A Vacation Within Our Vacation... Until Our Boat Got Shipwrecked

Hong Kong 🇭🇰 🥟 🏙️ 

Wow!! Time flies. Somehow a month has passed since we left Vietnam and I completely forgot to write an update on our weekend trip to visit Tom, Sam’s brother, in Hong Kong. They say a New York minute is a Hong Kong second, which after visiting I now understand. Hong Kong brought us right back to city living we love- expensive trendy dinners, amazing cocktails, late-night benders at random clubs, and not doing much other than walking around, eating, drinking, and soaking in the sights. 

I love how Hong Kong is compact and extremely walkable, similar to NYC. Their metro system is also super easy to navigate. Tom only moved to HK 3 months ago from Vietnam, so it was all new for him. We were constantly “getting lost” as he “led” us to our destination, but it added to the fun of tackling Hong Kong together. Geographically, HK is an island, but not the “Manhattan” type island- it is a city built into sprawling mountains with many beaches easily reachable in 15-20 mins from downtown. It feels like a city that has it all, so much that I would be happy to spend a few years living there at some point in our future (dim sum all day, HECK YESS!).

The city is also very hilly and escalators were built into the streets to allow people to get around without trekking up the hills (Think SF's steep streets!). We stayed in Tom’s apartment and hadn’t realized how nice it was to have a couch to sprawl out on and just chill. Bottom Line- Hong Kong was AMAZING! Seeing Tom in his new city was so much fun, but boy did it chew us up and spit us out. We were dead by the time we left. 

The Philippines 🇵🇭 

We flew from HK to Cebu yet managed to stay on that island for no more than 36 hours. The morning we landed, the talk of the town among backpackers was that a big typhoon was coming towards another tourist spot (Siargao), and the aftermath would be heading towards Cebu. We had planned to stay on Cebu and its surrounding areas (Siquijor, Bohol, Malapasqua to dive, and Siargao) for the majority of our 3-week trip, but once we heard it was headed towards us, Sam and I decided to change plans and to fly to Palawan, a large island on the west side of the Philippines. We still managed to enjoy one day in Moalboal, a town in Cebu, that has super cool canyoneering. We started by ziplining down into a huge canyon, where we scaled rocks, cliff jumped, and slid down waterfalls backward to end at Kassawan Falls. The whole experience was so silly and a bit chaotic, where the guides posed us for random photo ops during each stop in the tour (see below).

In hindsight, the typhoon never hit any of the places I mentioned above, its course changed and we would have been fine. But the weather around the Philippines became wet and windy, so there was no way to avoid the bad weather by that point. The only upside about leaving was that a few days later, there was a huge earthquake near Siquijor (where we would have been)- everything happens for a reason! 

Puerto Princessa- Palawan 🏝️ 

After flying to Palawan (Puerto Princesa), we were really run down from the past 6 weeks of travel and Hong Kong. We ended up staying at a small hotel for 2 days and did absolutely nothing other than sit by the pool and sleep (you will see this becomes a recurring theme during our time in the Philippines haha).

With no concrete plans in Palawan, we now had the opportunity to go off the beaten track and visit a very remote group of islands located off the southern tip of Palawan. Most people only visit El Nido in Northern Palawan, then may travel by ferry/boat to a neighboring island, Coron. Rarely do people visit the South.

The Balabac Islands 🏝️ 🌊 ⛈️ 

While researching months ago, Sam found a tiny group of islands, The Balabac Islands, that looked stunning. The only way you can visit them is by messaging one of the private island owners on Facebook, who has built a "basecamp" on his property. He runs a 4-day/ 3-night expedition that we dully signed up for!

