El Nido – Day 1: Nacpan Beach & New Besties
EL NIDO
Day 1: Nacpan Beach & New Besties
October 13, 2024
PART I
I got up bright and early, packed my bags and lugged them off on a tricycle, this time heading towards the pier where a ferry would take me to my next destination: El Nido, the gateway to Bacuit Bay and the Bacuit Archipelago.
On the way there, I realised I still hadn’t booked accommodation, something that would’ve left Old Me riddled with anxiety. Also, after having found out a little too late that there exists an island-hopping expedition that takes you all the way from Coron to El Nido over three entire days, I wasn’t too distraught when I realised I’d missed out on the opportunity. I had done something similar back on the San Blas Islands in Panama. Old Me would’ve beaten himself up about it for days. Funny how much we can change, huh?
Having taken my friend’s advice into consideration, I decided to stay at Nacpan Beach instead of the bustling town of El Nido. Like she had told me, better to stay in a calm and tranquil beach area often considered one of the best around El Nido than in a town overrun with tourists and tourist traps alike. Sure, it’d be a bit inconvenient having to travel some thirty to forty minutes to the centre each and every time, but at least I’d have paradise waiting for me at my doorstep.
And so, I decided to opt for the Mad Monkey Hostel, one of the many Mad Monkey hostels found across Asia. It had been quite a while since I had stayed in a hostel, so I figured it’d be nice to hang out with fellow travellers for once.
Getting to Nacpan
Once at El Nido, I hopped on a very expensive tricycle and made my way to Nacpan, a very bumpy forty-minute ride through multiple rural villages. Having managed to haggle the price down by an impressive 35% – which is unheard of according to other locals I questioned later o – Art would from thereon be my local tricyclist if in need.
He dropped me off next to a high-end resort and then signalled towards the path I should take to get to the beach. A few minutes later and there I was, facing one of the nicest beaches I had ever visited. Trust me when I say that it actually does live up to its reputation. The long stretch of golden sand is lined with hundreds of palm and beach almond trees, the water the most pristine shade of cyan and turquoise. And, most incredible of all, there were barely any people. It was all I could do not to rush to the sea and swim freely.
Instead, I walked another couple of minutes and made my way to the hostel. I knew right from the very start that this hostel would be the place to hang out. It just gave me that vibe. I had booked myself a loft to spend a few nights in, but honestly, I might as well have booked the dorm cause I knew I’d barely spend any time in there. In fact, the second I checked in, I left my stuff there and headed out.
No Rest for the Wicked
Perhaps quite rashly, I immediately rented a kayak, foregoing the fact that it was already three in the afternoon and I hadn’t even had lunch yet.
Instead, I found myself out in the open water, paddling along the bay and onto some surrounding islands, none of which I could get onto on account of them being either private property or completely inaccessible.
I spent a few hours paddling about and snorkelling, collecting seashells and just enjoying the gorgeous sunset at the beach. Oh, and I also did some beach yoga, far, far away from the crowd. Having done no exercise over the previous few days really felt like it had taken a toll on my body. I honestly don’t know how I had managed to spend eight months of my gap year without any form of exercise!
A few steps and I was back at Mad Monkey. It didn’t take too long before I got acquainted with the staff, with Jase and Ivy being the ones tasked with organising social events, Cliff the chef and Kenny the attendant. Also, the not-so-stray dogs Tiger, Panda and Bully, who were practically part of the furniture.
PART II
Backpackers Unite
While I was sitting down by the restaurant-bar area, a few backpackers started to trickle in. It’s always at these times that I realise I must suffer from some kind of social anxiety. All alone and seeing other people all gathered in groups, I start wondering whether I should introduce myself or just revel in my solitude. But, as I’ve come to learn over the years, the former is a much better alternative.
First came Simone and Chantelle, backpackers from Germany and Canada respectively, who had been on the road for the previous three months, having worked their way west from Australia. Then came Lucie and Salomé, two French girls who had just started their gap year and were travelling all across Asia. And then there was Will, this British stud who was camping out there for the foreseeable future in hopes of meeting with the general manager of Mad Monkey to get a full-time job and join the staff. We got to know a bit about each other while having dinner, as we played Jenga, and then during a truth or dare icebreaker session organised by Jase and Ivy.
As they recounted all their tales, I can’t say I didn’t feel a pang of… Hmm. Not quite jealousy. I actually don’t know what to call it. I kinda wanted to be travelling as they were, but in a certain way, I didn’t wanna be away from my job for that long either. Hmm, perhaps I wanted to not be too fond of my job, so much so that I could leave it behind and travel all over? That didn’t sound nice either. Perhaps what I felt was this bittersweet sensation of nostalgia, that I too was once one of them. And hey, probably I would be one of them once again in the future. But, for the time being, I was happy with the life I was leading.
Once again, it felt as if my heart nodded at my brain, reaffirming that I was there because I chose to be there and not because I ended up there. And, also, I was happy for them. I was happy they’d get to go out and explore the world. I have to admit I felt a bit superior to them though, as Latin America will always trump anywhere else. Heh.
Cheers to New Friends
It didn’t take long for me to snap out of my thought-maze as the night’s events were about to unfold.
As per Jase’s explanation, there’d be different activities every night and, despite it still being low season, they made sure to prepare everything just in case. That night, there’d be the Bar Olympics challenge followed by a beer pong tournament. Or at least, that was the plan.
Seeing most of us singing passionately to the music playing in the background, Ivy asked if we wanted to do karaoke. You can imagine how we spent the next four hours. By the end, Chantelle and Simone were my new travel besties.