Tagged: Puerto Princesa

Oct 31

Day 4-5: Palawan – El Nido Trip

On our 4th and supposedly last day of our vacation, our group, again, woke up early. It’s actually more accurate to say we stayed up until 3 am in the morning. Since it was our last day, we wanted to make the most out of it – of course, while wide-awake. Mind you, our flight back to Manila was scheduled at around 5 pm. There was no need to hurry. BUT, of course we just had to decide to take a side trip to Sabang and explore the Underground River / Cave. We were already IN Palawan; it would be a shame if we didn’t visit one of the wonders of the world.

We talked this over with Kuya Neil, our trusty driver and pseudo tour guide, and verified the ‘feasibility’ of “the plan”. Note that our scheduled flight was at 5 PM; we had to be in the airport an hour before that. And if you can remember from the Day 1 post, the trip from Puerto Princesa to El Nido was roughly around 6 hours. When the clock struck 4 am that day, our tight schedule began. So here’s how our schedule went…

04:30 AM – 11:00 AM
We departed El Nido town proper at approximately 4:30 AM in the morning. It was hello to rough roads again. I’m amazed that I actually slept through it all.

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
We finally arrived at Sabang. This is where we hired a boat to take us to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park (located in another island) where the Underground River/Cave is. Unlike the informal island tour setup we had in El Nido, arranging the Underground River/Cave tour was more systematic. You go to this government office, pay the necessary fees, go the boat rental and hire a boat. [Entrance/Environmental Fee: P150/head, Boat: P700/boat]

Sabang Port

Sabang Port

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Boat ride to Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park.

12:00 PM – 12:10 PM
Once we got to the island, we still had to walk our way to the entrance of the Underground River/Cave ‘port’ location (I’m not sure if that’s how it’s called). It’s the place where you get the necessary equipment (hard hat and life vests) and hop on a small bangka. One bangka can fit in around 8 people that includes the tour guide.

Entrance to the Park

Entrance to the Park

During our walk to the ‘port’, a cute golden retriever walked with us. He’ll stop walking when we stop walking. Cute!

Our guard & guide dog during our walk to the underwater river bank

Our guard & guide dog during our walk to the underwater river bank

12:15 PM – 01:00 PM
The Underground River Cave tour. If you’re not used to dark enclosed places, I suggest you condition yourself before going in. Once you go deeper into the underground river cave, the only light source you can depend on are the flashlights provided. The tour guide, who was also paddling and navigating the boat, gave an interesting and entertaining spin of the cave’s history. He was also able to engage our imagination as he pointed out rock formations resembling vegetables like carrots, eggplant and cabbage, holy figures like Mother Mary, the holy family, and Jesus’ face and animal figures like a horse and a cow.

getting ready to enter the underwater cave!

getting ready to enter the underwater cave!

Our only source of light

Our only source of light

the Holy Family

the Holy Family

The seahorse

The seahorse

Rock formations

Rock formations

it's the end of the tour!

it's the end of the tour!

obligatory picture!

obligatory picture!

01:00 PM – 01:15 PM
Boat ride back to Sabang Beach

01:15 PM – 03:00 PM
Another two hours travel time to Puerto Princesa Airport.

03:00 PM – 04:00 PM
At around 3:00 PM we arrived at Puerto Princesa, and with time to spare for ‘pasalubong’ shopping. Good job, Kuya Neil!

04:00 PM
We arrived at Puerto Princesa Airport. And this was where the universe conspired to let us stay in Palawan for another day…

waiting for our plane

waiting for our plane

someone's hungry!

someone's hungry!

05:00 PM
Cebu Pacific announced the our flight was delayed. We waited and waited and waited…

06:00 PM
Cebu Pacific announced that our flight was cancelled. Chaos ensued. “Where do we stay?”, “Do we sleep in this airport?”, “I don’t have money left!!” were some of the things that ran through my head.

in line to get our checked-in luggage back

in line to get our checked-in luggage back

After we got our checked-in luggage back and rebooked our cancelled flight to tomorrow, we called on several hotels near the area if they still have rooms. One of our friends, who were also vacationing in Puerto Princesa, suggested a place to stay, De Loro Inn and Restaurant. De Loro has a barkada room package for 8-10 people. When we called, lucky for us, they still had a room available. We immediately confirmed and waited for their van to transfer us to the hotel.

