PALAWAN: A paradise adventure you will never forget

Of all the wonderful islands and resorts that our country has to offer, it is Palawan that beckons to me the most. I’ve visited countless beaches before: Cebu, Bohol, Mindoro(Puerto Galera), San Juan-Batangas, Pangasinan (Hundred Islands) and much more but none has satisfied the fascination that I have long held for the islands of Palawan. Thus, when I heard that my husband will be taking a three-day seminar in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, I didn’t think twice and just withdrew my savings (not all!)/borrowed money from my mom just so I can follow him there.

It was a Friday when I took a half-day respite from my stressful writing job and boarded a plane that I knew will take me to paradise. On the plane, I specifically chose a window seat and spent the one hour travel taking pictures of the islands we passed by – who knows, one of them might just be that of Palawan. At last, after an hour the plane touched down and I was welcomed by the warm weather of Puerto Princesa. My husband was still at the seminar venue so he told me to go straight to the hotel room where they were billeted.

By 6 p.m. we were at the market place (walking distance from the hotel) to buy dried fish and their famous kasuy(for pasalubong). We asked the fish vendor a good place to have dinner and he referred us to Chicken Inato (translation: Chicken Inihaw) Expectedly, they had lots of grilled dishes and we feasted on grilled tuna, grilled chicken (their specialty), kinilaw and sinigang na hipon. All their dishes were great for they were cooked fresh from the sea. (that I almost forgot to take pics of the food) Even the ambiance of the place was great since the small huts for diners afforded each group some privacy to eat, drink and just talk the night away.

Over dinner, I was able to convince my husband to forgo the city tour(which is part of their seminar) and just go island hopping in Honda Bay. Good thing I was able to take the cellphone number of the trike driver (in picture) who brought me to the hotel since he offered to take us to Honda Bay the next day.

Second day – we awoke early at 6 am took a bath, had breakfast at a nearby Jollibee store and bought some needed supplies for our whole day trip (i.e. water, junk food, and don’t forget the bread to feed the fish). By 7:30 our trike driver was already waiting at the hotel and so we hurriedly took our bags from our rooms upstairs and left for Honda Bay. We made a quick stopover at a Pares resto to buy some grub for our lunch (soy chicken and sisig). From there, it was another 45 minutes to get to the pier where we had to register, look for a boat that would take us to the islands (P1,100 for the entire day) and rent some snorkeling gear (P100 only)

It was almost 9am by the time we took off in the boat with a reminder to our trike driver (Mang Tony) to come back for us at 3 pm. Our tour guide/boatman was some gentle guy named Rey and he patiently explained the names and told us a little bit of trivia on each island that we passed by. First island that we saw was Bat Island –so named because of the numerous bats that live in the mangroves that littered the entire island. Too bad for us it was still morning, they said the bats coming out to feed at around 5 to 6 in the afternoon is truly a sight to behold since they can make the sky literally black with their sheer number.

Next island that we passed by was Cowrie Island. It’s named after the numerous cowrie shells that once abound the shores but nowadays they say the numbers have dwindled since visitors regularly take the shells and bring them home as souvenirs. Now the island is closed to visitors and undergoing renovation/development.

After about 45 minutes, we reached our first stop – Pandan Island. We decided to disembark at Pandan Island although it was only to have our pictures taken. We did not pay anymore the required entrance fee – I think it was 25/person since we only spent a few minutes for the kodakan. The tour guide said it is also a good snorkeling site but the place is usually packed with visitors who take part in the island hopping tour.

They (the tour groups) usually choose this island over the others since their cottages are much bigger and can accommodate them all better. One good thing about the island though, it had the best sand among all the islands we visited with its white powdery grains that can almost rival the sands of Boracay. BTW, the island was named as such because of the pandan plants that could be found at the back of the islands. These tall grass-like plants can be used as roofs for houses and to make bags and baskets

Our next destination was Snake Island – nope there are no snakes there but the island was shaped like a serpent thus, the name. This island, according to our boatman is the most famous site for fish feeding since the waters are literally teeming with different kinds of fish. He says that despite the absence of many corals in the area, the fish keep within the area knowing that there will always be tourists willing to feed them. Even at waist-deep, one can see fishes of all colors and sizes. So, after choosing some fish and crabs for our lunch, off we went for our close encounter with nature at its finest.

