What programming languages do you code?
Me: Python, VS, PHP, and so on.
C: OMG! That was my first time asking that question on a date. Gad, this is awkward.
Me: Wait, is this a date? Haha
C: Kind of? *smirks*
We got to the airport around five in the morning. Our flight via Air Asia is 8 in the morning, but as always, the flights got delayed and turned into 11.
We arrived at Puerto Princesa airport around lunchtime and was welcome with our tour operator. We picked up our lunch at a Jollibee drive-thru and then we descend to El Nido island for 6 hours.
El Nido is a laid-back tropical beach town in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is about 400 kilometres southwest of Manila and about 240 kilometres north of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital city. It is within the El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area, which is the largest marine sanctuary conservation in the Philippines, noted for its natural splendour and diverse ecosystem.
We arrived in El Nido around 6:00 PM and check-in in our accommodation care of ELBYAHE’S TRAVEL AND TOURS – we highly recommend them and Sir Ryan was very accommodating. We grabbed our dinner at this long stretch of restaurants near the beach and ordered some grilled fish and bulalo. We did not tour around tonight because we needed so much rest for our first tour tomorrow.
It was an early call time for our tour. We booked for Tour A, which includes the following islands:
7 Commando Beach, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon and Shimizu Island.
Our first stop was 7 Commando Beach. This beach welcomed you with its long stretched fine sand and coconut trees. Our guide told us it got its name when 7 soldiers got stranded on this island during World War II. I don’t know if that is true but I don’t care as long as I am distressing here.
I was in total awe of this beautiful island surrounded by big rocks or limestone cliffs. I am in paradise.
We were on our way going back to the shore when my phone beeps. I got a message from this guy whom I am meeting today asking me if how is my discovery going today and if we’re up for dinner later. I was hesitant to reply and left the message seen.
But upon arriving at our hotel, I got the feeling of replying to his message and decided to meet him with his friend.
I met them in this cool bar near the beach. The sun was about to descend and it was the perfect place to watch it sets.
At first, I was reluctant to talk things with them but hey, it was one of the best conversations I had in my life. It was not a bullshit talk but an exchange of thoughts and experiences full of substance. We created a friendship there.
They invited me to meet their other friends who were on the island as well. I thought I would not be welcome properly, but I enjoyed their company and started to feel at ease and chill.
I cannot stop smiling and laughing the whole time I was with them. It was such a mind-blowing experience, and I could find the outlet of my stress with people I just met.
We got out of the noisy crowds and loud music. He held my hand and walked me to the beach. We started talking seriously and did not mind all that surrounds us at that moment. It was as if we created a world of our own from that moment in time. The full moon and the sound of that smooth waves witness that magical night.
He dropped me off my hotel and we bade goodbye with such emotions.
I woke up early for my second tour. The tour B package which includes: Big lagoon, Matinloc Shrine, Matinloc island, Hidden Beach and Papaya Island.
The overall tour was fun and exciting because I met a lot of new people that soon became my friends after this travel.
The more I travel and interact with strangers the more I realize I have nothing to fear and everything to gain by opening up and sharing a moment of my life freely.
On the travelling road, I have shared many experiences with strangers, and even though I may never see them again, the bond of what we experienced will forever tie us together as friends. We’ll depart each other’s company in a few short hours, knowing only the best of one another.
When we meet with other travellers on the road, we leave the shit of our lives behind and focus only on the wonderful things about our stories to talk about. There’s no bitchiness or gossiping, judgement or misplaced expectations. There are no problems to weigh each other down or baggage to hide.
Travel taught me how to bond with strangers and it also taught me the importance of letting go.
Here is a video of our tour made by one of those friends who I was with on this tour.
Share with us your travel experiences and how you meet strangers during your travels!
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