Coron in 10 Hours

...but I have not packed yet. I have the following in mind though which I will try to fit in my backpack for this 4-days-3-nights trip:

• 3 sets of clothes
• 2 sets swimwear
• 1 set sleepwear (yes I usually do have one for a whole trip)
• an extra shirt and shorts
• inner garments
• toiletries and vanity kit (for the conservative - only loose powder, lotion and cologne, yes no make-ups)
• sunblock
• insect repellant
• shades
• big scarf
• trekking sandals
• slippers
• cap
• camera and charger
• notebook and pen (for my notes, etc)
• tumbler (will bring one for my daily cup of coffee)
• some snacks - bread and cup noodles (heard that groceries in Coron is a little expensive)
• 1 set of corporate wear (will report for work Monday afternoon if I have time)

Preparing for Coron has been exciting since this morning while we were doing our last minute changes in the itinerary. We decided to leave the Calauit Safari tour for some other time. We are doing the Malcapuya-Banana-Malaroyroy instead. So it means, we'd be beach bumming and island hopping for 2 days. Woah! I hope I have enough sunblock for that.

Earlier tonight, I learned that Mai and Mars have packed already...but I have not. Will be doing the cramming again in less than 30 minutes. My usual self...Haha.

Here we go Coron! I can't wait for tomorrow.

Flight is at 8:30. I hope I'd make it early.

Palawan is 8th in Lonely Planet's Top 10 Regions

Puerto Princesa Underground River

After clicking Ten countries to discover in 2013 on Yahoo! Philippines news feeds, a related travel article entitled Palawan named a top tourist destination also caught my attention. After reading the article, I was directed to Lonely Planet's website, where the information originated.

Lonely Planet, a globally renowned brand on travels, listed Ten Best Regions in 2013 and named our very own Palawan and placed it on the 8th spot.


It described Palawan, the Philippines as the ultimate archipelago for adventures.

Seven Wonders of Nature Marker

Other regions on the list of best travel destinations recommended in 2013 are:

1. Corsica, France
2. The Negev, Israel
3. Mustang, Nepal
4. The Yukon, Canada
5. Chachapoyas & Kuelap, Peru
6. The Gulf Coast, USA
7. Carinthia, Austria
9. Inland Sea, Japan
10.Campania, Italy

Palawan has apparently became a tourist hot spot after Puerto Princesa Underground River made it to the list of New Seven Wonders of Nature, which it truly deserves the same way that the province is being named one of the bests.


It was a humbling experience witnessing first hand, nature's marvel in Puerto Princesa and I couldn't be prouder that after setting foot in the province's capital city, I am set for another adventure next week, this time in the its northern region, Coron.

I have become more excited now for our Coron trip. I can't wait to see yet another beauty in Palawan. Moreso, I can't wait to say I have visited the province at least twice already (even before 2013). <smiles>

Puerto Princesa Do-It-Yourself

When best to visit?
I guess because Puerto Princesa experiences good whether practically the whole year, anytime would do.

How long?
We stayed for 3 days and 2 nights but we missed the Honda Bay Tour so I guess 4 days and 3 nights would be perfect.

How to get there?
The easiest way to get to Puerto Princesa is of course, by air. I know nothing of a trip by sea. Domestic airlines have daily schedules to the city, being one of the top destinations in the Philippines. And the opening of AirAsia would add to the number of domestic flights flying to the city. Flight takes about 1.5 hours from Clark (perhaps it’s almost similar if the flight comes from Manila). To get to Clark, RW Manila’s free shuttle service is a big help.

How to go around?
Riding on tricycles or just renting them worked for us. Minimum fare is P8, but beyond 8PM, it’s P10. Going around downtown is pretty easy. We would walk most of the time. But other parts could be reached by jeepneys or tricycles. For tourists though, tourist vans are always the more convenient vehicles.

