From Haneda to Manila, it was a 4-hour and 40-minute flight on ANA. From Manila, I was supposed to take a local flight to El Nido Airport on Palawan Island (about 1.5 hours). However, due to a critical booking mistake, I ended up landing at Puerto Princesa Airport—which is a 6-hour drive from El Nido.
I only realized the mistake when I told a tricycle (three-wheeled motorbike) driver outside the airport the name of my hotel in El Nido. He looked at me and said, “Sir, that’s impossible. It’s way too far.” That’s when it hit me—I had landed at the wrong airport.
It was already past 6:00 p.m., but luckily, there was a shared van heading to El Nido. I paid 1,500 pesos (about 5,000 yen) and got in. I finally arrived at my hotel around 1:00 a.m. After being chased by stray dogs along the way, I somehow made it.
↓ Sunset in El Nido.
羽田からマニラへ（ANA便で４時間40分），マニラから本来はパラワン島のエルニド空港へ（ローカル便で１時間半）。ところが，痛恨の手配ミスでエルニド空港から車で６時間もかかるプエルトプリンセサ空港に。実は，空港の外でトライシクル（Tricycle：３輪バイク）の運転手にエルニドのホテルを告げると『旦那さん，無理です。遠すぎて行けません』と言われて，違う空港に降り立ったことに気が付いた。既に，18時を過ぎていたけれど，乗り合いバンがあるというので，1500ペソ（5000円）でエルニドのホテルに向かい，到着したので夜中の１時ごろ。野犬に追いかけられながら，何とかたどり着いた。↓エルニドの夕陽。
Two days later, I took a tricycle from El Nido to Teneguiban Port—a rough and bumpy ride. From there, I boarded a small boat (a free transfer arranged by the accommodation) and arrived at a bungalow on Darocotan Island (Dos Playa Ecocamp) after a 15-minute ride.
翌々日エルニドからトライシクロでTeneguiban港へ（かなりの悪路）。そこから小さなボート（宿が手配してくれた無料の渡し船）に乗って15分でダラコタン島のバンガロー（Dos Playa Ecocamp）に到着。
The humidity is high by the beach, but since it’s still technically the dry season, it’s manageable. Each bungalow costs between 30 and 40 USD per night without meals (those with private shower and toilet are on the higher end). The shower has only a weak trickle of water, but the toilet is flushable. Wi-Fi is available only around the dining area↓.
The owner is of Italian descent. He fell in love with this place 30 years ago, bought the land, and opened the camp a few years ago. He even told me how much it cost to build one bungalow. During the day, you can sit in the dining area with your laptop while enjoying the ocean view. Occasionally, a squall passes through, but the roof keeps you dry, and windbreaks are set up when the wind gets strong.
The meals served at the dining area—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—are fairly good, each costing around 1,000 yen. Even with beer at every meal, the daily total stays around 5,000 yen.
Right in front of the camp is a shallow, calm sea. About 200 meters offshore lies a beautiful coral reef, followed by a sudden drop-off, making it a surprisingly good spot for snorkeling. Most of the guests were young travelers from Europe.
浜辺で湿度が高いが，まだギリ乾季なので何とか過ごせる。食事なしで１棟4000-6000円（専用シャワー・トイレ付はやや高め）。シャワーはちょろちょろ。トイレは水洗。Wifiは食堂付近↓周辺のみ利用可。オーナーはイタリア系で30年前に，この場所が気に入って土地を買い，数年前にオープンしたそうだ。バンガロー１棟の建設費まで教えてくれた。昼間は食堂で海を見ながらパソコンを広げられる。時々，スコールが来るが屋根がついているし，風が強いときは風よけをつけてくれる。食堂の料理は朝・昼・夜とまずますおいしい。金額も1000円前後。毎食ビール飲んでも１日5000円程度。目の前の海は遠浅で，200メートルほど沖に美しいサンゴ礁があり，それを過ぎるとドロップオフ（急に深くなる）があり，なかなかのシュノーケリングポイントとなっている。主にヨーロッパからの若者が滞在していた。
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