Palawan (Philippines):...Now the islands

Honda Bay.



Arriving at the site of the Palawan Subterranean National Park, or the Underground River.



Entering the river to see stalactites and stalagmites. And from here on all my photos from inside the cave just suck. I also saw a lot of bats. (It's more breathtaking than this.)





Beverage, and dessert! The coconut is just the most perfect thing.







Taken at the Vietnamese Village, the city's settlement for Vietnam war refugees. Apparently most of them either repatriated or acquired US citizenship, so only a handful of the original refugees still live in this area today. They're now a stop on the tour, and tourists buy their old-school French bread.



On the way to Honda Bay...



Taken at Snake island, where we snorkelled and swam. I almost panicked when I counterflowed into a school of fish, but they ignored me.



Pandan island, where we had lunch.



Still Pandan island, where we insisted on staying despite nearly half of our tour group wanting to go back. It's a long story, involving many characters like the Joy Luck Club and honeymooners "Mr. and Mrs. D__la_", but the short of it is, we still had an hour to hang out at the beach and the KJs wanted to take our transport back to hotel already.

Evil Stepsisters ganged up on the poor tour guide, Herman ("Kuya Germs"), who to his credit not only found us another van, but also extended our stay an hour. We were very nice to him afterward, but the spark was gone.

The entire package, inclusive of airfare, hotel, breakfasts, 2 tours with lunch and airport transfers cost us just under P12,000 each. We survived on pocket money of P2000. I went a little over, but I would have stayed within budget if I didn't buy souvenirs and eat so much. Pricey for a weekend, but you get a lot of bang for your buck and now I'm just totally in love with the place.

Agh. The flight back to Manila was a little over an hour, barely enough time for a nap. Boo, reality.

Palawan (Philippines): First the city...

Palawan is love!

The first trip of the year, and it's already going to be hard to top.


Their decked-out tricycles. Fare was P6.00 per person from the hotel to anywhere we ever needed to go.







Taken at the Legend Hotel. Despite some facility and service gaffes, they were quick to recover and overall it's a great place to stay in.





Some city scenes. I believe these are in Rizal Avenue, where I guess most of the restaurants and happening places are.





NCCC, the closest thing Puerto Princesa's got to a mall. Their food court was where we had our first meal. (My lunch cost P111.00. Chicken afritada, pinakbet, rice, C2, and mineral water.)


City Tour: P650




The remains of the largest crocodile ever caught in the country, on display in the Crocodile Farm. The croc died eventually due to stress. (Something about overproducing lactic acid to toxic levels.) The lesson: Don't give in to stress.



Hold a baby croc for P30! Sadly not my thing.



The Crocodile Farm is now a sanctuary for all kinds of wacky animals, so now we have an ostrich...



... the horny Palawan Bearcat (it was kind of humping the stick but you can't tell from the shot)...



... an owl (that was too cool for us)



... and a no-longer-wild boar. Among other creatures.



The view from the Rancho Sta. Monica, owned by the Mitras but is now open to the public for camwhoring.



Taken at Bakershill, a compound that sells lovely breads and pastries, but it's got these strange things scattered all over its premises. Like a pirate. And Donald Duck.



That appears to be Fabio trying to get into the pretty house.



They've got ostriches too! The best sign EVER was taken by chris though, and I hope he sends it to me soon.



A weaver at Binuatan, where I bought some placemats to send to my mom.



Balinsasayaw dinner 1: chicken barbecue (their specialty) meal, Sprite, and adobong kangkong that I shared with and . P100.
Dinner 2: Pork liempo meal, Sprite, and fresh lumpia. P107.00



Recommended by tour guide Ariel. Dinner: Pork chop meal, Sprite, 1/2 ensaladang talong. P140.00





Do ignore the strangeness of the coffee shop logo, because you might like this place. P60 frappes! Acoustic guitar live performance! And their staff gave us P2.00 for trike fare because we needed it. (Amazing Race-style begging is not fun, I now know.)


Being there on a weekend when Manila was all disturbed because of protest rallies and military standoffs just underscored the beauty of Puerto Princesa. The city is clean and beautiful, the food is scrumptious, the people are laid-back, competent and well-mannered... it's a great place to relax.