Blogs from Palawan, Philippines, Asia - page 31

Dad, Nancy and I arrived Thursday morning in Puerto Princessa, Palawan. Woo Hoo! It was about 27 degrees celcius when we landed and humid as hell. Nancy had a stellar sleep (as she says) the night before we left (her first night in Manila) but I on the other hand only had about four hours sleep before we left. Dad, Nancy, Ann and I decided to have some drinks on the porch after dinner and after Nancy and I had packed for Palawan. Dad went to bed around 9:20p and Nancy retired not long after but was a complete trooper. Ann and I decided to polish off the rest of the Grey Goose that night - hehe. We were just sitting and talking when we saw my dad come down stairs fully dressed. I started to ... read more

1. Spit dust after the trying bus ride and check into a nipa hut on the beach. 2. Meet your new neighbour, Steve, whose Hebrew name is Erin, a Hollywood born bum who lives on social supplement and voted for McCain. Act respectfully when he tells you that he's been travelling for 19 years with the money the government gives him and has been to 43 countries. Let him believe that you think it is an achievement as if you didn't have more flags under your belt. Then learn all about his years in Amsterdam and he's undying love for prostitutes there. As days go by learn more about his midlife crisis, his plan to live in a 50 peso a night hut for a year and a half in order to save enough money to ... read more

Widely considered as the Philippines’ final frontier, Palawan could very much be the microcosm of the whole country. It packs so much in such a narrow strip of land everything the Philippines has to offer but has relatively less tourists, thereby making it easier to have an off-the-beaten-track feeling. On the northernmost tip of Palawan is the Calamian Archipelago, where Busuanga Island - its largest island - is located. Famed for its superb wreck diving sites, Busuanga also boasts of picturesque sceneries, good swimming, and worthwhile hiking trips for a fun-filled weekend. We had our two-day Coron-Calauit trip on November 1-2 this year, departing Manila in the afternoon of October 31 via Super Ferry. (Super Ferry departs Manila every Friday on the way to Puerto Princesa and stops at Coron Saturday morning before leaving for the ... read more

Not quite being able to face the full 36 hour journey back to Palawan which the previous time had been across VERY rough seas we decided to break the journey in the little-known Cuyo islands halfway in between Palawan and Panay in the Sulu Sea. I had got of the boat for an hour the previous time to discover friendly locals, few restaurants, no cars and a relaxed sun-drenched atmosphere that, despite a lack of tourist attractions other than a seventeenth-century Spanish fort, tempted us back for a stay of a few days. What we discovered this time was quite different; the harsh, near maddening winds known as the Amihan had blown up shortly after our last visit and would apparently be ravaging the isles for the next six months. It gave the whole place a ... read more

I haven't written for quite a while and I'm happy to say it's because I've been having the time of my life. I think the last time I posted on here I was in El Nido town . Immediately after writing we found ourselves in a videoke bar, as you do, sitting centre front singing away happily with a few bottles of Red Horse and San Mig Lite. We spoke to a few of the other patrons, one guy in particular was called 'Bilog' (roughly translated as 'circle' or 'round' in Tagalog), we later found out from his sister that he was stuck with this nickname because he was such a chubby baby. Anyway...we became quite territorial with the videoke as the night drew on, getting annoyed when anyone else put song requests in. We were ... read more