Puerto Princesa

My college roommate texted me out of the blue telling me how she still dreams of our Palawan adventure to this day. I can't blame her. Even I consider the Palawan trip my best, so far.

From the get-go, it was already quite an adventure for the both of us who literally had to wait for a minute or two for the seat sale page to refresh. Although the flight was booked some six months in advance, my friend was just as ready with her travel itinerary, giving me at least four options to choose from. Before we knew it, it was already the day of our trip with a typhoon to boot! Although we were worried, we sucked it up and decided to carry on with the flight.

This unintentional installation art reminds me of Hello Sandwich's entries about Japan.

We arrived Palawan a little after 10:00 AM and immediately headed to the Honda Bay Tour drop off point. Tourists usually rent a van to take them to places like this but because we decided to make this trip adventurous (and cheap), we rode a tricycle instead.

So much for travelling cheap, we rented a boat all to ourselves when we could have talked to the other tourists, share the boat, and split the bill. Our first stop was at Pandan Island.

Pandan Island

Gorgeous as it was, we had five other islands to see. So we took photos and moved on to Snake Island, which was an upgrade of Pandan--serene and spectacular. Here, we snorkeled, swam, and walked the snake-like shoreline, attempting to reach the "tail." But since we had other islands to go to, we just did enough of everything.

Snake Island

Mangrove saplings during low tide

After Snake, we went to Starfish Island, where there were more sea urchins and photo op props instead of actual starfish, and spent the rest of the afternoon in LuLi (Lulubog, Lilitaw) Island. That time, LuLi was like a dessert with fine white sand and sail boats and houses on stilts.

By 5:00 PM, we headed home to get ready for our dinner reservation at KaLui, and by 6:00 PM, we were out of the house, even if our dinner schedule was at still at 8:30. To kill time, we decided to walk to the local grocery store where we ended up buying cute school supplies. Finally, after the random shopping and the tricycle driver's failed attempt at outsmarting us, we reached KaLui.

Diners have to leave their footwear in baskets or drawers before entering the place.

The other side of the gallery

The place is adorned with native ornaments and exudes a beautiful laid back vibe, making its diners feel at home. After a scrumptious full meal, we decided to walk it out a bit and head to what the locals call their baywalk. It is pretty much like the one in Roxas Boulevard, Manila but with dimmer lights.

We were given a complimentary fruit salad.

Our second day was intended for the "main event" so as early as 6:00 AM, we were already up and having breakfast. We were scheduled to go to the Puerto Princesa Underground River and shared a van with a young couple in their 30's and a mature couple in their 50's. Save for the tour guide's fast facts, the ride was quiet until we reached the stopover. There, we started to bond by taking photos of each other and as a group. From that moment, it was a day of shared sunblocks, stories, and team effort.

Stopover

Waiting area

Systematic river traffic

We were then transported to a beach resort where buffet lunch was served, and spent a good number of hours bonding over sea food and travel stories. We also exchanged plans for the night, cellphone numbers, and even ideas for our future trips as a group! 

That same night, we were scheduled to go to Kuya Itoy's, a local coffee shop with live music. But because the night was still young, we decided to roam around the city. We found ourselves in the market making tusok-tusok the best-tasting fishballs and making halukay the ukay-ukay. Y'know. Haha! We scored a cute blouse and a tattered Mossimo shorts for only P15 each! (We also had a funny SD card moment which can be read here.) After several sets at Kuya Itoy's, we went straight to the local perya and played some sugal color game.

Nature Park

On our third and final day, we went on a city tour with our trusty tricycle driver. We reached Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center, Nature Park, the uphill Mitra Mansion, Baker's Hill, Butterfly Sanctuary, and the historic Immaculate Conception Church. We had our last Palawan meal in a local pizza parlor called Neva's Pizza and prepared to go back to Manila that same day.