you may be getting sick and tired of looking at the waters of el nido but i’m not (anymore). every time i look at photos like this one here, i wanna teleport myself right then and there and jump into those clear light emerald waters even when i know for a fact that i’m a f*cking scaredy cat when it comes to diving.

in my mind i’m jumping, alright. if there is such a thing as teleporting and i actually do it, chances are i’d probably just still be sitting there on the boat marveling at the millions of diamonds sparkling on the water’s surface like the happy loser that i was on that day i took this photo.

it was high noon when the guides decided to dock the boat in a little remote place that was not part of any of the tours. it was a delightful surprise because i loved it there! it was like our own secret as i believe majority of the tourists don’t normally get to witness such beauty, and at such a perfect time — with the low tide and all. it was el nido whispering, “i have something very special just for you guys.”

her best-kept secret?

got you starstruck, huh? sure felt that way too when i first saw it. it was such a pretty view that i had to take a thousand pictures of that angle alone while behind me the local guides prepared our lunch, oblivious to the miracle i was taking a thousand pictures of because it was something they saw everyday.

the place is simply called lapus. i figured it has something to do with the water flowing in and out of that door-like rock formation. i mean, isn’t that what lapus in bisaya means — to flow out? i merely deduced that, though, so don’t quote me on it.

the place is somewhere between cudugnon cave and snake island, if you really wanna know. i could be selfish and not tell you but if i were in your shoes and i told you in a bragging kind of way about one of el nido’s best-kept secrets and not reveal exactly where it is, i’d probably hate me too. so much.

should you wish to go there, pray for low tide. the husband of the sister of the owner of the resort we were staying at told me that it’s not as nice during high tide because the current brings with it garbage purged out of the sea’s bowels.

guess we got lucky.