The moment I stepped on Palawan soil and on Palawan sands, the moment I set sight on the island's beauty, both in land and underwater -I bet and I'm sure it will win -that Palawan's going to be one of my favorite cities of all time.
And that's not counting El Nido and some of Palawan's tourist spots that we missed. Not to mention their diving sites. God knows what wonders are left unexplored that will surely take my breath away.
So this all started when my friends happen to stumble upon a promo fare from Palawan to Manila and there and then booked tickets for four. Too bad that we can't invite our other friends since they'll still be busy having classes in August. In a way, I see this Palawan trip as a de-stress from our 1st JTA sem which never failed to drain us and crush our goal of getting a Dean's Lister QPI this sem.
I started packing hours before our flight, making sure to fit everything in one backpack. Yes, backpacking in Palawan is the bomb :D We left the dorm around 6am for our 8am flight, most of us sleeping on the plane to make up for the few hours sleep due to last-minute packing. 1 hour and around 15 minutes later, our adventure begins...
DAY 1: CITY TOUR
We collected all the travel brochures we could find in the airport, making sure we don't miss anything. Shall I say that we haven't reserved anything for our trip, not even accommodations. So everything was done on the 1st day itself, from reserving trips to looking for a hotel to stay for four days. God what crammers we are :D We stayed at the Big Brother Hotel and it's probably the best deal in Palawan. For just P250 a night you already have a decent bed equipped with a hot-and-cold shower, kitchenette, ref, aircon, cabinet and stylish lamps and vanity mirrors for aesthetic purposes.
We had our lunch at the Balinsasayaw Restaurant, which is just a walking distance from our hotel. The place's nature-loving, made of wood and they even had turtles in their man-made ponds and canals! We failed to try their balinsasayaw soup, which happens to be their specialty, since we're on a tight budget.
As expected, Palawan is not really much of a city like Manila or Cebu and that's one of the things I love about the place. It doesn't have the noisy, busy feeling we city dwellers know of. Everybody's living a simple life and everything is just so peaceful. If you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of a city then I guess Palawan's the place for you. It's quiet like a province yet there are still buildings, hotels, malls (I went to only one), restaurants and bars to remind you that this is a city within a forest.
I personally enjoyed our visit in Crocodile Farm. First we passed by the preserved bones and skin of the first crocodile to ever attack someone in Palawan. The bones, especially its head, is like seeing the remains of a dinosaur and it's my first time to ever touch an authentic natural crocodile skin. It was hard and rough and the guide said that it's too old to be used for bags and other leather stuff. Then we proceeded to the place of large tanks full of baby crocodiles. So cute! They're as long as my arm and you would think they're dead because there is barely any movement from them. Then we went to another portion of the farm and this is where I seriously got goosebumps. Seeing those huge, full-grown crocodiles, you can't help but imagine what will happen to you once you accidentally fell from the metal ramps and landed on their resting areas O_O. And some of those big crocodiles had their mouths open as if really waiting for a blessing from above. The tour ended in having a picture with a baby crocodile :). This is my second time to ever hold a dangerous reptile (my first was in Manila zoo holding a boa constrictor).
We also visited Baker's Hill where they house Palawan's tastiest breads and delicacies. I really regretted not buying much from here, so I suggest you guys buy as much as you could. The stuffs here are really affordable and at their lowest price! My personal favorite is their chocolate crinkles <3
Our day ended in attending a mass in the blue and white Cathedral (that's what I would like to call it) and then going to a nearby mall buying food and drinks good for the whole duration of our stay. They are mostly breakfast goods since our lunch is already taken care of by our tour package and we'll be trying out Palawan's best restaurants at dinnertime.
BTW, there are no taxis or jeepneys in the city. Only tricycles. And instead of availing of the standard city tour rate of P600/person, we just got a tricycle for P500 and tell him where and when to go :) Never mind the slow travel, at least we got to indulge in Puerto Princesa's everyday scenery.
And guess what, we just played cards, and then slept the whole night. Dead tired, I guess :)).
DAY 2: UNDERGROUND RIVER
We woke up around 530am to dress up and cook Lucky Me sweet n' spicy pancit canton for breakfast :D Our tour van arrived around 8am and then we started on with our 2-hour ride to the Underground River. We saw an area where the mountain is like cut into half and we can see the layer of rocks and soil that makes up a mountain. We also passed by an area with a White Cross which is supposed to be the praying area of a certain faith healer. It can be reached by riding a wooden tram. Cool.
Halfway we stopped by a souvenir shop overlooking the sea and there I bought anklets and a wooden Palawan mask which reminded me of Hawaiian wood carvings of their gods. Practice your tawad skills and I suggest you buy in bulk for big discounts. Then we continued with our ride and finally arrived in what I deemed to be a port but instead of big ships there are lots of brightly-colored boats waiting to transport people from that place to the actual area where the Underground River's located.
