2nd Week of Memories // Janette and Juvanka

El Nido Resorts Memories and Experiences

Monday, 20th Jan, we were excited to go fishing (Juvanka, Marga and I)! YAY! There was a competition going on as to who will catch the most fish using the traditional way of fishing by the local fishermen, “Bottom Line Fishing”. Juvanka caught two fish, Marga caught one and unfortunately I caught NONE (HAHAHA). Mr Fisherman caught at least five fish (He definitely knows how to catch fish no doubt!). I am sincerely sorry too Mr Fisherman because I broke your boat (Hope we will cross paths again and I will be able to provide you a little help to get your boat fixed). We learned that patience is key when you go fishing because you need to patiently wait for the fish to bite your bait. Also, the best part of the day even if we did not catch a lot of fish as we hoped for, was learning that it takes up a lot of time to catch fish and sometimes there are days when there are no catch at all depending on the tides and the weather. Certainly admire the local fishermen for their perseverance to ensure that they will be able to provide for their family and make days end meet!

In the afternoon we headed to Miniloc. Before the day ended, we visited the Small Lagoon. We were kayaking and the view was just breath taking.

Tuesday, 21st Jan, it was an early morning but everyone (Juvanka, Marga and I) was excited to see and visit the Big Lagoon. The Big Lagoon was even more amazing than the Small Lagoon (especially when there was not much crowd with us. We were kayaking in the Big Lagoon on the day and oh boy it was definitely an incredible experience! We definitely saw some of the wildlife that El Nido is protecting and preserving. A plus was that we managed to exercise our arms (YEHEY FOR KAYAKING!).

After visiting the Big Lagoon, we toured the departments in Miniloc. Another highlight of the day was the Jack Fish Feeding (We could see that the guests were enjoying to see the school of Jack Fish)! It was also amazing to know that El Nido Resorts tour guides such as Kuya Andi is thriving and enthusiastic to interact with the guests and not to mention very knowledgeable.

Before the day ended, we went to Entalula (one of the Beach Clubs) to swim and do a little bit of snorkelling (Although there were huge/ waves). Enjoyed the island perk, was drinking a fresh coconut juice (FRESHLY HARVESTED FROM THE TREE ON THE ISLAND!).

Wednesday, 22nd Jan, Juvanka had a chance to revisit Big Lagoon while I managed to sleep in and attended the team briefing at 9am. Viewed the Deluxe Beachfront Room and Garden Room. The rest of the morning was spent packing and getting ready to head back to Lagen! Juvanka was heartbroken with the fact that we were leaving Miniloc today as she became really attached to the place.

We then headed to Dibuluan. On the way to Dibuluan was a really interesting ride (Wearing a raincoat during a boat ride due to the waves splashing and soaking us completely!)

When we finally arrived, Han started checking the things needed for the team building activities that she was hosting for the members of the GSK company.

As the team building event was progressing, we were assisting Han a little bit with calculating the scores of each team and marking each teams’ cheer at the beginning of the event. It was a fun experience!  Each activity revealed different skills that they were supposed to learn when participating in them. Some skills that we picked up on was teamwork, constancy, patience, motivation and persistence.  It was interesting to see which teams excelled in some activities while did really poorly in others.  We enjoyed watching people go out of their comfort zones to participate in these activities. True leadership was shown through some people, while there were still a lot of introverted people who eventually gave it a go. Han was an excellent host too (I think I will need more of that exposure! 😂). The team building ended great as per the guest’s comment. One of the guest mentioned that the event and the games were very well executed (a big applause to Kuya Chad, Han and all of the people who made it possible).

At the end of the day, we safely arrived back in Lagen (not to mention less wet! 😂).

Thursday, 23rd Jan, we visited Kiminawit, the fishermen’s village.   As soon as we arrived there, Juvanka and I were really moved by the place. The villagers were all keeping themselves busy with different daily routines of cooking, cleaning,  sewing as well as feeding their kids, all of which brought  even more life to this place.

Seeing the simple life of the fishermen and their family brought back so many childhood memories for the both of us. We both got very nostalgic which resulted in us getting very emotional over the period of the day.

We initially visited the school and everyone was welcoming. Han showed us the community. The villagers were all definitely engaged and wanted to know more as to what is currently happening within and for their community. The people were happy to provide ideas for other activities that the resorts could offer the guests. We also got to see the commercial that was filmed to show the village. It was a great moment to witness the joy on the faces of the fisherman, because it great to see that people’s lives were improving by helping and supporting one another. We were glad that El Nido Resorts maintain their support to the local community.  It is great to know that El Nido Resorts are actively doing on going activities to support the livelihood of the local communities and also engaging the locals to join community events. The community also provided us lunch. A very delicious squid stew and fried fish (not to mention the delicious “sawsawan” that came along with it!).

After visiting the fishermen’s village, we had a free afternoon to recoup and work on our project ideas. Always a great experience to get to know the community and the people behind the scene who make everything possible.

– Janette