the lady in the mountain Unknown 2:39 PM

Taken at Puerto Prinsesa in Palawan, this lady in the mountain can be seen clearly in a certain spot.. and this is not that spot.  It was just so damn hot that I bother not to get a clear view.  I chose to be under the cool shade of a tree.  But I think I did gave her a nice shot, didn't I?

the Puerto Prinsesa Underground River Unknown 12:13 AM

I remember I was nervous when we entered the cave.  I was nervous and excited.  I don't know if that's a good feeling, but as a person with the weirdest and widest imagination I know, anything could happen.. in my mind.  I think we booked this tour 5 or more months prior, you have no idea how excited I was.  It's the fucking Underground River! in Palawan!!  But my excitement kind of sank a bit, just a bit, when we wore our vests and helmets which smelled like an old bat's diaper.

Oh, I did say that I was excited when we entered the cave, yes, the excitement went back approaching the entrance of the world's known longest underground river.

what the Beatles could learn from Puerto Prinsesa? Unknown 12:08 AM

Tons.. or I don't know.  Honestly, I've been thinking if this is a good idea.  To use this fucking generator which is so crazy, yet brilliant, and I'm so puzzled if I have the right to drag the Beatles' name to this shitty blog.

Okay, maybe if they have heard of Palawan, of Puerto Prinsesa, or if they hear about how beautiful and wonderful and magnificent Puerto Prinsesa is, they will immediately ask their manager to get a ticket to ride.. and sing about it?  I can't imagine the Beatles being in a musical, but why not?  If they like it, then go.  I'll support them all the way.  #rockon.

So they have bought a ticket, and landed in Puerto Prinsesa airport in a very hot summer day.  John Lennon would first come out of the plane, appreciating the heat saying "here comes the sun" while putting his sun glasses on.  They later would be escorted to their hotel, and the lady-in-charged would ask them about the heat (about 40°C -- if they're still ok?) and Paul would say "it's getting better" while George would say "I feel fine" with a smile on his face, and Ringo would give her a pretty smile after saying "oh! darling, no worries".. well, they're all smiling and seems very happy and glad they did Palawan.

They were first toured around the city.. ok, there's nothing fancy about Puerto Prinsesa, but its simplicity and authenticity is what you'll appreciate more in life than any other cities on earth could offer, says John(?)  I'll take his word for it.

To the Baker's Hill, Mitra's Ranch and to the Crocodile Farm they were brought..

photo credit to En Route

They were also brought to the Baywalk by some good friends and rented bikes and had fun.. it was really fun!  Some kids joined them while biking because they were that excited, they looked like and acted like kids who saw/rode bikes for the first time.  :>

The next day they were taken to the Underground River, also known as the Puerto Prinsesa Subterranean River.  The excitement can be seen from all their faces, and a few minutes passed, they're entering the cave with zero visibility.. the huge flashlight was on and soon they will see the thousands of bats in the ceiling taking a pee or a poo on everyone.  They were advised not to open their mouths while admiring the scenery, but Paul kinda forgot about it, tasted it, and cried "this is something! whoa!"  The whole trip which lasted for about an hour went very smooth and they were greeted by a photographer (outside the cave) to capture their happy faces.

They were then brought to Honda Bay for some island hopping!  They were more excited than I was when I did it.  They got even more excited on fish feeding, and the people could hear them sing "come together, fishes! yeah!"

Fast forward to the last day of their trip.. they were getting on their plane singing "she loves you yeah! yeah! yeah!" as appreciation for the love they received while staying in Puerto Prinsesa.  They promised to be back to explore more of the island.

As for what they learned or what they could learn from Puerto Prinsesa? well..

share three places for travel Tuesday Unknown 11:16 PM

I think I've been talking about El Nido and Puerto Prinsesa since I started posting here.. that is because I love the place so much.  Everything about Palawan, I love it; the islands and other beautiful sceneries, the people, the food(?), I barely talk about food, but when we ate in an eatery in El Nido, we found just the same dishes we cook in Manila, and Taytay.. they were cooked a bit different but they taste good, just a bit expensive though for an eatery.  And we always go for the cheaper ones.. gotta save money as much as we could.. even when it comes to souvenirs: 3 for 100!

