Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Tropical State of Mind
This was the day of the island tour — a day I will probably remember for the rest of my life. It was unbelievably beautiful… and at the same time, one of the scariest experiences I’ve ever had.
Island Hopping Tour A
After a restful night sleep, the much anticipated day arrived. The Island Hopping Day! Thousands of tourists flock to El Nido for this very reason every year. This is an immersive way to experience some of the 7,600 islands in Philippines!
We got dressed in our swimsuit, packed our bags, checked out of Serena Rooms and went to Cafe Athena just across the street for breakfast. We left our luggage at the infamous Bottle Store.
Cafe Athena
To me, Cafe Athena is the quintessential island experience. The table was set right on the beach near a huge window wide open to the ocean breeze. We could hear the gentle waves in the background. Hundreds of boats were docked just off shore, ready to whisk us away from land into the beckoning open seas.
Papu got a beautiful cup of coffee and I ordered a coconut. Why a coconut in the morning? Whyever not?? It's the perfect way to start the day in a beach :)
Ratatouille must have been cooking our breakfast...to our amazement, a big rat ran out of the kitchen, under the chairs and right onto the road!
I ordered the egg-white omelette with spinach, toast and fruits. Papu ordered the traditional Filipino breakfast. Her smile says it all!
In the typical Filipino style, we walked through a narrow alley between two buildings that lead us straight to the beach. Our boat Shanah Lei was bobbling up and down a little away from the shore. We were a bit confused on how we would get on the boat. In a little while we learnt how we will be getting on and off the boat the whole day. At the mercy of the wind and the waves!
Our boat was waiting a little inside the sea, so we had to walk through the water to get to it. The water came up to our hips, but we were already dressed in our swimming clothes, ready for the adventure. The guides told us they would take us to different islands for snorkeling, beaches, and lunch.
Once we got on the boat, the excitement returned. I absolutely love boat rides, and this one was no different. The wind was fresh, the sea stretched endlessly around us, and the water kept splashing onto my face. It felt joyful and free.
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First Stop: 7 Commandos Beach
Our first stop was a beach — and it was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen in my life.
Even now I can picture it so clearly. The sand was pure white and unbelievably soft. The water was a deep, beautiful blue, crystal clear and shining under the sun. I sat on the shore playing with the waves like a child. When I scooped the sand into my hands, it was so clean — no dust, no dirt — just tiny shells and pieces of coral mixed into the smooth white grains.
It felt like paradise.
When we got to the beach Papu became as joyful as a little child. She settled down on the silky sand and was enjoying the waves immensely. The crystal clear water gently tapped her, "Tag, you're it!" and kept quickly receding back.
We dream in colors borrowed from the sea
I just could not believe how picture perfect the scenery was. The water was clear as glass near my feet, turned into a bit of aquamarine as it receded, deepened into a strip of sapphire blue beyond the waves, blended into indigo in the deep waters where it touched the sky. The sky was not to be rivaled. The sky was showing off its own brand of blue that the water could not mimic. Together they painted a beautiful tropical paradise!
The lyrics from Moana makes much sense now...
I've been staring at the edge of
the water
'Long as I can remember, never
really knowing why
See the line where the sky meets
the sea?
It calls me...
Wait! Why are we both looking at that guy?!?
After walking around for a while along the beach, taking in all the beauty, I came to where Papu was sitting and enjoyed the playful waves with her.
Since the water there was only about hip-deep, I felt comfortable. Mika and I laughed and played in the waves, enjoying every moment.
We saw a man making a huge sand sculpture with dolphins and sea turtles. He used watermelon rinds to spell out words and decorated it with huge sea shells.
Postcard from paradise!
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Second Stop: Snorkeling
The next stop was for snorkeling. Mika jumped in confidently, swimming around like a fish. But I hesitated. I stood there looking into the vast ocean, wondering what lay beneath the surface. The idea of going in made me nervous.
We stopped near a karst mountain and were asked to jump off the boat. Papu opted to stay in the boat.
I had no idea how deep the water was. I was sure that as long as I had the life jacket on I will not drown. I held on tight to the floating selfie stick and went down the ladder.
I was wearing just my goggles and not the snorkeling gear. So I had to come up to the surface every few minutes for air.
This was the first time I was swimming in the ocean in Philippines. It was so beautiful and terrifying at the same time. I was floating on the top of what seemed like a huge aquarium. I could not feel the bottom of the ocean.
The sunlight was filtering in all the way to the ocean floor. There were some small fish darting right and left and I tried to follow them
This was the first time I was using the action camera underwater. I was not sure if it was recording or not. It was a bit overwhelming to swim, manage to hold on to the selfie stick, try not to wade too far from the boat, come up for air, and to videotape the fish. Turned out the camera was set in photo mode! Instead of video, I got some cool pictures of how I actually felt, what I saw while the waves washed over my head and while I was running out of breath...
