2013 DEC PHILIPPINES - EL NIDO - LAZY DAYS XMAS AND NEW YEAR
RELAXING BECOMES THE NORM AS WE DO NOTHING IN EL NIDO, WE END THE YEAR QUIETLY.
24.12.2013 - 31.12.2013
Tuesday 24rd December 2013 (day 115)
Breakfast of bacon, egg and toasted bread from a little restaurant in the street behind our guesthouse called Squidos. Not a huge meal but it had all the elements mentioned and at a cost of P90 = $2.40 a tasty bargain. Complimented with a banana shake for P70 = $1.85 for me, and hot tea at P25 = 65c for Lyn, we knew this place was to become a regular breakfast haunt.
Rest of the day was pretty much doing nothing. Amazing how you can fill in the day doing nothing! Amazing how fast the day goes doing nothing!
It's pretty hot here during the day, but not unbearable. It was also a little cloudy and spits of rain fall sporadically throughout the day.
Lyn and I did walk to the next beach around the bay today. It was a little calmer than our beach out front. Lyn went for a swim but I held off still wanting to keep my foot dry and doctors orders not to swim for a few days. Every day it gets better.
Luckily we have a fan to sleep with at night. Power is only on in El Nido from 2pm to 6am everyday. Some businesses have their own generators - most don't. Funny, some of the restaurants and juice shake shacks turn on the generator only when they want to use the blender to mix up drinks.
This afternoon it bucketed down with rain so heavy the islands out in our bay became invisible! But the sky cleared again for us to go out for dinner.
Last night after Lyn and I had retired to our room Patrick went out and came across a night market that was selling food so that is where we ate tonight. Food is cheap, Lyn and I both ate for P270 = $7.10 we had a fish and squid with rice. There are several different food stalls basically selling the same thing. They all have fish, I guess the catch of the day, they all have chicken, and they all have pork. They all serve all meals with rice, and that's about it! It's basic, cheap and good enough for us and half of El Nido who filled the streets this Christmas Eve.
Wednesday 25th December 2013 (day 116)
Merry Christmas!!
Patrick came knocking on our door early this morning bearing gifts. He gave Lyn & I coffee cups! And you know what, they are one of the most useful and wanted christmas gift I have ever received. We always travel with a kettle to boil water for coffee and tea but we did not have any cups, so it was a very thoughtful present to receive indeed. Thanks Pat!
Breakfast at Squidos same as yesterday!
Relax all day. Blue sky and sunny.
Afternoon amongst the 3 of us we managed to polish off almost 3 bottles of Boracay coconut flavoured rum. Unreal that these cost P100 = $2.65 each and the mixer 1 litre bottle of coke is P55 = $1.45. We even managed to buy some ice for P5 = 13c, but had to drink fast as the ice was melting fast. So we had a bit of a merry christmas!
Happy hour drew us downstairs for a couple of beers and Lyn & I shared a huge burger. What a view! Feet in the sand we spent the rest of the afternoon here and stayed for dinner also.
Another Christmas down the drain but what a way to spend it.
Thursday 26th December 2013 (day 117)
Breakfast at Squidos, starting to see a pattern here.
Rest of the day flew by doing nothing, another pattern?
Friday 27th December 2013 (day 118)
Breakfast at Squidos as usual.
Weather is looking very crappy today, been raining most of the morning which would not usually be a problem except for the fact that Lyn and Patrick are leaving today to take the motor bikes back to Puerto Princesa 275km. Patrick is flying back to Thailand tomorrow out of Puerto Princesa via Manila and both bikes have to be back on the 28th. I am going to stay here in El Nido because there was no point in me going back also as we plan to spend more time here. Lyn will ride down with Pat and stay the night and then come back up here on the bus.
Due to the first part of the road being total shit and the distance they are leaving a day early incase they have any problems with the bikes. They had delayed departure until 2pm hoping the rain would stop or at least ease off, but of course today it has been and still is as they ride away a constant down pour. They are both sopping wet before they are even out of my eye sight.
Ironically, the rain stops about 30minutes after their departure but I was to hear from them later on that it followed them all the way south for the rest of their journey that day. They stopped overnight in Roxas which is about half way and although exhausted and sopping wet they were happy they did leave a day early as Patrick got a flat which delayed them and had it been the day of his flight may have been disastrous.
My time spent alone was watching a tiny boat being totally destroyed by crashing waves and another smaller boat being bashed into by the rough seas. By the end of the day the boat was almost totally filled with sand and submersed in the water.
I went to the night market for dinner and had some pork on a stick - of course with rice!
Saturday 28th December 2013 (day 119)
Breakfast at Squidos alone!
Relax all day. Blue skies and sunny. Few rain showers during the day.
Heard from Lyn that Patrick got flight ok, she was spending night in PP and would be on the bus at about 9 tomorrow. Bus takes about 6-7 hours so she will be back here in the afternoon.
Dinner at night market for me, chicken, of course with rice.
Sunday 29th December 2013 (day 120)
Breakfast at Squidos - alone. Yesterdays boat almost completely buried in the sand now.
Weather same as yesterday, sunny, blue sky, little clouds, couple of rain showers.
I went for a short walk to the beach just before El Nido, but it was not much. I've still not gone in the water, really want my foot to be completely healed before I get into it again.
Lyn arrived late afternoon.
We had dinner here at OG's. Mixed seafood kare kare, bit like a seafood stew - very yummy, comes served in a clay pot - of course with rice.
Monday 30th December 2013 (day 121)
Breakfast at Squidos - as usual. We have the same thing everyday but still they go through the motions of giving us a menu and taking our order. You would think by now... although I did at some stage switch from banana shake to mango shake but this was the 2nd or 3rd day.
Much the same as yesterday, we did bugger all.
The day after we arrived here in El Nido I did a quick round of the hotels to find books for us to read. This is no easy task, finding books is not so hard but finding books in English is very difficult. Almost all the accommodations have some kind of shelf or pile of books but most of them as I found were in Russian or German. I did manage to get a couple but its almost time to do the rounds again as we have been spending most of our days relaxing and reading.
Lyn is not feeling the best, has a bit of a blockage problem has has put her off her food.
I had takeaway chicken from the night market, of course with rice.
Tuesday 31st December 2014 (day 122)
New Years Eve!!
Breakfast at Squidos - same same.
Had a very quiet day today. Purchased 2 bottles of rum in anticipation of tonight but with Lyn off sorts it was a fizzer. We had a really quiet night.
We may have had a quiet one, but El Nido did not. Of course the beach and all it's restaurants were packed. Fireworks were being let off sporadically during the night leading up to midnight when 10 minutes before until 15 minutes after the skies around the beach were lit up by a magnificent display of continuous fireworks. I kid you not this was a display to rival the show they put on in Brisbane city to welcome in the new year. However, here the fireworks were purchased by all an sundry. For the lead up to christmas and new year fireworks have been for sale on the road side. And I'm not just talking little bangers and hand held fire crackers, these were the real deal that went off with a thunderous thud that shook your chest cavity and exploded high in the air into a million stars of assorted colours. It was great!!
Unfortunately, for Lyn she slept through it all and so ends 2013!
Posted by Cindy Bruin 08:21 Archived in Philippines Comments (1)