We're also hoping to visit Coron this year, and as our tour guides praised Coron as the most beautiful part of Palawan, and the ever controversial Culion island.. I haven't stopped thinking about it.  There's this strange excitement I feel about Palawan compared to our other trips.. maybe because I know I'd be surprised, and Palawan do have a lot of surprises.  Those islands were different in every form, they have different characteristics, and they're all stunning!  And I will never forget how difficult it was for most of us, especially me, to get into and out of the Secret Lagoon or Secret Beach.  Maybe if it wasn't for the strong waves (it's been raining), it could have been easier, and I don't know how to swim so that's a huge thing!  I know right!  I love beaches, I love water, but I can't fully enjoy it.  Yeah, I'm just so pathetic like that.  But I did enjoy every moment I spent in that lagoon even if that tiny entrance gave me/us a hard time because it was all worth it!

My camera also doesn't know how to swim so I just took one of my friend's photos.  I hope you don't mind.

photo credit to Vanessa

That is the entrance to the lagoon.  Aside from it's tiny, parts of it are sharp and the waves make it more difficult for us to go through.  And one of us got hurt on our way out.  That fucking wave!  I'm telling you, it's cruel.

There's a lot more places that I'd love to visit here in the Philippines, especially in the Visayans and Mindanao regions.  But if there's a chance that I could step into a foreign country, I'd totally grab it.  To explore the world is a huge dream, but to have a glance of even a few of it is enough for me.  Maybe I could start with Japan.  I've been seeing and hearing a lot of great things about them and I would like to see them myself.  There could be a chance that we, Filipinos, could enter Japan without a visa, and that would totally rock if they do lift it.. besides, we've been good friends since Rizal.

I was talking about Jose Rizal, our national hero, he fought everyone using his brain.  He's got a lot of Japanese girlfriends you know.  I don't know why I'm saying this, maybe because I just haven't had enough sleep since I started this shit.  Sorry.

But I live in Rizal.. Taytay, Rizal.  And there's one place here that is so cool, everyone wants a piece of it especially during summer: The Club Manila East in Taytay, Rizal.  But because one can not please everyone, you'd see a lot negative reviews; well they don't allow outsider foods and drinks, but there are restaurants.. a bit expensive, but what can you expect? that's business.  There are fast food chains around the area so you still have other options.  You'd be wearing a wristband anyway so you can get in and out of the resort anytime.  Just as long as you brought a car, that'd be no problem.

They've got at least 10 pools; 3 beach waves and each with different wave lengths, the 3rd used for surfing.  There is an adult pool with a giant 3-looped slide, kiddie pool with waterfalls and fountains,
bean-shaped pool, there's a lap pool, there's this buzzy river, there's a boating area for kayaking which is my favorite, and there's a 14-feet diving pool.  They also have a 320 meter zip line which costs Php150 a ride, but they could have made this a little cheaper because everything has already been expensive.. you know, just a thought.  They also hold surfing events there, I think every year, but we haven't seen it.  It can get crowded so make sure to be on the place really early so you could still enjoy the pools for long.

_______________

do you believe in "love is sweeter the second time around"? Unknown 10:00 PM

"Many people visits Palawan and returns, several times" said our tour guide when she learned that that was our second time in Palawan.  My friends and I agreed to go back because we enjoyed our stay and that there's a lot more to see, and we're planning to return hopefully this year, this time to Coron.

That tour guide was also our tour guide during our first trip.. she did look familiar, but I didn't ask my friend if she hired the same people, same travel company.  well I don't remember their name, but I do remember that they gave a nice service; our hotel room was nice, the food was nice, and they did give us enough time to appreciate every places we went to.

Only we missed the Honday Bay tour and the fireflies because our flight was delayed, thanks to PAL, we were 3 or 4 hours late.  But I'll talk about that on the post for Puerto Prinsesa, because this second fly was smooth with ZestAir.

And so we landed to Puerto Prinsesa, for the second time, embracing us with her welcoming hands.. very warm.  Yeah, it was very hot that day.  Our group was split into two; the second timers will go straight to Honday Bay and the first timers to the Underground River.. we've been there. (teehee)

I can't recall if we did the city tour on the first day or on the last day, but we did it all together as a whole group.  Does it makes sense?  Well, not even the crocs are excited to see us again.. hello, you've got bigger!