High tides and good vibes
There were some colorful fish swimming around and the corals looked pretty but it was not teeming with life like I expected. Maybe I was too busy surviving to actually explore more and follow the small swarms of fish.
Look at the color of that water!
After a few minutes of swimming around I managed to get back onto the boat. The water sparkled in a brilliant blue in the bright sun.
My hat did not have a tie. It kept flying off my head in the wind. Papu took the decorative ribbon and made a tie for me so I could actually wear it without holding on to it all the time. That helped me stay off the sun and reduce the tan(scared of Sheba). I named her "hack manni"!
The water looked like watercolor paint...so transparent yet so vibrantly blue. Each shade of blue rivaled the next for its brilliance. I wanted to dip my brush into the ocean and paint...
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Third Stop: Hidden Cove
The boat stopped closer to a rocky island. The jagged cliffs looked like medieval forts towering high towards the sky with spikes on the edges. I jumped out of the boat and swam towards the entrance of the aptly named Hidden Cove.
Later we stopped near a hidden cave that people could reach only by swimming underwater to the other side. Because I was still scared of the water, I stayed on the boat.
My legs were dangling in the water and I was trying desperately to feel the ocean floor. The waves were washing over my head when I came out for air. It was a bit scary. Would I make it to the cove and back?
The world below was just as clear and pristine as the world above. It was just tinted blue. It was so cool to see other people wading in front of me
I saw some beautiful colorful fish and coral...more beautiful than the snorkeling site.
There was a small opening in the rock. It was not big enough to pass through upright. The waves were ebbing up and down occasionally closing the whole entrance. If we weren't careful it would dash our heads against the rocks like an egg. The guides asked me to keep my head down in the water and try to swim in.
The guide standing inside the entrance pulled me in before the next wave came crashing in.
Just like that I was inside the Hidden Cove!
Lower half of the entrance was under the water. During high tide the whole entrance will be filled with water and the only way in would be to dive underwater.
Hidden cove is a cozy area inside a huge rock. It seemed like a private swimming pool surrounded by a wall of jagged rocks
There were trees growing on the top of the rocks. A small sliver of sky peeked through. It seemed like a set out of a movie scene.
The rocks under us and around us were very rough and craggy. The cove was deep but clear. I perched on the rugged rocks and tried to soak in the ambiance. There were some beautiful fish swimming around us.
When it was time to get back to the boat we came out of the small portal one by one. The guides helped us swim out without getting crushed on the rocks. Every time they got one of us out they yelled something funny. When they pulled me out they yelled, "Yay, it is a girl! Welcome into the world!" When another guy came out behind me with a beard, they yelled, "Yay, Aquaman!!"
I swam past some corals and occasional colorful fishes and I was thinking, " Hope Papu got to see some of these cool fishes."
But I was curious to see what lay beneath the sea.
So I held onto the ladder of the boat and slowly looked down into the water.
As I made my way towards the boat, I saw Papu on the ladder.
What I saw there will stay with me forever.
The water was about 10 to 15 feet deep, yet it was so clear that I could see the coral-covered floor perfectly. The corals looked alive, gently swaying with the current.
The boatman threw some food into the water, and suddenly dozens of fish appeared — zebra-striped fish, bright yellow fish, blue fish, flat fish, big fish swimming lazily among them.
It was like watching a living aquarium beneath my feet.
I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life.
Despite all the fear, the panic, the saltwater, and the chaos — that moment made everything worth it. It felt like I was looking into another world, a secret world hidden beneath the ocean’s surface.
She was balancing on the last step trying to get back into the boat.
I dipped my head back in the water and that is when I noticed...there were swarms of fish under the boat. There were more fish in that area than all the fish I saw during snorkeling and in the Hidden Cove area put together!
There were different kinds of fish just swimming in circles under their feet.
I was so happy that Papu got to see the most beautiful sight that we all came to experience in El Nido
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Fourth Stop: Lunch at the beach
But the real challenge came at the next stop — where lunch was waiting on a small island.
Soon our tummies were starting to rumble. It has been an eventful day swimming with the fishes. Now it is time to try one.
Where limestone cliffs kiss turquoise waters
The lunch stop was at a tiny beach just as picturesque as the others we saw during this trip. By now we were used to getting on and off the boat and swimming to the destination. But this stop was a bit different. The boat was docked farther from the shore and the beach had huge boulders inside the water. Because of the big rocks they could not go any closer to the sand.