The boat ride was has its worth. I noticed the change of the water's color from green to deep blue as we go on, and despite the sun, I took of my sunglasses to see a better view of the area. The shores, the rock formations are just beautiful that I really regret not having a decent camera with me that would give justice to what I see.
Then we finally arrived at the starting point of the Underground River. We first have to walk on a wooden trail where monkeys thrive, ready to grab anything you carry that's edible for them. Yes, monkeys got over with bananas and they can now eat anything. They can even open soda cans! After registering our names and details, which will also be used in voting for the Underground River as the next Seven Wonders of the World, we put on our life jackets and helmets. We're now ready to go and enter the cave.
The entrance area was full of batshit smell, haha. But the cave's really dark that our only source of light was the spotlight the frontliners are holding. I'm itching to ask the guide to turn off the lights for a while but I guess I would still be scared out of my wits. Darkness and gloomy water? Not a good mix.
I feel so happy knowing that this was the scene I always see in travel segments in magazines and lifestyle channels and now here I am, wearing the signature bright orange jacket and helmet, and exploring the cave and its wonders! The rock formations reminded me of the stalagmite and stalactite lessons we had in gradeschool. As we light up the ceiling, we could see bats, lots of bats, in their resting upside-down position. Good thing they didn't attack us hehe. There are parts of the cave where the rocks are really close to you that you can even touch them and I can't help but imagine (yes, one of my morbid imaginations again) when the cave just collapsed and the rocks push us to the water and ...you know...And the water's not clear, I cant even see the bottom so I really have no idea what thrives in it.Our guide assured us that the water's crocodile-free since the place is too dark for their taste. But still.
My favorite part of the cave would be what they dubbed as the Cathedral part, since the ceiling's so high and arched like a cathedral. This is the second highest part of the cave. We can see a rock formation that's shaped like Mama Mary with her iconic hand position. I'm really amazed thinking that all of these are natural rock formations. To add on to my amazement, we also noticed a portion of rock which is carved like the Nativity scene or the Belen which is usually seen in Christmas decorations or even in Church sculptures and paintings -Baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, the animals, etc. You won't believe me but wait 'til you set your eyes on it.
We didn't finish the whole length of the cave since that would take us 2 days so we turned around and have another glimpse of the cave itself. On our way back, we could see an image of Jesus on a rock, that stern, serious face you usually see in his images. Then we could feel droplets of water and we can't help but think that some of these are definitely batshit. Holy water, not. Holy Shit, probably :))
Finally we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and once again passed the smelly entrance/exit of the tunnel. After having our buffet lunch by the beach, we went on swimming, waiting for big waves to crash on us and drag us towards the shore. Simply refreshing.
At night, since we still couldn't decide on a place to eat, we first went biking by the Baywalk, which only cost P25/hour. After an hour of burning calories, we went to Tiki Restaurant and ordered buttered chicken, adobong pusit or (tiki negra haha) and sisig. The place is good. They have a live band here playing so loud that their staff wore earphones for communication. The restaurant's design also reflects Palawan's native aspect, with wooden carved masks where some are used as lamps and really gives you an eerie but cool feeling. Then we went to Kinabuchs, Palawan's famous restobar where we ordered a tower of beer, played billiards and chatted with our travel buddies 'til 12. And yes, we tasted CROCODILE MEAT and it was yummy :)). We were supposed to try Palawan's TAMILOK, however the bar's out of stock and we'll just have to settle with crocodile meat. The croc meat's texture's different, mushy.
I wasn't able to finish my share of beer because I was already palpitating like I just jogged a mile. Yes, I'm not good in drinking, low tolerant, but that's good. At least I don't get to overdrink, get drunk and waste myself out :P
By the time we arrived in our hotel, everyone's knocked out.
The entrance to the cave
a glimpse of what's inside the cave
Me before leaving the Underground River site for lunch
My travel buddies :D
DAY 3: HONDA BAY ISLAND-HOPPING
This is probably my my most favorite part of the trip.
And about yesterday, good thing my friend got to set the alarm. We woke up at 630am, only 30 minutes to prepare for our trip.
We never bothered to take a bath :P
I reserved the bikini I recently bought for this day. Yes, it's my first time to wear one, exposing my flabs haha. but I'm wearing shorts though, just to be sure.
