Two weird travel buddies on a remote island
This is what happened to me on a boat excursion in Coron, Philippines. It could happen to you, too.
Recently I was on a trip to Palawan, Philippines. The archipelago is home to some beautiful lagoons, remote beaches and is one of the main snorkeling and diving destinations in South East Asia.
Our itinerary included stops in El Nido and Coron, the two towns in the area where most boat excursions start from.
Our number one priority once arrived in Coron (besides getting a hot shower, a rare commodity in Palawan): Arrange a boat excursion for the next day.
The best place to find tour guides in Coron was the public market, they told us. “But make sure to be there early, to beat the crowds”.
So the next day we wake up early and head to the market.
We find our tour guide rather quickly: A young and friendly Filipino guy who speaks good English and is also the boat captain. There’s no point in negotiating the price of the excursion, since all tour guides have a “menu” with fixed prices.
Luckily, we bump into another tourist couple who’s also looking for boat excursions and is happy to join us for the day (and share the price of the excursion).
Excited, we board the boat -a typical Filipino Banca boat- and leave for the excursion to Pass Island, a remote small island located two hours from Coron town.
Our crew:
4 tourists
1 tour guide
After two hours on the boat we’ve reached our destination.
Pass Island really feels like Paradise on Earth! A true gem with pristine waters, white sand beaches and a lush vegetation.
We'll spend the day relaxing, swimming, having lunch and relaxing again. When it’s time to get back to Coron we board the boat. Two new travel buddies are waiting for us.
Our new crew:
4 tourists
1 tour guide
2 roosters
“Oh well” we think, “they seem quite inoffensive”.
The ride is long and the two roosters keep shouting at each other. As it turns out, these are not the usual roosters you’d find in a countryside farm.
No, these are roosters for cockfighting. In fact, cockfighting is still popular in some areas of South-East Asia, including the Philippines and Bali.
The roosters are incredibly loud, and look dangerous. They’re both chained, but still worrisome. To make the return trip even worse, I had fallen sick during the day, probably because of something I had eaten the day before.
After two hours at sea we finally see Coron. Our endless return journey seems to be coming to an end.
Then, a strange noise comes from the boat engine, black smoke and a strong smell of gasoline fill the air. The boat engine stops running.
Honestly, it’s a miracle that it kept running for so long. The boat looked old and in bad conditions. It’s late afternoon and it’s getting dark.
After some time waiting, another boat approaches us. There’s a long exchange between the two captains, after which the other captain throws a rope at us, our captain ties it to our boat and we are somehow pulled by the other boat towards the port.
Very, very slowly.
Just before entering the port our captain reminds us to wear the swimming vests, “because the coast guard is watching us!”. Thanks for caring about our safety, captain!
We're tired, sick but we’ve made it to mainland. We head to our hotel. Another boat transfer awaits us tomorrow morning, this time to El Nido.
Back then, that excursion felt like a terrible experience. Looking back today, it was one of those enriching experiences that make travelling so real and that I will remember for many years to come!
Ever had an odd travel experience?
Would love to hear about it in the comments!
About me:
As a passionate traveler and airline & hospitality expert I've been lucky to experience travel from behind the scenes -From crossing the Andes by bus, to flying Business class to the Maldives.
Some fun facts about my trips:
I’ve visited 5 of the 7 New World Wonders
Lowest point I’ve reached: Death Valley, California at -86 mt (-282 ft) altitude
Highest point I’ve reached: The Andes, 5,050 mt (16,568 ft) altitude
I've stayed at 100+ accommodations, from a tent in the Savannah to a houseboat on a French river
I’ve travelled 350,000+ km across 45+ countries and 5 continents by bus, car, boat, bike, hiking and so much more…
In my blog Beating Jetlag I share my travel experiences, insider tips and behind-the-scenes content for smart adventurers, as well as travel marketing recommendations for Creators. You can read more about me here.