De Loro Inn

De Loro Inn

Once we were in De Loro, we immediately checked their barkada room and flopped on the beds. I, for one, didn’t want to think about anything. We were stuck in Puerto Princesa with few cash left. Unfortunately for me, most of the establishments here don’t accept credit card. Good thing though, we didn’t really plan on moving or doing any activities for tonight – aside from eating – and for tomorrow.

After we settled in our rooms, we went out to look for a restaurant that was still open at this time. We found one, which I forget the name. We were their only customers, probably because it was late already. Their food was great. I would definitely recommend this place if only I remember the name. =P When we got back, the owners of De Loro of saw us and invited us for a few drinks. After a few rounds of drinks and chitchatting with the owners, one by one, our sleepy bodies gave up. I believe only 3 of them were left to finish off the drinks. Haha =P

FOOD for hungry stranded people

FOOD for hungry stranded people

stranded people

stranded people

Day 5
We were just literally bumming around. We didn’t have to wake up early this time so most of us slept until around 9 am. We had our breakfast and proceeded to use De Loro’s videoke room. Around 2pm, we checked out and went to the airport.

bumming around

bumming around

another obligatory group picture

another obligatory group picture

So here we go again. We waited and waited.

picture taking while waiting...

picture taking while waiting...

Until finally, we were boarding the plane!

yey! we're finally boarding!

yey! we're finally boarding!

Finally back in Manila!

finally back in Manila! waiting for our bags

finally back in Manila! waiting for our bags

And finally I finished this blog series. =P Till the next trip.

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Oct 08

Day 2: Palawan – El Nido Trip

Day 2: Road Trip and Island Hopping – Longest Day Ever!

The following day, our group woke up at around 2 am to be able to leave Puerto Princesa and start our road trip to El Nido. Based from Kuya Neil’s estimation, the trip would take about 6-8 hours, depending on the road condition, traffic and of course, speed. Since we didn’t want to waste one day of our vacation to traveling alone, we computed for the best and latest time we could leave Puerto Princesa to arrive at El Nido by lunch time. Based on our computation, we should leave 3-4 am in the morning; thus the 2 am ‘call time’

Start of Day 2 - Road Trippin to El Nido
Start of Day 2 – Road Trippin to El Nido

We had our breakfast c/o Kookaburra. It was nice of them to accommodate our request to have our breakfast be ready by 2 am. From what I can remember, I got one of their Filipino Breakfast offerings. The food was good. I think it’s the earliest time I actually ate breakfast. Afterwards, we packed our things and left Kookaburra and then Puerto Princesa.

Road to El Nido = Middle of Nowhere
Road to El Nido = Middle of Nowhere

I don’t remember much about the first few hours of our road trip to El Nido. I slept through it. The ride was quite smooth and peaceful until a few hours after; we finally got to the end of the cemented road and start of the dirt road. Yes, the “highway” from Puerto Princesa to El Nido isn’t much of a highway. The smooth ride became a bumpy one. And then, we found ourselves literally in the middle of nowhere. The view around us was literally green all over and there were no signs of civilization. If we got stuck there, I don’t think anyone would find us. There were no cars coming from any direction and our cellphones weren’t getting any signal from any cell tower. Well, we did pass by several houses after several hours so it’s not like the place is devoid of people. But still, it’s just 9 people in the middle of a jungle. How freakishly alone.

El Nido Finally!
El Nido Finally!

By 10 am, we found ourselves ‘gliding’ smoothly on cemented pavement. The ride was smooth again. After a few more minutes, we found the sign, ‘Welcome to El Nido’. We’re here! We took a few photos and then went for another few minutes of driving to find Marina Garden Beach Resort. Upon arriving at El Nido town proper, we were greeted by an amazing view. The town is situated perfectly along the beach line overlooking several islands and a mountain made of limestone. The sight was breath-taking.

