Blogs from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, Asia - page 4

We were up by 6:15 to eat breakfast and catch our van to Honda Bay. Named for the Spanish name “Hondo Agua” (Deep Water), it’s apparently a popular tourist destination for snorkeling, fish-feeding, swimming, and eating. Our first stop was a floating dock in the middle of the bay where you could swim or snorkel. We didn’t stay there long before heading on to Snake Island (named for the shape, not the inhabitants) where I read and wrote, everyone else tanned, and we ate lunch (more grilled tuna and cucumber salad!) After lunch we headed to one last island before heading back to town with the other tourists on the 5:00 flight back to Manila. We learned that if you pronounced Palawan “PAH-lah-wan”, it means someone from Palawan. “pah-LAH-wan” means the island. When we got back, ... read more

We got up at 5:00 am to catch a cab by 5:30 am to the airport. Our flight out was at 8:10 and we wanted ample time, which was good idea because both Brittney and I ended up having to check our bags because of weight restrictions. Unfortunately, the Manila airport does not have a very efficient system for this. We went through the line for no luggage to check, no problem. Then, when we tried to go through security, they weighed our bags, told us we had to check them and sent us to a new line. While in that line, the woman kept saying things in Tagalog and people kept passing us. Fun. Once we got through line, we had to get in a new line to pay. Because that’s logical. After that, it ... read more

We woke up early in the morning, ate breakfast at our hostel (more eggs, bread, and fruit. Perfect!) and headed out to the Underground River, recently named one of the 7 Natural wonders of the World (by popular vote). Since we had some extra time, and our necessary permit for the Underground River didn’t allow us to get there until 12:30, we stopped first at Ubong Caves (Ubong means Echo in Tagalog) where we did some spelunking. There were 3 tricky parts, which our guides called “The Sexy Body Tests”. Every time you got through one, the older guide would yell out “Congratulations! You are sexy!” It was hilarious. One text you had to use ropes to pull yourself up a steep cliff and through a gap in the rocks. The second test you had to ... read more

Arriving in Puerto I took a tricycle the 12km to Banwa Pension, a funky arty hostel downtown. Close to the hostel there was only a small street that offered a bit of food and things. But it did have a bakery on it with some nice fresh cheese bread and things, it was so good to have fresh bread after so many months even if it was white. I booked to go to the underground river the next day. A contender in the new 7 natural wonders of the world. I spent the next two nights in the mens dorm as there was no room in the ladies the first night and I couldn't be bothered to move the second. The next morning I had been told I would get picked up between 8 and ... read more

Next on our filipino adventure was the island of Palawan! We flew from Manilla to Puerto Princesa where we stayed for a couple of nights. Puerto Princesa is the main city in Palawan, it's capital if you like, but it's only the size of a small town and still has that 'local' feel to it. We found a great little guest house called Manny's and based ourselves there. We also found an amazing little vegetarian cafe that conjured up all kinds of meaty treats out of tofu for under a dollar so this soon became our local hang out! From PP we went to see the 'underground subterranean river' - a very popular tourist destination, especially with local Filipino tourists. The river basically runs through a cave (underground) and is supposedly the longest one of its ... read more