After a few failed attempts I managed to get a trike from the hotel to the Puerto Princesa airport for 10 Pesos, the standard charge for locals is 8 Pesos but the trike operators will try to charge anybody easily identified as a foreigner anything up to 80 Pesos for the 5 minute journey. This constant overcharging of tourists is one of the annoying aspects of Asia travel that seems to be accepted by most as just part of the deal. Not sure how well it would go over in Australia, America or Europe if all tourists were routinely charged more than locals? I understand that developing economies need to raise as much revenue as they can from tourists to help with the development of infrastructure but this is just straight out profiteering from a select target. It was put to me by the hotel management that white people should be happy to pay more because they're rich, she didn't have an answer to my question about why rich Filipino's aren't asked to pay more. Another area tourists are targeted, is with beggars; I was sitting in the park on Puerto Princesa harbour just trying to have a peaceful reflection on the last few weeks of travel but was constantly harangued by kids asking for money. A group of three police stood close by chatting but ignoring the beggars, that is until the beggars started asking more affluent local people for money, then the police went into action and moved them on.
The highlight of the trip for me is Coron on Busuanga Island and I think any trip to Palawan is not complete unless it is included. From conversations with locals and tourists alike I've concluded that the most scenic parts of Palawan are north of Puerto Princesa so for those with limited time to travel this is the obvious area to concentrate your efforts. I'd still like to travel to the southern areas but I'd rather do it on my own terms by either buying or arranging a long term rental of a small motor bike. Cheaper beach cabins can be found just a little way beyond the boundaries of the main towns but these are often not discovered for a day, after having already booked into something more expensive closer to the drop off or landing point. Camping would also be an option for the more adventurous as there are numerous beaches between towns where I'm sure you could find a shaded spot to set up a small tent. Some of the villages have put in rest areas with a small shop nearby, they are designated as day use only but a few casual inquiries indicated that an overnight stay may be negotiable.
I'm at the Manila airport now with mixed feeling about leaving. I'm looking forward to being in Shanghai again and very much looking forward to spending a week taking my wife shopping and sightseeing but I also feel like I've just scratched the surface here and there is so much more to see.
I think I'll be back.
Thursday 19 March 2009
Tuesday 17 March 2009
Subterranean River National Park March 16th
Despite booking the tour and checking twice on the pick-up time, the tour van didn't arrive so I did what I should have done in the first place and made my own way there. I jumped on one of the “mini jeepneys” doing the rounds in Puerto Princesa to get to the new Central Bus Station, it's a bit out of town at the new Central Markets site; cost to get there 12 Pesos. Found the one and only bus to Sabang, it had the left rear wheel set complete with axle, brakes and hub removed, BUT they were working on it and people were already sitting in the bus seats in anticipation of leaving. I inquired and was informed that the departure time had shifted from 0900 to 0930. As it was only 0830 I figured I was in with a chance so sat and waited. True to their word the whole shebang was reassembled and we were on our way at a bit after 0930, although I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in the repair job seeing out the trip; the smell of burning brakes was pretty bloody strong for the first 50KM or so. The bus has obviously seen many many trips to Sabang before and fortunately completed yet another. I particularly admired the way the large rust holes in the floor facilitated ventilation and how the roof was pressed into service once all the seats inside were occupied.
Sabang is in the throes of a development boom with the increased national and international awareness of the “Underground River”, touted as being the longest navigatable underground river in the world.
Visit, www.puerto-undergroundriver.com to check it out, there's a link to a very informative video on the web site.
I didn't actually find the cave to be that spectacular in comparison the limestone caves I've been into in Western Australia, lacking in the beautiful shawls and long thin stalactites of the later. I do wish I had longer to explore the surrounding area as it is visually spectacular with much higher limestone formations than found further north. I started out with the intent of doing just a day trip but having missed the return bus to Puerto Princesa, I decided not to try too hard for an alternative ride but rather to spend the night there so I could at least explore some of the rain forest the next day.
