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Published: September 11th 2007
Donna touches down on the first beach we had visited in over a month...
(...she stumbled and almost fell in but the picture doesnt capture this!)Ahhh - exotic Palawan...gorgeous beaches, pristine virgin rainforest, turquoise sea, waterfalls and underground rivers. Only one problem...you have to get there first!
Finally we were leaving Manila...yey! Arriving at Manila's Domestic Terminal we were actually smiling but not for long as we were soon reminded of the ridiculously anal security transport measures in the Philippines. Examples of this are listed below:
1.You are not allowed into the airport terminal without a ticket and passport. Our ticket was booked online and the website just said to turn up with passport and booking number to check-in. So before we were even allowed into the airport by boys-playing-at-being-security-guards-with-fully-loaded-guns we had to find the airline office to get a ticket print out.
2.Finally inside the airport we were split into male and female queues for the baggage check, baggage was scanned and we were frisked.
3.After check-in we paid our departure tax and walked through yet another set of baggage checks and metal detectors - as if the first one wasn't sufficient! They even demanded that we took off our 1cm flip flops and put them through the scanner...what could you possibly fit into a pair of flimsy flip flops?
Honda Bay island
Very pretty and crystal clear water. Had some naked kids playing in the water but nothing a swimsuit wouldnt fix! 4.Despite our attire being shorts/skirt and t-shirts we were then frisked for a second time.
The plane departed on time and after 90 minutes we landed to a military brass band playing (see pic). Maybe they heard about our bad time in Manila and they were there to celebrate our escape from it's clutches?! We collected our baggage from the wheely trolley which was pushed out from underneath the plane and registered (for some unknown reason) with the Palawanian Immigration Department.
Now, some idiot has written on the internet that the airport is within walking distance of Puerto Princesa (Palawan's provincial capital). To be fair, to give this clown some credit, it was only 2 thumb widths on the Lonely Planet map. So when the trike drivers asked if we wanted a ride to Puerto Princesa, we shooed them away saying we could walk. 1 hour later we were dehydrated by sweating at least 4 litres out of ourselves and we had only just found the centre of Puerto Princesa. To make things worse, we later learnt the trike journey would have only cost 25p.
We stayed in an ok place for 600 pesos (£6) a night
Neil on Honda Bay island
The local kids stared like he was an animal in a zoo to be laughed at and prodded! which had air con, bathroom, balcony and everything! We read on many signs that Jesus was an unseen guest and that a Gideon lived there, so it can't have been too shoddy a place!
Puerto Princesa is very Christian, with lots of biblical quotes in unexpected places such as Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants! Puerto Princesa is also a very clean city (thanks to the Mayor being a clean freak!) and is quiet sleepy and laid back. However, it does share a common problem with Manila, that is, it's lack of decent eateries.
We decided to do a trip to Honda Bay the next day where deserted islands and good snorkelling were promised for 900 pesos (£9) including a buffet lunch. This trip was a different experience for us as we were the only Westerners on it, the rest of the people were Filipino on a weekend break from Manila.
We visited the islands by pumpboat which seated 6 people each and twice either our boat or one of the other boats broke down and had to be towed. But arriving at the first island (Pandayan) was worth it. The beach was perfect and the snorkelling was the
best yet on our round the world trip with amazing visibility, pristine coral and fish of all colours, shapes and sizes. It was one of those times we wished we had an underwater camera with the fish swimming all around us touching our skin. One fish got too close, obviously mistaking our legs for food and took big chunks out of our legs (see pics). We were thankfully not the most accident prone on the trip as there was a Filipina girl who cut a 3 inch gash on her arm on coral and on the second island we went to she managed to step on what she thought was a stonefish!
The second island, Snake Island was a wash out as it begun to rain but the snorkelling was still very good. The thirs island was Starfish Island and was, surprisingly, full of starfish and yet more good snorkelling. If you enjoy good snorkelling and nice island beaches, this trip certainly delivers.
The next day we were to travel to Sabang, an idyllic beach on the west side of the island but we first had to find a decent restaurant to eat in as we worried we
Big brass band to welcome us to Palawan
er...at least we thought we were special? were becoming malnourished because of our gaunt, pale appearance and constantly rumbling tummies! However, we found a 'fast food' outlet called Chow King which we know are located all over the Philippines which serve freshly cooked 'fast' food rice dishes rather than your normal plastic fast food joints. It's a tragedy we had to eat at a fast food restaurant but it really was the only place we could find with cheap, healthy and nutritious food!
The next day our transport arrived to take us to Sabang. We had opted for the £5 air con minivan over the £2 jeepney because we had heard the road was bumpy, dusty and not nicknamed the 'Abortion road' for nothing.
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Joh
non-member comment
Very Funny !
Simply hilarious...couldn't stop laughing !...cheers !