A Taste of Heaven on Earth

Yeap……Yeap…….Yeap………..it is the maestro sitting at the keyboard informing you of another place that figuratively gave me a little taste of Heaven on Earth. Recently, my wife has been begging me to blog about something that has happened to us in the Philippines, but there is no need for me to blog about anything because she has always been involved with and captured in her blogspot just about all the activities that we engaged in except for one. While my wife and children were on an unexpected trip to the USA (Pensacola, FL) for a funeral, I decided to take advantage of a long weekend and took a journey to another beautiful part of the Philippines. This place is called Palawan.

The memories of our visit to Boracay have been forever etched in my brain; however, the most exotic and gorgeous place that I have been to in the world is a place found in Southeast Asia. In order to travel to this place you must take a chartered plane from a hangar that is not connected to the main airport terminal. Interesting………but scary!

Yes, this plane was an old unpressurized propeller jet where the passenger in the first seat could literally touch the pilot on the shoulder if he/she desired and commandeer the plane without any resistance. Also, you could feel every time the wind changed direction or the slightest air pocket (very bumpy ride). I am so glad that God is in control! Take a look at a couple of aerial pictures of God’s creation tainted by sin.

B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!

Upon arrival at El Nido, Palawan (75 minute flight from Manila), the local natives serenaded the tourists with a greeting song

and then we were escorted to the airport terminal which was located within 25 yards of the dirt landing strip. WOW! Next, you are then asked to board a jeepney and take a 15 minute ride to El Nido town to get on a boat. I must mention that the total population of El Nido is about 11,000 people. The boat ride to the resort is about 50 minutes. During your time on the boat, the activities coordinator engages you in a conversation about things to do while staying at the resort. By the time the boat reaches the resort, they have a rough draft of your itinerary of activities for the next day or two based on your interest. This is El Nido resort!

This place is carved into the side of a limestone island located in the middle of nowhere. There is no television, no radio signal and no cell phone signal on this island. You are expected to commune with nature! Did I mention that I went to this place by myself? What was I thinking!?

The resort amazing……the view spectacular……the food plentiful……and the people hospitable. What else can a Brother ask for? The only thing that was missing was Bridgette. Darn!

During my stay at this luxurious place, I learned how to wind surf, hobbiecat (never heard of it), play badminton and scuba dive (I love it!). I took a picture of my Discovery Scuba Diving Certificate but I will not post it because I do not want to disclose my full name to the world. This was probably the most memorable and exciting vacation that I have ever had in my life. Did I mention, the only thing that was missing was Bridgette. Darn…Darn!

I took advantage of the opportunity to snorkel with a school of Jack fish and other wild and hungry aquarium like fish. Some of these fish were as big as my son Brayden! Unfortunately, I did not have an underwater camera during my snorkeling experience to capture on film these majestic creatures. Bummer dude!

Enjoy the pictures!

I can go on and on about my vacation in Palawan, but my suggestion is if you for some unknown reason are in the vicinity of the Philippines or you need to get away from life and enjoy nature, you should make plans to visit one of the secret pearls of Southeast Asia. Later!!