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Published: October 17th 2006
Palawan with A
lunch at Viet VillePALAWAN TRIP WITH A
Sept29 - Oct2, 2006
And then there were two. From a party of five, only A and I finally made it to Palawan. Meant to be, it seems, because the day before we left, typhoon Milenyo wreaked havoc in Manila - all flights were cancelled so our friends who were supposed to fly from Cebu wouldn't have been able to join us anyway. It’s a good thing the weather cleared and we were able to fly out to Palawan last Friday, September 29.
Day 1: Honda Bay
After checking-in at Asturias Hotel and unpacking our stuff, we went out and flagged down a tricycle from the stand in front of the hotel. I asked him if he could drop-off and pick us up at Honda Bay. As it was normal practice for them already, he quickly said yes and we agreed at a package rate of P400. As it turned out, Arnold will be our
chauffeur in Puerto for the next few days.
We wanted to get lunch first so he suggested we go to Viet Ville. After a quick lunch at Viet Ville (food was so-so, not as I
Palawan with A
stranded at Lu-li island, Honda Bay remembered it to be… or maybe it’s because A’s mom cooks the best Vietnamese food in the country hehe), Arnold brought us to Sta. Monica wharf where we hired a boat for P1000 to island-hop.
Ten minutes into the boat ride and we see this white sheet in the horizon. You can actually see the rain moving through the bay and the surrounding mountains. We docked at Lu-Li island (shortcut for Lulubog Lilitaw), one of the private islands in Honda Bay, to wait out the rain.
When the rain stopped, we proceeded to Snake Island where we basically just chilled out, complete with lukewarm beer from the little island store hehe. It started to pour again so even if the water was temptingly warm, we just stayed in our windy little hut. We made paluto super-fresh fish (caught just minutes before) and ate it with our bare hands hehe… It cost us P180 for 1 kilo -- four giant pieces of fish (two of which we gave to our bankeros). The fish turned out to be the highlight of our stay in Snake Island hehe because then it really started to pour and the waves were getting rough
so we ended up not dipping at all.
We went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner. When we went out, Arnold offered to take us around again and since we had a lot errands (buy a charger, buy vitamins, etc.), we commissioned him again.
We had dinner at Ka Lui which was superb! We had the special which was good for two and costs only P305! The set meal included lato (seaweed), clam soup, tuna steak, buttered prawns, spicy squid with eggplant, grilled fish and fresh fruits with muscovado sugar. Yummm!!! 😊
Ka Lui itself was a revelation. It’s full of quirky artworks. At first glance, all you would notice are the paintings but as you have your meal and your eyes get accustomed to the place, you discover small things, artworks in themselves, that the owner has so discreetly incorporated in the design of the place. Amazing! And the best discovery in Ka Lui - they were playing Jack Johnson! I have to tell you… I’ve been to Puerto 5x and a place with only three FM radio stations isn’t exactly promising in terms of good music so I was ecstastic
when I heard Jack Johnson softly playing in Ka Lui!
And then there was more…
After dinner, we headed off to nearby Kinabuchs, the best bar in Puerto. We played billiards and just chilled out to very good music. You can actually bring your iPods or favorite CDs and have them play it. At about midnight, we called it a night, hailed our
chauffeur and headed back to the hotel. We paid Arnold P200 for driving us around -- he was just asking for P100 but A said dapat may night premium so we paid double hehe.
Day 2: Nagtabon Bay
Since I wanted to go someplace new for this trip, I included Nagtabon Bay in our itinerary. We hired a van from Topstar for P2000 for the trip.
Nagtabon is an hour's drive from the city. It has beautiful vistas of mountains, rocky outcroppings, and the nearby Hen and Chicken Islands. As it is not as widely-known as the other Puerto attractions such as Honda Bay, etc., we had the beach all to ourselves that day.
Since there are no resorts in Nagtabon, we had to buy food before we set
off. Our driver, Mang Batang, brought us to Jo’s Chicken Inato where we ordered food for take-out and managed to pick up a guy I previously met in Puerto hahaha. We also bought a Styrofoam cooler from the market then stopped at a convenience store for ice and drinks.
At Nagtabon, there are simple beachfront huts where you can put your things and have your meals. We occupied one and after a while, a lady came up to us to say she opened the nearby room so we can use the restroom. We paid her P200 for the hut and the restroom.