Marina Garden Beach Resort: Beach front and rooms
Marina Garden Beach Resort: Beach front and rooms

We finally got to Marina Garden Beach Resort. The place was not a typical resort that I’m used to seeing in more commercialized beaches. It’s a simple place, which is strategically situated near everything. But then, El Nido is a small town where everything is likely a walking distance away. Anyway, back to Marina Garden; it’s a beach front resort where you have a full view of the El Nido’s coast line. Not only that, it’s easier to access boatmen-slash-tour-guides who are offering island hopping tours. Well, good thing for us, Kuya Neil already knows one of the owners that handles the island hopping tour business. He was already able to get a package deal for us. By 11 am, we were off island hopping, the package A tour.

Island Hopping Begins!
Island Hopping Begins!

There’s no point going to El Nido if you won’t island hop. Besides, the electricity in El Nido town proper is scheduled; electricity is off from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm then on from 2:00 pm onwards. Aside from lounging around the beach area, touring the town and searching for souvenir shops, there’s really nothing to do for tourists but island hop or snorkel or other water activities. Island hopping is definitely a must when you visit El Nido. There are 3 standard island hopping packages; that’s package A, B, and C. Some guides offer packages D and E, but they vary depending on who you talk to. The standard price could go from P600-1000 per person. For us, Kuya Neil got us a nice deal of P1800 for the whole boat rental and Package A tour plus an additional P100 for each snorkels per person. That’s P1800 divided by 8 people plus P100 [P325 per person]. Nice deal huh?!

So back to the boat ride… the boat ride towards our first destination was absolutely breath taking. It’s not my first time to island hop – I’ve actually done this at Hundred Islands in Pangasinan – but the view of the islands was just incredible. Then, add the calm sea and fresh air… it’s just perfect. Pictures can only do much, you must be there to experience it. But at this point, I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

Small Lagoon
Great place to snorkel. Make sure that you’re strong swimmer or you’re wearing a life vest before you go in. Water can be very deep especially the area inside the lagoon.

Entrance to Small Lagoon. See the entrance?
Entrance to Small Lagoon. See the entrance?
In the Small Lagoon
In the Small Lagoon

Simizu
This is where we ate lunch. Great place to swim and snorkel.

Simizu
Simizu
Eating lunch / merienda
Eating lunch / merienda

Big Lagoon
Great place to kayak. Too bad we were on a tight budget. Kayak rental costs about P800-1000 the whole day.

Entrance to the Big Lagoon
Entrance to the Big Lagoon

Stopping here. The boat can’t pass because it’s low tide. We had to go down the boat and ‘walk’.

To the Big Lagoon: Where Kuya Boatman revealed there were baby sharks in the area
To the Big Lagoon: Where Kuya Boatman revealed there were baby sharks in the area

We were already near the “inside” of the Blue Lagoon and the deeper part of the area when Kuya revealed that there were baby sharks there. (Uhm, okay thanks for telling us now, kuya.)

Big Lagoon in the background: this is how far we got
Big Lagoon in the background: this is how far we got

7 Commando
This is the last stop of Tour Package A. This is where we lounge around and drank buko juice.

7 Commando & Coconuts
7 Commando & Coconuts
7 Commando: Group
7 Commando: Group

At around 4pm, Kuya Boatman (Yes, I don’t know his name) told us that it’s time to go. It was getting dark anyway.  And this is where I’ll end my Day 2 El Nido experience. LONG DAY, huh? Day 3 to follow soon. ;)

End of Day 2: Cheers!
End of Day 2: Cheers!

Picture credits: Mine, Bunny, Kat, Norman, and Ton

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Sep 25

Day 1: Palawan – El Nido Trip

One of the things I really want to do is to travel. I want to see the world, visit the wonders of the world, tour the key cities. And my first stop, the Philippines. What better way to jump start my traveling dreams than to start in my own country. I’ve already been to various key destinations in this country – Baguio, Boracay, Mactan (Cebu), Pagudpud (Ilocos Norte), and Vigan (Ilocus Sur) just to name a few. Since this country is composed of 7,101 islands, I think I still have a lot to go. For the first time this year, I got to visit Boracay and this month, El Nido, Palawan.

