Yeah. This post is two months late, I know. But was thinking it's still good to write about this travel experience now that some details are still fresh on my mind :-). So here, I will try to give an account of what I remember before my memory fails me haha :-)
I made the booking via Cebu Pacific. Originally, we were a group of six (6) people but when the flight date was drawing near, two of my girlfriends backed out so we were down to four : the married couple: Rovi and Arnie, Kuya Jerry and me.
The four of us agreed to meet between 4:30-5:00 a.m. at the bus terminal, having in mind that we could reach Pasay in 3 hours time, minimum; 4 hours, maximum. Safe for our 10:00 A.M. flight, we thought. Past 5:00 o'clock in the morning (the time I remember), we got on the bus going to Pasay. It began to rain when we reached SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway). Hey, rain in February?
After a few minutes bus stop at Dau, we headed on en route NLEX (North Luzon Expressway). We were caught in a traffic jam for more than an hour or so along EDSA - something we didn't expect - or shall I say, we expected but not as terrible as the one we had that day. Our mistake. We did not consider that Thursday (the date of our flight fell on a weekday and school day - that means more commuters were out in the Manila area).
We originally planned to alight at Pasay Bus Terminal where we were supposed to hire a cab to take us to the airport gates. But the heavy traffic made us change our plan so we got off the bus at the next stop. It was still raining, but we didn't mind. All we cared about that very moment was to get a cab, which turned out to be so difficult that day. I looked at my wrist watch and I began to feel the butterflies in my stomach. 9:30 A.M.! We should have been at the boarding gates at this particular hour, or have checked in already, at least.
Through our silence (yes, we were not talking all throughout while looking out for a cab, but I could sense that I was sharing the same thoughts with Rovi and Arnie). But Kuya Jerry was the most positive among us. He gave us the assurance that we could make it. The rain continued to pour down on us, but we still managed to move farther in the hope of spotting one available cab, and lo' and behold, there was one! Finally we reached the airport and we were able to catch up the final call for our flight! What a relief! Sooo thankful! (When I phoned my bestfriend about it, I discovered that we could have taken an easier routes going to airport from our place of origin) Oh, well, lessons learned. That happens when you don't ask for directions about places you are not familiar with. ehe.
Happy me. I was assigned a seat near the plane window which gave me an opportunity to get a very nice aerial view of the clouds and the beautiful islands:
Day 1:
We did not make prior hotel booking, we agreed to find one once we reached Puerto Princesa. But instead of making it our priority, we headed to the town proper to find a place where we can eat lunch. We were so hungry!
After we have satisfied our tummies, we went to the Tourism Center to get some help in getting a good hostel. But when the Center phoned the hotels of our choice, they were were fully booked. So I gave my suggestion to the group to contact the place I got to see in the website before : the Victoria Guest House at the West Cove. When we checked the place, we all liked it because of its quietness and modest price :-). Kuya Jerry even said that he again would want to consider the place in his future visits to Puerto Princesa.
We rented two separate rooms. One room for Rovi and me. The other one for the two boys. That night, our comfy beds gave us all a good sleep.
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Our rooms were on the 3rd floor. Kuya Jerry standing over there!
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The dining area is surrounded by a garden
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Taking a stroll at the mangrove just a stone-throw away from the guest house
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Rovi and I at the mangrove at the back of the guesthouse
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Day 2
Day 2 was the most crucial part, I should say, as the four of us had to make some agreement over our itinerary. Kuya Jerry and Arnie wanted a tour at the Subterranean River, a must-see, they insisted, the site being a world heritage. While Rovi and I, wanted only a city tour for we were both afraid to navigate the dark caves of the Subterranean River, not mentioning the depth of its waters. Rovi and I also preferred a Honda Bay Island Hopping to a Subterranean River Tour. Considering the different preferences and the "excuses" that Rovi and I keep telling them (we were afraid of the waters and the dark), we, in short, had to come up with a decision, and oh, at the end, the wish of Arnie and Kuya Jerry won: a Subterranean River Tour. Kuya Jerry gave us a winning look with these words : Face your fears.
At 7:30 in the morning, the van to take us to the Subterranean River arrived at the guest house. There were already four passengers inside the van, two of them were from France, the other two were Filipino balikbayans. To complete our group, we dropped by another hotel to fetch three others who were from Los Angeles, California.
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The four of us on the way to the cave. Rovi, are you ready? (sorry, I should say, are WE ready to conquer our fears?
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Facing us is our tour guide whose name already forgotten (is it Jun? errrr, I can't remember lol!)
