Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR), as you might have seen in my Grand Adventure Wish List is a national park with an 8.2 km subterranean river flowing directly into the sea within a limestone and karst mountain. It was nominated as one of the "New 7 Wonders of Nature", known to be the world's longest underground river. 4 kilometer of it is navigable. However only 1.5 km of it is commercially accessible from the sea and a special permit is required to access the rest of it.

Sabang Beach

Hello Lovelies! It's wonderful to be back! Three weeks of being unplugged and liberated from technology (Yes, in the absence of a UAE mobile phone--however, replaced by a local cellphone), this trip was both rough and simple. 

The lack of comfort made me appreciate everyday things I might have taken for granted like 24-hour electricity. With a heavy backpack on our backs marching on the sticky sand, while searching for an accommodation under a hot humid sky-- finding a room was always rewarded with a cold bottle of San Miguel Pale Pilsen beer. There were moments where the husband and I got annoyed with each other. We occasionally argued on the best way to get to our destination. Only to realize later that things have a way of working out, amused by how things turned out eventually. The scary but sometimes funny incidents made our days very colorful and so did lovely travelers and locals we met on the way. At the end of each day, we're both silenced by the beauty of it all.

I was privileged to have had these moments watching the majestic sunset in silence. Listening to the gentle waves caressing the shore. I wish I could freeze this memory inside a jar and get lost in it whenever possible.

Have a lovely day!

XOXO,

Arni

Today we leave for a new adventure. We're headed towards the tropical islands of the Philippines where we'll explore the first two places (Puerto Princesa and El Nido) in my Grand Adventure wish list, with a stopover in Hong Kong on the way back to Dubai.

Unlike my last November -December vacation,
I'll be offline during this three-week trip.
Like the above photo, I'll be taking a blogging break.
I will definitely miss reading your blogs for the next three weeks.

Nomadic Trip

We're going for a real adventure this time by not booking accommodation for our Palawan trip. I managed to arrange one for our first nights in Puerto Princesa. Everything is fully booked. We're officially nomads the next two weeks there. We hope to be more flexible with our schedule. We might end up sleeping on the beach with our sleeping bags this peak season if we don't get lucky. (Silly, I know) I might end up like that photo above hugging my backpack, munched by mosquitoes if ever. {Reminder to self: Bring mosquito repellent lotion.}

I'd like to share these with you while I'm preparing my backpack.

I'll miss you all!

Have a wonderful Spring season everyone!

XOXO,

Arni

{P.S. The photos were taken in Mahe, Seychelles.  Left photo: Beau Vallon Beach / Right :  Sleeping on the grounds of Victoria Jetty while waiting for a boat ride}

The season for swimming is back in the Middle East. Plunging in the pool season is just around the corner for the rest of the world. My friend Tintin and  I spent the day together inside this very water yesterday. She is an airline cabin purser.We met while we were both working for an events and exhibition design company. She was a swimmer and an avid member of her university swim team.  She taught me how to do freestyle many years ago. Here, we spent the entire morning threading in 6 feet deep water as we conversed about life in general and talked about our funny travel stories. We threw jokes at each other that sent me in bouts of uncontrollable laughter.  

One thing I'm sure  I cannot do is laugh hysterically while threading on water.  I stopped breathing.  I swallowed my laughter and a lot of pool water as I swam to the edge. Once in the clear, I finally laughed out loud, guiltily disturbing neighbors who were peacefully sleeping while slowly roasting on the lounge chairs. An Indian food lunch break and back in the water afterwards, I'm incredibly thankful for this perfect day!

One Pool Day Wish List

Pool Side Fashion by travelgourmande featuring chanel perfume