Philippines - El Nido

We spent Christmas into New Years in the Philippines. After a 14 hour  Christmas Eve red eye flight we landed in Manila early on Christmas Day morning. We both mostly slept on the flight having had quite a bit going on in December and a fairly long day leading into departure time. With such an early arrival, when we got to the immigration area, the officers were just getting on shift. No other flights had landed so there was no queue and it was a breeze getting through. First stamp in my new passport which I had to get in time for this trip. We had a connecting flight to El Nido a couple hours later and found the terminal transfer bus with a little help from a couple locals. Our flight to El Nido was a short hour and a half on a small propeller plane operated by Cebu Airlines. The El Nido airport is tiny and appears to only accommodate one flight at a time with only one arrival and departure gate. Our luggage was rolled into the arrival area, no conveyor belt. To get to our resort, we took a tricycle… a motorcycle with a covered sidecar attached. The tricycle was weighed down by not only us but our luggage as well and on some of the uphills I wondered if we would make it. 

El Nido is a developing city with some infrastructure but with many sign of neglect and poverty. The main road from the airport to the town centre was in relatively good condition though still made for a bumpy ride. To get to our beach resort though, part of the route involved driving on the actual beach to reach another road that led to our resort and a few others. 

We stayed at Cadlao Beach Resort in a lovely rustic garden view bungalow. The resort had beautiful grounds and beach access, only the tide was always out during the day so making it not a swimmable beach. We did however take then opportunity to go for walks along the beach and explore the beachfront that way. One thing that really struck me as saddened me all the same was how much litter was just thrown everywhere and anywhere. It was quite disheartening and I kept saying the beach was in dire need of a shore clean up but Z commented that it likely wouldn’t make a difference and just end up in the same conditions again. So sad for a very beautiful beach that has such potential. 

The staff at the resort were gracious and super friendly. On site there were three separate pools, a spa, and an open air restaurant. We enjoyed some extremely tasty Filipino cuisine here for breakfast, each morning trying something different including a sample of their baked items. We also enjoyed Christmas Day dinner here and their special holiday dinner menu. We may also have enjoyed a couple of their unique desserts as well which were delicious and full of flavour. 

El Nido town was about a 20 minute walk away and shorten by a hotel drop off to the edge of town where the road meets the beach. The town looks like you would expect from a developing country, lacking modern amenities and infrastructure but yet with all you needed. There were stray dogs roaming around the streets everywhere. We witnessed some road work being down with a worker using a jackhammer wearing flip flops; clearly different safety standards. There were restaurants and shops lined along the Main Street through town. Most had some sort of Christmas decor and music playing. It was quite a festive feel. Part of the main street was sand, sidewalks were in some spots, but not everywhere so most people walked along the street dodging the tricycles and other transport vans. Everyone we encountered was genuinely friendly. We stopped in at one restaurant for a drink and enjoyed the atmosphere so much we ended up having dinner there the following day after our day long boat tour. 

The reason for staying in El Nido was to do a tour of the surrounding pristine lagoons and beaches. There are quite a few tours to choose from and we settled on tour A which was more a scenic tour than full on activities. Tour A had five stops starting with  Big Lagoon which was incredibly breathtaking. Here we got to kayak into the lagoon and explore for about an hour. Heading into the lagoon was one of the many pristine beaches we’d get to see. The water was quite calm and easy to navigate and quickly turned to turquoise blue before becoming crystal clear. The bottom was sandy and in several spots into the lagoon was shallow enough you could get out of the kayak and be standing in the ocean bottom. The lagoon was surrounded by limestone volcanic rock formations that rose out from the ocean and each was uniquely shaped with peaks and crevices and some even with caves. These rock formations are all throughout the waters that surround Palawan. It is quite the site to see and nothing sort of spectacular. 

Our second stop was a short boat ride away for half hour of  snorkelling. I struggled here, guess my stamina wasn’t what it needs to be for back to back water activities and I just couldn’t calm my breath enough to feel comfortable but Z was like a fish and really had an enjoyable snorkel after bringing me back safely to the boat. 

