Palawan

CEBU, Philippines - I have traveled to a few places in the U.S. and Europe, but I have yet to explore my home country, the Philippines. One of the places I always wanted to see was Palawan. When I was in college, my friends and I planned to set aside money every week to save for a trip to Palawan. We got busy with school and we lost sight of our Palawan plans.

Ten years later, I finally got the chance to go to Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

One of our main plans was to go scuba diving. It was my first dive in the ocean, as I was certified last year in a lake in Pennsylvania. Aquatic life is beautiful in Palawan and the temperature is much more comfortable compared to the freezing lake. On our second day, we saw a white-tipped shark. I hid behind my brother and husband, but the shark was not interested in me at the least.

Travelers who set foot in Puerto Princesa are missing out if they don’t dine at Kalui restaurant. It is an elegant, native-themed restaurant that offers amazing food. The tuna steak with sweet potato mash and the fish cordon bleu are incredible. You have to leave your footwear at the entrance—the first Filipino restaurant I’ve been to that does that.

Another main activity on our program was to see the underground river, which is currently nominated for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. We took the easy route and paid for an all-inclusive tour.

The two-hour ride alone was interesting enough. We nearly ran over a dog standing in the middle of the street that did not move away until the last second. We also saw several jeepneys with “toploads”— people who sit on top of the jeepneys. It’s akin to a double-decker bus, except that there are no seats and its open air. We don’t see that much in Cebu, but apparently it is a common site in Puerto Princesa. If you lose your head on a telephone wire or something, I wonder if the ride is free.

Our tour guide, Bridget, liked to crack jokes and giggled a lot. There was a patch of rocky road, and Bridget said it was “free massage” for us. And for people in open-air vehicles, it was also free face powder. 

We arrived at Sitio Sabang, the wharf where motorized bancas would convey people to the Puerto Princesa Underground River Park. We crossed the South China Sea and arrived at the park after twenty minutes. Bridget led us through the jungle to the station for registration and finally, to the banca that would take us to the Underground River. We had to sign our names and write down our professions—for what reason, I have no idea.

We boarded a banca, manned by one bangkero. Our bangkero also served as our guide. It was completely dark inside except for a spotlight held by the person at the front of the banca. The river is more than eight kilometers long, but tourists are allowed only up to 1.5. The highest point inside the cave is 6.5 meters. There were hordes of bats hanging above, some making sounds to produce echoes and ascertain their location since their eyesight was poor. Our bangkero warned us to close our mouths if we looked up—bat droppings might fall. There are several chambers inside the cave and several rock formations called stalactites – which drip down from the ceiling – or stalagmites which form from the ground. These rock formations resemble various things—Jesus’ face, the Nativity Scene, the dome of a cathedral, fruits and vegetables. There was one resembling a sexy woman’s bare bottom. Our bangkero said they call it Sharon Stone. A few of us noticed there were drops of liquid falling from above and wondered what they were. Our bangkero advised, “If it’s cold, it’s holy water. If it’s warm, it’s holy shit.”  

It’s this kind of humor that makes me miss being in the company of Filipinos.

We returned to Sitio Sabang and walked along the beach to have lunch there. I got a henna tattoo by two guys with a traveling tattoo shop—they were walking on the beach, advertising their henna tattoo services on an illustration board. 

The locals were serving tamilok, and my Singaporean tour companions were gamely trying it. Tamilok is a Palawan delicacy and is basically a worm served kinilaw-style. Now, I like to eat but I draw the line sometimes. They assured me it tastes like chicken. I wasn’t swayed.

Bridget had mentioned that Palaweños are dedicated to preserving nature in Palawan. It’s true that Palawan is famous for its natural attractions, such as the underground river, the Tubbataha reef marine sanctuary, and El Nido marine reserve. In the same vein, Palaweños are also conscious of the environment. At the beach I saw their recycling bins: three old cooking oil cans in a wooden cage. It was labeled Trash, Plastic, and Paper with permanent marker.

Palawan is beautiful, and there’s a reason to return: El Nido, Coron and the other islands I didn’t see. According to my friend Jing, when God created Coron, He was in a very good mood. I think He was generally in good spirits when He created Palawan.