What To Do In El Nido?

“El Nido is known as the Philippines’ last frontier, and if you’re looking for magnificent beaches in an unspoiled setting, it’s a perfect place for you to vacation.” – Tripadvisor

Palawan holds a very special place in my heart. The place made a lasting impression on me. It is still my most favorite of favorites until now. I even repeatedly tell my friends, “If I ever go missing one day, this is where you can find me”.

My friends and I went to Coron on the first quarter of 2016. That trip sparked our eagerness to see El Nido to find out what it has to offer (and which is better lol). We’re so lucky to get to see it on the Valentines week of 2017.

You know that in El Nido, Island Hopping Tour is as easy as choosing A, B, C and D. What you might not know is that there is a new addition, Tour E, which includes Nacpan Beach and Mt. Taraw which I think you can do on a DIY (that’s just me).

Everybody also knows that the most popular tours are A and C. And no contest at all, Tour C is the best so it is where everybody goes. The 2nd option is always Tour A which is equally good. We’ve been to the latter on our first day and I can attest to why it is frequented by tourists. Much to our despair though, due to unfavorable weather conditions during our stay, the coast guard restricted the other tours including Tour C.

Tour A is packed with breathtaking lagoons. Our first stop is the Small Lagoon. The water is naturally turquoise. We swam our way to a narrow entrance, and got stoked while inside the Small Lagoon. There are a lot of territorial fishes in the area though, its natural defense mechanism against predators is to attack and bite them. By predators, that would mean us, they see us as such so beware of them. Some of my friends got bitten by territorial fishes. But nothing so serious, yes it can startle you but it’s not life threatening.

  

Attempted to do the "circle of friends" pose, but failed lol!

We headed to Shimizu Island for lunch. Aside from minor snorkeling and basking in the sun, there’s nothing so special about this island. But the view you get from crystal clear water and the jagged limestone cliffs around is extremely unforgettable. It’s even a great way to stare at them while having your lunch.

Secret Lagoon is our next stop. The waves were challenging! We stopped at the end of some huge rocks then I asked, where are we heading? Then I finally realized what we were about to do next. We passed through a hole until we were inside, and witnessed an enclosed lagoon.

The Big Lagoon is my personal favorite! The entrance towards the big lagoon was just so surreal and magical that I literally cried. It feels like we’re entering a different realm. It was so beautiful! I’ll let the pictures do the talking now hahahaha! #blabbermouth

Our final stop is the Seven Commando Beach. Unlike Shimizu Island, the sand in Seven Commando beach is so fine. It is comparable to the sand in Calaguas, but of darker shade. With its white beach, clear water plus limestone cliffs, it will really satisfy your every craving for relaxation in an island paradise. It is the nearest island to El Nido town, which is why this is the last island to explore. We waited for the sun to set, then head back to town to wrap up our tour.

Our day 2 is supposed to be spent for Tour C, but as I’ve said earlier, it is restricted because of the weather. Safety first. Since we were already there, we just resorted to do spontaneous sidetrip to Nacpan and experience the zipline at the Las Cabanas Resort while waiting for the sunset by the beach.

Surprisingly, the view at Nacpan Beach did not disappoint us. This side of El Nido is like a breath of fresh air. It is the other side of El Nido which will make you realize that the place is diverse and multi-faceted. The water in Nacpan beach is in this weird fluorescent blue that it literally looks like the exit to the Gatorade factory! The landscape is incredible. One downside though, because Nacpan is still untouched, you’re just limited to sunbathing and swimming. Be careful still. The waves are somewhat tricky, I consider myself as a good swimmer, but I almost drowned. Thanks to Odette and JB for saving my life! I’m ok guys, no worries ;)

We ended our day by gearing up on a little trek and zipline. I have a minor fear of heights (with emphasis on the minor lol), but it didn’t stop me. I fed my hunger for adrenaline rush by experiencing the zipline. Which I did not regret, coz the view from the top is just so --- (insert adjective here). #noragrets

We capped it all off by chillaxing by the beach at Las Cabanas Resort while waiting for the sunset. Ordered some drinks and took a timelapse video (as shown below). It wouldn’t be a perfect island experience without a perfect sunset and El Nido has a lot of them. I’ve witnessed a number of sunsets, but each is unique making it worth capturing.

