Ignoring the nerve-wracking bumper-to-bumper traffic and prevalent lack of infrastructure in the country, a tourist has blogged a memoir about the pristine beauty of the Philippines’ tourist attractions.
In his blog entitled ‘ The Philippines: A Hidden Paradise’, Marc Forné, a model from Barcelona, visited the country last February and recalled how his adventures in Bohol and Palawan gave him ‘goosebumps’.
In his travels, he featured the famous Chocolate Hills and the white-sand beaches of El Nido. Moreover, he greatly recommended the Philippines as a sizzling destination for backpackers who dream of having the same trip to the country.
Photo courtesy of Marc Forné via marcforne.com
Together with a companion, Forné began his backpacking journey by riding a jeepney from Clark Airport to a nearby mall to book a flight from Manila to Cebu. Upon arriving in Cebu, they travelled to Bohol to visit the Chocolate Hills.
“The Chocolate Hills and rice fields were our mission there in Bohol and the landscapes we saw were incredibly amazing. Such a virgin place… There are some small towns all the way where you can see the how people really live and there are not that many tourists and that’s makes it special. I can say not finding a lot of tourists has been one of the best things about this adventure,” he further wrote in his blog.
Photo courtesy of Marc Forné via marcforne.com
After their sight-seeing tour of Bohol, they flew to Palawan and toured around the breath-taking Bacuit Archipelago. “Tones of postcard landscapes in these lagoons and hidden beaches where you arrive through swimming into caves… I’m having goose bumps just remembering it,” he wrote.
Photo courtesy of Marc Forné via marcforne.com
They later ventured into Nacpan Beach, as well as Las Cabañas Beach which he described as having “crystal clear blue water”. They also took an eight-hour boat ride from El Nido to the exquisite town of Coron.
Photo courtesy of Marc Forné via marcforne.com
Next in his itinerary was Bamboo Island, where they took a boat and went snorkeling. During their snorkeling adventure, he glanced upon two World War II sunken ships and marvelled at different fishes swimming around the corals that have grown in these ships.”
Photo courtesy of Marc Forné via marcforne.com
Overall, Forné described the Philippines as “a lovely country full of kind people and hidden places where nature shows you how beautiful the world is.”