Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

After the long long wait for our flight that we prayed did not get cancelled, we finally made it to Puerto Princesa, a quiet town with beautiful things to see.
We arrived by tricycle to Aniceto's Pension, a cheap hotel that we read about in the kindle. It was an old building with a lot of character, passed on through generations, rooftop patio, ants in the bathroom...the usual. The three of us again, snug as a bug in our air conditioned room, which by the second night we couldn't use because Ed became sick with a nasty cold and the air con didn't help him at all through the night.

After a legit deal that we struck with our tricycle driver, we ended up signing up for two tours for a good price with Ed's bargaining skills. Our first full day at Puerto Princesa we travelled to see the Underground River. Our group was apparently very lucky to obtain a permit to access the river as there was about 1000 people after us waiting for one as well. With that, it resulted in us receiving the last time to access the river. So to keep us busy during the day we travelled to the small town of Sabang where we finally were able to enjoy the most beautiful beach and crystal clear waters. They also fed us very very well with an excellent buffet. (see asiaoceania2012 on YouTube).

We later trekked quite a way down the beach heading to a destination which we had absolutely no idea what we were going to see. Something about mango trees or mangrels. We later found out that they were actually called mangrove trees, which resided all along a river bank. So paid a bit to cruise down the river with our singing guide.

After many long hours, it was our turn to head over by long tail boat to the island of the Underground River, by this time it was pretty much completely dark but since we were heading into a dark cave, it really didn't matter. In the end it was well worth it. Amazing attraction, bats hanging from the ceiling, incredibile rock formations (pegasus, Mary, 3 wise men, vegetables...) and sparrows whizzing in all directions (one of which hit a women in the head).

After a 9 hour trip which turned into a 15 hour trip, Ed and I tried not to fall asleep in the crazy van ride home so we could take photos of Mal as she kept on swaying every which way, falling in and out of sleep. (quite a good laugh)

After a quick dinner, we rushed back to our place and immediately hit the sack to try and get as much rest as we could for our 2nd tour the next day. We ventured to the islands of Honda Bay by long boat to enjoy many hours of snorkelling, swimming and eating. It was quite an amazing sight compared to what we had experienced in the big crazy city of Manila just a few days before. One very funny incident while we were snorkelling that i must not fail to mention is when i mistaked Ed for someone else. You should know that large bodies of water kinda freak me out, so i have to make sure that i am in the zone and focused/alert when my head's in the water. After a few minutes of finally feeling comfortable, I felt someone swimming way too close to me, assuming it was Ed, I used all of my strength to push him out of my swimming bubble. As I pulled my head out of the water to give him a dirty look, I noticed that the man i pushed did not have the same shorts as the ones Ed had on, as well it definitely was not Ed because him and Mal witnessed the whole act as I saw them rolling uncontrollably with laughter a few feet away.

Later that night we spoiled ourselves by going to the most popular restaurant in the city called Ka Lui. Definitely a good time. Delicious food, great atmosphere and good company.

Our 3rd day in Puerto Princesa, we hired a tricycle for the day to see the City. Our first stop was the prison, where the inmates roam free throughout the grounds, completing certain jobs to raise money (rice farming, arts and crafts and dance).  We were a little skeptical of the whole "prisoner roams free and does not escape" idea but a wall full of WANTED posters with escapees answered our questions. Note that the reward for capture is a 1,000 baht and 1 bag of rice.

Next stop on our tour was the crocodile farm, lucky for us as we were heading there, our tricycle broke down in the middle of nowhere, so I decided the three of us walk to our next destination and trust that our driver meet us there to pick us once his friend assisted him with the spare.

Another kicker was the the crocodile farm was actually closed at the time of our arrival, so we decided to stop at the nearby restaurant and try their organic, home-grown cuisine of Crocodile Sausage. Not bad actually.

We ventured back to the city and ended our tour at the pier where we decided to rent a bicycle with a side cart. Fun for us, not so fun for the rest of the bystanders at the pier. Ed was first up and he yelled " Beep, Beep, Beep" at anyone who got in his way, almost hitting a couple who darting in opposite directions and actually apologized to Ed. Next was my turn and I barely could get the thing going. Next thing I know, a little girl on another bicycle/side cart crashed in to us and a women going the same direction on a bicycle crashed and fell over as i was parked. Probably not a very good start. Mal did a bit better as she didn't hit any people just knocked over a few large statues. No biggy.

Lucky for me that night we ate at Kinabuch Bar and Grill where i later found out I conjured up a 5 day food poisoning stint which left me bed ridden and visiting the hospital in one of the most beautiful beaches of the world of Boracay!

Well, Thanks for tuning in!

xoxo
K