The tour starts at 3:30 A.M where you’re picked up and driven 6 hours to the tip of Palawan. Then, you’re transferred to a small wooden bamboo boat to start the expedition with our crew of 16 (all Western couples from various countries!). This boat was NOT made to withstand wind and waves- every boat ride left us drenched, constantly getting smacked by buckets and buckets of water, so our belongings were inevitably wet/damp the entire time. They said it would be rustic! We spent the first day with sunshine and stopped at a few beautiful remote islands before arriving at Kamp Malaya just before sunset. This tour was pretty bare-bones where we slept in tents on the beach and bucket showered in communal bathrooms that we shared with the other 40 people staying on the base camp (a mix of Western and Filipino tourists!).

That evening was spent getting into full island mode: cracking opening coconuts by hand (and quickly filling them with rum), playing cards, and eating the amazing fresh fish our crew had caught that day. 

We all woke up for sunrise - extremely excited for our first full day of island hopping. Well, remember that typhoon I was telling you about? The winds and rain came allll the way to Balabac, leaving the waters so choppy that the Coast Guard refused any boats to leave base camp on our first full day. With a full day to fill on the island, we retreated to doing what we knew well, cracking open coconuts with bare hands, playing poker with makeshift chips to gamble (a combination of instant coffee packets, shells, random coins), karaoke, and drinking loads of rum (thankfully the island had a surplus of that).

The following day was much of the same weather, but luckily the Coast Guard permitted us to solely visit the 'highlight' island of the tour, Onuk Island. After a CHOPPY boat ride, we anchored up about 1km from the island, where you then had to wade in knee-deep water (and dead coral) to get to the beach. Once you reach the island, you can't see anything else in sight, it looks like the edge of the earth. It was trippy, unique, and overall pretty special. I can ONLY imagine its full beauty with blue skies and sunshine. Although the weather wasn’t ideal, our group made the best of it and that was hands down the best part of the trip. 

Port Barton 🍷 🥘 🇪🇸 

After the 4-day tour, we were exhausted (again), and I had had enough of damp clothes and bucket showers. From Puerto Princessa, we took a 4-hour bus to Port Barton, which is a HOTSPOT among Spanish travelers (so random!!!). Our shared minibus was packed with only Spaniards, minus me, Sam, and one Dutch guy we met. We initially were recommended Port Barton by a girl we met in Laos, who happens to be Spanish, so once we arrived it all made sense haha.

Port Barton is a super chill and small beach town that still hasn’t been changed by mass tourism. There are a lot of Spanish expats opening up trendy bars and restaurants on the beach so that may change in the future. We leaned into the Spanish vacation lifestyle and enjoyed authentic Spanish tortillas for breakfast, sangria, and croquetas while relaxing for 5 days. 

We coined the next 10 days "our vacation within our vacation", which was enjoyed in Port Barton and El Nido. We laid day after day at the beach, opted-out of day tours and island hopping, and recharged with massages and a few splurges on accommodation. (Sam input: We still managed to slot in one 4 am night at a beach 'full moon' party lol).

About 45 minutes from El Nido town is Nacpan Beach, which has been coined one of the best beaches in Asia. It is STUNNING. Most people day trip to Nacpan but a few hotels and guesthouses are popping up. We treated ourselves to a small villa for a night which included our own private pool, private morning massages, and luxe breakfast. We then were brought back down to reality when we trekked our backpacks to a hostel across the beach and slept in a rustic beach hut for the next night. For anyone going to the Philippines, Nacpan Beach is a MUST!

El Nido to Coron ⛵️ ☀️ 

From El Nido, most travelers will also visit nearby Coron Island either by a 5-hour ferry or through a 3-day island hopping expedition. This was probably one of the most recommended expeditions for the Philippines (my sister, Celia, and her fiancee, John, did it last year before they got engaged!) so I was PUMPED for another expedition, this time with blue skies and sunshine!! This route is far more popular among travelers, over a dozen tour operators offer remote island hopping and beach hut camping for the journey. 

We went with Keelooma, a smaller + newer company, whose base camp accommodation was way nicer than we expected (REAL showers with rainfall shower heads, clean toilets, AND a cocktail bar!??!). There were about 30 people spread across two boats, but although the sun was shining, the wind and waves made for a BUMPY ride on the open seas. The boat boys claimed the weather was normal so we carried on tanning on the top deck while holding tightly to the railings. 

