When my boyfriend, Dijo and I were planning our fourth anniversary trip, I didn’t think twice when I found an opportunity for us to go to Dos Palmas in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Although I’ve been blessed to have gone to what I call Palawan’s splendid three namely Puerto Princesa, Coron and El Nido, I never cease to want to see more of it.

Saying that Palawan is a gem would be an understatement because Palawan, in my book, is God’s presence before my eyes, however cliché or cheesy that may have sounded. What I’ve seen of it has always left me literally questioning how anything natural could look like a masterpiece. And Dos Palmas just stirred my probing even more.

We got to the island on a sunny Thursday noon and were each greeted by the staff with a glass of four seasons before being ushered to our room, which was actually big enough to house up to four people. The resort kind of reminded me of Miniloc in El Nido, only Dos Palmas was much bigger and Miniloc’s feel was a little more old-world.

After settling down, we had buffet barbecue lunch by the shore where bamboo tables and benches were set up to complete the ambiance. For the rest of the day, we practically just relaxed, took a nap, and lay down in one of their wooden cabanas fronting the beach. Dij biked a lot as there were bikes for guests’ use, and I had a good dose of sand-strolling because I’m kind of a loser who’s never learned how to ride a bike. I am shamelessly admitting though that I attempted for quite a long time to ride while we were there at the expense of Dij’s sweat and labor but to no avail. And so I left the learning for next time and just enjoyed the perfect sting of scorch while sipping on my not-so-yummy watermelon ginger refresher, until such time that the sun was almost setting and we decided to view it from one of the two long entrance bridges.

If you’ve read my cruise entry, you’d know my sentiment about sunsets. And it naturally applied in that moment. Only this time, it was special because I was home celebrating a milestone with Dij, and entrenching myself in a sentimental situation of observing a picturesque view of sundown and thinking about the dreamy side of it. I don’t know how it happened but at one point, the view of the sky and its reflection in the ocean was literally split vertically with one side being orange and the other, blue. “Leave Him with the crayons and let Him do His thang,” as Dij put it in his Instagram post. Well then I guess God spent a little more time shading with his Crayola that day and it really made my heart smile.

To our pleasant surprise, dinner tables were set up in the open pool garden with surrounding trees and a movie projector on the side. That night, we ordered Kare-kare and Grilled Pork Belly from the restaurant, which I highly commend. Coupling good food with the outdoor beach ambiance made the experience even better.

We woke up to a gloomy morning the next day that didn’t look at all like it planned to shove the clouds away. In between our meals comprised of Bacon and Pancakes during breakfast and Spare Ribs, Squid Adobado, and Chicken Inasal during lunch, we kayaked to the mangroves, which took, more or less, 15 minutes of paddling and taking pictures in between. The mangrove area evoked sort of an eerie aura because of the complete silence, except for the gurgling of the water stream and rustles of the leaves whenever we maneuvered the wrong way and hit the mangroves.

Come 4:30 in the afternoon, we decided to snorkel in a nearby spot where we were brought by a speedboat, and greeted the colorful marine fellas constantly vying to get more of the breadcrumbs we brought for them. It would’ve been better if the water were calmer. The winds caused stronger current, which made it difficult to move around, save for being swayed by the ocean’s motion. The swaying was worth it though since I saw a massive amount of fish that seemed like they wanted to give me a smack on the cheek.

That night, after our dinner snack of Cheese Sticks and BLT, coupled with a few rounds of beer, we took a dip in the pool and I prayed hard for good weather on our last day. My cousin, Jill once thought out loud about how she was wishing for good weather to the beach gods. And ever since, I’ve had this idea that there were lurking spirits surrounding islands I could safely call beach gods. So I pleaded to them for sunlight the next day.

Of course, they didn’t fail me. They never fail me. A smiling señor sol greeted me with burning rays come Saturday morning, and it was more than enough to round up our trip. Right after breakfast, we went to a nearby island called Isla Puting Buhangin, which was roughly seven minutes away by boat.

It’s a really small islet; so small that you can view the entire shoreline when you swim just a few meters away from it. It had nipa huts in the center, a hammock on the side, some towering trees, an extending strip of sandbar, and gritty sand that’s of the lightest shade of mocha. It’s no Entalula but it’s light enough to be called puting buhangin. Dij told me that it must’ve be one of the most beautiful islands he had been to. And I can see why.

I am happiest at the beach. Although I make it a point to be happy wherever I am, there’s something about the combination of sand, saltwater and sun that spells happiness amidst the nothingness. That’s why my psyche goes ballistic when I discover islands such as this, and assuming the life of a hermit is more than enough to make me forget all of the world’s different sorts of negative energy.

We left the islet and headed back to Dos Palmas at noon, and we kayaked once again before I drenched myself in the blazing sunrays, until I acquired the kind of tan-ness that almost looked funny. We then had a final satiating meal, before we departed the island at around four in the afternoon.

I’ve always had this viewpoint that the company comprises a large part of how ones travels turn out to be. Dij and I are both in love with beaches. I’m not one for mushiness and sap 90 percent of the time. But that 10 percent of cheese in me somehow emerged when I realized that being together in that island for three days reminded me of why we’re together at all.

*Some photos by Dijo Songco