Palawan: truly a paradise

 

The summer of 2007 was the most liberating summer I ever had! Why? My dream has finally commenced: to travel! And what a great way to start my wanderlust adventures, in the paradise called Palawan! To have an idea about Palawan read this excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palawan.

Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the Southern Tagalog region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City and it is the largest province in terms of land area. The islands of Palawan stretches from Mindoro to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea in the northwest and Sulu Sea in the southeast. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island.

Palawan, the only Philippine island cited, is rated by National Geographic Traveler magazine as the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia region in 2007, and the 13th best island in the world having “incredibly beautiful natural seascapes and landscapes. One of the most biodiverse (terrestrial and marine) islands in the Philippines…The island has had a Biosphere Reserve status since early 1990s, showing local interest for conservation and sustainable development”.

Getting There

You can reach Palawan’s capital City from Manila by airplane or boat. I choose airplane because I want to get there fast! This was my first time to ride an airplane, so I was excited, but a bit nervous he he he. I tried a local airline, Cebu Pacific. They have the lowest fare, a lot of promos, and best of all, new airplanes! Eversince then, I never rode another airline again (loyal?). I purchased a roundtrip ticket for only Php 4,300 (115 USD). After an hour, we finally landed at the airport of Puerto Princesa.

 

It was my first time to ride an airplane!

  

view from top..

 

It was a sucess! 

PUERTO PRINCESA

From the airport, I rode a tricycle to Duchess Pension, where I stayed. It only cost Php 200/night (5 USD) for a double room! For that price, of course you should not expect a lot. The cheaper rooms are relatively old but clean, and with just the basics: a bed, electric fan and a common bathroom. If you’re not that too choosy and you’re on a tight budget, this place is just right for you. During my first night of stay, I realized that most of my neighbors were foreigners. I guess they were on tight budget like me!

Anyway, the city offers a lot of things to do, from island hopping at Honda Bay, St. Paul Subterranean Park (underground river), crocodile farm, Vietnamese village and excellent white sand beaches. To know more about things to do, accomodations, etc. click here.

Pristine Beach Resort

Actually, I was not able to explore this city that much, because the day after I arrived, I immediately went to my target place, El Nido! But I was able to have a dip on one of its white sand beach, at Pristine Beach Resort. Just ride a tricycle, and the driver will take you there. Tricycle fare is 15 Php/person. When I arrived at the beach, I can’t believe that there’s this nice white sand beach within this city!

The beach has a long shallow area, ideal for children, and a mangrove forest on the side. I have been to several beaches around the country, and I still consider it the best! By the way, entrance fee is only 10 Php! I did not rent a cottage anymore because I plan not to stay too long.

 

 

 So nice to have your coffee at the beach! 

 

Among the mangroves..

  

Photo-op again!!

Food

The Vietnamese influence is evident in Puerto Princesa. There’s even a Vietnamese village here, because during the Vietnam war, refugees seek shelter in the country. I did not pass the chance to taste its cuisine so I tried the Vietnamese noodle called “chao long”. Its noodles is made of rice flour, in beef stew, topped with beansprouts and mint. The best match to this noodle is french bread. A bowl cost Php 35 (less than 1 USD).

         a bowl of chao long..         

  yummmm…

Public Market

Puerto Princesa has a big public market. The section that I most liked is the fish section. You can see variety of seafoods, from squid, oysters to lobsters. You can also buy souvenirs and pasalubongs here. I bought small turtle keychains for my friends. Another famous product of Palawan is the cashew nuts. They are inexpensive here, so I bought plain nuts and candied nuts.

Baywalk

I accidentally saw the bay walk while strolling. A lot of locals spend their here walking, chatting, while others are biking. I just sat there and waited for the amazing sunset! What a great way to end the day!

  At the baywalk..

Waiting for the sunset..

EL NIDO

The place that I would really like to see in Palawan is the town of El Nido. This town is located at northern most tip of the Palawan Island. It is composed of 45 islands and islets, each has its own unique geological formations. Like the rest of Palawan, it is part of the Eurasian Plate, a plate that is entirely separate from the Philippine Plate to which the rest of the Philippines belongs. The limestone cliffs here are similar to those that can be found in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and Guilin in China, as well as Krabi in Thailand, all of which are part of the Eurasian Plate.

Getting There

It’s about 8-9 hours from Puerto Princesa, by bus. My travel from Puerto Princesa to El Nido was unforgettable! I decided to go to the bus terminal before 5am so that I could catch the first bus. I was surprised when I saw that the bus is jampacked with passengers. According to the dispatcher, seats on the bus are only for those who made their reservations ahead of time. I was alarmed because I did not made any reservations. I thought I will not able to reach El Nido. Finally, the bus driver allowed me to get in to the bus, but the deal is: I don’t have a seat! He just placed a wood between the two seats in the isle. So I don’t have a back support for the entire 8-hour trip! Since there are a lot of people, were literally shoulder to shoulder, skin to skin. Hey, actually that’s the real adventure here he he he.

Accomodation

The journey to El Nido is a feast on the eye. I was never bored of the trip because of the beautiful countryside, mountains, tropical forests, vast ricefields and the sea! Though, I occassionally sleep during the trip he he he.. At around 1PM we reached El Nido. I rode a tricycle, and told the driver to bring me to inexpensive resorts. I stayed at Marina Beach Cottages, a double room cost 800 Php/night (20 USD). It has the basics, clean room and two beds. Though, it has no private bathroom, so you have to use the common bathroom outside the cottage. The resort is just a few steps away from the beach. The beach is amazing, you can see the limestone cliffs dotting the Bacuit Bay.

 

Bacuit Bay before dark..

Behind me is a restaurant by the beach..

 

A magnificient view!