The islands we visited were stunning and picture perfect with white sands, turquoise waters, and rarely a sight of civilization. However, I will say that snorkeling was underwhelming and most of the coral is dead or dying (turning white), which is sad to see in nearly every place we visit. 

Alright… If you made it this far, I'm sure the only reason is because you want to hear the details about our shipwreck. Let me get into it:

The Shipwreck lol 🆘 ⚓️ 

When we arrived at Keelooma’s basecamp for the second night, our boat captain mentioned we needed to be dropped off on the opposite side of the island and trek ~25 minutes up and around a mountain because the winds were too strong for us to anchor the boats in front of base camp. We obliged, trekking in swimsuits & slippery flip-flops while carrying a small bag with our belongings for the night (our big backpacks were secured on the boat). It ended up being fine, but a bit more strenuous than he led on. We enjoyed our last night and woke up early the next day for sunrise before our final day to Coron. 

After breakfast, our boat boys decided the waters were calm enough to pick us up from the beach on a small boat and transfer us to the other side of the island where the big boat was. But we needed to move quickly before the winds and waves picked up. 

Sam, me, and six other friends decided to get on the first shuttle boat that was anchored about 500 meters from the shore due to low tide. We trekked through coral and rocks, cautious of not cutting our feet, etc. As we walked towards the boat, I noticed the waves and wind were picking up so I tried walking as quickly as possible. As we made it to the boat, we sat and dangled our legs off the side to help balance it. 

By the time everyone was onboard the waves and wind really started picking up. We’re all kinda looking at each other acknowledging the short journey was about to be a wet and bumpy ride to the big boat. As the captain got ready to start the engine, he lifted an empty gas tank, and his face drew a blank. Under the tank, a chunk of wood was gone from the bottom of the boat and the gap was filling the boat with water FAST. All he did was yell “Broken! Broken!” to the two other boat boys and they started frantically speaking in Tagalog while repositioning the boat against the crashing waves. 

The next few moments all happened quickly. The waves are crashing into us and the boat, which then is pushing the boat into shallow rocks, which is then making it sink faster. We asked the crew if we should jump off and swim to take the weight off the boat, but they didn’t speak English and ignored our proposal. The 8 of us were all looking around, still sitting on a literal sinking ship trying to figure out what to do without causing more chaos. 

At this point, we are WAIST DEEP in water, the men are scrambling and franticly using bamboo poles to push off the rocks, but the waves are too strong and the water is pulling the boat under. We’re gonna have to jump. And when I say jump, I mean slide off the slide because half our bodies are already practically in the ocean. 

Side note: Over the past 2 days, jumping off the boat and swimming to shore wasn’t a big deal- the big boat couldn’t dock directly on the sand due to corals/ rocks, the tide, etc. But usually, they would kayak our belongings to shore to keep them dry. I think we all hesitated to jump because we had all personal belongings (some without dry bags) that inevitably would get ruined if we swam. At that point, it was such chaos, the phones were a lost cause, and the boat was so deep underwater it became a challenge just to swim out of the crashing waves and not get hurt by the boat or the rocks. 

I successfully swam away from the boat and used my hands and feet to cling to rocks as the waves crashed into me, avoiding being thrown around and getting cut. But as I turned back towards the boat and the group, I saw our friend Fiona get rocked as the front of the boat slammed into her head as she was swimming away. I quickly realized this was worse than we thought and was scared someone was going to get seriously hurt. And then there’s Sam in the back, trying to help the Filipino crew salvage the boat, but quickly abandoned that task once he realized there was NO way we were saving it. Birkenstocks were floating away, tote bags were slugging through the water, and one guy's (Scott) leg got caught and stuck in a buoy (we only learned this after the fact). Our friend, Brett, was floating on an abandoned wooden plank, Titanic style, (unsuccessfully) trying to salvage her phone and electronics because she didn’t have a dry bag. 

