The Tranquil Island of Palaui

As I promised myself, I will travel at least once a month in a place in the Philippines where I have not gone before. Or at least cover one festival in nearby cities and provinces. My first spot is Palaui Island.

While riding a boat going to the picturesque shore, one of my companions, who is French, said, it reminded him of Scotland. Many travelers say that Palaui Island is the inexpensive version of Batanes.

The island has this calm ambiance and stunning beauty that you would wish to stay for a few more days. All the points in the island are so inviting. It will make you think to extend your camping days to explore more the other sides of it.

We were welcomed by Ate Maya who, along with her husband, is the only resident on that side of the island. She told us stories about the forest crabs competing for food every afternoon and the Alamid cat which steals the food for the chicken at night.

There are two interesting sites we went to during our stay. One is the Cape Engaño Lighthouse which serves the vessels up until now. The historic lighthouse has been declared as an "important cultural property" by National Museum in March 2010. (University of North Carolina, 2011) It is located on top of the hill where you can also see the other islets surrounding the main island of Palaui.

Climbing the top of the hill was really fun. Some of us decided to take the other way down the hill which was more exciting to do. At some point you will have to avoid mud and poos and forge some small brooks. It has become even more memorable when I accidentally stepped on a carabao poo which I thought was a rock. LOL. 

That night we put up a bonfire by the beach to play word games, talk and roast marshmallows. There's no cozier feeling than lying down the tarpaulin, hearing only the sound of waves and the burning firewoods. It was the perfect moment to talk freely about life and other stuff ranging from the trivial one to the very profound. It is interesting to mention that the sky is clearer and the stars are brighter and more visible. 

The next day, we went to the falls to take a bath and replenish our water containers. This is the second spot we went to other than the camp site. Taking your shower here feels like having a hydrotherapy massage for free.

After the bath, we went back to the camp site and started pinching down our tents. It was a quick stay but one thing is for sure, I will definitely go back to Palaui Island to explore it more. I'm sure there's a lot to discover about it.