Matinloc Shrine is a place that comes with three forms of beauty. The beauty of destruction, of God’s creation and of blessed location. It has a natural beauty with high cliffs to view nearby island beach sceneries, a neglected two-storey abandoned building and a holy place. It’s like you hit three birds in one stone, a spiritual place, a breathing space and a thrill maze. Abandon your burden and continue to explore the wonders of nature.
Hello Hivers, back at it again with another adventure to tell before the Pandemic. We will defy the time as I travel you back in time as we take a trip to El Nido in Palawan.
Matinloc Shrine is also known as the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Shrine of Our Lady of Matinloc hidden at the foot of the towering cliffs of Matinloc Island. A mysterious story is that they believed that the owner of the island found hidden treasure and built the shrine to hide the digging of the treasure. There is a mansion close to the beach plus the shrine but those two got neglected. No one verified the story and that’s where we got the thrill. The beauty of the unknown.
We've already rested on our second day at El Nido, so it's time to go island hopping. This Tour C package we chose has really exceeded our expectations. Lucky enough that the day get along with our fiery excitement that it doesn’t have a trace of darkness in the sky. So the excursion began, and we boarded to our boat with the other passengers. We were both exhausted and hungry after checking off two islands on our list. According to the boatman, we are going to take our lunch in Matinloc Shrine. As I thought being hungry, why is there a shrine in the middle of the sea? It’s still a mystery to me, though. 😅
As we docked on a concrete platform that acts as a runway over the water leading to the island, the boatmen advised us to get acquainted with the location first as they were preparing the foods.
PHASE ONE: THE HIGH CLIFF LIMESTONES
We noticed a group of people ascending a cliff using a stairwell and immediately went to check. Reminder, keep an eye on your steps as you climb the sharp rock on cliff because one wrong step could be potentially lethal. As we ascend, we see a display of the beaches of a nearby island intermingled against the green and blue sea. What a sight this place has to offer. We almost forgot we were hungry that time like we are filled with enchantment. This is a selfie-worthy view.
PHASE TWO: THE SHRINE
We left the view deck and try to explore other corner of the island. Then we saw the shrine, which reminded us that this is a religious space, and it's important to keep our voices down and respect the space. This is a place to pray and ask for what your heart desires.
PHASE THREE: THE ABANDONED BUILDING
We then went to the mansion, the two-story creepy building. It's similar to what we see in movies. As if at any moment, a spooky creature will appear in front of our eyes. I can only imagine my reaction if this ever happened.😃
Then we go upstairs to see how the owners see the outside of the island during their time here. This was a dream house that anyone could have imagined.
As soon as our boatmen called us, we knew it was the signal for FOOD. We need to refuel because this isn't the end of our tour. As we approached the table, we were astonished by the presentation of foods served by the boatmen. They served carved fruits with the name EL NIDO carved on them. The aroma of smoked fish and pork makes us more hungry.The neatly prepared vegetables on the plate make it more appealing.
After we ate, we relaxed for a while until we noticed a small boat approaching the island. We approached the man as soon as it docked and noticed some buko fruits in his boat. We discovered that he is selling it to tourists. We purchased one and shared it.
It's great that we can sample the fruits grown in this region. I am literally coco for coconut water. Nothing beats it when it's served fresh in the tropics with a view as stunning as El Nido.
We proceed to snap photos on the docking area surrounded by limestones with lush vegetations after drinking and chilling.
The boatmen called us after a few minutes because it was already time for our next destination. We packed everything and didn't leave anything behind. We have abandoned this wonderful island, but it will live on in our hearts forever.
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CrisLandingOnÑo is a couple who created this blog to build a place to store precious moments and memories and share backpacking travel experiences, life adventures, wedding budget tips, food trips, marathon tips, and many more. .
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