable shoes. Restaurants are on the more dress-to-impress side so bring day/ night clothes. 

Here is a list of my favorite things we did: 

• Trdelnik- a traditional pastry that is rolled dough over an open fire. My favorite shop was just before Lesser Tower on the Charles Bridge called Bakery Krusta. The way the sugar was caramelized like creme brûlée just called to my sweet tooth. 
• Hemingway Bar- mind-blowing cocktails and spirits! I love champagne and they served up Perrier Jouet like it was water. My favorites were: Mr. LEGO, Swan Lake and Mary Welsh. Best part is it's AFFORDABLE! Under $10 drinks. Make a reservation, they don't allow people in after all seats are taken! 
• The walk up to Prague Castle- We lucked out with a sunny warm afternoon; it made those pastel buildings POP! Cheap souvenirs gifts and trdelnik's are on the way too.
• Old Town Square- There was a beautiful Easter weekend fair in the center; you can grab cheap beer and food to walk around with. 
• Charles Bridge- It's hella crowded but stunning! Over 30 statues, one in particular that is a crowd favorite: John of Nepomuk. The saint of Bohemia that was murdered by the King because he would not reveal the Queen's confessions. Rub the statue for good luck. 

Try any number of the inviting cafes and restaurants. We were not disappointed by any decision we made! Some cute ones we saw but didn't go to were: this, this and this one. 

Take a walk down to the John Lennon Wall on Kampa Island. This wall was covered with his words and image shortly after he was killed. I found it particularly interesting because it became a symbol of freedom and peace during the time when Prague was under the communist regime.  

These pastel buildings were my favorite! 

Usually I recommend doing a walking tour, it helps you understand the lay of the land and learn some history. I saw Sandeman's Free Walking Tour came highly recommend. After the walking tour you can go off and explore in more detail anything that may have peaked your interest. Prague was so easy to navigate even though we slept passed all the free walking tours offered at our Hostel. We did do a Free Pub Crawl. Our guide however, was less into showing us pubs and more into showing off his trumpet skills. Literally. So I might not recommend Downtown Hostel's Pub Crawl if you want to find cool bars but we did meet some awesome people and had a wild night out anyways!

That's a wrap for my first post! As always I love to hear your feed back and if you have any questions on things I didn't cover, I'd love to share more :) 

xx. Abby