MATINLOC ISLAND Part 1
After having our scrumptious lunch at the Hidden beach, we proceeded with our tour. Our next destination is one of the most interesting islands in El Nido, our third stop, the island of Matinloc.
This destination is part of the Tour C group of El Nido islands.
It got its name from the native (Cuyunon) word "matinlo" which means "maganda" in Filipino or "beautiful" in English.
The island has a lot of interesting places to see and stories to tell.
If you will see it from the aerial view of the island you will see that it is actually a heart-shaped island.
This is the abandoned mansion in the Island, it's owned by Jablon Fernandez, one of El Nido's local residents.
The mansion was abandoned for a reason i don't know. Even our boatmen didn't know the story behind the abandoned mansion. However, there are many speculations about the abandonment of the island. Some say that it was because of the fact that the owners were already able to get all the hidden treasures that the island has, while some say that the island is cursed or haunted. We don't know the real story or reason behind the abandonment of this island. Let's just leave it there and just focus on the more important matters of life.
According to my sources, during the island's/town's fiesta the owner still visits the island.
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| (Matinloc Island, El Nido Palawan Philippines, May 2013) |
As our boatman toured us around the island, he mentioned about this mini museum that the island has. So i asked him to lead us to the mini museum, 'cause it really pinched my curiosity that an isolated island like this actually do have a "museum" in it.
Our boatman led us to this mini museum that he's been talking about. So, there he was, leading us to the island's mini museum.
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| (The entrance to the Mini Museum----Matinloc Island, El Nido Palawan Philippines, May 2013) |
This is the entrance to the mini museum. In there you will find photos and literary works about the history and story of the Mantiloc Island, as well as the interesting stuff about the island's wonders.
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| (The Mini Museum---Matinloc Island, El Nido Palawan Philippines, May 2013) |
As you can see, there are a lot of photos in there. There are photos which are hanging and there also those which are just placed on the floor of the museum. Alongside the pictures are captions, stories which talk about the photos and relates about the beautiful story of this island.
It's a little creepy inside this museum. During our tour with our boatman, we didn't have a lot of time to look at each of the photos in there, so I went back in it before we leave the island (and take note, i'm all alone). It was really creepy in there.
Before heading down, i asked my brother to accompany me, but he doesn't want to go with me so he said that he will just look after me through a hole from where he was. I searched for it and i found him peeking through this hole hahaha.. :)
The only light available in the museum is the light that passes through this hole, without it the place would be really dark.
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| (A hole at the ceiling of the mini museum) |
The following are just some of the interesting photos that i've seen in the museum.
The island has a lot of interesting stories to tell. Let's just take a look at some of the stories from the photo's captions below.
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| (Photos displayed at the museum) |
I've encircled the images with a yellow ink for your convenience. They say that those images are like representations of diwatas or fairies that are present in this island.
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| (The Miraculous Haul of Fish at Matinloc Island) |
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| (Some more photos) |
The story Behind the Architectural Design of the Matinloc Shrine:
(As the caption of the photo relates) December 16,1965, a member had a vision of a dome shaped structure with twelve (12) columns and inside is the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a cross on a circular altar. "Shrine of the New Jerusalem" he was told. "One day you will build it, your empire will be restored."
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| (The famous Matinloc Shrine) |
One of the photo's captions says that the Shrine was inaugurated and blessed on May 31, 1993, which is now being celebrated as the Feast of Our Lady of Matinloc.
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| (Photos from the mini museum) |
According to the photo's caption, that was the boat which carried the materials that were used to build the shrine in Matinloc Island.
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| (The most breathtaking view I've seen in all my excursions) |
The most breath-taking view in the island is viewed here in the island's view deck if i may call it.
To be able to witness this picturesque view, you need to climb a steep cliff of lime stones. Don't worry cause there is a stair-like path that you can use. But you still need to be careful with every step you take cause one wrong move and you'll end up badly injured or worst, dead.
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| (Matinloc Island, El Nido Palawan Philippines, May 2013) |
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| (Matinloc Island, El Nido Palawan Philippines, May 2013) |
And after a few careful steps, this will be your AWESOME REWARD! :)
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| (A very nice viewing deck that's quite scary) |
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(Posing with the spiky limestone rocks) |
If you're a daredevil like Kuya Dave, you can proceed climbing the steep limestone cliff. For sure the view in there is more EPIC! But i tell you, the climb will not be as easy as it looks, it's really dangerous! Even The Palawenya Explorer's Adventurous side backed out. haha :) I didn't dare to climb it, i still love my life and i still have a lot of places that i wanna visit haha! :)
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| (An even more higher viewing deck) |
As compared to the paved staircase available to reach the first view deck, that area up there is really a buwis buhay place to go to. It doesn't have this stair-like steps which you can climb. You need to be very very careful in climbing the cliff cause the rocks are pointed and one wrong move man, one wrong move and you're dead! :P I'm not scaring you, i'm just warning you hehe :) But i'm sure that if you get there, your reward will be really nice.
There's also this cute cave-like formation of a lime stone cliff at the beach. I can't help but give in to the photo opps.
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| (A mermaid cave-like limestone formation) |
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| (It's quite hard to go out of the small cave) |
We didn't have a lot of time to stay at the island, that's why we weren't able to visit the mansion. Even though i haven't seen the inside of the mansion yet, I still think that the mansion is really sayang.
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| (The mini pier of the Matinloc Island) |
The island also has a mini port.
The Island's mini port is a perfect place for group jump shots and picture taking.. :)
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(Group shot at Matinloc Island, El Nido Palawan Philippines, May 2013) |
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| (Jump shot at the Matinloc wharf) |
And that is how we ended up our tour at the Island of Matinloc.
See you on the next island!
ADIOS!
-The Palawenya Explorer ;)
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