I got up early and wandered town looking for water and a cheap tour for the day. The tour places were all charging 1,200 or more and the only discount was to include the environmental fee of 200 within this price. I gave up and went and had breakfast not too far south from where I was staying, rice with some veg and an egg for 35 pesos. They also had water to drink. Back at my room I decided to swim to the island myself with just a few things including goggles, water and my phone. I headed to the beach and there were loads of people there for the tours and I walked along the beach as far as I could. Earlier the tide was further out and there was a small island that could be walked to but now the tide was higher however there was a wooden pier bridge so I walked along that but it was broken so I had to go in the water and put my shoes in a plastic bag. The island looked rubbish with a guy boat building there. I walked through the water north towards where I was heading and once a bit past all of the houses I found a tree and left my shoes and t-shirt there. Then I went in the water and swam towards the end of the headland with the bottle of water in my trunks and my phone waterproofed in my pocket. It was all quite good and there was not much drag but there was quite a distance to go. I got to the end of the headland and with my goggles on I could see a bit of coral and some fish but there were lots of boats going through the straight to do their tours so I had to wait a while before they were all gone and I could swim across to the island. The swim was quite a distance so I did mainly breaststroke and the hardest bit was before halfway when it was hard to see progress. I had intended to swim across to a point but the tide had pushed me along and another place was much closer so I swum there and had a bit of coral to look at before I made it to a beach called paradise beach. The coral and fish were not great but the beach was ok although inhabited by someone who seemed to collect the rubbish which is good. There were also a couple of guys there who had kayaked across and soon 3 girls also came on kayaks and started snorkeling. I tried to get my phone out to take pictures but the zip wouldn't work and then I broke it. I needed my phone out so I undid the stitching off the pocket and afterwards stored the phone with the water in my trunks. Then as I had planned I left the beach and swum around the headland to the next beach. There was no real coral to speak of but the rocks were nice and all the time there were huge rocks jutting up from the island and patches of clear light blue water. The beach was smaller and also inhabited by someone who had a sign saying he sold beers. I rested there a bit but by now it was 12.20 and the place I wanted to get to was still far. Fearing sunburn I decided to head back and tried to swim on my back as much as I can. There were several more kayaks and I asked one how much and he said it was 500 pesos.
I swum all the way back and the tide had come in a bit more meaning the rocks didn't look the same as earlier, but I still managed to find my shoes and t-shirt and waded the last stretch to the bridge. Then I put on my shoes and t-shirt and walked back into town considering buying food but I only had a 1,000 peso note but I wandered past a place called K's which had notices up advertising a party on Thursday which was today so I went in and met a woman who helps organise events such as this for the communities across the Philippines. I went back to the inn and changed and then headed out to the bus station as I was considering going back to Puerto Princesa as Coron was going to be even more touristy than El Nido. I went to the water place I had gone past after breakfast in the morning and filled up 2 litres for just 5 pesos. At the bus station they told me the bus was 300 or 380 for air conditioned. There were also lots of other bus or minivans going so even if I missed the one I wanted there would be others. I went to a market nearby and found some cheap lunch of chicken with rice and an omelette. I emailed Fanta lodge to say I would be back tomorrow so I can pick up the towel then. Leaving the cafe I looked at the fruits but it was all a bit more expensive and 3 small bananas cost 10 pesos. I went back to my room and had a shower and felt that I may have been sunburnt. Then I went to the bakery close to the beach but ran into Sax from the boat and wanderers hostel at a cafe. She said they were all meeting up for dinner at a Mediterranean place at 7 and I said I'd try to join them afterwards. I gad a look around town to find the Mediterranean place but wasn't sure I'd found it and I got an email from Fanta lodge saying they had sent the towel and it would be at Eulen Joys office. I asked at a travel agent where that would be and they said the bus station. So I walked to the bus station and found the office but they didn't know anything about a package for me but sent me somewhere which looked like a wooden hut, not promising but they had my towel so I paid them the 100 peso delivery fee and a 20 tip. I fancied a burger so I went to the afternoon lunch place and gad a chicken with pineapple dish with rice that was good and got a burger with egg from a stand. I headed back and bought sine rim and coke and made a mix to take out with me and walked into town. I was near the beach and just felt like going left instead of right as there were a few places there and one of them was the Mediterranean restaurant. Inside were Sax, Deana and the couple so I joined them as they finished off what must have been a lot of food. I was handed a delicious Mediterranean salad to finish off before they paid and Gary and his gf went off back to the hotel. Sax and Deana wanted to find a bar but we ended up having a drink in a different bar before it got to past 10 and we went to the K rendezvous party where there were already a few people. They sold vouchers for the drinks which got cheaper the more vouchers you bought. I was a bit tipsy from the rum and bought a red horse and got Sax one for her birthday. The girls wanted the glow in the dark make up so we all got some on and stood around with the music a strange mix of fairly popular songs. It was an ok place and the cliffs next to it were really nice, later on they had a couple of fire spinners and more people arrived. I wasn't that much up for it do left around 12 to go to sleep.
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