Island Hopping

This is the must-do activity in El Nido. You should book in advance for the island hopping. There are a number of places to hire boats including packages that include food and tour guides.  A whole day tour costs 450 Php (12 USD), not includind the food (just buy your own food). There are several packages that you can choose from, I choose this package: small lagoon-big lagoon-shimizu island-seven commandos island.

 with my boat-mates..

Hold on tight!

 

we passed by several limestone cliffs..

Small Lagoon

The first in our itinerary, its actually part of the sea, enclosed by limestone cliff. The entrance to the lagoon is just a small hole in the limestone cliff, where a person or a kayak can fit (some tourists opted to kayak). It was just so surreal! It was my first time to snorkel, at first I don’t know how to use it ha ha ha! It was, of course my first time to see corals and fishes under the sea! It was awesome!

 

My first time to snorkel!

 

c’mon let’s swim! woohooo!

 

This is life!!

Big Lagoon

The water of Bacuit bay is so clear and blue. You can see the corals and fishes under. But I decided not to swim because the water in the big lagoon was quite deep. I’m not that yet confident to swim on the ocean’s water, though I can swim well

to the big lagoon..

Shimizu Island

The island is just one of the limestone islands in the bay, with a white powdery pristine beach. I felt that I was in Survivor Micronesia ha ha ha. The island was named after a japanese scuba diver who died near the island because of insufficient oxygen in his tank. We had our pack lunch and after we swim and snorkel. The corals are even beautiful here, I was able to see kinds of nemo and dory There is also an enclosed lagoon in the island. Its even more difficult to go inside because the hole is so small. I was not able to bring my camera because it might get wet. It was like you fell inside a well, if you’re a claustrophobic, you may not want to go in there. 

On our way to the island!

At Shimizu island..

Seven Commandos Island

The island has a long shore of white powdery sand and strings of coconut trees. It’s so perfect, like I’m in a paradise! There are no resorts or houses in the island, it look so pristine (I hope it will stay theat way!). When we arrived, there were jellyfishes along the shore. It was my first time to see jellyfishes, so I grabbed one. After that my skin was kinda itchy ha ha ha! Btw, it was named after a boat that was seen near the island. You can also swim and snorkel around the island. According to one of my boat-mate, this place is better than Boracay. I haven’t been to Bora yet, so I really can’t agree or disagree. I was in Boracay last December 2008, if you love the crowd and nightlife, bora is for you, but if you like peace and a pristine island, Seven Commandos is perfect!

This is an island paradise!

 Jellyfish, anyone?

Around the town

There are a lot of eateries around, where you can enjoy Filipino food at cheap price! Several convenient stores are also present, so you can practically buy everything, from toothbrush to bottled water, so you don’t need to worry. Don’t forget to try the street food, particularly the barbeque. You can choose from pork meat slices, chicken wings, and for the brave ones, you should try chicken feet (locals call this “adidas”), head (locals call this “helmet”), intestine (locals call this “isaw”)  and blood (locals call this “betamax”, but I don’t eat blood though). There are also several internet cafe’ and mobile phone signal is excellent, you can either use the service of Smart or Globe Telecom.

Other Activities

Aside from island hopping, you can also do cliff climbing, trekking and spelunking (cave exploring). You can also hire a motorbike to see the town. Souvenir shops are also around the town. I collect mugs from places I’ve been, but I was not able to find it here.

NARRA

After my stay in El Nido, I went back to the capital city. I have a friend living in a town called Narra, where I stayed. This is a fishing town, about three hours from Puerto Princesa. Its well-known for its beautiful falls, the Estrella Falls.

Getting There

You have to ride a van from Puerto Princesa (in the bus terminal). The fare is 100 Php (less than 3 USD). The roadside view is also nice!

Food

The best way to see experience food, is the market! There are different kinds of fishes, I can’t even recognize most of them ha ha ha! For our dinner, we bought Lapu-lapu, crabs, prawns and fresh seaweeds! Seafoods galore! Yummmm!! I also bought dried fish and dried squid, which I took home with me. Dried squid are particulalry expensive back home (Pampanga).

Narra Port

To reach the port, ride tricycle. The port is quite large and relatively new. An afternoon stroll is perfect!

Strolling at Narra port..

Behind me is the port..

Estrella Falls

To reach the falls, you have to rent a tricycle. Fare range from 250-300 Php (6-7 USD). The falls is quite far from my friends house (in Panacan). The trip to the falls is about 45 minutes to one hour. We passed by hectares and hectares of ricefields, bumpy roads, villages and woods. But it was all worthed! The falls is located inside a natural park. It has amenities like rooms, cottages, tables and barbeque grills. Since the the ticycle driver knew the care taker of the park, we did not pay the entrance fee! Though, the entrance fee is only 20 Php (less than 1 USD). The falls is the center of attraction, it was truly wonderful! The water is very cold and refreshing! What a great way to beat the summer heat!

The entrance to the park…

The twin falls of Estrella…

So refreshing!

I’m home-bound.. See  you soon Palawan!

My sojourn in Palawan was truly memorbable! There are still places that I haven’t seen in Palawan, like the St. Paul Subterrainean Park (underground river), Honda Bay and Crocodile Farm. That’s why I promised myself the I will return to this paradise someday!!

i’ll definitely return here someday!

_____________________________________________________________________________

Song of the Day:

IT’S YOU, IT’S ME by Kaskade ft. Joslyn. The perfect club music! Another song that reminds of summer sun and beach

___________________________________________________________________________

DISCLAIMER: Prices may go up, establishments may go bankrupt. It is recommended that you also check or research about the fares, fees and prices for your own convenience. The author of this blog is not connected with any of the hotels, resorts or establishments mentioned.

Exchange rate during the time of travel: 1 USD = 41 Php