Our boatman was a good swimmer and diver so he willingly guided us to where the fish can be found. The experience was simply awesome and totally indescribable – I found it difficult wanting to talk and point to the different colored fishes that I could see to my husband who was swimming beside me but I knew I can’t because of the snorkeling gear attached to my mouth. So I just made hand motions underneath the water and told him the kinds of fish I saw whenever we come up for some rest. It was at first a bit frightening to see schools of different fishes swarming around us eating right out from our hands but after a while, I began to get used to it. What was a bit shocking were the fishes that would at times bite at our legs which Rey said were just territorial fishes snapping at anything that would seem to threaten their space.

And so after I think more than an hour, we emerged from the water fully satisfied with our experience with the fishes of Snake Island. We only regret that we weren’t able to bring the kids with us but we vowed to return with them sometime soon so that they too can experience what we did because no amount of words can ever describe what we just had. We also vowed to bring an underwater camera the next time around plus more bread for the fish.

We ate an early lunch (around 11:30) because we both got hungry after seeing the fish eating. The fresh seafood we ate with our boatmen tasted real great although Rey said we could have gotten them cheaper if we bought them at the market and just had the food cooked for P50 per dish. As it is we paid 200 for a kilo of the fish and the crabs(including the cooking). Well, at least we’ll know better the next time we return. I also promised myself to next time visit the famous sandbar which gave the island its name since by the time we finished eating, we were too full to move our butts.

After lunch, we proceeded to what our boatman said was an encounter with more fishes at Pambato reef. Along the way we passed by Starfish island. And expectedly, it boasted many starfishes – both big and small ones. We didn’t get down anymore because we had to pay another entrance fee (Snake Island BTW had a free entrance but you have to give a donation to the DENR staff for the upkeep of the huts) but we did see some big starfishes being held by the swimmers we saw as we neared the shoreline.

But it was just our luck, though, that the waters at Pambato reef were a bit cloudy so the boatman decided not to make us jump anymore… too bad. But at least, we’ll have another place to return to when we go back to Palawan with our kids.

Final island destination was Luli Island. It was called Luli to signify its unique feature – lulubog lilitaw – depending on the tides. They say the island becomes completely submerged during high tides hence the structures located there were all on stilts. It had a Korean restaurant and some rooms that were not anymore open to the public. Rey said it would soon be developed and turned over to the owners of the Dos Palmas resort who recently bought the island.

The restaurant also offered banana boats and kayaks but we decided not to rent those anymore coz I’m sure they would cost an arm and a leg. (The entrance fee to this island was the steepest by far at P50 though there weren’t much fishes to see) So we just contented ourselves swimming and enjoying the peaceful serenity of the sea. My husband even jumped off a rickety diving board just for kicks and we whiled the time away taking pictures at a nearby sandbar.

We decided to return to Honda Bay early (2pm) since we figured there would be long queues for the common bathrooms located near the pier. But surprisingly, there were few people waiting to use the showers and we were able to get dressed early. Knowing we still had time to spare before our trike driver returns for us at three, I spent it well browsing through the shops nearby and found some small trinkets (bracelets) to buy for my daughter and a shirt for her and myself.

When our trike driver arrived, we left for our own version of a city tour. We visited the butterfly farm and marveled at the many different colored butterflies there. Of course, we busied ourselves taking pretty picture after picture. After a while we visited Mitra’s farm called the Rancho Sta. Monica which looked a bit like Tagaytay since it overlooked the entire Puerto Princesa City. The place was also cool and windy and afforded a pretty cozy picnic place for the visitors.

Our last stop for the day was Baker’s Hill also located at Monica Road. We gorged ourselves with their numerous baked goodies – like the hopia, piaya, choco crinkles, tuna pandesal and many more. We also brought home some for pasalubong. Baker’s Hill was quite a visitor’ s spot by itself. It was not only a bakeshop but it also had a garden, a mini-zoo (with some ostriches and peacocks), a playground, and numerous statues for the kids’ delight. Soon, it may be offering a venue for possible accommodations or even for large gatherings like seminars or parties (since there were still buildings/areas under construction)

By the time we finished touring the said places, we did not have anymore time to visit the Crocodile Farm and the Iwahig Penal Colony. Too bad! Anyway, we decided to forego the visit to said places since we have seen quite a number of crocodiles already (just recently in Davao and even in the streets of Metro Manila, he,he,he)

So back to the hotel we went and after a quick dinner of chao-lung at Bona’s, we rested early to restore our energies for another hectic day tomorrow. What we did not know was that the best was yet to come!!!

The next day we were once again up early for our tour of the Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park (PPURNP) with the Topstar Agency (P1200/pax). Although some internet advisor trips mentioned a cheaper way (via trike to San Jose terminal, jeepney to Sabang, pump boat to the entrance of the PPURNP, and paddle boat for the actual subterranean tour) we decided to go with a tour since it would be easier for us not worrying about where to get the next vehicle for the next leg of our trip.

