I am back in the Philippines. This trip was originally planned in October 2012, the purpose of which was to visit my aging parents. But as I have mentioned in my previous post, my dad fell ill and needed emergency surgery last month. I had to go earlier here then.

Likewise, I had planned to join an open boat expedition with Tao Philippines. So I did...spent 5 days in a Philippine bangka visiting various remote islands in Palawan. Palawan is made up of more than 1,000 islands. Tao Philippines aims to bring its adventurous expeditioners to remote islands between Coron and El Nido or vice versa. There are about 700 or more islands between these two places. We spent the nights in different islands sleeping mostly in communal settings. 2 out of the 4 nights were spent on islands where there was not even generated electricity. Most days were spent lounging on the bangka, getting off to snorkel or explore an island. Tao Phil ran a well organized expedition. The food was great- fresh seafood and vegetables cooked in typical Philippine way. The staff were excellent- extremely nice, helpful, and efficient. But obviously this expedition is not for everybody. I personally think that it was too long. 2 nights and 3 days would have suited me more.