Our third stop was lunch on a pristine and secluded beach. Well maybe secluded isn’t exactly the right word because all the other boat tours seem to stop at this spot but secluded in that no one lives on that little island. We got to enjoy a lovely Filipino buffet lunch which our tour guides brought on shore in coolers they had to carry through the water including floating a table to shore where they could place all the food.  We couldn’t dock close enough to just hope onto the beach so we all had to swim a bit as well to get to lunch. 

From here we then set off to stop number four which was a secret lagoon that required us to climb through a small opening in the volcanic limestone before immersing ourselves into the enclosed circular shaped lagoon surrounded by limestone reaching high into the sky. Some of the unit limestone shapes included a crocodile snout and a dinosaur’s teeth. 

Our last stop on this tour was to an incredibly pristine white sand beach for some beach time after a full day at our other stops. The water here was crystal clear and warm, great for some bobbing around and swimming. It was a great final stop to end our amazing tour before we head back. 

At first we didn’t think there was much around our hotel and that for different restaurant options we’d have to go into the main part of town. But we quickly discovered how wrong we were and we ended up finding two incredibly lovely restaurants a short walk from our hotel. For one lunch we went to a place called Alimos a small restaurant attached to a hotel where Z enjoyed yet another fish dish; he was in seafood and fish heaven on this trip with the fish being caught daily by fishermen we could see from the shore, while I enjoyed a tasty pork dish. Neither of us could complain about our preferred proteins.  We learned to owner of Alimos was actually the head chef at Cadlao until a couple years prior when she decided to focus on her own place. 

For our last supper in El Nido we tried a small family run restaurant called Cool Station, also a short walk from our hotel. Here we met a lovely German couple just finishing their meal. We learned they too were travelling around the area for a couple weeks. The restaurant house dog and cat were roaming around the tables and quickly befriended us when our food arrived. The dog was bold enough to stare at me with his puppy dog eyes and extend a handshake to me. We did resist the urge to feed either and instead enjoyed our vegetable curry, my chicken curry, and Z’s fish ourselves with an explosion of goodness in every bite. 

We really came to love Filipino cuisine. Every dish we had was just so flavourful, fresh,  and aromatic; not a single dish had a flavour we didn’t like. 

After three nights in El Nido it was time to transfer to our next destination, Flower Island. We made our transfer arrangements directly through the hotel and included an hour van ride to Sibaltan Pier for a 40 minute speedboat ride to the island. Tide was out when we arrived at the pier which meant we had to wade into the water about knee deep to climb into the boat. It also meant the staff had to do the same but also while carrying our suitcases so they wouldn’t get wet. 

Kyoto

 The JR train from Osaka to Kyoto is only 45 minutes and before we knew it we arrived in the tranquil city of Kyoto. A short cab ride later and we arrived at our boutique hotel, Genji Kyoto located right on the Kamo River. This boutique hotel blends tradition with contemporary design with a zen garden, roof top Japanese garden, and each of the 19 rooms being differently designed with local artists' works, custom designed furniture and spa-like bathrooms. The roof top garden was a perfect place for breakfast and gives you a scenic view of the river and an opportunity for bird watching. The hospitality of the staff was top notch service while respecting the privacy of guests and the serenity atmosphere the hotel prides itself with. We stayed in a deluxe garden room with a partially traditional Japanese bed (it wasn't entirely on the floor but on a platform not too high off the ground), and the bathroom had a wooden bathtub which are thought to promote wellness and stress relief. 

On our first day in Kyoto, we decided it was best to just get out exploring the city on foot. We ended up at the Nishiki market, which I can honestly say is a market like I've never experienced before. The Nishiki market is a big part of Kyoto's food culture and there is no shortage of food vendors lined up and down the market selling everything from different fruit to all things pickled, to crab legs, prawn, and gyoza to ceramic cookware and lots of chopsticks. At the eastern end of the market is the quaint Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine whose entrance is adorned with many lanterns and provides a place of peacefulness and serenity from all the busyness of the market nearby. 

