Finally, after 3 days of torrential rains, howling wind and general misery, the sun peeked through the clouds to cast a golden sheen across the Bacuit Bay.

Day long saga of how I got my computer cord fixed after a part of it was gnawed away by rats.

There were still many more places to visit in the Philippines, and so I reluctantly dragged myself away from El Nido and planned my boat ride to Coron Town, on Busuanga Island.

I do not have much to say about Port Barton, save for how difficult it was to get there and how unpleasant it was to stay. While the beach looked stunning and the resorts and restaurants were fairly priced and clean, there was a Stephen King-esque cloud of meteorological disaster hovering over the place for my entire visit.

People say that Palawan is known as The Philippine Frontier, and it is easy to see why: the rugged coastline, untouched inlets and bays and frustrating inability to get from A to B without scratching your eyes out all contribute to its standoffishness – and its charm.

It seems necessary to devote a full blog post to my trip from Iloilo to Palawan, given how fundamentally different it was from the usual tricyle/bus/boat combo that has peppered my time in the Philippines thus far.

Beautiful Sipalay Beach was the perfect escape after some serious transportation adventures.

Camiguin has the distinction of being the island with the most volcanoes per square metre of any island on earth. It also has more volcanoes (7) than towns (5). Its terrain alternates between the moist, green jungle and black sand, with the looming mountains in between the two.

My decision to come to the Philippines was based solely on an irrational love for one of the world’s smallest primates, the Philippine tarsier.