I found a delightful complex of beach huts with the name “Dab-Dab Cottages & Restaurant.
Ph 09109241673 or 09295350653, it's located at the extreme end of the beach past the boat landing area. No two huts are the same and the owner / builder, Dante Ausan, has created a lovely complex by using traditional building materials in imaginative and daring designs. I was alloted cabin 4, an elevated room with outwards slanting walls and a spiral staircase for entry. At 400 pesos for the night I was very happy. The restaurant building is just as delightful, being constructed completely out of traditional materials but again in a very imaginative and creative fashion. If they ever do a remake of “A Swiss Family Robinson” they would do well to consult Dante for set design.
Got up nice and early for a pre-breakfast jungle trek, saw plenty of monkeys but not much of anything else regarding wildlife. The rain forest is very thick and just like in the north of Queensland it does come right down to the sea. Bummed around for the rest of the morning after my muesli breakfast at Dab-Dab and then managed to secure a ride back to Puerto in a nice comfortable Toyota Hi-Ace van for 300 Pesos. The bus fare is 120 Pesos for Philippines nationals and 200 for foreigners.
Off to Manila tomorrow morning to catch my connection to Shanghai.
Sabang is in the throes of a development boom with the increased national and international awareness of the “Underground River”, touted as being the longest navigatable underground river in the world.
Visit, www.puerto-undergroundriver.com to check it out, there's a link to a very informative video on the web site.
I didn't actually find the cave to be that spectacular in comparison the limestone caves I've been into in Western Australia, lacking in the beautiful shawls and long thin stalactites of the later. I do wish I had longer to explore the surrounding area as it is visually spectacular with much higher limestone formations than found further north. I started out with the intent of doing just a day trip but having missed the return bus to Puerto Princesa, I decided not to try too hard for an alternative ride but rather to spend the night there so I could at least explore some of the rain forest the next day.
I found a delightful complex of beach huts with the name “Dab-Dab Cottages & Restaurant.
Ph 09109241673 or 09295350653, it's located at the extreme end of the beach past the boat landing area. No two huts are the same and the owner / builder, Dante Ausan, has created a lovely complex by using traditional building materials in imaginative and daring designs. I was alloted cabin 4, an elevated room with outwards slanting walls and a spiral staircase for entry. At 400 pesos for the night I was very happy. The restaurant building is just as delightful, being constructed completely out of traditional materials but again in a very imaginative and creative fashion. If they ever do a remake of “A Swiss Family Robinson” they would do well to consult Dante for set design.
Got up nice and early for a pre-breakfast jungle trek, saw plenty of monkeys but not much of anything else regarding wildlife. The rain forest is very thick and just like in the north of Queensland it does come right down to the sea. Bummed around for the rest of the morning after my muesli breakfast at Dab-Dab and then managed to secure a ride back to Puerto in a nice comfortable Toyota Hi-Ace van for 300 Pesos. The bus fare is 120 Pesos for Philippines nationals and 200 for foreigners.
Off to Manila tomorrow morning to catch my connection to Shanghai.
El Nido to Puerto Princesa March 14th
Took the soft option of an A/C Minivan although I have a pretty good excuse. I've had a sore throat since arriving in the Philippines and it finally developed into coughing, runny nose and almost total loss of voice. After seeing the condition of people arriving in El Nido from the open bus I decided my throat and lungs didn't need that much dust just now. It was a pretty uneventful trip south with not much of interest to report.
Puerto Princesa is a busy provincial capital with lots of noise and people, I'm regretting leaving El Nido so soon already and I've only just got here. Going to take it easy for a day, I need to get to the ATM and to the Cebu Pacific office to buy my ticket back to Manila and book a tour to Sabang Palawan to see the underground river.
Puerto Princesa is a busy provincial capital with lots of noise and people, I'm regretting leaving El Nido so soon already and I've only just got here. Going to take it easy for a day, I need to get to the ATM and to the Cebu Pacific office to buy my ticket back to Manila and book a tour to Sabang Palawan to see the underground river.
