Tamilok – Fancy Eating a Sea Termite?

Tamilok, one of Palawan’s delicacy, is not a worm after all as many believed but a type of saltwater clam. And according to Wikipedia, it’s also known as “termites of the sea” because they bore holes on wooden structures that were submerged in the sea. They probably caused a lot of headaches in other countries but not in Philippines where they are hunted down, cleaned and sold for 100 pesos as food.

Tamilok was served raw but the vendor prepared a mixture of vinegar and some spices for us to dip the tamilok in before putting it in our mouth. I’m a bit picky with food so I didn’t try it (I don’t even eat balut) but according to friends, it tasted like oysters so I guess it isn’t that bad if you don’t mind the feel of this slimy animal slithering down your esophagus.

Missing Dentures and Big Foot

There’s this saying…

“Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time”

But Ate, one of the oldest single ladies at 50 and still waiting for Prince Charming, broke this golden rule in Shimizu Island.

While trying to put on her goggles and mouthpiece, she dropped her dentures which consists of three teeth that cost 3000 pesos per tooth. Everyone went on a search mission then but all to no avail.

According to our tour guide, there were 5 Japanese who died in one of the caves of Shimizu island and one of them happened to be a rich guy. When the father of that rich Japanese came to the island, he requested that it be named after his son, Shimizu.

By the way, picture above is NOT Shimizu island. I have so many beautiful pictures of different islands in El Nido, Palawan and I can’t match them with their correct names anymore. For sure, picture below was taken in Entalula Island. How could I forget the attack of the BIG FOOT?

El Nido is God’s Made

For as low as 700 to 900 pesos, one can go island hopping to explore several islands in a day. Based on locations and types, the 45 islands are grouped into Tour A, Tour B, Tour C and yes, you guessed it right, Tour D.

From what I’ve seen, my most favorite islands are the following:

Big Lagoon
Small Lagoon
Simisu Island
Snake Island
Matinloc Island
Helicopter Island
Secret Lagoon
7 Commando Beach
Hidden Beach
Entalula Island

I feel like I’ve listed all the major islands covered by the 4 tours already.

The place feels like heaven to me and we were so amazed that we asked our tour guide if snake island was Natural or Man Made.

His answer? God’s Made!

I think I left my heart in El Nido, Philippines.

Tara Na sa El Nido

An advertisement in NAIA airport caught my eye and made me smile in spite of my much delayed flight.

At the bottom of the picture is this nice caption:

Just as beautiful.  Just not as expensive.

** This value driven campaign promotes the Philippines to its own people, many of whom opt to travel abroad unaware of their country’s beauty. “Tara na” means let’s go.

This really hit the mark because after hearing that I was heading for Palawan, a colleague said “She’s so excited about her vacation that you would think she’s off to other countries.  What’s there to see in Palawan anyway?”

If you happened to be as lucky as me and found yourself in El Nido but don’t have the foggiest idea where to stay? You might want to check out this simple, clean, cheap and nice accommodation: El Nido Waterfront Hotel.

If you feel like splurging, do insist for the seaside room because the view is just absolutely breathtaking.

For Reservations
Mobile: +63918.6632.771
+63906.227.9360

Email: elnidowaterfront@yahoo.com
Site: http://elnidowaterfronthotel.com/home