Where to stay?
Accommodations in Puerto Princesa range from rooms for rent to pension houses, inns to hotels. I’ve seen a lot of them when we were wandering around the city. It apparently flooded the city streets. Anyway, click HERE (you must be logged-in to Google to view the spreadsheet) for the shortlist I have made for our trip. These are the cheapest I found. And the best that we found that would fit our needs and budget was Casitas de Az Pension at P1,350 per night good for the three of us. The rate includes transfers and free breakfast, etc. It is conveniently located near downtown Puerto Princesa. It is actually a few blocks from Baywalk. Details of the pension house are as follows:

Address: Valencia corner Bonifacio Street (A.Abueg), Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
Tel/Fax No. (048) 434-1945
Mobile No: 0916-9086920/ 0918-5509366
Email: casitasdeaz@yahoo.com
Website: www.casitasdeazpension.com

I was personally satisfied of the service. One because the staff were really nice especially Ms. Shana who was so kind helping us in all the little things we need and in so patiently answering all the questions we ask. And second because prices are really affordable. They actually offer a cheaper rate of P1,400 per pax for underground river tour compared to the prevailing rate of P1,500.

Where to eat?
Locals would suggest Kinabuch, but we had dinner at Balinsasayaw Restaurant. It was good for the money. We actually spent a little less than 150 per pax for a good dinner of bulalo, chopsuey, balinsasayaw rice and mango shake. Of course there are the more popular Kinabuch and Ka Lui, which may be worth the try as well.

What to do?
A suggested tour and itinerary for first time tourists in Puerto Princesa consists of: underground river tour, city tour and Honda Bay tour. We did only the first two. We had 1 whole day and 2 half days in Puerto so I guess that would best fit our schedule and our budget.

While we made our own city tour, courtesy of Kuya tricycle which we hired for P300, we took the services of a travel agency in our underground tour. It wouldn't have been that convenient if we didn't. We were assigned a tour guide who does freelance too - Ricky Gerasmia, or simply Kuya Ricky. He can be reached at his mobile numbers: 09126130579 or 09152000152. He is a registered tour guide and is really funny and cool.

Kuya Ricky could have brought us for an Iwahig Firefly tour quoted at P500each. We were just too tired already we didn't go on with the tour. Sad...Would be doing that next time, as well as the tour in some of the falls of Puerto Princesa.

What to bring home?
Actually, every tourist should bring home a story of how he/she ate tamilok. But I have none, simply because I am not the adventurous type when it comes to food. I’ll have to try it though next time.
Cashew nuts and pearls – these are the products of Palawan. But of course, I bring home t-shirts as a souvenir for myself, which I got for a cheap P90 at the pasalubong center.

How much to budget?
Normally, it would have been (per pax):
Underground -P1,500  
City Tour –P600
Honda  Bay –P1,500
Total – P3,600 ++

But ours was only around P1,620 for both underground and city tour.
We swore to just spend at most P3,000 all-in. I think my friends made it close. I obviously exceeded. Click HERE (you must be logged-in to Google to view the spreadsheet) for the actual expenses.

3D2N Puerto Princesa Itinerary

Day 1- City Tour
2:00PM           -arrival and check in at hotel
3:00PM           -lunch at Bona’s Chaolong
3:30PM           -pasalubong shopping
4:00PM           -travel to Mitra’s
4:45PM           -to Baker’s Hill
5:30PM           -Back to hotel
6:30PM           -To Baywalk and dinner
8:00PM           -Back to hotel

Day 2 - Underground Tour
9:00AM           -Depart city to Sabang Wharf
11:30AM         -arrival at Sabang and lunch
1:30PM           -boat ride to underground river
2:00PM           -underground tour
3:30PM           -back to Sabang
4:00PM           -Ugong Rock
6:30PM           -Arrival at hotel
7:00PM           -Mass at Immaculate Concepcion Church
8:00PM           -Dinner at Balinsasayaw

Day 3 - Extended City Tour
9:00AM           -To museum (but closed)
9:15AM           -Immaculate Concepcion Parish and Plaza Cuartel
10:30AM         -to Robinsons
11:00AM         -early lunch
12:00PM         -check-out


So this wrapped up my Puerto Princesa trip...definitely this will not be my last.

