adventuresofbabuandbaby

[adventuresofbabuandbaby]

The Babu enjoying sand and sea!

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From Cebu, we hop on a plane to Boracay for our last stop on our Philippine adventure. Soft sand, tranquil waters, and absolutely nothing on the schedule except soak in the sun. Our hotel, Residencia Boracay, on Station 1 (Boracay's White Beach area is divided into 3 Stations) was beachfront, making it very easy to roll out of bed and onto a beach chair!

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Minds are Willing, Stomachs are Weak

We were scheduled to spend three days in Cebu, allowing us to make day trips to nearby islands like Bohol to see the famed Chocolate Hills, but we ended up staying in the whole time as three out of the six grownups traveling fought food poisoning or perhaps some sort of viral GI bug. Miraculously, the Babu didn't get affected and seemed pretty content just hanging out at The Henry.

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Another cool thing about the Henry…Anthill “honesty shop” where merchandise is laid out with price tags, you choose what you want to buy, add up the amount of your purchases, stick the cash in an envelope, and drop it in the black box. No one’s watching. Just your conscience. Awesome. 😎

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The Babu making friends with the glossy red centerpiece in The Henry Hotel lobby. It's difficult to find a boring corner in this hotel!

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Leaving Paradise

After two days in Puerto Princesa and three days in El Nido, we end our Moana-role-playing as we leave Palawan and return to civilization. This time, we skip Manila and actually head to the oldest city in the Philippines: Cebu. We check into a funky boutique hotel, The Henry (http://www.thehenryhotel.com/), and enjoy some downtime.

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Highlight of our island-hopping in El Nido: finding the ice cream boatman! Pretty sure he made a week's worth of sales from our group. This truly is paradise!

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Underwater hello from the Babu.

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Underwater hello from grownup!

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Sunset view from Cadlao Resort in El Nido.

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Island hopping tours in El Nido include a spectacular lunch spread prepped and cooked by the boat crew. Drinking from coconuts required.

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From Puerto Princesa, we take a 5-hr van ride through winding mountainous roads (Dramamine...Bonamine...take it. You'll need it.) to reach El Nido for some incredible island hopping. Our first day on "Island Hopping Tour A" took us to the Small Lagoon where boatmen, kayakers, and snorkelers share its crystal waters.

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Zoom zoom in the Babu's first tricycle ride!

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The Babu's first tricycle ride. Tricycles are a common means of transportation in the Philippines, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. Think rickshaw-with-a-motor! Fares are ridiculously cheap at 10 pesos/person (roughly $0.20).

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Future rock climber. (Inside the mouth of Elephant Rock - quick side trip on the way back from the Underground River)

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One of the must-dos in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, is to take a tour of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River aka the Underground River. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has also been recently included as one of the "New Seven Wonders of Nature." A 20-minute pump boat ride from the town of Sabang takes us to the beach entrance of the park. We then take a quick woodsy walk to where boatmen await to take you down the river that snakes through limestone caves. The boat ride is done in almost complete darkness with the boatmen's headlamps serving as the only light source. An audio guide with headphones narrates what you encounter as you go down the river. Truly a remarkable experience!

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Finally leaving the city behind for 2 weeks of island-hopping! The Babu and grownup arriving at their first stop: Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

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