At the time, it was pure chaos. It also all happened so fast. Thankfully, adrenaline kicked in, and we all made it out of the crashing waves, but the boat boys stayed cutting zip ties, trying to salvage bamboo sticks, wood, and any parts of the boat they could. Once we made it to land, everyone was ok, except we were worried Fiona had a concussion from the boat smacking into her head. 

Imagine all this happening 500 meters from the shore, and the rest of the 25-person group is STANDING on the sand watching it all go down. They admitted they couldn’t make out what was going on until we were halfway to the beach and the boat was underwater haha. 

The whole kicker of this story is that we then had to hike the 25 minutes up and around the mountain again, soaking wet and traumatized, to prepare for an 8-hour day on more rough seas. (Side note: Sam and I thankfully had a dry bag for our electronics. We abandoned the tote bag with clothes and Sam's wallet when the boat started sinking, but the crew managed to salvage it in the end). The remainder of the day was spent on the boat, mainly recounting each person's chaotic mishaps from the shipwreck and laughing about it now that everyone was safe and unhurt. 

Coron 🌄 🤿 🐬 

As if we hadn't had enough of shipwrecks, we managed to arrive safely in Coron, which is famous for its WWII Japanese Shipwrecks and national marine park. We spent one day scuba diving and exploring inside the 150+ meter vessels, which was creepy, dark, and a little gross because the water was super murky. Although I'm no history buff, it was fascinating swimming through boiler rooms, small cavities, and control rooms seeing just how massive the ships are. We also dove in Barracuda Lake, which was so unique because of the lake’s distinct thermocline, the deeper you dive the warmer the water is. About 30 meters down, the water hits 40C/104F! It's so hot that you dive without a wetsuit!

Back in Sri Lanka, we met a Filipino couple who highly recommended a unique houseboat accommodation on Coron Island. Coron Island is a protected marine park you can only visit through a day tour UNLESS you stay at Paolyn Houseboats :) 

We managed to get a last-minute booking for our final day/night in Coron, which may have been one of the most unique experiences during our time in Asia. Paolo, the owner, is an Italian man who spent 8 years sailing around the world and ended up in Coron after he met his Filipino girlfriend. He parked his sailboat in the national park and worked with the local tribe that owns the water/ "land" to build himself a houseboat. A few years ago (after many years of negotiations with the tribe and local government), he was granted permission to rent out his houseboat and turn it into a resort. This has now expanded to 7 houses (~85 guests) in various lagoons of the marine park and employs 200 locals from the tribe. Most of the people have never had jobs, and only a handful speak English. It's amazing to see how he was able to build and operate a 5-star service resort all by himself while providing jobs for the local tribal members. He has ~a dozen speed boats that the staff use to bring you any food or drinks, at any time. The service was incredible!

The houseboat we stayed on is typically rented to one group/ family, but they decided to split it up among couples to test out a new reservation model. We ended up staying with a super sweet French girl, Marion, and a British couple, Suzannah and Dan, with whom we spent the day snorkeling around the houseboat and kayaked together at sunset with beers. As if the moment couldn’t be more magical, 4 dolphins appeared and swam around us with the sun setting on the island. It made me so nostalgic about the past 5 months whizzing by and how we've been able to experience the most amazing moments every day while traveling. Supposedly the staff hadn't seen dolphins in the area for 7 years!!!!! It was so special. 

We then enjoyed our final dinner on the roof of the houseboat, enjoying French wine with Marion while stargazing. The next morning, Sam and I woke up at sunrise to kayak into the Twin Lagoons, which is usually PACKED with boats and tourists. Once again, it was just us, floating in still waters overlooking the most beautiful limestone cliffs. Not sure we could have had a more memorable final day. 

One final boat, one final bus, and we were at Coron Airport on our way out of Asia! 5 months gone like that. We flew to Syndey for a 72-hour layover that I'll write about in the coming day!!