Saturday 14 March 2009
El Nido March 13th
Went down to the town beach in the morning to watch the Bangka racing. These are scaled down versions of the fishing outrigger boats with a petrol powered stationary motor, they all seemed to run the same make and model of engine. The heats started at about 9am with lots of loudspeaker announcements filling in the seemingly endless gaps in proceedings. Decided to head for Squido's Cafe for breakfast and to exploit their free WiFi service. Pretty good food and reasonable prices at Squido's and they don't seem to mind how long you sit there over one drink while you use the WiFi.
Headed back to the beach just in time for the finals of the Bangka Races. This is serious business here and the top boats are turned out like high bred racing machines. The pilots seem to be picked for their slight frames as much as anything else, not an ounce of fat on any of them. A blue boat called “Budweiser” won the day with “Budweiser 2” taking out second place. Later in the afternoon I got to see cock fights for the first and last time. The fighting birds are pampered with the best feed and groomed to a high gloss before battle. A razor sharp blade is securely fastened to one leg of each bird then they bring each bird into the cockpit along with a sparring partner to get them sufficiently stirred up before the bout. The actual event is over pretty quickly with the winning bird living to fight another day while the loser is quickly dispatched to a pot of boiling water to ready it for plucking and cooking. At least it doesn't go to waste. In the evening and in the same arena as the cock fights they held the boxing festival. This was a strictly amateur event, 3 x 3 minute rounds and the fighters were equipped with head protection. The bouts were fought with plenty of passion with crowd encouragement for each fighter fueled by the gambling. Many of the fighters had more passion than skill but it was very entertaining all the same.
Headed back to the beach just in time for the finals of the Bangka Races. This is serious business here and the top boats are turned out like high bred racing machines. The pilots seem to be picked for their slight frames as much as anything else, not an ounce of fat on any of them. A blue boat called “Budweiser” won the day with “Budweiser 2” taking out second place. Later in the afternoon I got to see cock fights for the first and last time. The fighting birds are pampered with the best feed and groomed to a high gloss before battle. A razor sharp blade is securely fastened to one leg of each bird then they bring each bird into the cockpit along with a sparring partner to get them sufficiently stirred up before the bout. The actual event is over pretty quickly with the winning bird living to fight another day while the loser is quickly dispatched to a pot of boiling water to ready it for plucking and cooking. At least it doesn't go to waste. In the evening and in the same arena as the cock fights they held the boxing festival. This was a strictly amateur event, 3 x 3 minute rounds and the fighters were equipped with head protection. The bouts were fought with plenty of passion with crowd encouragement for each fighter fueled by the gambling. Many of the fighters had more passion than skill but it was very entertaining all the same.
Thursday 12 March 2009
El Nido March 13th
Island hopping today in company with the French couple, Fred and Jessica from the room next door.
Fred and Jessica had done a couple of trips previously with the same operator and had negotiated a favourable price for the boat, skipper and lunch. The skipper, Raymundo or his wife, Jocelyn can be contacted on Ph, 09106990115 if you want to avoid the booking agencies.
The boat is based at Corong – Corong Beach so Raymundo had organised and paid for a trike to collect us three from Cliffside Lodge for transport to his beach side house.
After wading out to the boat and loading up Raymundo started the un-muffled single cylinder petrol engine and immediately shattered the morning peace. How Raymundo or Jocelyn have any hearing ability at all after such regular prolonged exposure to that din is beyond me. I have to say that finding a bangka with a different setup of engine will be pretty difficult, from observation they all seem similarly equipped.
The first stop was Hidden Beach, so named due to it being obscured from view on the ocean side by a slab sided limestone island that stands out about two hundred metres from and extends beyond the limits of each end of the beach. Spent a short time here snorkeling, the sea floor was unremarkable but I was lucky enough to find a sea anemone with the Nemo family in residence. Time to try out the underwater capability of my Olympus 850 SW. I'm pretty happy with the result although I have to say it's much more difficult than snapping off shots above water.