We first visited Starfish Island and boy, the beach and the scene was just so pretty. The sand was a bit rough since it was mixed with crushed seashells and corals. But I suggest you walk around the island without footwear since it hurts less (yes, trust me) and the sand is just good to the touch. What I love about this island is the presence of so many sun dollar stones, round stones with a starfish embedded on the center. I collected a lot for myself. I could give some of these as my pasalubong. There are also big starfish everywhere that are hard as stone and barely a trace of movement can be observed from them. The scene at the back of the island is also worth-seeing, and yeah, we took our jumpshots there and other vanity photos.
After an hour we proceeded to the Snake Island, where the snorkeling and fish feeding sessions officially begin. And yeah, the sand's smoother and less rough compared to the Starfish Island. Without further ado, we took off our clothes, put on our snorkeling gear and went for the beach in an instant. We also brought lots of bread for the fish feeding. Our guide (who wasn't wearing a lifejacket, only goggles and flippers!) dragged us to the area where school of fish of different kinds are waiting to be fed. It was really a breathtaking sight! Before you know it, different kinds of fish appear before your eyes, eating those bread crumbs you're giving away. I spot Nemo, some angel fish, orange carps, etc. And they are literally swimming in a circle as if there was a fish whirlpool! :) And that's not it, look below and you'll see corals of different colors that are home to these fish. Too bad we ran out of bread so we have to go back to the shore to give way to other tourists who also wanted to feed the fish.
We had our lunch here -bagoong with green mangoes, shrimps, toyo. liempo and buko juice. Tatak Pilipino, huh? :)
After lunch, we wasted no time swimming and snorkeling. One thing I noticed about this beach's seabed is that there were a lot of holes. I stared into one and boom an eel's head sprung out of nowhere and was frightened that I immediately swam for the shore. Then I realized it was just a fish, and these holes might contain their eggs which they kept heavily-guarded. Silly me :))
By 1pm, we went to our last stop, the Pandan Island, which was personally my least-favorite island due to the presence of lots of weeds which was not a good sight while swimming. But snorkeling in this island is the better than Snake Island -more fish and more corals! We even went deeper and we were able to stand on a table coral to rest and just admire the view below. While resting, school of fish, lots of them colored black, swarm our feet. This is life :)
Sadly, it was time to leave so we took our vanity photos in a jiffy and then went straight for the showers. Our boat ride back was such a thrill -thanks to the big waves which either splashed us with water or made our boat go sideways! I had confidence in our trip but I can't help but reach for my jacket in case we would really fall off from the waves. Thankfully, the sea calmed at the later part and we were able to reach the port safely.
That night, we went to Kinabuchs to have another go at that Tamilok, but to our dismay, they ran out of stock again. So we settled for the value meals, played cards and then hit the bed with no intention of setting an early alarm for tomorrow.
One heck of a starfish
I don't want to walk this beach if I gotta do it solo. not.
I'm so high
This is what Freedom feels like
Who said beautiful sunsets are orange skies and a blood-red sun?
Day 4: Bumming our Hearts Out
Forgot what time we woke up, but we started the morning buying souvenirs at the tiangge. Affordable prices and lots of items to choose from. I was even tempted to buy a furnished oyster shell even though it's technically useless for me.
We had lunch at the Lotus Garden since we planned to bum there 'til our 5 pm flight. We could have gone to Ka Lui, Palawan's famous native restaurant but figured that Lotus Garden would be the wiser choice. So we availed for the Eat-all-you-can which was for P250, from 12nn-3pm. I love the place, its design is mixed Asian with a touch of Palawan's native aspect -so expect rainmakers, masks, banig, and other creative wood sculptures. There are three areas: one with standard tables, the other with Japanese tables where you have to sit on the floor, and the last one which is the cottage-style and it's even equipped with a duyan for siesta time.
I was disappointed with the Eat-all-you-can service. No sushi?? And I was craving for one! %@&!
And what did we do for 4 straight hours? Eat. And play Pusoy Dos.I finally got the hang of this game and was able to win some rounds. Did a lot of practice especially with using my cards and my combinations wisely. Btw, Pusoy Dos is just like Poker, without the chips and all.
By 4pm, we left Lotus Garden and went straight for the airport. And since aside from sushi, I was also craving for Baker's Hill chocolate crinkles, I dared to buy those at the airport for a price which was 3x higher than the factory price. Goodness, why didn't I buy a lot when we were in Baker's Hill :O
At the plane, we chose the window seats hoping to get a bird's eye view of the Honda Bay Islands. Unfortunately, we didn't see it, maybe it was on the other side of the plane.
We're really tired. We even slept on the taxi way back to our dorm since the traffic was so bad and you can't help but doze off looking at the same billboards and cars for quite a while.
We're officially home by 9pm. Tired, yes, but still got that energy enough to update my Facebook status.
4 days.
3 old friends.
2 new friends (or towers of beer).
1 backpack.
Epic.
*photo credits to my travel buddy, Raizza Baldo :)