The van picked us up early at 7 and along the way, we picked up a family of five and a foreigner who will be joining us in the van. This is another good reason for joining a tour, at least we’ll have other people to talk to during the two hour bumpy and dusty ride to Sabang. First stop-over is the Buenavista Viewdeck where we were able to use the toilets and the others bought some trinkets at the souvenir shop. We busied ourselves taking pictures of the breathtaking view of the Ulugan Bay.

Forty-five minutes more of travel finally took us to another stop where we were to secure permits to enter the underground river. We saw that the other vans had to disembark their passengers to register each one while our guide took care of everything for us (payments – 150 for locals, 250 for foreigners) as we stayed inside the cool comfort of the van. A few minutes more and we reached Sabang where we will take a boat (700 for six people) that would bring us to our final destination. Once again, we all stayed in the waiting area while Marlon haggled with the boat operators to get a ride. Finally, after a twenty-minute boat ride and beautiful vistas of limestone cliffs we reached the Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park.

To get there we had to pass by a 10-minute forest trail which they said was littered with monkeys and monitor lizards (although we only saw the lizards, no playful monkeys to snatch our bags/cameras). After that we had to wait a while because only a few boats at a time could be accommodated inside the caves. After a few more minutes of waiting, our names were called and we were give life vests and hard hats (to protect us, not from falling rocks but from bat droppings,he,he,he)

Then, we entered the deep dark entrance of the Underground River and inside, it was like entering a different world- an amazing glimpse into the underworld where mighty beings once roamed millions of years ago and carved different formations inside the deep caverns of St. Paul’s mountain. The boatman/tour guide advised us to look not with our eyes but with our minds. For indeed, you really need to stretch your imagination a bit in order to see the different rock formations pointed out by the guides. There were giant mushrooms, corn husks, a banana’s heart – in a cavern aptly named fruit and vegetable’s cavern. The main highlight of the tour was the so-called cathedral where the cave had a high-domed ceiling and rock formations of the face of Jesus, the Holy Family, and even a giant candle. There was also a nude lady and a long stretch that seemed like a highway.

Inside the caves, it was eerie, mysterious even a bit frightening at times with only the sound of the swishing of the water as the boatman paddles our little boat into the darkness inside. One can also hear the sound of bats flying and screeching as their sleep is roughly disturbed by the flashing of our lights. The Underground River tour allows tourists to traverse only a kilometer or so of the entire river, and this took us about 45 minutes. The boatman said it will take about three hours to navigate the entire 4-kilometer stretch of the subterranean river, but only those given special permits are allowed to do so. Anyway, the 45-minute tour is more than enough for us since we were given a glimpse into an amazing world that used to exist only in movies and in one’s deepest imaginations.

Finally, we reach the light at the end of the tunnel. And we are welcomed by the calm blue waters at the mouth of the caves. Carefully, we disembark from our boats and hike back towards the cove where the motor boats await to take us back to Sabang Bay. But of course, before we leave, we took photos first to crystallize the wonderful experience we had here at the Underground River, truly deserving of its title as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Sabang Bay, we had a buffet lunch at the Taraw Beach Resort (still part of the tour package). The food was quite good and we had fun eating with the Tauro family amid the ambiance of the crashing waves and salty sea air. Expectedly, we all ate plenty and it would have been perfect if we could take a nap amid the soothing sound of the sea. But we only had an hour which we just spent chatting and lazing around before the tour van takes us back to the urban jungles of Puerto Princesa city.

Last stop of the tour was a visit to the Vietnamese village where we had a chance to sample authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Twas here that we realized that the chao-lung dinner we had last night was a fake for it was nothing compared to the real thing cooked by a true Vietnamese cook. It wasn’t even called chao-lung but something like pho bo kho (I really can’t recall the name) But it was served the same way – with a side dish of togue, mint leaves, and French bread. Too bad though we weren’t able to taste their halo2 coz by the time our tour guide told us that their halo2 was among the best, we were already full. (Actually, we were still a bit full with our lunch earlier but we just can’t forego tasting the real Mccoy, so to speak)

Truly, this Palawan experience is one that will last me for a lifetime. From its pristine white sand beaches to the dark mysterious caverns of the subterranean river and the exotic flora and fauna that abound wherever you may go. The province literally teems with many places to see and do and is bound to satisfy a person visually and even spiritually. In fact, an entire weekend is not really enough to savor all the gustatory and visual delights that the island had to offer. Indeed it is one place that I will never get tired of and would surely return to, when time and money permits.