El Nido, Natural Pleasures

HE MINUTE I took my first sip of the Malapacao Special, I began to feel all warm inside, and I was certain it wasn't just the rum in my drink. I had just arrived in the island of Malapacao.

Malapacao Special

On days when city life is running you down or when it's

pouring outside and you feel like running your hand on

something warm, pour yourself a mugful of Malapacao

special:

A thimbleful of rum

Four times more amount of hot water

Hot unsweetened pineapple juice to fill the mug

A dash of cinnamon on top

A leaf of mint or basil to garnish

My bag was still strewn on the floor of the wooden clubhouse, but already I felt settled, ensconced on both sides by a lush garden of hibiscus and frangipani, and with a view of Pinagbuyatan island right in front. The sky was still gray but my mood was not and for a moment I felt certain that I had landed in paradise.

A few months later, I was back in the island, once again greeted by Malapacao Island Resort's (MIRA) gracious host, Leeann Cruz, a British-born Australian who decided to settle in El Nido after 16 years of globetrotting with a friend. MIRA had not lost any of its charm. The 220-meter-long beach, a wide playground for the thousands of hermit crabs crawling under a glorious variety of seashells, was as pristine and powder-fine as I remembered it to be and the limestone cliffs flanking its eastern and western side were still standing like proud sentinels of Eden. The island was still a haven to birds like the Palawan hornbills, herons, woodpeckers, and pittas. And Leeann's garden was as lush with fruits and flowers, some of which were served on our lunch table under the dap-dap tree. A semi-vegetarian feast was laid out before us. To my surprise, it turned out to be exceptionally good. Being a once-upon-a-time vegetarian, I know how good vegan food is hard to come by, even in Manila where meat and low-cal substitutes are readily available. But, as Leeann was quick to point out, the food she serves are not substitutes but real, "living" food prepared with very minimal cooking.

In the next four days, we were served some of the freshest, tastiest food I've ever tried: salad of heart of palm, turnips, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots and begonia leaves, freshly baked sesame bread and cinnamon rolls (baked using a kettle cover, without an oven, according to Leeann's personal maid Toning) served with garlic butter, cinnamon butter, or calamansi rind marmalade, and muesli made of pinipig, oatmeal, dried fruits, and raisins, among others. Dips of vinegar-and-cracked pepper and Thai soy chili sauce were always just an arm's length away.

During lunch and dinner, we were served either pink rice or mashed potatoes, or both. Beverages were coconut milk and calamansi juice. All these were laid out on a table decked with red lantern hibiscus and other freshly picked blooms, some of whose petals we munched on at Leeann's prodding. We usually ended our meal with tea, which was either cardamom or lemongrass.

Upon request, Leeann also serves seafood other than fish. I unintentionally discovered this when, after mentioning my gustatory passion for crabs, I found my beloved crustacean on our lunch table that same day. I relished every morsel of crabmeat but I have to admit that it was eclipsed by a dish I have never tasted before - curried heart of banana


	Curried Banana Heart

	1 banana heart
	1 tsj). salt
	1 head of garlic, crushed
	3 heads of onions, finelv sliced
	1 1/2 cups of coconut milk
	2 tbsp. of MIRA's homemade spicy mango chutnev
	1 tbsp. curry powder
	1 tbsp. oatmeal
	1 cup malunggay leaves

Slice banana heart very thinly. Rub in salt. In a pan, fry garlic and onions for 2 minutes. Add banana heart, coconut milk, mango chutney, curry powder, and oatmeal. Cook for 10 minutes. Add malunggay leaves and serve immediately with wild rice and ubud salad.

Mabuhay managing editor and photographer Walter Villa, meanwhile, couldn't keep his hands off the mashed potatoes that afternoon.

While many travelers liken Malapacao to Robinson Crusoe's adventure isle - and I agree with the comparison - there were times when it felt more like Prospero's Isle, that land of magic and enchantment. On the first night of my second visit, Leeann dragged the non-swimmer me for a dip to experience the phosphorescence. I, not too willingly I must admit, obliged. With one hand tight on the rope and another on Leeann's hand, we