Puerto Princesa City Tour - Extended

PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN. Because our flight was still at 1:50PM, we decided to roam around the city one last time. We planned to go back to the museum but it was (yet again) closed. The tricycle driver was just nice enough to bring us to other place free of charge (nakakahiya naman po...para bumalik kayo). We insisted to pay additional though, which he later accepted willingly.

We went to Plaza Cuartel instead. And since beside the plaza is Palawan's cathedral, we also stopped by to pray and be amazed with the colorful interiors. Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in Puerto Princesa is a modern gothic style (I think) and is predominantly blue and white, which is very true of how we perceive Mary, Immaculate Concepcion.

Church Facade

Interiors

Plaza Cuartel, on the other hand is a site of history. In its marker, I quote:

Sa pook na ito na dating tangulang militar noong ikalawang digmaang pandaigdig naganap ang pagsunog ng mga sundalong hapon sa humigit kumulang 150 Amerikanong bihag ng digma noong  14 Disyembre 1944. Ilang nakaligtas ay lumangoy sa dagat patunongong iwahig. Ang mga __ nasawai ay dinala at inilibing sa St. louis county sa isang panlahatang libingan sa Jefferson Barpacks National Cemetery, Missouri, Estados Unidos, 1952.

Plaza Cuartel Entrance Gate

One of the 11 who survived the massacre returned to the Philippines in 2009 for the unveiling of this memorial he built. This and the landscape of Plaza Cuartel occupied our trip. We enjoyed the shades generously given by the tall, towering trees as we sat on the benches.

Benches are all around

Memorial Marker

All of this plus an early lunch at Robinsons Palawan and a quick stop at the Provincial Capitol occupied the last day of our stay in the city.

Robinsons

Provincial Capitol

This culminated my Puerto Princesa trip. And I must say, this won't be the last. I will have to experience the firefly watching in Iwahig and catch an island hopping adventure in Honda Bay.

Related post: Day 1: Puerto Princesa City Tour
Related Post: Day 2: Up Close Puerto Princesa Underground River

Up Close Puerto Princesa Underground River

PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN. The recently concluded search for New Seven Wonders of Nature listed Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (or simply Puerto Princesa Underground River) as one of the best in the world. I could never be prouder to have visited PPUR.

The tour, which we got from Kuya Ricky’s tour agency as suggested by my officemate who personally knows the operators, was scheduled in our second day in Puerto Princesa. Their package is similar to that of the others. It’s standard I learned, that all packages for an underground river tour shall be for a reasonable price of P1,500(all-in).

Probably the most photographed marker.

Land travel from downtown Puerto Princesa to Sabang Wharf

We were the first to be picked up at the hotel. It was shortly after 8AM. And since we will be touring with other groups who we have to pick up too, we finally departed downtown Puerto Princesa at around 9AM already. It would have been a perfect excuse to take a nap and probably, sleep. But because Kuya Ricky made a really good guide, narrating history, sharing the province’s culture, explaining the city’s ordinances, its tradition, and every basic thing to know…we were wide awake. And we’re learning and having fun.

On the way.

Lunch at Taraw Restaurant at Sabang Wharf

Land to Sabang Wharf took about 2 ½ hours. We arrived right in time for lunch. The group (12 of all in all) was ushered by Kuya Ricky to Taraw Lodge and Restaurant. Taraw served buffet lunch with 4 viand in the menu – adobong kangkong, inihaw na liempo, chicken and pork adobo and grilled tuna. Bananas are also available for dessert and a bottle of soda for refreshment. 

Lunch.

