Let The Vacation Begin!!!

 Palawan - Paradise of the Philippines!

The Monday after the temple closed, we (the three sets of couple missionaries and my sister Jill) packed our bags and set off on an adventure! This post may read more like a travelogue than my usual entries, but I want to record and share the wonderful experiences we had together.

Our first destination was Palawan—a place so many locals recommended to us, often describing it as paradise. I had already seen countless inviting photos and videos of Palawan on Facebook, and it quickly became a dream of mine to visit.

As it happened, one of the missionary couples met a friendly local couple at the airport who arranged tours on the island. We decided to go through them, and they did not disappoint! Over the course of our trip, we visited three different cities on Palawan - Puerto Princesa, El Nideo and Coron. For most of the tours, it was just the seven of us with our guides, which made the experience feel both private and special.

Here’s a map to give you a better idea of where our journey took us. You will find Palawan on the lower left side just above Malaysia.

Our first stop was Puerto Princesa, the capital city of Palawan. It’s best known for the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Cruising along the river felt like stepping into another world—the limestone cliffs, lush jungle, and mysterious caves made it absolutely unforgettable. To be honest, I was a little nervous about going in the underground river - I’m not a fan of bats! But they kept to the cliffs and my worries were for nothing. 

Arriving at the Puerto Princesa Airport

We also got to ride a zip line, soaring high above the trees with a sweeping view of the ocean in the distance. The mix of adrenaline and beauty made it such a fun experience. Later, we slowed the pace with a scenic river cruise, enjoying the calm water and the peaceful surroundings. We saw monitor lizards, a viper resting in a tree, a python resting in another tree and lots of crazy long tailed Macaque monkeys.

To top it all off, our very first day in Puerto Princesa was Dad’s birthday! We were able to celebrate his special day in paradise. It couldn’t have been a more perfect beginning to our Palawan adventure.

Heading out to begin our big adventures 

Even the hotel helped him celebrate - So nice of them!

Happy Birthday Joe!!!

Getting Ready for the Underground River Tour

Heading up to the zip line, we had to hike up over 100 step - a lot for us old folks

This monkey and lizard got in a fight over some food on the ground

Exiting the Underground River

Beautiful View of the Ocean and surrounding area

And, the beautiful view - the picture doesn’t do it justice

The next morning we headed out for a city tour and went to several interesting places:

We stopped by a place where local weavers were working hard creating lovely woven cloth. They use the cloth for placemats, table runners, and several other items.  I was able to buy a beautiful new bag that I will use for my temple bag. They even let us try our hand at weaving. It was fun but I don’t think they will offer us a job anytime soon.  

We visited a place called Baker’s Hill, a beautiful park with baked goods, 

beautiful gardens and recreational spaces.

Here we are at a butterfly garden and tribal village

The people of the tribal village put on a show for us and showed us their huge python!  Yikes!!!

We stopped at a church and a few more places. At the end of the tour we stopped for lunch with our fantastic tour guide Gerald. It was such a beautiful place and the food was really good! After lunch we had a five hour drive in the van to El Nido, our second stop on our trip to Palawan. 

El Nido - Limestone Cliffs, Turquoise Waters and White Sand Beaches

El Nido is ruggedly beautiful—truly a place that takes your breath away. The towering limestone cliffs rising dramatically from the turquoise water are just amazing! I had often heard people talk about “island hopping” here, but until we experienced it ourselves, I wasn’t quite sure what it meant.

As it turns out, island hopping is exactly what it sounds like: you climb aboard a boat and spend the day exploring one island after another. Each stop offers something new—hidden lagoons, pristine beaches, and opportunities for snorkeling, swimming, diving, kayaking, or simply soaking in the sunshine.

At the hotel getting ready to head out on our fist island hopping experience

Our boat for island hopping for the next two days!

Enjoying the beautiful landscape and beach

Such amazing beauty

We tried to kayak but it was more of a challenge than expected

We had two full days of island hopping, and it was pure adventure. We snorkeled among colorful coral reefs, swam with schools of tropical fish, and even spotted “Nemo” hiding in his anemone home. One of the highlights was walking through a natural limestone arch that led us into a secret lagoon, a place so stunning it felt like stepping into another world.

They also provided a nice Filipino lunch for all of us.

We were a little nervous about traveling to Palawan during the rainy season, but up until then, we’d been blessed with wonderful weather. That changed on our second day of island hopping when the skies finally opened up and the rain poured down.

A nice photo of our boat. 

We pulled into a small beach area where we could either swim in the ocean or grab a snack from the little beachside bar. I decided to head into the water—and that’s when the real adventure began. Out of nowhere, a powerful wave slammed into me, flipping me head over heels. Before I could get my footing, another wave hit, and then another. The water was so rough I couldn’t stand up.

One of the sister missionaries rushed in to help, but as soon as she reached me, a wave took her down too. There we were—two soaked, sputtering, laughing messes—crawling to shore on our hands and knees like castaways. I couldn’t help but wonder if someone had captured the whole scene on video, just waiting to go viral online.

The beach where I had my memorable experience. 

