throwback august 2o1o: puerto princesa honda bay tour

I plan my days - if you still haven't assumed that from my obvious oc-ness. Today says I should blog about my next throwback post so here I am blogging despite being a little restless and bothered. If the 'thing' that's bothering me turns out well, I'll tell you exactly what it is but if not, I am keeping it a secret. I am unfair like that. Harhar.

Let's continue with the Puerto Princesa series I started days ago. From Underground River, I'll take you to  Honda Bay. You ready?

Day 2 Honda Bay Tour

Have I mentioned we felt so at home at Aniceto? We had our no fuss breakfast at their rooftop. We only brought our baons then freely used their kitchen - utensils, hot water for our noodles, cold drinking water.. what else can you ask for? Ah, libreng kape! Oo nga naman.

After our homey breakfast, we started preparing for the long day ahead. We went to a local market to buy stuff for our lunch at the island - fish, shrimps, squid, etc. On our way to the wharf, we also passed by a random grocery to complete our island needs.

At the wharf, we went through the usual registration process. Can't remember though if we signed waivers, but most probably we did. We then gave our groceries to the boatman because he'll be the one to prepare our lunch. O diba, buhay mayaman?

Our first stop was Pandan Island. It's where we stayed the longest - snorkeling, lunch then lots of photo ops. 

I remember how scared I was when we started snorkeling. This was back in the days when I still can't swim and it's just my second time to snorkel. Poor little girl. The first time I tried snorkeling was back in 2009 in Puerto Galera and the big difference was that we were holding on to a boat that time. This time, we only had a single makeshift salva vida. I did not let go of the salbabidang gulong. Not.even.once.

Then it was time for lunch. To date, it was one of the best lunch I ever had; not only because of the food but because of the entire feel of the island. Yung tipong masasabi mo talaga, "ang sarap ng buhay". Hahaha!

We made the most out of our first island by taking lots and lots of photos. Our guide slash boatman also showed us some camera tricks. Amazeballs! But seriously, we were indeed amazed as at that point we were only starting with our travel dreams. Mga batang uto-uto pa. 

Our next stop was Snake Island. We only stayed for a while as there's not so much to see. Aside from that, it's a lot scarier than the previous island as we cannot see the ocean floor. Our guide was having fun of us by saying he cannot assure the absence of sharks. I have to admit he got me there!

Next stop: Starfish Island. If I have to rank the islands we were able to visit, this comes next after Pandan Island. Pandan being the best, of course. I had fun in this island because it's where we used our disposable underwater camera. Our guide made us pose underwater one by one. Ha! It was fun. And there were lots of Nemos. Oookay, I meant there were lots of clownfish. Now I know why it is so hard to find Nemo - the real one. #anodaw #waley

Fourth island: Pambato Reef! One thing I'll never forget about this island was the itch and rashes the eggs of the corals gave me. It was so itchy, disturbing, annoying, itchy.. did I say itchy already?! Haha! The feeling is fresh on my mind, you have to understand. To make it worse, it was the scariest among the five islands. Yung feeling na nasa gitna ka ng dagat, tas sobrang lalim at hindi ka marunong lumangoy.

Our last island was Luli Island short for lulubog-lilitaw. The said sand bar sinks underwater on high tide. Isn't that cool? Thank God we did not snorkel because at this point I was hella tired already and four islands to snorkel at is more than enough. Agree? Although we had to use what's remaining of our energies for jump shots.

After our honda bay tour, we went back to Aniceto to rest and freshen up. Dinner came in next at KaLui. I love the ambiance! Super relaxing, perfect after a long day of swimming and snorkeling. After our dinner, we stayed a little longer outside. Just like the other guests, we made the most out of the beautiful place by taking photos. It's all worth it. 

ELSEWHERE

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