I chose Palawan in the Philippines as my destination due to its beauty and the fact that it wasn't yet over developed. I really hate big hotels and crowds. I don't mind a thatch hut with a mosquito net at all. (Although I'm still not crazy about squat toilets...) The main selling point on Palawan was probably the Tao Philippines boat excursion. 4 days/3 nights just motoring around, sleeping on tiny islands, fishing, snorkeling and sipping on rum and cokes. Bliss.
So I picked some places to stay after a lot of obsessive research, purchased my ticket on the (cramped) Cebu Airlines and began recruiting friends. Mike Butler, John and Brooke all decided to come with me on the trip, and I'm pretty sure they didn't regret it at all. We spent Christmas in the airport sipping on mint Baileys, eating McDonalds and waiting for our connection to Puerto Princessa in southern Palawan.
On the 1+ hour flight to PP, we all ended up getting bumped up to first class, which was pretty nice. We basically were sitting in La-z-boys, sipping drinks and eating delicious food. I met a guy that ran a kayak tour company out of El Nido and got some good tips on traveling Palawan that helped out later in the trip. From PP we took a fairly comfy mini-van up to Port Barton. I think the trip took a couple hours, but there were some pretty nice views. Arriving in Port Barton was somewhat of a shock. I knew it was going to be a small town, but wow. There was one dirt road that ended right at the water with shops on either side. Some small 'resorts' and restaurants dotted the beach. The occasional tourist could be seen cooling off in the clear waters or sipping on a San Miguel under a palm tree. We all exited the van and were led to a boat where we unloaded our bags and waited to be taken to the Blue Cove. Since we were on island time, we knew we'd probably be waiting for awhile, and we decided to grab a beer. (Drinking on a boat is one of my 3 favorite places to drink.)
While staying at the Blue Cove my main goal was to relax and not thinking about anything. There's something really rewarding about being on a vacation where you have no idea what day or time it is; and don't care. In between chilling in the shade I found time to be somewhat active.
That's enough for now. Check out the Hermit Crab Race video coming soon, and I'll have some more on the vacation soon.