Posted by: Jenn
Oh what a bittersweet moment this is. I am sitting in a baller two storied villa on Coron Coron Beach with a spectacular view of the green blue ocean through a plethora of tall swaying coconut trees with an ice cold beer that I just pulled out of our fridge. But in less than one days time we will be on a bumpy van ride back to Puerto Princesa. That's the bitter. Of course the sweet is that we will get to explore another part of the Philippines. So, I guess I should go back to the beginning to explain how we got to where we are now.
One night last week after a mesmerizing sunset over El Nido Jonathan and I decided to grab some drinks at a beach front restaurant. As I was paying the bill at the bar, the bartender asked me where I was from and of course I said Texas. He said "You sure don't sound like your from Texas. See that man over there? He sounds like he's from Texas". I looked across the restaurant and there was an American gentleman sitting with two Filipino girls. I decided I would go so say hi because it is very rare that we run into people from the states, much less from Texas. Jonathan and I introduced ourselves and I explained how I was from Houston and just wanted to say hi to a fellow Texan. His name was Allen and he is from Archer, Texas but lived in Houston for a while and also went to college at Texas A&M (where I went). He told us that he retired, married Nelma, a Filipino woman, and is living in El Nido on Coron Coron Beach where he bought some property and built a house. He invited us to come check it out if we had some spare time so we got directions, which consisted of getting to Coron Coron Beach and finding the house that had the A&M emblem embedded in the sea wall, and parted ways.
The next afternoon we really had no plans so we decided to make our way to Coron Coron Beach. As we approached the villa we were both awe stricken at how beautiful the property was. Allen showed us around and we enjoyed a beer with him on his balcony while the sun set. We talked about our trip and got to know each other for a while and then he asked us how much longer we were planning to stay in El Nido. We said that we had about one more week here, and to our great surprise he offered his downstairs apartment to us, for free! Jonathan and I were trying so hard to hold in our excitement. Without seeming too desperate we made sure that he was really serious. We couldn't pass up a deal like this. So the next morning we checked out of our thatched bungalow and caught a trike to Allen's pad.
Oh what a bittersweet moment this is. I am sitting in a baller two storied villa on Coron Coron Beach with a spectacular view of the green blue ocean through a plethora of tall swaying coconut trees with an ice cold beer that I just pulled out of our fridge. But in less than one days time we will be on a bumpy van ride back to Puerto Princesa. That's the bitter. Of course the sweet is that we will get to explore another part of the Philippines. So, I guess I should go back to the beginning to explain how we got to where we are now.
One night last week after a mesmerizing sunset over El Nido Jonathan and I decided to grab some drinks at a beach front restaurant. As I was paying the bill at the bar, the bartender asked me where I was from and of course I said Texas. He said "You sure don't sound like your from Texas. See that man over there? He sounds like he's from Texas". I looked across the restaurant and there was an American gentleman sitting with two Filipino girls. I decided I would go so say hi because it is very rare that we run into people from the states, much less from Texas. Jonathan and I introduced ourselves and I explained how I was from Houston and just wanted to say hi to a fellow Texan. His name was Allen and he is from Archer, Texas but lived in Houston for a while and also went to college at Texas A&M (where I went). He told us that he retired, married Nelma, a Filipino woman, and is living in El Nido on Coron Coron Beach where he bought some property and built a house. He invited us to come check it out if we had some spare time so we got directions, which consisted of getting to Coron Coron Beach and finding the house that had the A&M emblem embedded in the sea wall, and parted ways.
The next afternoon we really had no plans so we decided to make our way to Coron Coron Beach. As we approached the villa we were both awe stricken at how beautiful the property was. Allen showed us around and we enjoyed a beer with him on his balcony while the sun set. We talked about our trip and got to know each other for a while and then he asked us how much longer we were planning to stay in El Nido. We said that we had about one more week here, and to our great surprise he offered his downstairs apartment to us, for free! Jonathan and I were trying so hard to hold in our excitement. Without seeming too desperate we made sure that he was really serious. We couldn't pass up a deal like this. So the next morning we checked out of our thatched bungalow and caught a trike to Allen's pad.
When traveling for so long you really miss the comforts of having an actual home base. We never get to cook or keep drinks cold in a fridge. We don't get to watch a nice TV or enjoy DVDs at night. We usually don't have a clean bathroom. Yes we are traveling the world, but sometimes it is very hard. Especially when you are away from what you're used to for so long. So this offer that Allen put forth has been the perfect escape from "backpacker life". We have a full kitchen which we utilize to the max. We have kept the fridge 100% stocked with drinks, cheese, ham, mayo...all the little things that you miss so much. We have a flat screen TV that hasn't been turned off once it's dark outside. I have taken more showers per day here than anywhere else because the bathroom is so clean. And best of all, we have the beach as our front yard. On top of everything, Allen gave us some things he had from the states that he said we could enjoy. Brownie mix, instant mashed potatoes, Starbucks coffee (we have a coffee machine), margarita mix - I mean he hooked us up. He also supplied us with about ten movies and we have watched one a night since we have been here. Thanks Allen! I'm not sure how we can ever repay you for this - it has been truly amazing!
We spent most of our time hanging out on the beach in front of the house, playing with the local kids and exploring some of the other beaches within walking distance.
We also did a little snorkeling. It wasn't the best snorkeling we'd done but it was nice because all we had to do was walk out our front door with our masks and into the ocean. We saw a ton of starfish that we had never seen before.
One day we rented a motoscooter and did a loop around the area. We came across some of the most beautiful beaches we have seen so far. The first beach we came to was spectacular. We were the only tourists because it was a small fishing village and the only way to get there was to have your own scooter and get off the beaten track.
We visited several other beaches before making our way back to Coron Coron.
We spent one day doing another island hopping tour. This one wasn't as epic as the first but we did have some amazing snorkeling.
The last snorkeling spot got interrupted with a pretty hefty rain storm. It was awesome watching it roll in while we were in the water (probably not so safe) but the photo is pretty cool!
Most of our nights at the villa consisted of watching the sunset with a beer and strolling out on the sand where the tide had receded. We discovered that tons of starfish get stranded when the tide goes out and those that can't find the water might be doomed. So we spent every night rescuing starfish under the setting sun and putting them back in the sea.
We really had an amazing week at the villa and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I'm not gonna lie, I was feeling pretty homesick and exhausted from always being on the move so I was pretty stoked about having a nice, clean, homey place to retreat to. We catch a van tomorrow morning to Puerto Princesa where we catch our flight to the next island. Palawan has been absolutely spectacular but we hear that the Visayas has some pretty awesome beaches too!