While taking a boat tour from Taytay to El Nido, we were overwhelmed by the particularly breathtaking scenery en-route. Entering the bay of El Nido is a highly emotional experience. One could easily be rendered speechless by the awesome beauty that presents itself to the traveler's eye. Overland travel on Palawan is a bit strenuous, and travel times are often significantly extended due to the frequent stops made in the various villages to load and unload sacks of rice. Palawan natives are outgoing and very hospitable. They make a concerted effort to be sociable with visitors to their island. Near Taytay lies the Coco Loco island resort.

An overnight stay there is definitely recommended. Reservations are required and can probably be arranged in Puerto Princesa. A word of caution about the Coco Loco cuisine: getting used to the food that is served there is a challenge. During our brief stay, the meals we were served consisted in part of nearly unpalatable bones. Thus, continuing on to El Nido and Coron seemed certainly advisable.

Diving around Coco Loco is relatively unspectacular, owing to the shallow depth of the water there. But if snorkeling is your thing, you'll be in your element. On the other hand, diving around El Nido during high season is truly impressive. Encounters with sharks in shallow waters are daily occurrences. The coral near the surface shows evidence of extensive damage which is generally acknowledged to have been caused by last Christmas' typhoon and not by diving tourists. We had the misfortune of meeting a couple of idiots from Germany who insisted on attributing the damage to other (man-made) causes. Since they were official media representatives, they were an embarrassment to us.