Puerto Princesa, first time

Yes, I am Pinay and 4 decades young and it was my first time to travel to Puerto Princesa, Palawan last December.  What a shame!  Palawan is a wonder of the world for so many reasons, blogged or unblogged.  For now, I will take it one city at a time, so it is Puerto Princesa.

Puerto Princesa was the choice because of the Underground River, the known wonder of Palawan.  So the planning began.  Friends from Las Vegas were to arrive in December so we had to book this trip as early as possible.  Dutifully, I  googled and inquired from various travel agencies and finally booked the hotels and tours c/o Island Paradise and Tours, which turned out to be a very good idea.

After inviting several other friends to join the trip, the pack was set with the Vegas family of Liddy, Joy, kids Jody and Jaydee, Clariza, Noel and myself.

There was a promo fare from Tiger Airways and we grabbed the chance.  The RT fare Manila-PPS-Manila only cost us around P 1,600 / pax!  If I may just say, what was frustrating about the flight was that it was rescheduled twice!  Yes, email notifications were sent ahead of time, but, when you are planning tours and hotel stays, it was just frustrating.

December 17, Monday

So the Tiger Airways flight was operated by Seair in the Philippines for the PPS trip.  Terminal 4 or the Domestic Terminal – ho hum. Same old, same old.



at terminal 4, checking-in (photo date should be Dec. 17, 2012)

Flight was ok, we arrived at PPS, safe and sound.  We waited just a bit for the transfers and off we go to Deep Forest Garden Resort (www.deepforestinn.com).  The resort is about 10-15 minutes ride from the airport.  It is somehow “secluded” from the hustle and bustle of downtown.  If you want a quieter place for your vacation, this is it.  If you want the nightlife and all the commercial areas within walking distance, then you should get a place somewhere else.

The transfer provided was a new, good smelling van, so I was happy about it.  Driver was very nice and I see that the people of PPS are really friendly, as I saw the same with the resort reception people.  The front desk girls were also pretty (right, Noel?).

We pre-booked for 2 queen rooms, 1 for the family and 1 for the “singles.”  Deep Forest rooms are nice, tidy and spacious enough.  Shower room, which is something I always check, is also clean, spacious, functional.  Free wi-fi, yes.  However, there are always spots where signal is weak.  Case in point, the room where the 3 of us were booked, that is Room 29.  The family's room at Room 18 had good wi-fi signal.

After a little freshening up, unpacking our stuff, it was time for dinner. Since we are not in the midst of downtown, we had to take a tricycle ride (P 80 per trike).  We opted for Kinabuch’s Bar and Grill.

Kinabuch’s – this is a popular place to hang out in PPS and you will find this in most blogs.  The food is ok, I don’t have anything extraordinary to share.  What I like though was the big, big wall screen they have and they were showing Star Sports, so I was drooling over some football games (more of the players, actually).  This is along Rizal St., the “main road” where most of the commercial establishments are, restos, bars, convenience stores, etc.  I also noticed a lot of Caucasians hanging out in this place.  Since it is quite a big place, service was not as prompt, we have to call the attention of servers.  Well, nothing great, but at least one off the PPS checklist.

first dinner at PPS - Kinabuch's Bar and Grill

December 18, Tuesday

As part of the tours, this day was for the underground River Tour (UR) which is a MUST if you visit PPS and was the main reason why we were here.  We had continental breakfast at the resort, pricey, so-so taste, portions that were meant for sharing.

Van and tour guide Ronald arrived at about 7:30 am, just in time.  First on the list was a short stop at a viewing point, Buena Vista.  From here one has a buena vista (good view) of the sea and Tres Marias islands.  One may use this stop for wiwi break and some refreshments and a little picture taking of course.

Next was Ugong Rock.  The roads are bumpy and there are portions they call “abortion road.”  We did not mind the ride, our driver was good and the van was safe and sturdy enough.

Ugong Rock – It is an adventure trip for caving, spelunking, ziplining.  This is maintained with partnership from ABS-CBN.  It is cool to cave!  The local guides, male, female and of different age range boxes were all friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable.  According to Ate Daisy, they used to be kaingeros, but now they are the protectors of the natural resources of PPS.  We went up the mountain through the caves and we enjoyed it.  There were rock and other natural formations that we literally had to go under or squeeze into.

inside the caves

squeezing through

Once at the summit, there are 3 ways to get down, 2 ziplines or climb down.  Liddy and myself opted for the supposedly more extreme  21-seconds zipline.  Cla opted for the Superman zipline.  Noel and Joy climbed down via another route.  Zipline costs P 200/pax.  Photo souvenirs of the zipline are available at P 150 each.

ready for the zipline

Since there was a different landing site for the extreme zipline, Liddy and I had to wait for the van to pick us up, which was taking quite long.  The Ugong Rock personnel offered to take us back via a motorbike with sidecar for transporting stuff.  We were sitting on a makeshift bench, top-down. Cool!

