An unexpected visit to Palawan

Last November 30, I received a call from Mr. Hubert Lim, the new Marketing Director of Delmar Travel & Tours, Inc. at Market! Market! Branch, located at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Mr. Hubert Lim advised me of the need for us to make an ocular inspection of the facilities of Puerto Princesa to host a convention for approximately 300 delegates. Our trip would be hosted by Dos Palmas Resort and Hotel Fleuris and our tours to Honda Bay, the St. Paul's Subterranean Underground River, as well as the traditional City Tour would be hosted by Ellen de Guzman of Ellen's Travel & Tours.

Excitedly, I packed my bag for a two nights' stay at Puerto Princesa, Palawan, a place that I have heard so much about, but will only be visiting for the first time. From Palawan, we had to proceed to Manila , where Mr. Lim and I were expected to make a presentation to more than 200 doctors who were in attendance. My flight to Puerto Princesa was pleasant and I arrived Puerto Princesa to a warm welcome from Ellen's Travel Manager, Ellen de Guzman as well as from representatives from Dos Palmas who immediately ushered me to a waiting van. Mr. Lim had arrived earlier and had already gone to see the facilities of their golf course. The trip to Dos Palmas was a most pleasant. From the wharf, we boarded a motorized banca to Dos Palmas with a Dutch couple.

We cruised along Honda Bay, passing by the islands of Pandan, Starfish as well as other small islands and sandbars that typified Cebu's Island Hopping Tour. Upon reaching Dos Palmas Resort, we were greeted with the sound of Muslim gongs and music, while their uniformed staff gave us the traditional warm welcome. Memories of past incidents came to mind, but I did not allow that to affect my enthusiasm as I ventured into a new destination that was truly Filipino! The setting was very relaxing, to say the least, and my only regret was not having my famiy with me. We were given a brief orientation of the facilities of Dos Palmas by the guest relations officer, after which we inspected the spa area that was soon to be opened. I'd say that Dos Palmas would make a perfect honeymoon resort.

Later in the evening, we were treated to a sumptous dinner with other local and foreign guests of Dos Palmas. The rooms of the villas were spacious with two queen size beds. It also has a loft which has two additional beds. But unfortunately, or fortunately, the rooms have no television sets. One has to go to the restaurants' entertainment area to watch TV. It proved to be a blessing in disguise for me, since I had more time to work on my presentation scheduled for Dec. 2. The following day, we left early for the city and we were met at the wharf by representatives of Ellen's Travel who put us in motorized banca for another breathtaking ride before a short walk to the entrance of St. Paul's Subterranean Underground River.

Once there, we were made to use hard hats and life vests before we boarded a paddle boat whose guide made us feel relaxed with his humor. It reminded me of the gondola ride in Venice, except that Venice did not have those fantastic stalagmites and stalactites that were simply breathtaking. If only the boat had more lights in front and on its sides, something like what they have in the night tour of the River Seine in Paris, where the buildings get lighted up by the spotlights from the side of the boat as it passes through the government buildings and landmarks showing off the best in Parisienne architecture. What an amazing site it would have been! One cannot help but feel proud that we have something like this in our country. If foreign countries have the structure, the Philippines has the beauty of nature.

Along the way, we saw monkeys crossing our paths and I experienced having lunch with friendly monitor lizards roaming freely around us. We stopped for a while to view Ulugan Bay and the Tres Marias Islands and the Karst Mountains of white marble which reminded me of the white cliffs of Dover in the United Kingdom.

Indeed the Underground River was my favorite! It was something I have never seen in all my life! Mayor Hagedorn should not waste time to fix the roads leading the the Underground River. With good roads and better facilities, it is a certainty that Puerto Princesa will be a destination to watch. We visited and ate at Bajao Seafood Restaurant and Kalui's Restaurant, and I was very impressed with the uniqueness of the place and the variety in the menu that they offer.

The ambiance was very Filipino and yet it was original and unique. One needs to see it to appreciate the good taste and imagination of its owner. The city of Puerto Princesa is small and still has a long way to go, but it has very good hotels such as the Legend Hotel, Asturias, Fleuris and famous resorts such as El Nido, Dos Palmas and Club Noah in the northeastern tip of Palawan. It has a mall and it has Jollibee and Chowking. It is also where I tasted the best "lamayo"( a marinated medium-dried danggit) for breakfast. On departure day, we had planned to visit the market to buy some, but typhoon Reming had caused the airlines to cancel their flights and made us miss our market visit. We ended up taking another airline just to make it in time for our presentation.

This trip to Palawan gave me the biggest thrill and a greater desire to organize tours and visit all the tourist spots in the Philippines in the years ahead.

For your comments, you can reach me at Delmar Travel & Tours, Inc. Tel. (32) 2536561 & 2536571 or by email at: [email protected] or [email protected].