From Hidden Beach we motored noisily to Secret Beach, from the number of other boats arriving soon after us it seems the secret is well and truly blown. This is an amazing sight all the same. Access to the beach is gained by swimming through a tiny opening in a limestone cliff into a shallow lagoon, about half and acre in size with a small white sand beach at one end. The lagoon is completely surrounded by walls of jagged dark grey limestone covered in hardy plants.
We visited a few more swimming spots, all of them stunning in their own right but after being surrounded with such spectacular scenery for a few days the impact has dulled somewhat. At one of the beaches we had a lunch of grilled fish and squid with the obligatory rice and a tomatoe salad followed by fresh sliced mango. In my travels in the Philippines I am so far, unimpressed by the cooking. To say it is basic is an understatement when compared to the dishes on offer in China and Thailand. Blue Azul Cafe in El Nido stands out as having made the most effort in preparing the food to add flavour with spices and presenting it in an attractive manner.
After lunch we visited the shrine on Heart Shaped Island, this concrete abomination in an otherwise unspoiled natural landscape is the result of a number of “visions” claimed by various members of the faithful over a number of years. It started out as a wooden cross placed unobtrusively in a natural cave but with ever grander visions has expanded into what stands there today; a decaying concrete dome with a few marble statues of religious significance plus the really ugly concrete pier, doubtlessly built to aid in the construction of the other buildings.
One more stop for a swim on Helicopter Island and then back to Corong – Corong, all in all a pretty good day in good company and with capable skipper and first mate.
Island hopping today in company with the French couple, Fred and Jessica from the room next door.
Fred and Jessica had done a couple of trips previously with the same operator and had negotiated a favourable price for the boat, skipper and lunch. The skipper, Raymundo or his wife, Jocelyn can be contacted on Ph, 09106990115 if you want to avoid the booking agencies.
The boat is based at Corong – Corong Beach so Raymundo had organised and paid for a trike to collect us three from Cliffside Lodge for transport to his beach side house.
After wading out to the boat and loading up Raymundo started the un-muffled single cylinder petrol engine and immediately shattered the morning peace. How Raymundo or Jocelyn have any hearing ability at all after such regular prolonged exposure to that din is beyond me. I have to say that finding a bangka with a different setup of engine will be pretty difficult, from observation they all seem similarly equipped.
The first stop was Hidden Beach, so named due to it being obscured from view on the ocean side by a slab sided limestone island that stands out about two hundred metres from and extends beyond the limits of each end of the beach. Spent a short time here snorkeling, the sea floor was unremarkable but I was lucky enough to find a sea anemone with the Nemo family in residence. Time to try out the underwater capability of my Olympus 850 SW. I'm pretty happy with the result although I have to say it's much more difficult than snapping off shots above water.
From Hidden Beach we motored noisily to Secret Beach, from the number of other boats arriving soon after us it seems the secret is well and truly blown. This is an amazing sight all the same. Access to the beach is gained by swimming through a tiny opening in a limestone cliff into a shallow lagoon, about half and acre in size with a small white sand beach at one end. The lagoon is completely surrounded by walls of jagged dark grey limestone covered in hardy plants.
We visited a few more swimming spots, all of them stunning in their own right but after being surrounded with such spectacular scenery for a few days the impact has dulled somewhat. At one of the beaches we had a lunch of grilled fish and squid with the obligatory rice and a tomatoe salad followed by fresh sliced mango. In my travels in the Philippines I am so far, unimpressed by the cooking. To say it is basic is an understatement when compared to the dishes on offer in China and Thailand. Blue Azul Cafe in El Nido stands out as having made the most effort in preparing the food to add flavour with spices and presenting it in an attractive manner.
After lunch we visited the shrine on Heart Shaped Island, this concrete abomination in an otherwise unspoiled natural landscape is the result of a number of “visions” claimed by various members of the faithful over a number of years. It started out as a wooden cross placed unobtrusively in a natural cave but with ever grander visions has expanded into what stands there today; a decaying concrete dome with a few marble statues of religious significance plus the really ugly concrete pier, doubtlessly built to aid in the construction of the other buildings.
