Palawan - Puerto, Jungle Beach and Port Barton

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So we head to Palawan with expectations of flies, mosquitos and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Over the next 3 weeks we stay in Puerto Princesa, Jungle Beach, Port Barton and El Nido. We are joined by local Filipino vacationers (it’s their summer break) and young European travellers, all the men sporting Zach Galifianakis beards – must be the latest fad.

Puerto Princesa

We are booked into Puerto Princesa for 3 nights, which we find is 3 nights too long. We wanted to visit the Underground River, a world heritage site during one of these days, but the council have no more permits left for 3 days. So we walk up and down Rizal Street, every second shop a Bank, unsuccessfully search for the war museum that is in 5 different places on 5 different maps and hunt out the top trip advisor restaurants.

There are many stalls long the footpaths, a line of pots with holding hot food, like stews, they do not look at all appetising, sitting out in the sun all day. We sit down at our guest house for our free brekky – earlier prepared cold rice, sausage, egg and dried fish head – hmm - we run to the coffee shop for latte and toast.

In our three weeks travel on this island, we see very few vegetables, flies or mosquitos – yippee. Their signature fruit is mango and Carl loves the Mango shakes, we find we love cordon bleu fish and live in their Kilawin (ceviche -raw fish).

The roads are constantly full of tricycles, which we love riding in. A packet of 20 cigarettes is like $2nz, not that we buy any. The power cuts out a lot, the WIFI makes you mad.

Jungle Beach

We just turn up at the bus terminal, they sell the yummiest dunk’n donuts, and hop on the local Cherry bus and head off on a 1.5 hour ride with Bon Jovi blasting from the sound system. Filipinos appear to love the 80-90’s POP and happily sing along. We caught one taxi driver singing along to Puppy Love in Manila. Karaoke is a big thing here, as we find out. We pass many small villages all look the same, flax huts, small shop stalls, and locals sitting around in grass roofed bus stops to get out of the sun.

Jungle Beach is inthemiddleofnowhere, it’s a beautiful sight, white sand, blue seas and hammocks and bean bags lining the beach, its bliss. There are only 4 bungalowssoveryquiet. The owner, George, is Swiss, I first met him when he walked into the outside restaurant area in his boxers with a monkey around his neck! He is quite the character, loves a laugh! (That is, George, not the monkey, he can’t laugh). There is also a resident dog, Gina, and he goes snorkelling with you, very funny he swims zigzag in front of you, and all you can see is his legs and bum paddling under the water through your goggles under the water.

We spend the next few days relaxing in hammocks, swimming, and snorkelling off the beach and eatingthe amazing feaststhatDesithe cook makesforus. We watch George as he puts his diving tank on and swims out off the beach for a dive! Never seen that before.

One day George organizes everyone staying to go on a river boat tour, even the monkey comes with us. The tour boats a visit to the big tree. Yeh I know, a tree, I did not even take my camera when we trekked into the forest to find the big tree, but actually it was a very big tree, quite impressive. The monkey liked Carl, sitting on the back of his neck clasping onto the back of his head, I think he took to him cos his hair was the same colour as George, so he jumped from neck to neck, just unfortunately he picked Carl’s neck to be on when he did a poop all down his back (haha). I have loaded a video of the monkey that the kids might like to watch.

We are sad to leave it is so peaceful, but if Jungle Beach is anything to go by, we are looking forward to what we find next, so time to move on to Port Barton. Desi books us a local open air bus, awesome we get to ride up front with passengers and luggage packed high on the roof! Every big bouncy bump I look out the side window to check the line of jandals are still dangling from the roof.

Port Barton

This is a little village consisting of two streets back from the beach which is lined with bungalow accommodation, little boats and unfortunately very large jelly fish. It’s unlikely we will be doing a down trou on the beach to pee on a jelly fish sting, so no swimming here. But there are amazing sunsets, rooster choruses and island hopping tours daily. We have been advised to do island hoping at next stop El Nido. We did not pre book but were lucky to get the last room in the best accommodation, I think, on the beach. The only issue is I slept with the man in the next room, the walls were so thin I could hear him roll over, sniff, talk and SNORE!

Lovely beach front open air restaurant and relax area on the beach with a three course meal for $6NZ (200p). Great sunsets. Unfortunately after eating next door I got sick and slept for the next 24 hours. Otherwise time is spent walking around Port Barton village, swinging in a hammock reading and lots of cold showers (it’s so hot and no power at night for fan).

We notice lots of European men with Filipino women, obviously not couples, one guy was boasting in a bar how he lives in manila, just got married and the women he was with was not his wife “she says she does not mind as long as I don’t tell her!”. Weird, it’s like he is away on his honey moon with another woman!

Off to El Nido tomorrow, more pics below and if you are thinking of visiting some info below:



ACCOMMODATION

Charing House, Puerto Princesa (Booked Agoda)

Big room, two beds, clean, large LCD TV with some English channels. Lovely front area with lots of seating, shade and plants. Open restaurant, but only sell Filipino food. We went to breakfast the first day only as the plate was cold and had rice, two soya sauce soaked breakfast sausages, dried fish head and egg. We found itoys for latte and toast. Great location only a few minutes to Rizal Street. Laundry (purple) on the way 35p $1NZ per kilo.

When you arrive at airport you cross the road and behind all the people holding up names are tricycle. Verycheap 70p to Charing house, don’t need to barter.

On our way back we stayed at Blue Lagoon in Puerto and other than the small double bed, this place was heaps better than Charing House, it had a swimming pool, better brekky, close to some bars and was still walking distance (although only 40p in tricycle) to middle of town. Also did free airport drop off.

If you go to Puerto make sure you book and go to Kalui, it’s a great restaurant, great seafood, the have fish cordon bleu, it was stuffed with cheese, yum.



Jungle Beach (Booked Agoda)

Our Bungalow was a few meters from the beach, was clean, plenty of room, and had a big patio. Breakfast is like 2 crepes with cinnamon and sugar, two big toast, eggs, toasted sandwich, plate of fruit. Buffet dinner is a surprise every night and each time fantastic food, heaps of tuna and fish.

It was $65nz per night to stay at jungle beach including a huge breakfast, so big you could not eat lunch, buffet dinner was 400p $12nz. Beer and fizz was honesty book and they sold wine by bottle for 600p $20nz. The units had fridges. I would definitely recommend staying here, George and Desi (cook) were fantastic hosts and very entertaining. I could have spent a couple of weeks here but would have had to waddle out.

Cherry Bus was 150p each from Puerto, was AC and took under 2 hours with a few stops.



Ausan beachfront cottages, Port Barton (Walk In)

We have the best accommodation on the beach, attached bungalow, (1200p $45NZ) but great eat and relax area and restaurant so cheap $6nz for 3 course meal, plus they have dining on the beach. Food is ok but good compared to other restaurants in area. The walls are thin and with the bed up against the wall I could hear the man next door roll over, sniff, talk. They have power all day until midnight and then on again at 7am, they have their own generator during the day as the public power is only in evenings. WIFI very frustrating hardly works and very slow. Very good staff. I would not want to stay anywhere else on this beach.

Local bus was only 200p each and took about 2.5 hours with lots of stops.

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Comments

[H&Trish]

Nothing like a bit of monkey poo..
Sounds like you guys are having the right amount of relaxing - and you might be losing weight Lynne (helped by a bit of dodgy dog)!