We found ourselves in Gion District, known as the geisha district, a traditional area which is famous for its historic wooden houses, cobblestone streets, upscale restaurants and tea houses. A lot of tourists head here and wait for a glimpse of a geisha dressed in their iconic kimonos, hairstyles and white makeup. We did manage to spot one as she hurriedly made her way through the streets to wherever her evening would take her. Nearby this district is the Yasaka Shrine which was founded over 1350 years ago. 

Given our short stay in Kyoto we decided to maximize our site seeing that we'd take a bus tour that would take us to several of the really popular tourist sites; Tenryū-ji Temple, the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and the Arashiyama Monkey Park, Nara Park, and . We originally planned to visit the temple and its grounds which led to the bamboo forest. The Tenryū-ji Temple, established in 1339, is a world cultural heritage site and is also known as the Temple of the Heavenly Dragon. The grounds have stunning gardens with pond just off the main hall. From the north gate of the temple grounds you can access the bamboo forest. The bamboo forest pathway was packed with tourists at the time we arrived and so we decided only to walk a small part of it before doubling back to grab some lunch which our guide told us all to make sure we did as the next stop would still be over an hours drive from this one. We found some really tasty street food and realized that we still had some time before we needed to get on the bus. So we decided to book it to the  the monkey park. While there was a long line up at the entrance, it did move rather quickly. After a hurried160m elevation gain, we made it to the top of the park to all the monkeys roaming freely and enjoy an pretty incredible view of the valley below. From here our next stop was just over an hour drive to Nara Park. This park covers about 660 hectares and

it is renowned for its free roaming deer and the Todaiji Temple. One of the attractions to this park is being able to hand feed the deer, but watch out if the deer realize you have food, you will be surrounded and sometimes they can get aggressive. From here we drove to our final stop for the day, Fushimi Inari-taisha, an important Shinto shrine in Kyoto. What this shrine is famous for is the thousands of torii gates, most red in colour, which straddle the trails behind the buildings which lead to the sacred Mount Inari. Also unique to this shrine is the many fox statues each with a unique face. This tour was a full day, but really gave us an opportunity to see so much of Kyoto's main sites and its prefectures for our short time there. 

Our final day on this whirlwind trip to Japan found us starting out with a lovely outdoor breakfast on our hotel's rooftop. We had about half the day before we'd need to take the train to the airport for our long flight home. With that in mind, we decided to stroll along the river before finding ourselves back at Nishki market. At this time we were ready for another coffee, and on our last trip to Japan we learned all about their vending machines, but this time we had a tip that 7-11 sells hot coffee in glass drinking containers (similar to what one would think a juice container would come in) and that this coffee was good. So we had to try this of course...the verdict... the coffee was actually quite good and was hot... but we didn't pay close enough attention and ended up buying a sweeten one and neither of us like sugar in our coffee. So we ended up trying again at the train station and yes, the coffee was good. 

What an incredible adventure for us to be able to spend a week in Japan, seeing the best of Osaka and Kyoto and immersing ourselves in the culture and food scene. The Japanese people are so hospitable, friendly, and helpful making our time here super fun and special. Perhaps another time will bring us during cherry blossom season. 

To travel is to live.... until next time. Life is good!

Osaka

 Well here we are, another better late than never post...

