Trip To The Last Frontier : Honda Bay Island Hopping

So I just got back from my 3-day vacay. I'm still feeling a bit dizzy, sleepy and exhausted from all the outdoor activities we did. Nevertheless I am so glad that after a year of waiting, anticipating and planning, not to mention sleepless nights and that moronic poem I posted on my blog, I finally had the chance to visit my dream destination last Sunday.

Palawan is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Its scenic attractions left tourists and locals alike in awe. It offers a wide variety of beautiful spots that will truly fascinate adventure seekers and nature lovers.

On my first day in Puerto Princesa (the capital city of Palawan which by the way is sooooo clean. How I wish all mayors in the Philippines will set Mayor Hagedorn as an example. He's an environmentalist, and together with the people of Palawan they worked hard to preserve the riches and bounty of Palawan) we hopped off to Honda Bay. Honda Bay is known as "the last frontier" and is home to famous white sand beaches, magnificent landscape, amazing corals and beautiful rainforests. It's one of the country's premiere tourist destination and ideal for diving and snorkeling.

Honda Bay consists of 9 islands and several islets. We rented a van from the city and took a 20-minute ride to the wharf. The good thing is that they have a regulated boat rental system that saves you a lot of time. We only paid Php 2,000.00 for the boat rental which for me is already a good deal considering back in my  place, island hopping would cost each person around Php 2,000 - 3,000.

Our first stop is in Starfish Island. But before we reached Starfish, we passed by Lu-Li Island.

Lu-Li derived its name from "lulubog-lilitaw", a tagalog word which means sink (lulubog) and appear or resurface (lilitaw). During high tide you can't see the shoreline and the sand. Only the resthouse. And when it's low tide you can see the magnificent sandbar sprawling the island.

                                            sandbar in Lu-li

And this is the Starfish Island where we had our lunch and took a lot of crazy pictures. The sun was scorching hot that time prohibiting us from roaming around the island.

We found lots of starfishes here...

Even this gigantic one!

Nah! Don't be fooled. Just some sorta camera trick hehehe...

Next stop is Snake Island. There are no snakes here. It is named so because it's shaped like a slithering snake.

I wish I had a clearer picture of this. I swear it really looked like a big snake from a distance. We did snorkeling here and OHMYGOD the corals are so colorful and I was amazed by the schools of fishes sorrounding it. Another wishful thinking : I Wish I Had An Underwater Camera. But I don't have!

Some of the famous islands in honda bay are the Cowrie Island, Senyorita Island which is the breeding site of Lapu-lapu fish, and Bat Island where you can see hundreds of bats flying out at sundown.

Our last stop was in Pandan Island. This island is fully developed unlike Snake Island

We also did snorkeling here and I got to see a lot of Nemo's siblings. Yeah!!! Damn you underwater camera!!! The fishes were oh-so-colorful and oh-so-cute. It feels like I'm inside an aquarium. And that sight will forever be on my mind coz I don't have a single picture of it.

Of all the islands I've been to - Pandan Island is the most awesome!

We were suppose to go to Pambato Coral Reef for more snorkeling but it was closed for a month for fish breeding. We'll try our luck next time haha!

Anyway, do you know my greatest dream? Aside from travelling to different places? I dreamed of visiting even 1% of Philippines total island. Now don't you laugh at me! Yes you! I see you mocking laugh at me huhuhuhu... That wasn't too much to ask for!

Philippines has 7,107 islands. Well now I guess it's too much to ask for... I already  been to 20 islands - 7,087 more to go waaaaahh! Goodluck to me! Coz even in the next lifetime I don't think I would be able to do that. I should stick to that swimming lesson instead!