Though we were laughing about it, the rain only grew heavier. In the end, we managed to visit just two of our four scheduled stops before the storm made us call it a day. Back at the hotel, warm and dry again, we gathered in the dining room for games while watching the rain fall outside. The storm may have cut our adventure short, but it gave us an unforgettable memory—and a cozy evening with a view of the ocean.

Island Paradise of Coron, Palawan

After three days and two nights in El Nido we were ready to head to Coron, our final stop on Palawan. Coron is on the northern area of Palawan. This time, we flew to our island destination.  

We checked into the nicest hotel of our trip, it had a beautiful view of the pool and the ocean.

Coron City Tour

After getting our rooms settled, we headed out for a fun city tour. We first headed to a cashew factory where they process the cashews from the tree to the consumer.  

Getting ready to tour the small factory

This lady in the front cuts each cashew in half one by one, then they are given to the workers in the background where they shell them and remove the skin. After the skin is removed the cashews are processed by roasting or making into brittle and other things.

Following the tour of the cashew factory, we drove to the port, had ice cream from a tricycle truck, toured a local market and Patty and I relaxed while Jill and Wendy climbed to the top of a hill that had a huge cross. The others climbed about halfway up but only Jill and Wendy made it to the top. 

This is the port we will leave from when we do our island hopping the next day.

The Filipino ice cream tricycle

I didn’t have any ice cream but Dad said it was delicious, he doesn’t eat mangos but he love the mango ice cream and always has a mango shake when we go out for a meal. 

Open Market we toured, Just be glad this blog doesn’t have smell!!!

This cute little boy is standing on coconut shells with a string through the middle. 

The kids have races with them.

Patty and I relaxing while we wait for the more adventurous of our group to climb the top of the hill

Only Jill and Wendy at the top o the 720 steps!  Go Jill and Wendy!

After our city tour we went to relax in the Maquinit Hot Spring, a natural saltwater hot spring with geothermal heated waters. The water comes from an underground geothermal source that mixes with the seawater. The temperature ranges from 100-104 F. 

We enjoyed a relaxing time at the hot spring 

The ladies enjoying a warm soak

Sunday - A Day of Rest and Attending Church

The next day was Sunday and we didn’t want to island hop or tour so we had our tour guide arrange for us to attend Church. We enjoyed visiting the small branch on Coron. It was small in numbers but large in spirit. The members were so happy to see us and we were warmly welcomed as is normal here in the Philippines.  

Here is our sweet Relief Society group of sisters. To our surprise, the young woman who checked us into our hotel ended up teaching the lesson! 

She’s seated on the right in the rust-colored dress. 

A beautiful returned missionary, she shared such a thoughtful and uplifting message.

Outside the small branch building. As we were walking out a cute young boy came up to us 

and raised his hands and said “Beautiful”!

Island Hoping in Coron

We started the day bright and early, heading down to the shore to catch our boat for a full day of island hopping in one of the most breathtaking places on earth. Our adventure took us to spots with names as intriguing as the scenery itself—Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon, Barracuda Lake, and the Skeleton Shipwreck.

The tour was packed with unforgettable experiences: swimming in a crystal-clear lake, drifting through a turquoise lagoon, snorkeling over a vibrant coral garden, and even exploring a haunting World War II shipwreck beneath the waves. Each stop was its own little world of beauty and wonder.

Of course, with all the swimming, climbing in and out of the boat, and tackling endless flights of steps, the day was as exhausting as it was exhilarating. By the time we made it back to shore, we were sun-soaked, happily worn out, and filled with memories of a truly extraordinary adventure.

Heading out on our adventure

We could see out hotel from the boat

Beautiful lagoon where we were able to swim

Beautiful landscape

Lunch was amazing - So much food! And of course Coke, Coke is served at almost every meal.

All of us with a beautiful view in the background 

The man with the white box in these pictures are selling jewelry. They are from the Native Filipino tribe that still lives on Palawan - the same tribe that we saw at the butterfly garden. They just swim around all day trying to sell their trinkets to tourists and make money for the tribe. I bought a bracelet that he said was white coral that I can wear to the temple.  

Last Day in Coron

Our last morning in Palawan came too quickly, but we still had a couple of things on our list. We wanted a picture by the Coron sign in front of Jollybee and a chance to ride a tricycle—something we can’t do back home in Cebu, since they aren’t allowed in the city.

The rain had been coming down steadily all morning, but when it finally eased up, we seized the chance. We hopped into a tricycle for a quick ride and stopped by a souvenir shop just across from Jollibee. It was a simple little outing, but the perfect way to wrap up our time in Palawan with one last adventure.

Here we go!

Our Driver

Jill got to ride shotgun

Palawan may be a paradise for travelers, but we couldn’t help noticing that the beauty of the island doesn’t always translate into a better life for the locals. Poverty was evident everywhere we went, and it broke my heart to see families living with so little.

And yet, despite the challenges, the people we met were among the happiest I have ever known—warm, kind, and always willing to share what little they had. I’ve grown to love them deeply and have learned so much from their example. They’ve reminded me to be grateful for the things that truly matter: love of family, kindness, service, and genuine joy. These are lessons I hope to carry with me long after I return home.

I hope you enjoyed this long post!!! I enjoyed living it 🤣  

Love you all,

Sister Mom/Beth