Palawan

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We flew from Manilla to the Island of Palawan, they call it the last frontier of the Philippines as it is the place yet to be very developed.

Flying with Cebu Pacific Airlines was a absolute cack, the air hostesses got on the PA system and started singing some songs...the game was name that tune, and which ever passenger guessed it correctly first, won a prize. Could only happen in Asia, hilarious!

We landed in Puerto Princessa, the capital. Andrew and i hired a bike and drove a few hours to the famous subterranean river in Sabang. The scenery on the drive was spectacular...little villages, rice paddies and then high limestone cliffs jutting into the sky. The river itself was very impressive, it is a 8km long underground river in a cave, and we took a canoe about 1.5km up the river.

Most people just do a day tour to see the underground river, but Andrew and i wanted to do it ourselves and stay the night there. We stayed in this cute little bamboo hut. We were so glad that we had stayed as we were invited to sit with some of the locals and got friendly with them and shared some beers. Great people!

They invited us to the local disco that night, which was such a hilarious experience. There was only 4 songs on rotation the entire night!!!! With a 30 second break in between each one so the DJ could talk to the crowd some political/government issues. (??!!) Needless to say, i do not want to hear Billie Jean, lady ga ga Poker Face, Barbie girl (yes, seriously) and some chris brown song for a very long time! Each table was only allowed to dance when it was there turn, so each table rotated turns in dancing. You were not allowed to dance together unless the DJ said. IT was very bizarre. I found myself a local admirer, much to Andrews amusement, who came to ask my hand to dance each time it was our turn.

Cock fighting is huge over here, they say it is to Philippines what Baseball is to the USA, a national sport. IN Sabang the locals showed us their rooster and the blades they used! They asked what i thought, and I tried to diplomatically explain why it is illegal in my country. They really don't understand why, just seem to think we are a little strange in the western world and cant understand what the fuss is about. It is not uncommon to see a local carrying around his rooster, cradling it in his arms as he goes about his daily business, even when there is no fighting on.

Back to Puerto Princessa, then we got a local bus up to El Nido. This 8 hours on a mostly dirt road was certainly a experience..the bus must have been about 30 years old, and was packed to the rafters, literally...people were riding on the roof. We shared our 2 seats with 3 people and a rooster. The buses name painted on it was 'Drunken Master'....once again, only in Asia!

El Nido is a beautiful coastal town, a stop of point for island hopping around here. Today Andrew and I hired a biked, and explored the area. Once you get out of the small town, the roads are dirt, and there is not much except some villages few and far between. We got a local guide and hiked to a waterfall, which was had a springhole below it for swimming, very refreshing! Then we had some fresh coconut juice, taken straight from the tree.Further up we went to a little beach and a local lady cooked us fresh crab and rice, it was delicious!

As not many westerners get out of the town, the locals when they see you drive past get very excited, they yell hello, cheer, give big smiles and some even danced! Andrew and I felt like rock stars lol.

Tommorrow we are island hopping.

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Comments

[CINDI]

You guys are living the life!! Love the travel blog and it's keeping me very entertained while sitting at my desk wishing the day away. Ahhh to be doing what you're doing right now. Keep Smiling / Travel Safe and Be Happy !! Cindi.