After Ugong Rock, it was just a very short stop at Avatar mountain.  We only stopped along the road and took quick pictures of what they call the Avatar mountain.

The next agenda was buffet lunch at ... darn, I forgot the place, but it was just near Sabang Wharf.  There was a hefty serving of liempo, kangkong, chicken, etc.  Pearl peddlers also abound and  Clariza ended buying some Mikimoto pearls (I think that is what they are called).

Then it was time for the UR tour.  From the wharf, one has to take the banca ride of about 20 mins.  Permits are first secured which our tour guide had already done for us.  The numbers of visitors are controlled, so early booking of months in advance is suggested (which we did through Island Tours).  Ronald, tour guide, was continuously educating us about what to expect and what to know about Palawan and its wonders.

at the wharf

Once you reach the island where the Underground River is, you must again register first to control the number of visitors.  There were monkeys all over the place and as advised, do not feed or disturb them.  They can also be monkey thieves and are attracted to plastics, thinking probably that there is always food.

group at the Welcome sign

The actual UR tour via a paddle boat is about 45minutes.  One will be amazed by all the stalactite, stalagmite and what-have-you formations that you can see.  Guides were funny and entertaining.  There are too many to mention things one can find inside the caves.

the UR tour

Being a tourist destination, photo souvenirs again are available here.



paddle boat ride

The tour ended and we were on our way back to the Resort.  We had a dinner reservation at Ka Lui Restaurant.

Ka Lui – another item on the PPS checklist.  This is a very popular restaurant and always best to have reservations made as they may be really full at times.  Again, Island Tours did the reservation for us. J

Ka Lui is a vegetarian haven, serving organic produce.  The meat selection is limited to chicken and seafoods.  No red meat for me.  One has to take off his footwear and leave it at the holding area before entering the dining area proper.  So we go barefoot inside.  Interiors as expected were of bamboo and other natural materials.  The reserved place for our party was a low table, no chairs, sit- on-the-floor kinda thing.

dinner at Ka Lui



me and my all-veggie plate

For a good meal, one has to budget around P400/pax.

This is also along Rizal St., so getting a tricycle ride back to the resort was not a problem.  Also, the drivers who took us from the resort to Ka Lui, offered to wait for us and take us back, so it was convenient.

December 19, Wednesday

Honda Bay Island Hopping.  We were supposed to be picked up by 730am so we opted not to have breakfast at the Resort.  We were later advised that the pick-up was moved to 8am.  One of the Agency’s drivers was absent, guess who served as our driver for the day?  The owner of the Agency himself, Sir Toots! 

On board with us on the tour was a Chinese national on vacation, Lee Wang.  Anyway, we swung by McDonalds drive thru for breakfast.  Good thing, Noel tasted the coffee immediately and said that it tasted like cockroach (I wonder how that tastes) so we had them exchanged to Orange juice before we left.  We passed by a Gear rental shop on the way, as one will need snorkels, goggles and aqua shoes. Aqua shoes rental is at P 150.

At the pier, Ate Lina, our tour guide this time, had to register us once again and we had to wait for more than 30 mins for our designated boat.  What I like about PPS tours is that they are strict with the registration and controlling visitors and also coast guard rules.

First stop was Pandan Island.  There were huts/cottages available.  Once again, island Tours had prepared the hut reservation and of course the lunch for us.

At Pandan island, you just have to wade through a few steps on the water and you will already see schools of fishes swimming by.  Be careful though, a few more meters and you will drop and if you are no swimmer, please take extra caution.  Now I know why we had to wear aqua shoes.  Corals abound and we have to make sure not to hurt them or not to hurt our feet.

Our banca guide, Ronald (another Ronald), was also tasked to show us the fishes and corals.  How?  He will be swimming and pulling a lifesaver where we can hold on to, while snorkelling.  Jody and Jaydee enjoyed the experience too well. Thanks Kuya Ronald!

mandatory jump shot

Lunch of ensaladang talong, chicken, inihaw na isda was a feast!  Ate Lina had to get me my own meal of inihaw na liempo though, as I have different meal requirements.  A banana turon peddler was around and the turon was oh so yummy, for just P 10 each!

yummy turon (banana caramel fritters)

Guides were also taught to do camera tricks, PPS style...

