El Nido

While paddling across a small cove after breakfast, our Filipino kayak guide named Aaron catches my attention and points his paddle across the cove to an off white and burnt orange overhung wall a couple hundred meters away.  He quickly performs the apparently international climbing signal to me - hands climbing up a ladder. We silently paddle forth. 

For the last three days, Molly and our dear Bend-based buds Tyson and Sara, and our three local support crew have been thoroughly enjoying the Bacuit bay off the coast of spunky little El Nido town on northern Palawan island.  Our itinerary is dreamy - paddle on SUPs and kayaks from one palm-lined beach to another, playing coy with the distance from the jagged, featured, castle-like, limestone karst cliffs that rise from their wave-bashed erroded undercut, often one or two hundred meters into the sky.  The cracks and seams splitting the rock house vegetation on the nearly vertical stone.   Aaron, in his heavily accented English, may tell us the snorkeling is good here, or we need to hop in the support boat and putt putt to another location.  When we chose it, the snorkeling was incredible - great shallow reefs with big shelf drops for us to free dive and test our nerves under water.  Who knew Mol-oi (her growing Viet nickname) was such a little fish.  She has Casco bay water in her blood.

During the snorkel, our guides would prepare an exquisite lunch of rice, fresh fish, a veg salad and enough watermelon to choke a horse.  One day after a post lunch nap on the boat, we performed an impromptu Christmas concert fir the nearby coral with our boat hand on the ukulele, the captain on percussion, and the remaining 5 as vocalists of varying talent.  We sipped local rum diluted with coconut water while laughing at and with each other over missed notes and made up lyrics - a true bonding moment with our fun loving guides, transcending the differences in our respective roles of client and guide. New friends just enjoying common musical backgrounds.

Filipinos love basketball.  Plain and simple.  Waking up in the beach one morning, wiping my eyes of sand, both blown in from a storm and self produced from slumber, our guides pick up the basketball lodged between the two tree trucks that hold up the fastened 2x4 backboard and rusted rim.  We shoot around for a few minutes. Before long, we are playing to 13 in a 2v2 match on the small patch of packed sand, hardly bigger than a normal key on a court.  No dribbling - only passing, cutting, jumping, and pumping.  Final score: Philippines 13, USA 12.

Little wonder that days later our boat man would rush to unpack our gear after our trip finished only to walk directly to the nearest court to play in the local semi final.  International jerseys, great no-look passes, and hard but smiley play entertained the crowd.  An announcer excitedly gave commentary and updates through a loudspeaker. We watched the game with the other 120+ El Niditos as they played for a trophy, cash prize, and a bottle of Rum provides by our tour host, El Gordo.  A top notch guide and homestay establishment that hosts dozen of community development events throughout the year.

I didn't have my mind set on climbing, as my hands were pretty torn up from exploring the needly vertical aspects of lagoons the previous day.  As we approached the rock, Tyson scoped the route that would eventually test my deep water solo limits.  I stood on the front of his paddle board to start the route and cautiously traversed to a small ledge on bulletproof stone.  Looking over to the next section required constant vigilance of the sea depth and wave pattern below me, as it looked tricky without an easy exit.  A few fun exposed moves later, I leaped 20' into the ocean, rising up to bask in homie props and safety.  Sara's turn. She strong-armed the first major overhang, a characteristic of every good looking route in the area and made the traverse to ledge before executing an obviously well practiced backflip.  With no rush from our guide (ever) we paddled home to be welcomed by Gordo and his wife Christina for another amazing meal and story time. 

We are so lucky to be traveling with good friends for the holidays. So grateful for the wonderful Filipino guides, host's, servers, ballers, chefs, kids, and captains, for the food, the fish, and the feeling of family.  Excited to see the Blackburn's in a week.  Merry Christmas!