I jumped out but I could not walk because the water was deeper than I expected. I half swam half skipped as the waves ebbed and flowed. Every time a big wave washed over us I jumped with it and kept my head out of the water. It was an adventure to try to keep off the rocks as we bounced like lemurs towards the shore.
The lady sitting next to us had blood in her hair from dashing on the rocks at Hidden Cove. Thank God we were safe.
I got the beach fairly early because we were sitting at the front of the boat. This gave me a lot of time to walk on the shore, take pictures and enjoy the serenity of that spot before the rest of the people got there. I have to say that this was one of the places I would like to get stranded in. The huge cliffs were carved at the bottom by the relentless waves. It provided a nice shady area where we can stay close to the water without being in the sun. I wish we had more time here to just sit and enjoy the waves like in the 7 Commando Island.
During this disembarkation, I imagine Papu having the same look like this little duckling when she couldn't feel her feet touching solid ground! By the way, aren't ducklings supposed to know how to swim?
The boat stopped quite far from the shore, and the guides casually said, “Just jump in and swim to the island.”
My heart dropped.
I don’t know how to swim. And this was the open ocean, with waves rising and falling. Even though I had a life jacket, I was terrified.
I asked the guide to help me. Gathering all my courage, I jumped into the water — but my face immediately went under. I tried to come up and breathe, but another wave crashed over me. I swallowed a mouthful of salty seawater and started panicking.
I began crying out, “Help! Help!”
This is Papu explaining her adventure of how she got off the boat...
The guide came over to assist me — but the funny part was that he was balancing a big plate of bananas in one hand because he was also carrying lunch supplies from the boat to the island. Somehow he managed to help me while still holding the bananas.
“Just hold my hand,” he said.
I clung to him while floating for a while. When the water became shallower, he told me to try walking. But the ocean floor was full of rocks, making it difficult to balance. At one point he even dipped my face into the water to show me the fish and corals below.
It was frightening at first — but when I opened my eyes, I saw something incredible.
White corals spread across the sea floor and colorful fish swimming peacefully around them. It was stunning.
Eventually I reached the island, but by then I was completely shaken. My heart was racing and my mind felt blank from the fear. It had been such an intense experience.
And this is Papu explaining how she is going to drown our guide Ray while getting back in the boat. Just kidding! That was not a planned drowning, unlike the thotti incident :)
All's well that ends well Phew, she made it...
The island breeze and the crystal waves calmed Papu down a little. We were both relieved and happy that we made it in one piece in this beautiful paradise.
But slowly, I calmed down.
Papu had seen some beautiful corals and fish on the way to the shore. She got addicted to the amazing sights. She was looking to see if she could snorkel some more in the shallow waters.
I was just enamored at the picture perfect look of the sea. Everywhere we turned it looked like it was from a page of a magazine. Can we please stay here longer...
I kept staring at the horizon where the colors seem to touch each other but not blend into each other. If I could bottle up that moment, I would...
By the time we finished our photoshoot, the lunch was set up and ready to enjoy.
Lunch helped.
They served shrimp and chicken, and after eating we had bananas that were reddish inside — something I had never seen before. They were surprisingly sweet and delicious.
They had yummy watermelon, tiny bananas, pasta, salad, chicken, etc. The main attraction was the whole fish baked with its head and tail on. Because I am not into seafood that much, I tried the rest. It was fun to sit on a fallen coconut tree and eat our lunch on the beach sheltered by the shade of the cliff.
Soon it was time to return to the boat.
And that meant crossing the same water again.
I was extremely nervous, but this time I held tightly onto the guide’s hand. As we moved toward deeper water, panic started creeping in again. At one point I got so frantic that I accidentally pulled the guide down into the water with me. He swallowed some seawater and everyone on the boat burst out laughing.
It was a little embarrassing — but thankfully, I made it back onto the boat safely.
I was so relieved. Truly, I could only say, “Praise God… thank you, Jesus.”
After that, we headed to a lagoon.
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Fifth Stop: Big Lagoon
Canoeing Adventure
When we dropped the anchor at the Big Lagoon, the boats were wildly bobbing up and down. They loaded the canoes one by one with a couple of people in each. Since the water was a bit rough and deep where we were, it was intimidating to think that we have to balance on a small plastic canoe without any safety harness and row it by ourselves.
Papu said that she is going to sit this one out. She had fun so far but this one seemed too far out of her comfort zone. I was weighing in my options. It was a bit scary but I didn't want to miss out on this amazing experience. I was trying to convince Papu to come in even though it seemed dangerous.