In October we spent seven days exploring Osaka and Kyoto, our second trip to Japan in about the same number of years. We had a direct flight and arrived early evening in Osaka. After breezing through immigration, we hopped on the train taking us to JR Osaka Station where our hotel was conveniently located a couple hundred metres from the station. We stayed at the Osaka Station Autograph Collection in the JP Tower Osaka. The hotel is located right where the first Osaka Station which opened in 1874 once stood. With that history, this lovely hotel featured a subtle train station theme throughout. The hotel staff were amazingly friendly and helpful; same hospitality we experienced on our last trip. We had a beautiful corner room that overlooked the city and the train station. Thankfully it was well insulated and we didn't really hear the train noise. We were upgraded to one of the larger suites with a living room area adjacent to the sleeping area with a large bathroom with soaker tub and separate rain shower. The Japanese really like their Toto toilets and this room also featured one with automatic open/close feature and warmed seat. It was a fantastic place to base ourselves for the first five nights of our stay. The hotel had an amazing buffet breakfast which was included and helped us get a great start to each day. In the lobby, the hotel had a what I thought was a really cool clock. The hour and minute hands were moved by two people sweeping garbage in the position of the time. I thought it was the most clever clock I'd ever seen and was fascinated by it each time was walked by it. On our last evening, we finally found the hidden bar that we had read about. It is located right behind the actual bar, but the access is through a non-descript door in the hallway. 

The metro system was a short walk away from the hotel which helped as we toured different parts of the city. We explored a lot on foot as well, but the city is quite large that just exploring on foot is impossible. And the metro and rail system is so convenient and efficiently run that it made sense to use it especially since we still had our Suica cards from last time. 

On our first day in the city we visited the Namba Yasaka Shrine which features a ritualistic performance stage shaped as a lion's head. It's located not too far from Namba Parks, which isn't actually a park, but instead a shopping mall where we took refuge during a bit of an unexpected downpour. We made it to 

Denden town, which is Osaka's vibrant electric town famous for its anime and electronic games. A bit further out of town Z read about an autumn festival called the Hiraoka Autumn festival that we thought would be interesting to check out. We read a bit about it, but not much information can be found online which made it even more intriguing to go see. This is an annual event held by the Hiraoka Shrine in Higashi-Osaka. The festival has the streets lined with street vendors selling local street food or trinkets to games for the kids. The main thing to see though is the parade of taikodai (decorated drum floats). Some of these floats tower up to four metres tall and weigh up to two tons being carried through the city's streets by teams of mostly men who train all year around to carry these floats eventually up the rather steep hill leading to the shrine. Through the procession the crowds shout "Chosaja" while there are two people a basket at the top of the float directing those carrying the taikodai to the beat of the drum. This was an incredibly fascinating parade to watch yet at the same time a bit disturbing seeing the agony on the faces of those carrying the large carrying posts of the taikodai, basically on the back of their necks and upper shoulders. During the procession team members would tag each other out and replace carriers because it was just too much to stay put the entire way. The parade had a continuous flow of these taikodai, some carried by children on smaller ones training to move up to the adult taikodai one day. My back hurt after watching this festival, I couldn't even imagine how the carriers felt. But its a tradition and regardless of the pain they endure, one carrier enthusiastically offered to take our picture while the procession was on a bit of a break. 

The two day Amazing pass allowed us to explore many of Osaka's main tourist attractions and unlimited metro access. With this pass we saw the Umeda Sky building and in fact ended up being able to bypass the very long of people also with the Amazing pass because an attendant took us and a smaller group of other to the other entrance of the tower that is not typically used for tourists. That was pretty awesome because the wait in the regular line up was about an hour long and we arrived towards the end of the day and were afraid we'd missed our chance at getting in and seeing the panoramic views from the 40th floor. The building is two towers of the same height connected b a sky bridge. Originally conceived to be four interconnected towers in total, the last two towers were never built due to the economic bubble of the 1980s. The Osaka water clock was a neat find at the Umeda Station which displays the time using water. 

We spent some time at the Osaka Castle Museum, which we heard was a must see but get there early tourist destination. The castle was built in 1583 and is surrounded by moats to help defend the occupants back in the day. Today the castle is a museum with each floor depicting a different part of Japanese history. It is filled with stunning artifacts and intricate sculptures. The building is a stunning piece of architecture, a beautiful piece of history surrounded by modern city. The Osaka urban cruise gave us a very different vantage view of the city and many of the bridges that connect the city over the Tosabori River. We ended up on a second river cruise on the Dotonbori river. Dotonbori is a popular tourist spot and entertainment centre, filled with towering neon signs, including the famous Glico running man, clubs, bars, and restaurants. We walked the promenade taking in the sights and stopping to listen to the odd street entertainer. 

