Wanderlust in My Veins

Last summer, my friends and I went on a pilgrimage every beach worshipper should take - El Nido in Palawan, a playground of limestone cliffs, colorful reefs and islands with holy-crap-this-must-be-paradise beaches.
In the giddy days before we left, I read an innocuous post online describing little known twin beaches an hour from El Nido. Enigmatic, as it was almost unheard of, and alluring, because the writer called the area’s own version of Boracay minus the tourist hordes.
No regular transport, no resorts, no electricity. Despite a mental gulp and sputter (my trip companions were not rugged types at all), I was doing a happy dance - twin crescents of unspoiled white beach jutting out into the electric blue sea. Cue daydreams of sipping Mai Tais on a chaise lounge. This was the tropical version of Utopia.
Days later, I was flagging down a tricycle (what we call motorcycles with covered sidecars), ready to explore Nacpan and Calitang. My friends haggled with the driver while I, nerdy traveler that I am, looked at my notes to check the supposed price. We secured a day’s rental for Php 1000, not quite the local quote of 800. Tough negotiators, we are not. Still, I was thrilled.
After 40 minutes in a cramped sidecar with 3 other people, my exhilaration had waned considerably. Gone was the paved concrete lane. Popping my head out of the doorway, I only saw dirt road. Most days, I’d advise against sticking your head out of a moving vehicle, but the lack of civilization needed investigating. Rainforest? Check. Beaches or other people? Nada.
Lots of grumbling from the driver and 2 wrong turns later, we found a bamboo hut with a sign proclaiming it a tourist center. I was starting to think Nacpan was a fictional place, and judging by my friends’ faces they did, too. A woman came and welcomed us to Nacpan. Sweet! Except, umm, where was the beach? I ask this, and she chuckles and points down the road. Between palm trees, we saw our slice of nirvana.
Nacpan today is like every pristine beach in the Philippines circa the ‘80s. No tourist drones overrunning the shore or overblown resorts, just a few stands serving simple meals and cold drinks.
And the siren call of a powdery white stretch that went on forever and one giant infinity pool of crystal blue that was the sea.
We managed to climb a nearby hill in between swims, getting an awesome view of the twin beaches. By day’s end, I was sunburnt to a crisp, a little dazed from cocktails and happily dozing in a hammock.