Palawan

As I sit back and remember El Nido, I don't know which was worse, the flight in on the Suburban with wings, or the 7 hour van drive through a tropical depression to leave. The most lasting memory however was the most spectacular scenery I have seen in my life. Never have I seen God's majesty displayed in such a awesome way. Turquoise water lapping against 500 ft cliffs bordered by white sand beaches with a few idyllic coconut trees waving in the breeze. Slip on a mask and snorkel and see Hawksbill turtles gliding over the coral, while fish in every color of the rainbow dart around the ledges and rocks. I had to continuously thank God for his creation and the opportunity to see it, and Him in it.

El Nido is a very small town located on the northern tip of Palawan, Philippines. It was a great time of R&R, following our 44.5 hour door to door trip to the Philippines. One of the quaint things of rural Palawan is the unique experience of having electricity only from 4PM-6AM. The worst thing about this however was the fact that these times were when our jet-lagged bodies were craving sleep.

From El Nido we traveled South with our friends Beng and Lilet to visit the Philippine Underground River, one of the heritage sites in the Philippines and reputed to be the longest in the world. More to my liking was the canoe ride into a Mangrove forest to see snakes, monitor lizards and monkeys.

Finally we ended up in Puerto Princesa and met some new friends and toured some other sites. Most important was the bonding time with Beng and Lilet. It never grows old hearing stories and growing a deeper friendship with godly women and missionaries.

Now the work will begin.