Upon boarding Seair/Tigerairways, i had my doubts. Well, it's my first time aboard this airline. Though there was a little hold-up upon check-in, where the counter only had a print-out of the passengers' list, so the attendants have to manually look up for the names. But it was still a smooth-sailing flight, and the flight was on time. The airline also joined the bandwagon for promoting the campaign for "It's More Fun in the Philippines" by painting the slogan on the sides of the planes. Seair has once daily trip to Palawan from Manila. For more info and bookings, go to their website.
PUERTO PRINCESSA (2 days)
We book a room in GoHotels for two nights. GoHotels Palawan opened just this year, so expect some construction still going on (they have posted advisories inside the hotel warning guests that construction is done 9am-4pm), and that the interiors still smell of concrete. Bummer. But this was overshadowed by the services of the hotel itself! They promised a service fit for a royalty, and that's what we got (at least for me ^_^).
The bed's super comfortable, especially the chiropractic pillows (which I loved the most for I have trouble sleeping if pillow's not comfortable), TV's cable, and there was a hot/cold shower. The downside is you could hear the chatter and noise from other rooms, the WiFi signal's not constant, and it's a little farther from the town center so you have to buy stuff there early or at nearby Robinson's before 9pm. But the staff is accommodating and helpful, especially the Sir who gave me water from their own water dispenser (the hotel's cafe is closed at 9pm). The cafe serves breakfast at Php 120.00.DAY 1
Because we arrived late in the afternoon, the only thing that we can do is the Firefly Watching done in Iwahig River. We booked our tours in Harbour Bay Travel and Tours for a hassle-free vacation. We were scheduled for the trip by 8pm, so we first had our dinner at Frieday's which serves native dishes (highly recommended! tastes just like lutong bahay). We were served with cordon bleu, beef steak, and vegetables (mixed with kasuy!)
Firefly watching was cool, for I have wanted to see fireflies since I was a kid. We hop aboard a bangka, and it was pitch dark that I couldn't even see my hands before me. Flashing cameras were not allowed, and they have no use during the trip down the river. Manong bangkero uses red light to intensify the lights from the flies, though I imagined lights like in the movie Tangled, still it was refreshing. The calmness of the surroundings, a starlit sky , and the coolness of the night was worth it. And the fireflies blinking reminds me of Christmas lights. DAY 2
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| seven layers of evolution |
The name Ugong was derived from the sound heard when some of the rock formations are tapped (our guide said it sounds like an African drum). It's a safe and short walk, and you could find several interesting rock formations inside. And before you could reach the top, there's a part where you have to climb with harness so as to experience rock climbing. Don't worry, the feat could be done in just 7 steps! And when you reach the top, either you choose to go back by the way you trekked (it's for another 15 minutes or so), or much faster is the zipline. It's a long way down when you do zipline, but it's not scary. You could feel the speed and rush of air, and before you know it you're on the other side.
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| ziplining on ricefields |
Then off we go to our primary destination. We had buffet lunch by the Sabang beach, where we wait for our turn to ride the 20-minute travel by boat. And we had a taste of one of Palawan's exotic offerings, the TAMILOK or wood worm! As our guides have previously stated, the tamilok is actually not a worm, but a mollusk. They feed on dying mangrove tress, and I think they are called as worms because of their length. It's served usually as kinilaw (or cerviche), and other restos cook it as breaded. It tastes like talaba (or oyster) but harder to chew because of its consistency and length. But it was good! Just a health advice though, it's loaded with cholesterol so one could not overindulge in it ^_^.
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| Sabang Beach. Jump-off point to Underground River |
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| tamilok or wood worm |
The Puerto Princessa Subterranean River National Park (commonly known as the Underground River) is located approximately 50 km north from the city's center. It is located at St. Paul Mountain (so it was formerly called St. Paul Underground River). Upon reaching the island you could be greeted by some local inhabitants, like the bayawak (monitor lizard)and some monkeys. And you'll know you are near the entrance of the underground river because of the overwhelming smell of guano, or bat droppings. Inside the Underground river you will be amazed by stone formations, and as the guides would tell you, just let your imaginations run wild. For more information, click here.
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| at the mouth |
Back at the center of Puerto Princessa, we had our fill of souvenirs from the local souvenir shop where it is much cheaper. On our own, we visited the bluish-colored Immaculate Conception Cathedral along Rizal Avenue. Across the church was the Plaza Cuartel, which is a restored ruins of an old garrison where Japanese soldiers burned 143 American prisoners of war inside a tunnel (unfortunately we did not visit this site)
To cap off the night we had dinner at Kinabuchs Bar and Grill (one of the famous restos, together with KaLui's and Badjao). There we got to taste the somewhat sweet and tasty crocodile meat, the other exotic offerings of Palawan, and they say the best way to cook the meat is by the sisig way.
We then headed for the Baywalk to walk-off the excess calories we had for that day, and to grab some fresh air before having a good night's sleep to prepare us for travel the next day.
El Nido, see you in a bit!
Click here to read on our Palawan adventure.
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