	While many travelers liken Malapacao to Robinson Crusoe's adventure isle, there were times when it felt more like Prospero's Isle, that land magic enchantment. swam and played with the water until little sparks of light appeared - like dancing fairies under water! Later, Leeann prepared a bath for me on a plastic basin filled with warm water, which I used as a tub. I rested my head on an upturned pail and scooped water using a tin thermos cover to warm myself. When we were having dinner that night by the shore, I gaily noted the fireflies flying about. Toning had started a bonfire and put candles on tiny holes dug on the sand. Leeann spread her sarong before the fire. We sat on it and spent a good part of the night listening to her gypsy adventures - traveling in Europe and pitching flies in national parks to save on lodging money, biking around Africa, cooking sweet potatoes and preparing simple meals before a campfire. Her stories transported me to a time when simple pleasures were simple indeed. On my first visit, I was treated to dinner in the Jacuzzi and a massage. I showed up for dinner at the clubhouse veranda in a sarong and halter top, only to find the other guests soaking in the Jacuzzi in their swimsuits. They called me to join in and, after a brief moment of hesitation, I did slide into the bubbling water in my halter and underwear and let the pressure from one of the jets massage my back. Dinner was soon served. Plates of devilled eggs and cinnamon bread were passed around and glasses of buko juice offered to each. When we were all full and relaxed, just lazily staring into the sky, Leeann invited me for a massage. Ten minutes or so into the massage, which was done on the open-air deck of the clubhouse, I was gone. In the mornings, at 7 or earlier, Leeann would diligently drop by at my cottage with a bunch of fragrant agabower lilies to put on my bed. Later I would join her for a session of gentle arts exercises - a combination of chi gong, yoga, and martial arts movements - at the sunrise deck. The deck was built on top of a huge limestone boulder on the western side of the beach. The boulder was connected to the shore by a bridge made of hard wood and bamboo. Leeann would lead me through a combination of
		NICE COOP. With scenes like this who needs cable TV? (FROM FAR LEFT) Leeann bringing you lunch of fruits; bed with 360-degree tropical view; sunset in Malapacao Island; and the island from afar.
		movements that slightly varied in every session, with Leeann suggesting new poses that I may want to try, but with my favorite Princess Yang a mainstay. While doing the movements, Leeann would point to birds that would occasionally show up and some that she would identify by the birdcalls they made. After each session of gentle arts, Leeann would lead me down the ladder from the deck to snorkel. She always proved to be the best snorkeling partner because she was familiar with the magnificent sea creatures that have made her shorereef their home. By the time we would finish our morning ritual, breakfast would often be waiting for us under the talisay tree. We would take our time with each meal. That is perhaps one of the best things about the place - guests can do everything at an unhurried pace and still come away with enough great experiences to tell. Leeann also did her gentle arts exercises in the sunset, either at the sunset deck or on the beach. I wasn't very diligent in joining her, either because I had to write in my journal or because I'd doze off on my bed, lulled by the breeze. When I joined her one time, Leeann took the last rays of sunlight to show me to her first cottage and the outcropping of rock that she took on as shelter during her first few months in the island. A fallen tree branch served as countertop for her cooking materials. A few meters away was a cave where she gathered drinking water dripping from tiny rock fissures using bamboo cylinders. When she first arrived in the island, Leann recalled,



		ISLAND PLEASURES. Yoga sessions on Sunrise Deck. (OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Snorkeling near Sunrise Deck; a good book and a hammock; the famous view from the terrace where the Lonely Planet Guide cover photo was taken; and a breakfast of coconut meat, grains, raisins and fruits.