On the way to the River, he untiringly did the talking, as any tour guide would do
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The travel to the River took us more than an hour. When we arrived at the port, there were many groups on queue, and we had to wait for our turn. We were advised later by our tour guide to have an early lunch at a nearby seafood restaurant where Kuya Jerry and Arnie gladly (?) took the challenge of eating the exotic food in Palawan : the Tamilok... eeewww!
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They seemed to enjoy talakitok...hmmmm? You really did?
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We still have plenty of time for pictorial ahaha
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Rovs may sinasabi ka ba? ahaha!
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The most awaited part that day, yes the Subterranean Tour, was about to unfold in a short while. Time to ride a motorboat going to the Subterranean River. Pero syempre, picture-picture muna pag may time:-)
The eleven of us inside the van split into two groups that day for separate boat rides.
Below are photos on the way to the Subterranean River.
Btw, I bought a waterproof camera holder at the guesthouse for P75.00 only. I was calm riding through the waters and it seemed I enjoyed the flapping of the wind that kept ruining my hair hahah...:-)
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I tried to snap some photos of the surrounding landscape
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Below is a photo of our group when we got off the boat :-)
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We took a 15-walk through the forest before getting to the cave entrance.
When we finally reached the cave entrance, we were delighted to see the pristine waters which look so inviting for a swim...but uh-oh, swimming is not allowed here.
Below is a photo of our whole group before riding the canoe down the river:
We boarded the canoe and there we went down the river:
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It was dark inside the caves and I started to feel the creeps but I admit it was not the level of creepiness that I thought at first. It seemed to me that the beautiful drip stones, stalactites and stalagmites that sprawl across the caverns covered my fears that time.
Through the flash light, we could see why the site made it to the UNESCO list as one of the 7 new wonders of the world, along with Jeju Island of South Korea, Table Mountain of Capetown, South Africa, Komodo Island of Indonesia, Halong Bay of Vietnam, Iguazu Falls of Argentina and Amazon Rainforest that runs through several countries in South America. Aside from the voice of our tour guide, all I could hear was the sound of the paddle touching the waters and some echoes and indistinct murmurs from us and other tourists on canoes inside the cave. In some instances, I could hear some sudden surge of water and I couldn't help but asked Rovi above whisper on what possibly it was. As if our tour guide overheard us, he said in jest someone jumped off the canoe and drowned and lost forever through the dark and deep waters.. awww!
The stones inside the cave come in various shapes and sizes. They come in the shapes of animals and vegetables and fruits such as cacao, eggplant, bitter gourd (ampalaya) etc..The cave has also a dome that is 300-meter above the river, "like the Basilica dome", I heard the tour guide saying. Other stones formed the shape of a castle, of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
The cave is a home to many bats that you can think it also cradles the dark knight: Batman! I imagined Batman was somewhere there sneaking and hiding through sinkholes and wall cracks and openings that lead to a secret dungeon or tunnel mounted by bedrocks, karsts, limestones and mineral stones. Similarly, I began to wonder if he was following us through the dark or somewhere atop a gigantic lime stone and silently watching us and ready to come to our rescue once an eerie creature suddenly appear somewhere from the middle of nowhere and scare all of us to death ehe...but hey, there was no batman nor whatever sort of creepy creatures on sight. I guessed they hid somewhere far beyond my imagination that time - to my relief. haha.
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Hey Batman, are you somewhere here...or somewhere there?!? I wonder...
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The mineral stones inside the caverns are acid-sensitive. The tour guide strictly warned us to refrain from touching the water.
I did not manage to get good shots inside the cave so I instead uploaded these photos from web.
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Looks like a cacao fruit
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Giant pumpkin or mushroom?!!:-)
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The bats are up the ceiling. For a tip, you say "uhm" instead of
"wow" whenever you look up otherwise you might catch and swallow dirt from bats
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After the 45 minutes navigation inside the caves, we were delighted to realize that we made it down the river safe and sound :-)
Day 3:
For our last day in Puerto Princesa, we opted to have a tour around the city. Here are some of the places we visited:
1) The Butterfly sanctuary
2. The Wildlife Conservatory where of course we have seen many crocodiles!
3. Mitra's Ranch
4. Baker's Hill which offers a very nice landscape that you can think Edward Scissorhands has done the trimming and pruning of the plants :-)
This is also where you can buy delicious hopia at P45 only per box (10pcs)
5. Plaza Cuartel
6. Baywalk
-- After that morning tour, we went back to the guesthouse and prepared for our afternoon return flight to Manila. ***
2. The Wildlife Conservatory where of course we have seen many crocodiles!