Puerto Princesa Airport

Puerto Princesa Airport

Last September 10, my batchmates and I flew to Palawan for our 4-day El Nido, Palawan vacation. We touched down at Puerto Princesa airport around 6 in the evening. (The landing wasn’t very nice by the way). After that we were unsure what to do next, aside from the fact that we just wanted to get to El Nido. However, getting to El Nido was the tricky part. El Nido is located at the northern most tip of Palawan and is about 238 km away from Puerto Princesa. Once in Puerto Princesa, you could travel to El Nido via air, sea or land. Our group opted to take the land route. We had already arranged a shuttle service a few weeks before our flight. Our driver, Kuya Neil, was also our tour guide. He was nice and accommodating; and he definitely knew his way around Palawan. Without him, we would have been lost tourists in Palawan. [Shuttle Rate: P15,000 for this particular deal]

See, the initial ‘plan’ was to head straight to El Nido upon arriving at Puerto Princesa. However, that plan was dependent on several variables like the weather and road condition. There were a lot of “what ifs”. Good thing Kuya Neil helped us decide what to do. (Yes, for a 4-day vacation, we didn’t prepare a concrete itinerary. How adventurous of us. LOL). The final decision was to stay in Puerto Princesa for the night. So, the next question was, ‘where are we staying?’ Well, Kuya Neil also got that covered. He apparently knew the people that manages one of the newly built inns in Puerto Princesa and had already reserved us two rooms. Yep, he’s that efficient. Good thing too, else, our group would have probably just search for any open cafe shops to hangout or sleep in the van.

Kookaburra Travel Lodge

Kookaburra Travel Lodge

Kookaburra Travel Lodge was the place Kuya Neil suggested.  The lodge is fairly new; everything about the establishment still looks fresh and well, new. According to their site, they have 14 rooms. I wasn’t able to count but we got their two standard rooms, which were located at the ground floor. Since there were 8 of us – 4 boys and 4 girls, the girls stayed in one room and the boys in the other. Both rooms were really just made for 2 people, three is probably pushing it. The additional beds were not even useful because there wasn’t any floor space to place it. I’m not sure how the guys did it but for us girls, we were able to fit ourselves in the queen-size bed [I think it was queen-sized]. Aside from that, our room was nice. The bathroom was okay too; however, the bathroom window was not tinted and was beside a staircase. Someone could easily look in, good thing that didn’t happen. Over all, I would definitely recommend this place. [Room Rate: One standard room for 2 people - P1,500/night]

Bilao at Palayok: Seafood and Native Restaurant

Bilao at Palayok: Seafood and Native Restaurant

Before settling in for the night, our group decided to have dinner out. Since we were not familiar with the place, it was again Kuya Neil that suggested the place. We ended up at ‘Bilao at Palayok: Seafood and Native Restaurant‘. The place does have a native feel to it. Most of the restaurant’s interior were made of bamboo or some type of wood. Their decorations were mostly ethnic in origin. To summarize, the ambiance of the place was really homey , peaceful and refreshing. Yeah, I obviously suck at interior design review.

Ihaw Ihaw sa Bilao Special

Ihaw Ihaw sa Bilao Special

Let’s go to the food. They offer a wide selection of Filipino food, all served in a bilao or palayok. Their speciality is geared towards grilled seafood. Since we were on a tight budget, we opted to get their Ihaw Ihaw sa Bilao Special, which is good for around 8 people already, Pork Sisig and 8 cups of plain rice. Their Ihaw Ihaw sa Bilao Special consists of steamed shrimp, grilled squid, baked tahong, grilled tuna, grilled tilapia, liempo, and steamed crab together with grilled eggplant, achara, bagoong, salted eggs, tomatoes and green mangoes on the side. It’s definitely a must try if you happen to dine in this place. My personal favorites are their grilled squid and steamed crab.

After dinner, we went back to Kookaburra to rest. We were supposed to look for another hangout place but then remembered that we still have to wake up at 3 am the following day for our long road trip to El Nido. And that’s another day to blog about.

Picture credits: Mine, Bunny, Kat, Norman, and Ton

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