Our trip to El Nido was not so perfect. All of us experienced excruciating stomach pain that made some of us missed day 2 and stayed at the hotel, the cause is still unknown up to now. But in general, the trip is one for the books! I want to end this on a positive note, coz despite all these inconveniences of El Nido, the beauty of this place makes it all worth it!

Here’s the sunset timelapse video that I took on our last day in El Nido.

Officially… Mrs. Dupaya

“A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life. ” — Richard Bach

May and TJ saying their vows.

Just last Friday, January 27, 2017, I had the honor of witnessing my dear friend, Mary May’s most special day in Tuguegarao City. It was my first travel for this year and the first destination wedding that I’ve attended. May and TJ really were made for each other, and it's when you see a love like this that I think of the opening quote from Richard Bach. Umm, I'm not crying, that's just the fake eyelashes irritating my eyes hahahaha!

Looking back to May 2016, on Mary May’s birthday in Indonesia, at sunrise. TJ proposed to Mary May. It was the most perfect moment for her. I was literally brought to tears when May told us girls. It was because I couldn’t imagine my dear friend be with someone other than TJ. Knowing the struggles that they’ve been through as well. Long distance relationships have a very slim chance to succeed. But here they are, starting to plan their wedding and build dreams together as a union. Oh my God, I felt so giddy like a love-sick puppy dog!

On her wedding day, I know I am probably slightly biased... but Mary May is genuinely one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen. It was such a magical moment watching her walk down the aisle in her father’s arms, all of us seeing her in her dress for the first time before we were whisked off to the venue. THERE WERE TEARS! I tried my best not to cry because I wasn’t sure if my mascara is waterproof lol! Seeing Mary May's parents get misty-eyed really tugged on my heart strings too. There's something so special about the father of the bride in particular, seeing his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time which you just can't put into words.

Selfie with Mrs.Dupaya, the Most Beautiful Bride!

Squad Goals with The Newlyweds.

Congratulations Mary May and TJ! You’re love story is such an inspiration. Love you both!

People of my Year 2016

It is the time of the year where everyone is off to a good start. Every New Year means fresh beginnings and new opportunities. It is always exciting when a new year comes coz it’s a fresh start to work on our goals. We all know the feeling, everyone starts making resolutions and in just a few weeks or months we all end up forgetting them. As for me, it has been my annual routine that instead of listing down my resolutions, I put up an annual theme. I’ve started this routine in 2014 and it worked so far! I started it with #redemption2014, #fearless2015 and #extra2016. If you follow me on Instagram, you would already know that my theme for this year is #rise2017 (the reason behind this is also stated on ig, so might as well follow me there, my handle is @balongging) ;)

Anyway, aside from my annual theme on my social handles, I also see to it that I pay tribute to the people who stood out and made my last year (which is 2016) a memorable one. But this year, I decided to make it a bit different. It is usually a list of 10, but for this year, I’m just keeping it simple.

The Breakfast Club

Growing up, my Mom would always tell me “don’t skip breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day.” Since then, I’ve always start my day with a full meal at our pantry. And as the days went by, I’ve already formed a group with these people who happen to love eating breakfast as much as I do (it is their most important meal as well hahahaha). My day wouldn’t be complete without eating my breakfast with them.

The Breakfast Club in our "you can't sit with us" mode.

At our Christmas party 2016

The Supermoon Friends

The moon is a familiar sight in our sky, brightening dark nights and reminding us of space exploration, past and present. But the Supermoon last November 14 was especially “super” because it’s the closest full moon to Earth since 1948. My apologies for the TMI hahaha! We won’t see another supermoon like this until 2034, I am just so blessed to witness it this 2016. What made the Supermoon “super” special is that I got to witness it with these people in the most beautiful island in the world! Hence the name “Supermoon Friends” which comprises Mami Tina, JB, Mei-Mei, Nicky, Odette, Quim and Me (the most beautiful one lol). I already know we’re bound to travel a lot of places coz with them, I know I had already found the Barbs in my Trisha. ;) #DieBeautiful

The Supermoon Friends version of Tai-Chi LOL

San Juanico Bridge

The Tapdasan Family

Of course! How could I skip this part? My family has been in the hall of fame!

