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T H E U L T I M A T E S H O E S T R I N G A D V E N T U R E
on my hammock. I did great the first
day: a troop of monkeys playing on
the tall trees just above my hammock
shook me awake, so I set out early to
explore more islands. I kayaked toward
Helicopter Island, where I snorkeled.
Palawan is perhaps one of the best
places for all kinds of underwater
adventures, and when you’re having
so much fun being riveted by sea
creatures in crazy colors, it’s hard to tell
that your body’s had enough. I started
feeling a pain in my stomach and I felt
dizzy. I realized I was dehydrated and
decided to head back to town but my
strength had been sapped. There was
no one for miles.
I could only get as far as the island
closest to town and stopped for the
night, hoping that I’d get my strength
back the following day. But deep
into the night my stomach problems
persisted and I grew weaker and
weaker. When the sun rose, I decided
the only way I would survive was if
I kayaked for my life back to El Nido
town. It was the longest 30 minutes
of my life. Fatigue and dehydration
weighed heavily on my arms, and
every stroke of the paddle felt like
the last.
For the next couple of days in El
Nido, I pumped myself with fruits and
Gatorade, grateful to still be alive. I was
back in Puerto Princesa on Day 98, and
while the prospect of squeezing more
out of the last two days was tempting,
I decided to take it easy. There’d been
a number of life-changing experiences
on the trip that showed me how
important it is to seize every moment,
and there’d been many instances that
demonstrated how fragile we are, so I
opted to be wise and rest so that there’d
be much more to look forward to.
After spending a week wandering
around Cebu City and many of the
island’s southern towns, around Negros
Occidental, Guimaras and Iloilo City
(
where I had more than my fill of the
original La Paz batchoy or pork rind
soup), I hopped aboard a ship bound
for Puerto Princesa in Palawan. We
sailed for 36 hours — across the
Panay Gulf, passing scenic islands
and landmasses along the way, then
out into the wide-open Sulu Sea, our
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large boat suddenly small as it sliced
through the vast blue waters. As I stood
on the deck, watching the horizon turn
from dusk to night, I finally understood
many a travel writer’s obsession with
sailing, and how few things hold more
romance than a voyage over sea.
Nearing the end of my 100-day
tour, with my funds quickly dwindling,
it was time for a little creativity and
a lot of brawn: in Palawan, I decided
to go island hopping via rented kayak
instead of booking a tour. I bought
water, cooked food, bread, canned
goods and boiled eggs before I set
out a la
Survivor
,
looking for a nice
island where I could spend the night
PHOTO
LESTER LEDESMA (HABAL-HABAL)
