The trip to El Nido started out for us in the very posh pre-flight waiting area of ITI Airlines. The monkey on the wall watched Preston curiously while he drank his jet lag cup of coffee. After all, he had only been in the country for about 5 hours.

Just a short walk outside the ITI pre-flight area, the small charter plane warms up on the runway.

No concourse ride to hitch a flight on this jobber, just climb up the small retractable stairway.

Inside the plane it is only one seat on either side of the aisle and you can even see the pilots in the cockpit in front of you.

After about an hour of flying, we began our descent past El Nido's most visible landmark: Cadlao Island.

What a welcome! An oxcart, five singers and a guitarist were standing at the edge of the El Nido runway when our plane landed.

Manila to El Nido in one hour, I think Preston appreciated skipping the harrowing ten hour bus ride that was Plan B.

I think this is the first dirt runway that I've landed on, but probably not the last.

This jeepney provided a very distinct local brand of curb service for some of the arriving passengers.

Departures get coffee, arrivals get tea. No formal waiting area at the El Nido airport.

Baggage claim was also very informal, just pick your luggage up in the little hut.

Before long our tricycle to El Nido rolled in.

The tricycle ride was short, and in no time we were in El Nido and checking in to our bungalow on the beach. This boat was just a short walk from where we stayed.

I like the fact that the alleys in El Nido aren't filled with trash dumpsters and stray cats, but are beaches themselves. I think I may have read somewhere that this is illegal though.

Preston pointed out the street signs in El Nido had a New Orleans French Quarter-style look.

Fresh fish is pretty much always on sale in El Nido from street vendors like these women.

Fresh produce is also easy to find here.

I couldn't resist taking yet a few more photos of colorful peppers.

Old Mick, the scary monkey who lived beside our bungalow is in need of a jail break, and maybe a pair of monkey boxer shorts.

Roosters here also have their internal alarm clocks set to 4 a.m..

The first place we stayed in El Nido (for only one night) was guarded by odd bow-legged dogs like this one. They might have resembled old West gunslingers if it weren't for the scabies and limited range of motion.

We moved down the beach to the next night to Dara Fernandez cottages where they didn't have wretched dogs, but they did have this nice rattan hammock that Preston always snagged first dibs on.

They did have a pair of young cats that usually wanted to be included on our adventures. We didn't spend much time naming them, this is a photo of "Gray".

And here's his friend "Orange".

The entrance to Dara Fernandez is lined with bird of paradise flowers like this one that is covered in stinging ants.

A lot of the activity in El Nido happens around the beach; especially at sunset a lot of the kids from the town come out to play by the water. Not a bad place to grow up!

Sunsets over Cadlao Island and El Nido bay are usually great.

The bay is pretty sheltered so there are only small waves lapping at the shores of the beach.

El Nido may be small, but it does have a bit of a nightlife before the town electricity generator shuts down at 1 a.m.. Squidos Restaurant has good food and is a popular hangout especially for visitors from out of town.

After dinner at Squidos, we made a trip to this local hangout where musicians played some local songs mixed in with the U2 and R.E.M. covers.

Gambling sometimes begins at an early age here.

Our bungalow at Dara Fernandez cost about $8 a night and had a nice porch for hanging out and eating Cloud 9 candy bars.

Preston manned the kerosene lantern.

The next morning Preston and I had some mango pancakes, though this stray dog wanted to join in for some eats.

Here's something you don't see everyday in the Philippines. Preston had a quarter left in his pocket from his trip from San Francisco so he put it down as a tip for the mango pancakes.