As a family, 2016 is also very memorable to us. To name a few of our happy thoughts:

• My Mom, well she knows how to upload photos on FB (in bulk) now. Also, she already has an Instagram account now, follow her @sergvtops hahaha!
• My Manang is now a full-pledged School Principal not to mention topping the principal’s exam, top 1 in Region 9! I couldn’t be more proud.
• I am the happiest Tita. I’ve already been a “Tita” at 4 years old. Even before Tita’s of Manila (or wherever) even existed. My nephews and nieces were complete last Christmas!

Oh well, I’ll let the photos show how happy we were spending Christmas and New Year!

Wacky poses the Tapdasan way!

Post Christmas Dinner at our Manoy Bobong's abode.

Our New Year's eve feast.

I hope you guys have an awesome 2017! I look forward to sharing more memories with you guys this year.

September Song

It’s been a while since I posted anything on my social media accounts. I’ve been in a rot lately. I’ve been through a lot too. I’ve been struggling with depression and anxiety. It was in the latter part of September when an unfortunate event happened (it was beyond my control), and from there, everything went down like a domino. Amidst the misfortune, I woke up one day and I felt very alone (except for the fact that I have my family and friends and they’re so supportive). I started hating who I was. I hated my arms, I hated my cheeks, I hated my face, and I hated everything. Yes, weeks ago, I was that person. I wasn’t very nice to myself.

Until one day, I was listening to some songs and I came across this song by JP Cooper which is titled – September Song. Ironically it’s a love song about remembering how he spent his summer when he was 15 (summer happens to be around August to September in non-tropical countries). But it was through this song I was able to come to my senses. And then it flashed back to how I started my September this year, I was quite happy. There’s a line in the song which says, “Our love is as strong as a lion”. Then it struck me. I talked to myself, “hey Lil, how come we have drifted apart?” I used to strongly love me, but why did I let me down? I was sad, I struggled. There was no easy way out, and it’s hard to get away from it. But then it’s a process. People were telling me “things are gonna get better”, but I just felt like people were just saying it because they didn’t know what else to say to a person who’s very sad. Coz what else can you say? It sounded so cliché, and you don't really feel that it's gonna get better. BUT IT DOES! The thing with going through anything is to just “go through it”. Then one day I woke up, and I wasn’t so sad anymore. I didn’t hate me anymore.

So why am I saying this? What’s the whole point of even blogging this? What have I learned from all of these? There are a lot of questions popping out. But yeah, I guess being creative is a perfect way of channeling out all devastation that you’re feeling. As for me, Snapchat and Twitter has been my outlet and it helped me a lot! Writing, it’s my passion. And in everything that I’ve been through, writing essentially played a big role for me to move on. I’ve also come to realize that, I am not the only one in this world who is this sad. And things are not always what they appear to be. There was a time in my life that I was more depressed and nobody knew about it, no one in my life really knew how depressed I was. You just never really know the war and struggles in someone’s mind no matter what they may appear like on the outside. The key to overcome all these is to just have faith. Have faith in what’s gonna happen, have faith in your family and friends, have faith in yourself and most importantly, have faith in God. No matter what your beliefs are, there is one divine being who is always by your side. I believe we’re all here for something, we’re all put in this earth for a purpose. Nothing in our lives is for no reason.

Now I don’t know how to end this hahaha! Oh well, I should park it here and just end it with this:

“Focus on getting better, I’m going through something bad right now, but I can push through it. I CAN DO THIS!” 

I CAN DO THIS!

Birthday in Baguio

Every new chapter in your life requires a new version of yourself. Welcoming another year of adventure, challenges, happiness, success and what-nots.
Say hi to my modelesque niece, Bea. Yes, she deserves all the exposure hahahaha!
I still suck at stabilizing though. Any suggestions on how could I improve? 😁
—FAQ:
*What camera do you use?
Gopro Hero 4 Silver
*What do you use to edit your videos?
Gopro Studio
MUSIC:
Begin Again by Purity Ring