Taraw was just right past the more exclusive and obviously expensive Sheridan Beach Resort, so we took our own luxury of walking at the hotels’ exclusive beachfront property even when the sun is at its highest. The beach as if calls on us for a swim, which we want to do right at that moment. Aaaaaah. It was a beautiful sight from afar - the waters were studded with diamonds.

Sheridan's beach front.

Boat ride to Underground River

We had to wait for about 30 mins before we boarded for a  20-min boat ride to the underground river. The boat ride itself is already superb. Islands with white beaches were a common site. I would usually ask our boat man if we could say, hop off to swim. But they would strictly say NO. It is how they value rules in the city. As they would always say, only the beaches in Honda Bay are allowed for swimming. And I have nothing but respects really to the locals. 

Dock.

We were greeted by a photographer taking souvenir photos of tourist (it costs P100 per printed picture), but of course, we brought our own cameras so basically, we just posed and didn’t bother to buy print anymore. Haha. After registration, it took us less than 5 minutes to walk through the woods leading to the underground river's opening.  The convenience was obvious from the wooded trail created for tourists to follow. But convenience was nothing to seeing monkeys, monitor lizards, different species of bird – all in their natural habitat. 

Woods.

Boat ride inside the underground river

Because of the influx of tourist from the time PPUR was named 7 Wonders of Nature, queuing has been unavoidable. We will be in the 87^th batch that day. I could only imagine the number of tourists that have come before us – I’m sure it’s more than a hundred. For more than 30 mins or so, we enjoyed the view but definitely not the smell.

Entrance to the river.

Kuya Ricky said it’s the bats and the brackish water’s combined smell. We well, got used to it somehow. And besides, we would occasionally go to the open area at the far left of the wharf where the smell of the ocean replaces that of the bats. We couldn’t have survived if we didn’t.

The classic jump.

The tour started with Piolo Pasyal (Pascual) introducing himself to us. That mere introduction gave me a hint of the comical tour he will be giving us. He did pretty great. They created a really good piece I must say. They made the tour informative and entertaining at the same time so we didn’t actually realize it lasted for about 1.5 hrs. It wasn’t a bore. It was only…amazing.

Start of the boat ride.

Nearing entrance.

One of the many formations.

View nearing exit.

View from the exit.

Side trip to Ugong Rock Adventures

Before we returned to the city, we dropped by Ugong Rock. The other tourists in our group wanted to try the spelunking-rapelling-zipline adventure.  I have tried those before in other trips so it wasn’t really interesting to me anymore and we were on a budget so we decided to just let them and wait.

Tour outside the cave.

Back in the city, we were still able to catch the 7PM mass. After which, we had dinner at Balinsasayaw Restaurant (located near the city's museum). After a short prayer over lit candles at the grotto of Our Lady of Immaculate Concepcion, I asked for the direction to a nearby restroom from a family of 3 (dad and 2 daughters). We were lucky that in that short talk we'd actually found real nice people who would escort us to the restaurant which a few minutes before, directions were just being explained. We were surprised when we saw them following our tricycle to the restaurant. We thanked Lea and her dad and sister and humbly said nagabala pa po kayo. We were answered with, "sinigurado lang namin mkakarating kayo ng maayos." It was one of the nicest gestures I have received in my trips.

Related post: Day 1: Puerto Princesa City Tour

Related post: Day 3: Puerto Princesa City Tour - Extended

Puerto Princesa City Tour

PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN. I have never seen a city this clean until I set foot in Puerto Princesa. And touring the city proved it more. I did not see any trash on the road other than fallen leaves. yes, not a single candy wrapper. In the minute, I would admire the people's discipline and how they protect their environment in every way they can. It is here as well that the people has been given police power to arrest any violators. No littering. No smoking. These are simple rules so hard to abide especially in where I have lived and where I'm working, but to them, it just seems too easy.

This trip was a challenge. We had an unplanned itinerary except for an underground river tour in day 2. Other than that, days 1 and 3 were empty and was filled on-the-spot.