We got to ride two of the numerous ferris wheels situated throughout the city as well with our Amazing pass. These give you a completely stunning cityview from up high. One of these ferris wheels was the Tempozan Ferris wheel located just outside of Tempozan market, and is also right by the Osaka aquarium. which is one of the world's largest aquariums. The aquarium is so popular that you have to book a time slot for entry. While the aquarium displays marine life in 27 different tanks from all different regions of the world, one of the main attractions are the two whale sharks housed alongside various other sharks, and reef manta rays. We managed to fit in visits to all three attractions as well enjoy the hour long Santa Maria river cruise. 

Exploring the Shinsekai area took us to the Shinsekai market, a lively retro market known for its authentic local vibe with quirky shops selling more than just tourist souvenirs, vibrant food stalls, and restaurants. The market is located nearby the iconic Tsutekaku Tower which we first admired from afar as we walked towards this area. Having been up the Umeda Sky building we didn't feel the need to wait in the very long entrance line to go up this tower. Instead we walked off the main drag and found not only the Pringles store selling Pringles merchandise including some very interesting and uniquely flavoured Pringles like curry and grilled scallop with butter soy sauce, but we also found a very good Ramen restaurant that was more of a locals place than filled with tourists. We had a great lunch here and were surprised at how inexpensive it ended up being for the quanity and quality of the food. 

Shitennjoi temple is one of the oldest Buddist temples in Japan, founded in 593. The temple's buildings are very beautiful and have been well preserved over the years and have been reconstructed back to their 6th century design after several fires over the years. The outer temple grounds are free entry with the inner pebble covered courtyard requiring an entry fee. The fee is worth paying to see the five storey pagoda up close. The entire site is so peaceful and tranquil. 

Our last day in Osaka took us to Universal Studios. We weren't sure whether to make the trip and the weather looked questionable leading up to our last day, but we ended up deciding a bit last minute to buy tickets and the day ended up being sunny and very hot. We knew it was going to be crowded and that the new main attraction Nintendo World was going to be popular and hard to get in, so we did what thousands of other likeminded people did and got there super early before opening only to stand in line with said thousands of others waiting to get through security before being funnelled towards the actual park entrance gates to wait some more. We didn't end up buying tickets that would have given us entry to Nintendo World, but Z had read that after you entered the park you could try and book an entry time. All sounds great, until it didn't work right away. We had rushed into the park without really knowing the park map with a plan to stop in at Harry Potter Land but we ran right by it as we got caught up with the rushing crowd to who know where. Z kept trying to see if we could get an entry into Nintendo World, but was getting frustrated when it wasn't working and as we had to double back to Harry Potter Land. At some point while we explored HPL, Z figured out what was going wrong and managed to snag us an entry time...all was well in the world, or say I'll say Nintendo World again! We now knew how much time we had to explore everything before it was "Let's Go!" time. We managed to ride one of the rides in Nintendo World and decided that wiating in line for three hours for the other most popular ride wasn't quite up our alley particularly too because they didn't offer a single riders line which would typically get you on the ride faster. Oh well, it was a really cool place to see and we also got to actually see Mario and Luigi and Donkey Kong. The Minion Park was quite entertaining, I even tired to withdraw funds at the Bank of Evil but with no luck! By this time it was lunch time and so we enjoyed a Minion themed lunch before exploring the rest of the park and taking in a couple of the daily performances. Shrek was on hand, as were Snoopy, Linus, and Lucy decked out in Halloween costumes. It was a fun day and a really nice end to our short tour of Osaka. We managed to fit in a lot and we were exhausted at the end of each day, but it was well worth it as I think we got a good taste of Osaka before taking the train up to Kyoto for a couple of days.