We did not know that having a guide with us was an option. While they were loading the tourists in the canoes, Ray was asking if anyone needed a 3 person canoe or a guide to go with them. Papu and I brightened up. We asked for a guide and that gave us more confidence to navigate the choppy waters.
Loading onto the canoe was interesting but went well. As we approached the Big Lagoon the water became shallow and calm.
Here we got onto a kayak. It didn’t even have belts, but the guide was with us, so Mika and I sat together and let him paddle. The kayak moved gently between towering rocks, and the scenery around us looked like something out of a dream.
Vacation mode Papu kicked in! Look at her splash!!!
Inside the lagoon the water was only knee deep and it was completely transparent.
It was like those pictures we see in instagram where people canoe on water that seems invisible making them look like they are floating on air. It felt the same.
Our guide got down to help another canoe. The oar was behind Papu and I asked her to hand me the oar so I could paddle a little. She outright refused saying, "Let the guide do the paddling. Please don't topple the canoe" :) With a little persuasion I managed to paddle around while our guide took pictures.
It was fun to float around this shady lagoon. The water was very shallow, still and warm.
We saw some canoes gliding between rocks and disappear
Our guide took us through those narrow alleys too
It had barely enough space for the canoes to squeeze through between the towering boulders
Look at Papu touching the rocks as we pass by! Vacation mode on...
I live for moments like these...
When we came out of the alley out into the open lagoon, the guide said turtle turtle...when we turned around to see, there it was. A fairly big sea turtle came up near our canoe to breathe!
At one point we even saw a huge sea turtle swimming calmly near our kayak.
Of all the places it could have been, it chose to swim by our canoe. If it stayed down we wouldn't have seen it. It came up for a breath of air right at that moment when we passed by...God, thank you for wooing us!
We had time to just get off the canoe and hangout in the lagoon. Our guide tied the boat to a rock and left. Papu sat in the shallow water and she noticed some fish, almost colorless, almost invisible, camouflaged well in the transparent water.
Then we reached a shallow area where the water was unbelievably clear. The white sand beneath the surface sparkled, and small fish swam around us.
We also saw some zebra fish darting around. Papu started videotaping underwater. It would definitely make Danny happy to put the videocamera to good use.
I was trying to make the fish swim towards Papu.
She got some good footage of the little gems swimming in their natural habitat while a giant came stomping Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum...
It was time to say goodbye to the little darlings. Spending some chill time at the Big Lagoon made the island hopping experience very soothing. We were very thankful for the guide because that make getting in and out of the boat stress-free.
Finally, it was time for us to head back — and honestly, I felt such a deep sense of relief.
After all the excitement, beauty, and the moments of fear in the water, the thought of returning safely felt comforting. We slowly made our way back, climbed onto the boat again, and settled down for the ride.
As the boat began moving across the sea, I felt thankful — truly thankful. Looking back, I could see how everything had worked out perfectly. Despite the panic, the waves, the unexpected struggles in the water, and all the little adventures along the way, we had managed to experience everything and still make it back safely.
Soon we headed back to El Nido, right on time to get on our taxi ride to the port.
We were so glad we stretched ourselves at times, wandered way off our comfort zone and jumped off the boat into a deep ocean so we could experience a world so wonderful and so full of surprises!
It really felt like God had taken care of the entire day — the timing, the places we visited, the people who helped us, and even the moments that felt scary at first.
In the end, we rushed back to the boat, tired but full of stories, and made our way back to the island.
And as I sat there quietly, watching the sea once again, I felt grateful — for the adventure, for the beauty we witnessed, and for the protection that carried us through the whole day.
All of these adventures we had today seemed impossible the day before. Just the fact that we were able to go on this tour was a big testimony!
God is Faithful
When we got to El Nido the day before, we tried to book a tour through one of the tour agency shops in the downtown. They said that if we wanted to go on a group tour (that cost 1400 Pesos) it will end only at 4 pm. The last boat to the Darocotan Island was at 4 PM. The coastguards would not allow boats to go later than that. The distance from El nido town to the boat port was 45 minute. It seemed impossible to make it on time if we went on a group tour. The other option was a private tour that cost 12,000 Pesos. If it is a private tour they would cut down some of the stops and bring us back by 2 PM. We didn't want to spend too much money AND miss out on the beautiful experiences.
As usual, God intervened. Yet another time we reaped the results of months of prayer and God's grace. I called the receptionist Rose at the Island Resort to ask if she had any tour suggestions. She said that her friend owns a tour company and if we book through that agency she would make sure that we get to the port on time to get to the Island. What a great favor God had provided. We were able to go on the cheaper group tour, experience all the wonderful spots, ride from El Nido to the port on a private car and were confirmed that we would make it to the Island on time!
Praise God!
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