Puerto Princesa Airport

We arrived in PP around 2 PM already so we had to take late lunch. It wasn’t a real lunch actually but it satisfied our stomachs. We tried chaolong (Vietnamese noodles) which is quite popular in the city. In an inquiry with a local, I learned that there is a Vietnamese village in the city…and for long, the people has learned to adopt as one of the locals.

Tried chaolong at Bona’s

Chaolong

The restaurant (karinderia) was a suggestion by our hotel's staff. The food was actually a suggestion already. A solicited advise from an office mate who grew up in Puerto Princesa. He was referring chaolong in Vietnames Village though. But it seems that it is far from the city proper so we decided to go to the nearest restaurant offering chaolong. Apparently, there are a number offering one. But we tried Bona's. A decent meal for P50. It is a good soup-based meal. I must admit though that it is enough I have tried it once.

Did the City Tour for Just a Hundred

Toured the city in a tricycle.

After talking where we want to go over our lunch, we decided to go to the museum first but the tricycle driver who was supposed to bring us there gave us an offer we couldn’t resist – tour us around for just P100 each. The tour, after much bargaining was finally set at 5 key points, Mitra’s Farm, Baker’s Hill, the Pasalubong Center in downtown PP and museum and capitol later. But the two others we weren’t able to visit because of time constraints.

Mitra's Ranch has a pretty good view of Honda Bay.

After our pasalubong shopping, which cost me… as usual (actually realized later that it would have been better shopping from the outside of that air-conditioned pasalubong center, because stuff is the same but priced less), we went to Mitra’s Farm/ Ranch and enjoyed the scenic view of Honda Bay. 

Sightseeing was already enough for us since it definitely satisfied our eyes; so we did not, although available, try the other attractions at the ranch – a short zipline, horseback riding, trampoline, etc. We just sat on the grass, ate lanzones, talked and laughed, walked around and took that photograph-my-back shot – indeed, the best things in life are free.

Rancho de Sta. Monica's (Mitra's Ranch) inhabitants.

Mitra's Ranch has a big lawn good for picnics, walks, etc.

We went to Baker’s Hill shortly before dawn. We were lucky we caught yet another batch of picture-perfect spots and conversation “pieces” which are just as engaging.  I didn’t get the details and history of the place but obviously, it has been converted from a family rest house to a tourist destination.

One of at least 3 houses in the compound.

Flowers arranged in a basin of water.

The compound has a restaurant which offers buffet lunch on Sundays at P399, a beautifully-crafted landscape and Disney-inspired park. And its best attraction – what else but the bakeshop. They have packs of pastries ranging from as low as P35, yet quality was not sacrificed. . I just bought the best chocolate crinkles ever!

Disney characters adorn the park.

Differently designed gardens are a common sight.

We went back to the at night fall. And after a short stop at our hotel to rest our tired feet, we went to check Puerto Princesa’s version of Manila’s Baywalk. A tricycle from our hotel brought us to that portion of the City where we felt closer to the ocean.

Visited Puerto Princesa’s Baywalk

Lights at the Baywalk.

We’ve had so many cheap finds in this trip: airfare, city tour and dinner, which we took at the convenience of free tables parallel the food stalls lined at the area. Dinner was less than P30 – fish balls (the home-made one which I wouldn’t replace for any packed ones) and kwekkwek. Puerto Princesa’s Baywalk was almost like that of Manila’s only that instead of cars beeping, kids playing and teens dancing are your ad-ons and you definitely get cold sea breeze.

Cheapest dinner ever.

I learned that PP’s air is still zero carbon. It means that the abundance of trees is still able to absorb whatever carbon the vehicles emit. No doubt, while we were strolling at Baywalk and even in our way to the hotel, there’s nothing but fresh air. We were actually surprised to have seen our feet clean after a long walk and to have felt an oil-free and dirt-free face. It seems easy-to-get in PP.

Related Post: Day 2: Up Close Puerto Princesa Underground River
Related Post: Day 3: Puerto Princesa City Tour - Extended