Paradise in the Philippines
Submitted by Danielle Buxbaum on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 00:00

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It is a goal of mine to travel to every country in Southeast Asia. At 31 years old, I’m pretty much crushing this goal. The Philippines has been on my travel list for this reason, and I was really blown away by my experience. It is such a gorgeous place, seemingly untouched! With pristine beaches, beautiful clear blue water, and tiny islands dotted amongst the vast and everlasting bay, it’s hard not to have the most perfect day.
As always with traveling, there will arise some challenges. The long haul international flight to Taipei, Taiwan (where I had a connecting flight) was about an hour delayed leaving Los Angeles. The connection in Taipei was very tight and I was worried I wouldn’t make my connection.

This lovely Eva Air flight attendant had compassion for my situation. She found me right before landing and gave me a seat right behind business class. I was literally the 5th person off the plane, running like my life depended on it. There was a rep on the ground that gave me some special sticker and pointed me in the direction of the international transfer security check. That was my golden ticket to jump the security line, in and out, bing bam boom! I was plane to plane in 10 minutes and thankful for all my previous workouts that gave me the ability to run consistently with my carry-on backpack the entire way. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Eva Air and their flight attendants. I also enjoyed their Hello Kitty theme. So Asian!

I took a 6-hour ride from Puerto Princesa to get to El Nido, which is at the northern tip of the island. All the traveling and anticipation to get to El Nido was worth it all. It is such a beautiful place! Staying at a property right on the beach, I felt like I had arrived in paradise.

El Nido is known to have the most stunning sunsets, and I was awe-struck by the transformation of the sky, shifting from day to night. Words cannot express how special this experience was for me. It was a true gift from nature!
Contact Danielle Buxbaum, or our team of travel advisors, to begin planning your Southeast Asia vacation today!