Full moon party Philippines style

I woke up after our night out feeling rather fresh... it turned out I felt fresh because I was still drunk!

After a quick FaceTime to mum and daddy to show off the lovely views from the breakfast restaurant, it was time to jump in the van for our long journey to El Nido.





I started off feeling fresh as a daisy whilst some of the group were feeling a little delicate, boy how that quickly. Thankfully Vicki had something that guarantees no hang over... she should become a politician (that's all I'm saying). In fairness, the ginger tablet did help me feel a little more settled,  eventually.


On the long journey to El Nido, we stopped off to explore the underwater caves of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. The incredible cave and river system is one of the UNESCO New7Wonders of Nature.



After a short (and rather choppy) boat trip, we arrived onto an island where this incredible ecological system is found. We had to wait some time before our group was called to the boat to explore the caves.




During our wait time it was lovely to simply paddle in the crystal clear waters. There were lots of little fishy swimming about. I loved the quiet moments of simply standing still and taking the beauty in.



When we were called to the little canoe style boat we were fitted with our hard hat and audio device to listen to how the caves were discovered. Upon entering the caves, there were swarms of bats. The audio said to ensure your mouth is firmly closed in case one gives you a little present.





I admit it was interesting to see the rock formations and seeing the natural beauty however at this point I was feeling rather delicate and sleepy. I kept nodding off but startling myself awake as I thought I was going to fall sideways off of the boat.




Back on dry land and it was time to head back into the van for the remainder of our long journey to El Nido. The roads are your typical bumpy and plenty of curves roads,  I actually quite like this as it's rustic and adds to the charm of a journey. Although I prefer those journeys when you don't have a steaming hangover.


We stopped off at sunset to an incredible look out point. The colours in the sky were so vibrant and breath-taking. It was one of the highlights of the day for me.





We had a nice group dinner on the beach. They set up a nice long table for us all and it was so smoothing hearing the sea lapping on the beach whilst eating delicious shrimps (although we were mislead and it definitely wasn't enough for two people!).


After the previous night, I had all the best intentions of having an early night. Some of the group from the previous night were sensible and went back to the hotel but I decided to stay out with some others. I honestly was only going to stay for one cocktail on the beach but we then somehow managed to find ourselves in a tuk tuk heading to another part of the island for a Full Moon party.


When we got to the beach, it wasn't that busy at all! There seemed to be more bars further along the beach so we headed over to where more people were. The music was pretty mixed but as the night went on, it started to get busier.



At midnight they set alight a cool sign in the sea. I didn't realise how mesmerising fire was so it was great to see it alight. Next up came the fire dancers. I saw some amazing guys in Thailand but these guys were even better!!





One of the problem I had was the fact there was one ladies toilet for maybe 100 girls. The queue was insane but as always I got chatting to some lovely ladies from Paraguay. They explained they were a college trip of 150 people travelling around Asia for six months. I wasn't jealous at all!!

After far too many light beers (only 105 calories) and several vodka and sprits (only about £1.50) it was time to think about heading back. We managed to lose some of the people that came with us (I think it was something I said!) but it was me and the guys who stayed out.


On the way back I managed to find a tree to go upside down on. That will definitely explain how I grazed my knee. It was slightly alarming that later in the trip, we were told to avoid walking under trees as poisonous snakes live in them. Once again alcohol braveness prevails.



I really enjoyed the party on the beach. I haven't been to a proper beach party before so I'm glad I got to experience it with some awesome people, it's just a shame that some of the dream team wasn't there with us.

Strip clubs, open prisons and too many long island ice teas

I met the tour group for the first time on Saturday night. I'm always quite anxious first meeting a group and usually first experiences are right, that was 100% correct this time!


I got talking to the lovely Cat, Tom and Vicki - this was our little group. After a bit of a ropey dinner (chicken, rice and mayonnaise?) we headed to the only local place that sold beer - the local strip club/brothel.


Yes you heard that right! Out of a group of 15 only seven of us, plus our lovely tour guide, went to the strip club. The sign outside the club had pictures of the various rooms (Butterfly room anyone?) and the best slogan ever "So clean, so good". That became our little slogan for the trip (and our What's App group name).


Baring in mind it was only about 8.30pm, the club was pretty quiet. Once we paid the entrance fee (I think it was 300 pesos so about £5) we were ushered into a dingy private room with... karaoke. I know, this evening just gets better!


Albert (our guide) was an amazing singer and he was singing his heart out whilst the girls were like Meer cats peering out of the window to check the ladies (or were they...?) out. This crazy experience came to an end about 10:00pm as we were up early the next day for an early flight.


The next morning we took a flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa. Our first stop was to the Iwahig Penal Colony. This is an open community prison. Having read a few reviews about here, I was looking forward to chatting to some of the inmates and understanding their stories more however we only stopped at the gift shop (do all prisons have a gift shop?) so that was disappointing.


Next on the list was a wander around Baker's Hill. The smells here were incredible! It was an odd mix of a park with lovely views, statues and various animals alongside the bakeries. We tried some traditional heavy cakes which were a little odd for my taste.


After lunch we transferred to our hotel, Ipil Suites Puerto Princesa. The pool was incredibly inviting and we all headed straight there to cool down. After a few hours relaxing and chatting to the others in the group, I decided to go do a HIIT workout. I was excited to see the hotel had a gym but really it was just a room with two very old treadmills and a weights bench (with no weights).





The evening saw us have our first full group meal. It was pretty chaotic but it was good to chat to some of the others a bit more. Vicki, Cat and I enjoyed some lovely strawberry daiquiri's at dinner and decided to carry on the evening at another bar.


Again not everyone came out but we continues with a handful of us and the tour guides. The bar was pretty quiet to start with but it soon picked up. An amazing local band was playing some pretty cool songs and after the first long island ice tea, it was time to dance.


I'm not sure exactly what time we got back to the hotel but all I do remember was it was a pretty great night! It's been such a long time since I've been out and had such a free night. The ability to drink, dance and have fun was the best start to my holiday.






Little did I know that would be the start of quite a few fun nights out...