Nagtabon’s beach is relatively short, punctuated by rocky promontories at both ends. Walking to the far end, you will see a couple of streams flowing out to the river, its water very clear and cool. The waves were pretty high that day, as it is during the Habagat season.
We just chilled out with our books and iPods… enjoying cold rhum Cokes and great conversation with Kim, our newfound friend 😊
The highlight of our day at Nagtabon turned out to be the sunset which was really beautiful. It was awe-inspiring, what with all
Palawan with A
our boatman Jojo the golden rose hues in the sky and the sun so perfectly round and full… 😊 As we were leaving, our driver said that Nagtabon is really known for its sunset... it's a good thing we bummed around long enough to see it.
Without any shower whatsoever, we headed back to the city. We dropped Kim off at his restaurant and had dinner there. Went back to the hotel after -- we were supposed to watch this Jimmy Bondoc concert at the hotel (I know, I know… we don’t even like him but the city can just offer so much entertainment hehehe) so we freshened up and donned our rampa outfits… only to find out that it wasn’t really a concert. It was more of a campus queen thing with all these students milling about with their Calis in hand! We had one free drink which turned out to be iced tea. And for the record, that is by far the most expensive and worst-tasting iced tea we’ve ever had in our lives! And we didn’t even see Jimmy Bondoc! We didn’t see Jimmy Bondoc in a Jimmy Bondoc concert! How’s that for a bummer! hahaha
A wasn’t
Palawan with A
dinner at Ka Lui feeling too well so I went out for drinks with Kim to Kinabuchs. Went home at the indecent hour of 2:30AM (hey, this is probinsiya).
Day 3: Underground River and Sabang Beach
Early the next day, our van from Topstar (P3000 for the trip) arrived to pick us up. We set off for the Underground River which is about three hours away from the city. En route, we bought drinks and ice again and stuffed them in our high-tech cooler hehe.
We stopped by the Ulugan Bay viewdeck for some pics and souvenirs then at the Tourism office to get our permits for the park.
At the Sabang pier, we proceeded to the Tourism office again to pay our fees - P150 per person - and get a boat going to the Underground River. The boat is P600.
After the thirty-minute boat ride, we arrived at the St. Paul park and proceeded with the guided tour of the Underground River. The tour took less than an hour. We tipped our boatman P200 for his mala-Discovery Channel educational tour of the river.
We then headed back to Sabang beach where we parked our
bums at Taraw beach resort. We had fish, prawns and salad for lunch - still unbelievably cheap at P350 for two people. Again, we had the beach almost to ourselves. If not for the nasty sand fleas that kept on biting us, it would have been totally blissful to just sleep on the beach.
We showered at Taraw, paid for our food (no charge for the use of the hut and shower!), then settled for the three-hour ride back to the city.
At the city, we had dinner with Kim at Sari’s Baryo. I didn’t like the food so much 😞 And for the third night in a row, we ended up at Kinabuchs for drinks. I went back to the hotel at around 4AM to find the lights off and the employees sleeping in the couches at the lobby... it was pretty embarassing actually to wake them up to open the main door and turn on the lights for me hahaha...
Day 4: Kamarikutan Café and Gallery
Our flight was delayed. We went to the airport and the place was filled because not a single plane has arrived for the day… which means, everyone
who is supposed to fly out is also still there. So after checking-in our bags, we went out of the airport, bought pasalubongs at the Pasalubong Center, and asked Kim to bring us someplace for coffee (haha, ang Manileña divas). He brought us to nearby Kamarikutan Café and Gallery which is a popular attraction in Puerto. It’s one of those you find mentioned in the Lonely Planet guidebooks as a must-see. We each ordered cups of their mean Kamarikutan blend then just enjoyed the ambiance of the place. There were beautiful original artworks in the place and Kim said Joey Ayala plays in the café once a year, sort of like an annual tribute to the natural beauty of the place.
After a delay of two hours, we finally flew out of Puerto, back to Manila. The trip was super fun. It was my first with A and I have to say… I still love her even after the trip so she must be good travel company hahaha… On to KL for our birthdays A! Let’s go!
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isa
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hi! really nice pics! where exactly in palawan were you? i really want to find flat wide beaches similar to what was pictured in your blog?