Before: Island Hopping C, El Nido, Philippines (I)
Matinloc Shrine
The Shrine of Our Lady of Matinloc was built in 1982 and used to host a convent and school. It’s abandoned and neglected now, but the view is breathtaking.
The small beach as the gateway into the shrine, the “Greekish” gazebo with a big cross in the middle and religious statues by the pillars, the abandoned building, the stage, and the port — all of those give a different atmosphere from other Tours’ destinations.
Our guide led us climb a steep limestone cliff where we could see the islands surrounding Matinloc Island. Matinlo is a Cuyunin word (Cuyunon is an ethnic group in Palawan), that means beautiful.
Helicopter Island
Helicopter Island or Dilumacad island is one of the most famous islands of the Bacuit archipelago. It is called Helicopter island because it looks like a helicopter without propellers. Our guide told us that people can see turtles here sometimes but we were not that lucky. The underwater view was spectacular though.
What I learned here was that The Coral Triangle — an area covering the waters of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor — is home to 75% of all known coral species and is the world’s richest zone for marine diversity. Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea. Unfortunately, destructive fishing, pollution, and climate change damage coral reefs.
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