there was nothing but coconut trees. No shelter even. But already there was the breathtaking view that landed the cover of the 1998 edition of the Lonely Planet guidebook. I got a taste of adventure when I, together with Walter, joined Leeann for a hike to the top of one of the black marble cliffs. To be fair, I was the one who suggested it, because while the cliff looked imposing, I read from the guide that there was a trail, which I imagined to be a ladder leading up to the summit. Still, the cliff looked imposing, so to hush my doubts, I asked Leeann if the climb was steep. Even grandmas go up there, she assured me. She lent me a pair of her booties, then we were on our way. There was a trail indeed but it was nowhere near what I had imagined. The red clay-like soil was slippery due to the rains, although the shed leaves of trees made it less so. When we reached the foot of the cliff, I realized that we would be making our way through crags and crevices. Leeann told us not to make a joke out of the climb and so we ascended quietly, making sure we stepped and held on to something stable before making our move. The higher we ascended, the steeper the climb became. A missed step would have resulted in serious bruises or even been fatal. But Leeann seemed to know what she was doing. We took pit stops along the way. When we reached a particularly tough portion, she suggested ways to approach the ascent. What started as a drizzle soon became rain and the sky showed no signs of clearing up. Walter, who brought his camera along, had to turn back to protect his equipment. Leeann and I continued the climb. Ten minutes away from the summit we took a lengthy pit stop to chat, taking shelter under a thick overgrowth of trees. When we resumed, we reached a boulder that was rather tricky to climb. After two attempts, I told Leeann I couldn't do it and suggested that we go down. She asked me to make just one more attempt, giving instructions on where to put my feet. Putting all my leg and stomach muscles to work, I propped myself up while Leeann grabbed hold of my hands. To my own surprise, I found myself on top of the rock! The summit was just a few steps away. The view was breathtaking and, what more, I felt glorious inside, oblivious to all my bruises and cuts. Going down was equally tough and frightening and I had to ask Leeann for several pit stops to catch my breath. In one of them, Leeann took a couple of leaves from a begonia tree and gave me some to munch on. When we made it back to the resort, we took a dip in the water, which felt deliriously warm.	I looked forward to a long restful sleep that night after a long grueling afternoon but it was interrupted too soon. I stayed at the Spirit cottage, the same one I occupied before. I normally kept my windows open, together with the three plastic panels that served as rain shelter from the balcony. That night, it rained, hard. I felt the cottage shake. I heard the wind howl. But since I was under the sheets I didn't realize that my cottage was getting drenched. By the time I got to close the windows and shutter the porch I was soaked. Thankfully Leeann arrived to check on me. When she saw me drenched to the bone as I was unhooking the panels on the balcony, she chided me, like was her habit, for being such a city girl. Malapacao, by itself, is a beautiful island but it also bears the mark of Leeann everywhere - in the gardens, the lodging, and the memorable experiences she creates for her guests. At 50, she remains strong and healthy and knows the island intimately and the creatures that, along with her, have made the island their home. I enjoyed spending a good part of the day talking to her because she proved to be conversant about many things - from making balut (duck embryo) to raising mud crabs, from making down duvets to the habits of the marine creatures living on her shorereef. On my last night in the island, just before dinnertime, I walked along the beach under the light of the waxing moon. From one end of the beach to the other and then back - I don't recall how many times - I walked without any cares, a small moving shadow dwarfed by what was around me - the towering palm from whose leaves the moon peeked, the limestone cliffs, Pinagbuyatan. The thought of returning to Manila wasn't as dreadful as it usually was; I felt like being part of a bigger story and, for the first time in ages, I was happy where I was. Malapacao does that to you.
	TRAVEL NOTES MIRA offers an eight-day adventure package at $714 inclusive of domestic flights. The package includes accommodation, daily meals, island hopping and snorkeling trips, paddling, guided hikes, gentle arts, and evening Jacuzzi. It also includes 1 hour of any therapy of your choice.





WHY: Nowhere else in the Philippines than in Palawan can the tourism battlecry "Every Island, An Adventure" be more true. With 1,768 islands, the southwestern province offers an adventure for every taste and temper - be it wreck diving in Busuanga, a safari tour in Calauit, rafting on Cayangan Lake, a romantic dinner in Lang-ao island, an expensive honeymoon in Amanpulo, or a		run toward the healthy and the natural. One person's paradise of course is another person's hell, which MIRA may be to those who cannot keep their minds off smoking and meat. Meals in the resort consist mainly vegetables and fruits - with the occasional crab and fish - and homemade breads and jams, but owner Leeann Cruz and her personal maid Toning
Robinson Crusoe episode in Malapacao - at a cost range broad enough to accommodate both backpackers and luxury travelers. El Nido in the northern part is arguably the most compelling reason to go, for its sheer beauty and largely unspoilt nature. YOU SHOULDNT MISS: There is no excuse not to dive, or at least snorkel, even if you can't swim. The living coral reefs and iridescent-colored marine life of the Bacuit archipelago are some of the country's best and if you must have someone tag you into the water to see them then so be it. Hike through the dense primary jungles and, if you dare, climb any of the limestone cliffs that El Nido is famous for. Inabuyatan Island, which gained fame from being on the cover of the Lonely Planet Guide to the Philippines 1997 edition, has an enchanting cave with underground fresh water lagoon that visitors from nearby resorts can	(CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE) View Of Inabuyatan Island from MIRA's garden El Nido Resorts Lagen high-end cottages on stilts; MIRA's owner			have a repertoire of dishes that will make you forget that burger for a while. The cottages have basic amenities but they are beautifully crafted - you can spend the afternoons just cooling off in the balcony hammock with the lush foliage around you and a view of the sea right in front. Room rates start from US$65 during regular season from November to May. Lagen's trimmed and manicured scenery is a stark contrast to MIRA's rough and tumble surroundings. The facilities alone immediately convey that it is a triple A resort: a well-equipped marine sports center, a game area, a clubhouse restaurant with air-conditioned and al fresco dining areas, and a poolside bar, among others. After a long activity-filled day, it feels good to stretch out on the soft
explore. Be forewarned, of course, that the name Inabuyatan is said to be derived from a Cuyunin (the local dialect) word that means "where people go to have sex." It probably wasn't called that for nothing.		Lb	but firm queen-size bed and cocoon under the crisp white sheets, while soothing music drifts from the CD player with surround speakers that is fitted in every room. There are four kinds of accommodations: Forest Room and Forest Suites built on the fringes of a lush forest, Beachfront Cottages with a view of the sunset and Water Cottages built on stilts. Room rates start from $215. - JOAN C. BULAUITAN

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