One more stop for a swim on Helicopter Island and then back to Corong – Corong, all in all a pretty good day in good company and with capable skipper and first mate.
El Nido March 11th
Decided to rent a small motor bike in order to explore the area north of El Nido. Bike from “Pit Stop Bike and Car Rental” Ph. 0919 8747178 or arnaudlep@yahoo.fr
Cost of the bike is 700 Pesos for the day 0800 to 1800, the bikes are in good condition and reasonably new at time of writing.
While I don't regret taking the trip it certainly doesn't figure in the highlights of my visit to Palawan. The best of the beaches to be found ar no better than Las Cabanas which can be reached in short time from El Nido for ten Pesos and many of the beaches are not so good for swimming due to them being very flat and shallow. There are also water falls on offer but as this time of year is relatively dry I decided to pass on paying the entrance fee to those. The highlight of the day was getting to meet the lovely friendly inhabitants of the villages. On the whole I've found the people in the Palawan Islands to be openly friendly and sincere, the children invariably greet visitors to the villages with wide smiles while waving and calling out “HELLO, what's your name,” unfortunately this is also followed by “give me money.”
There are numerous little stores along the road and in the villages selling basics so you don't need to carry litres and litres of water with you. At one of the villages I asked if it was possible to buy a coconut in order to drink the juice, the first reaction was in the negative. I had struck up a conversation with a wheelchair bound Robert, a local school teacher who unfortunately, was afflicted with a degenerative bone disease some years previous. Robert was telling me about a celebration to be held in the village in the coming weeks and how they were trying to get donations from the visiting tourists for the purchase of prizes for the children. I pointed out to Robert that most tourists to Palawan were budget travelers who aren't inclined to make donations and who are pretty tired of being asked for money. As more riders arrived I asked them if they would buy a fresh coconut to drink if it was available, they all wanted one, so I put it to Robert that if he could get it organised, here was a way to raise funds for the celebrations. In short time he had several fresh coconuts harvested, prepared and presented complete with drinking straws. At thirty Pesos each, not a bad start I thought.
A fair is in progress in El Nido at the moment. It started with a few food stalls being set up and inter-school sports and has developed into live music acts, gambling games and a whole street of open air food stalls. Buses, trucks and many other forms of transport have been pressed into service bringing people from the outlying villages into town for the big event which reaches it's climax on March 15th.
Cost of the bike is 700 Pesos for the day 0800 to 1800, the bikes are in good condition and reasonably new at time of writing.
While I don't regret taking the trip it certainly doesn't figure in the highlights of my visit to Palawan. The best of the beaches to be found ar no better than Las Cabanas which can be reached in short time from El Nido for ten Pesos and many of the beaches are not so good for swimming due to them being very flat and shallow. There are also water falls on offer but as this time of year is relatively dry I decided to pass on paying the entrance fee to those. The highlight of the day was getting to meet the lovely friendly inhabitants of the villages. On the whole I've found the people in the Palawan Islands to be openly friendly and sincere, the children invariably greet visitors to the villages with wide smiles while waving and calling out “HELLO, what's your name,” unfortunately this is also followed by “give me money.”
There are numerous little stores along the road and in the villages selling basics so you don't need to carry litres and litres of water with you. At one of the villages I asked if it was possible to buy a coconut in order to drink the juice, the first reaction was in the negative. I had struck up a conversation with a wheelchair bound Robert, a local school teacher who unfortunately, was afflicted with a degenerative bone disease some years previous. Robert was telling me about a celebration to be held in the village in the coming weeks and how they were trying to get donations from the visiting tourists for the purchase of prizes for the children. I pointed out to Robert that most tourists to Palawan were budget travelers who aren't inclined to make donations and who are pretty tired of being asked for money. As more riders arrived I asked them if they would buy a fresh coconut to drink if it was available, they all wanted one, so I put it to Robert that if he could get it organised, here was a way to raise funds for the celebrations. In short time he had several fresh coconuts harvested, prepared and presented complete with drinking straws. At thirty Pesos each, not a bad start I thought.