Then we went to snorkel at Pambato Reef, where the water runs deeper, waves stronger. 

Another short stop was at Luli Island (lulubog-lilitaw).  We did not really swim or snorkel much in the area, but took advantage of the view and took a lot of pictures (that is also expected because we have Cla with us).

mandatory jump shot 2

Fetched by Sir Toots again and he drove us back to the Resort.  Ate Lina offered that we try to eat at Tio Rods’s for dinner where we simply said yes, why not?  Sir Toots offered to pick us up at the Resort, then bring us to Tio Rod’s.  Well, we learned that he owns the restaurant too!

Tio Rod’s – The place looks intimidating, but lo and behold, it was actually homey.  Maybe because no less than Sir Toots was there to host our dinner.  I was also surprised at the menu, a lot to offer to suit the palates of each and everyone.  Even their chef went out to see us at our table!  Service is great at this resto, you will really feel special, and it is just unfortunate that it has not really been discovered by the people yet.  We noticed that the resto did not get full the whole time we were there.

with the owner and the chef



must try shrimp pomelo salad

I personally recommend my friends who intend to visit PPS to swing by this resto for some good food, service and ambience.

 December 19, Thursday

Breakfast at Tio Rod’s again.  No regrets.  Their breakfast was so much better than what we had at the Resort .  We also took time taking pictures (again).

back for brekky

After breakfast, Sir Toots again offered to drive us to the tiangge. Of course, travel will not be complete without the pasalubong and some shopping. So off we went! 

We spent the whole morning at the tiangge, it was technically our free time because we were scheduled for the city tour in the afternoon.  If I just had to repeat it, Island Tours took care of all our tours and it was so convenient and stress-free.

tiangge market

A 1pm pick-up at the Resort was due for the City Tour, we had to check-out of the Resort already and just come back after the tour to pick up luggages and all. 

at the resort

poolside

at the reception

at the resort's al fresco cafe

Ate Lina, once again was our tour guide. This time we are going through the city and the other attractions. Lunch was a Jollibee drive-thru.

Baywalk – in the interest of time, we also just drove-thru.  We did not have time to go down and wander around the place, too bad, the view seemed appealing.

Plaza Cuartel – there is so much history in this place, however, there was not much to see anymore.  The park was not at its best, but it was ok that we stopped by.

Immaculate Conception Church – just across Plaza Cuartel, the church has its share of history too.  There was a wedding going on, so we just took pictures.

 

Kitkat boutique – not really a standard part of the city tour, but guess what?, Mrs. Gigi Lumauag (spouse of Sir Toots) runs the place. 

Crocodile Farm – now this is always a part of the city tour or a Palawan tour for that matter. Aside from the crocodile breeding farm, there is also a nature conservation park where one can see other animals.  The park is like a mini-forest, but the animals are caged.  Make sure you have some anti-insect/bug repellent on you. For people like me who attracts bugs, you will surely be a hit here!

We got the chance to hold/pet a baby croc, a bearcat, a hornbill and more, with souvenir photos to boot!

Since there was more to see here, we spent around 2 hours here.

Mitra Ranch – The place is owned by the Mitra family, but they no longer reside here.  They call this the local Tagaytay.  There are still a few horses that kids can ride for a price, a mini-zipline and a lot of photo opportunities.  The house is  an architectural/structural wonder, but we did not get to go inside anymore.

behind us is the Mitra house

Honda Bay as background

Baker’s Hill – The local Disneyland.  The park is really amusing as I see it.  There are Disney characters, a Marilyn Monroe, gym equipment and a lot more!  It seems that the theme is anything goes. The attraction of this place is the bakery, thus Baker’s Hill.  There is no fee to go inside, how giving of the owners! But it will be appreciated if you purchase something from the bakery.

Ate Lina got us some hopia (bestseller) and a bottle of soda.  We had snacks and rested a bit in this amusement park.  The place was busy.  We also made sure we bought some bakery products as pasalubong.

The sun already set and it was time to bring us back to the resort.  It was a full day spent in the city and it was time for us to end our 4-day trip to PPS.  We got back to Deep Forest, freshened up, rested for half and a hour and then it was time to bring us to the airport.

We checked in just right, with time to spare for some instant noodles to fill our tummies before boarding.

at PPS airport

at PPS airport



on board Seair, flight back to Manila

The flight back to Manila was trouble-free too, we landed on time.

It was a good 4-day trip.  Next time, Coron.


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