A fair is in progress in El Nido at the moment. It started with a few food stalls being set up and inter-school sports and has developed into live music acts, gambling games and a whole street of open air food stalls. Buses, trucks and many other forms of transport have been pressed into service bringing people from the outlying villages into town for the big event which reaches it's climax on March 15th.
Tuesday 10 March 2009
El Nido Tuesday March 10th
Had a pretty good sleep last night even with the occasional noisy motor bike going past and woke up refreshed and looking forward to exploring El Nido and it's surrounds. The central bakery is just down the road from my lodge so a five minute walk provided me with fresh buns that looked like croissants but had neither the texture nor taste of the French original. Never mind it was edible enough and washed down pretty well with black tea.
The road past the lodge is the main road out of town and heads to the next bay called Corong-Corong; so good that they named it twice? C – C is a loose collection of village huts, beach cabin accommodation and more upmarket resorts as well as a very stylish two storey house with a big sign on the beach side proudly proclaiming it to be the home of Mr and Mrs Walsh. It actually has their first names on the sign as well but I can't remember what they are. C – C beach is not a particularly nice beach for swimming so I kept heading south around the next headland, and the next and the next, finally arriving at Las Cabanas Beach. Las Cabanas is a beautiful beach with fine white sand and good swimming depth within a few metres of the shore. There is little in the way of beach cabins or even village huts along the best part of the beach but at the far end, the less attractive end, a very nice looking resort has been established, called appropriately Las Cabanas Beach Resort. Found a nice shaded spot to rest and went for a swim before lunching on a mango and another imitation croissant. Walked a bit further along the beach for more photo opportunities and then returned to C – C to flag down a passing trike back to Cliffside Lodge.
Spent the remainder of the afternoon sorting photo's and napping. Found a newly opened Swedish Massage booth Calle Hamma Street offering 50% Discount for a one hour massage, on inquiring I was told that an additional twenty minutes for free was on offer as well. Never could resist a bargain and at 250 Pesos for an hour and twenty minutes of massage it well and truly fell into my interpretation of a bargain. Not sure if it was just that I was feeling run down after all these days on the move but I rated the massage as amongst the best I've ever had. Should sleep well tonight.
The road past the lodge is the main road out of town and heads to the next bay called Corong-Corong; so good that they named it twice? C – C is a loose collection of village huts, beach cabin accommodation and more upmarket resorts as well as a very stylish two storey house with a big sign on the beach side proudly proclaiming it to be the home of Mr and Mrs Walsh. It actually has their first names on the sign as well but I can't remember what they are. C – C beach is not a particularly nice beach for swimming so I kept heading south around the next headland, and the next and the next, finally arriving at Las Cabanas Beach. Las Cabanas is a beautiful beach with fine white sand and good swimming depth within a few metres of the shore. There is little in the way of beach cabins or even village huts along the best part of the beach but at the far end, the less attractive end, a very nice looking resort has been established, called appropriately Las Cabanas Beach Resort. Found a nice shaded spot to rest and went for a swim before lunching on a mango and another imitation croissant. Walked a bit further along the beach for more photo opportunities and then returned to C – C to flag down a passing trike back to Cliffside Lodge.
Spent the remainder of the afternoon sorting photo's and napping. Found a newly opened Swedish Massage booth Calle Hamma Street offering 50% Discount for a one hour massage, on inquiring I was told that an additional twenty minutes for free was on offer as well. Never could resist a bargain and at 250 Pesos for an hour and twenty minutes of massage it well and truly fell into my interpretation of a bargain. Not sure if it was just that I was feeling run down after all these days on the move but I rated the massage as amongst the best I've ever had. Should sleep well tonight.
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