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| Sabang Beach |
I've been to Palawan many times over. I never get tired of going there. Each visit I take allows me to open my eyes with wonder. This visit took nine days going to and re-visiting some areas and discovering newly developed ones that have sprung up quite recently. So despite being a tourist "must see", Palawan seems to re-invent itself.
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| Sheridan Resort and Spa |
Extensive travel to Palawan can cost a hefty amount. It's not because the province has become a tourist trap, it's just the topography and geographical location lends itself to long drives and boat rides that enhance the experience of exploration. This time around it was the northern part that I went to visit. I wasn't alone. I was guiding for four Israeli VIPs.
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| Sheridan Resort and Spa |
DAY 1
The 45 minute plane ride made touchdown by dusk. A heavy dinner at Ka Lui's is de rigeur if you're in Puerto Princesa (Palawan's capital). It's comforting to know the famed restaurant still offers great cuisine and fresh seafood. The standard has been maintained. I can not help but notice the city is no longer the quaint little city of three years ago. Yes, there are now malls aside from the obligatory bars that cater to foreign visitors... and taxi cabs too. A van took us directly to Sheridan Resort and Spa in Sabang. Today was the first day of our trip. The roads have been well maintained but the solar lamps that used to line the road were not working. Thank God for bright headlights!
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| poolside |
DAY 2
I woke up to a glorious morning so I lost no time walking around the familiar Sabang Beach. Still clean and picturesque, Sabang now is a bustling town with restaurants and B&Bs, lots of souvenir shops, ambulant vendors, an ukay-ukay (pre-loved goods). Last time I was there, there were 2 hotels and a few houses for home-stay. Not anymore! Sheridan and Daluyon can be a bit pricey so if you're on a budget I would recommend you stay in Balay-Balay. An air-conditioned room costs (Pesos) 1,600.00/night/pax while a fan room costs half the price. Good enough for two people and it has its own bathroom.
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| lobby |
I stocked up on snacks and cold water for guests, myself and the driver. These long distances can make one hungry and you never know when the next sari-sari store will come along. No. there are no no convenience stores along the way. Sari-sari stores come few and far between. From Sabang, it would take another 3-4 hours of driving to our next stop - Port Barton. We got there by 2pm to take a boat ride to Palawan Camping Adventures midway between Port Barton and San Vicente. That boat ride was a good half hour still.
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| Port Barton |
More than ten years ago, my friends and I stayed in Port Barton. At most, there were two resorts. The entire stretch of beach was ours to play around in. The place we stayed in was called Swissipini owned by an enterprising lady named Flora. Now, Port Barton is a bustling town. The wide stretch of beach has given way to B&Bs, resorts, restaurants and karaoke bars. Still a nice place to visit but forget peace and tranquility here. You'll find those in Thelma and Toby's. We arrived around three in the afternoon.We had to pay for environment tax prior to the boat ride (P50.00/pax). We were welcomed by the resort's owner Toby ( a Canadian citizen married to a Filipina from Palawan) Thelma.
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| My guests at Port Barton |
After the welcome drinks and small talk, we were shown our accommodations. We had time to get settled and were told that dinner was at 7:00pm.The meal was fresh seafood, rice, salad, laing (taro leaves in coconut cream, and fresh fruit for dessert. Before you know it the sound of the waves along the shore and the balmy winds got me all sleepy. By nine pm, I turned in for the night.
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| Thelma and Toby's |
DAY 3
I was up at dawn to the sound of waves. The wind had brought the waves crashing to shore at night and in the morning, it was calm and peaceful. I was at the beach way before the other guests were. The good thing about the Thelma and Toby's operation is that it's run by the couple and their staff (whose almost family). Grace is the all-around supervisor, accountant, cashier, et.al. She is god daughter to Thelma. In the summer Thelma and Toby's children are hands on at their resort. Two of their kids are in Canada while the youngest is in college at Puerto Princesa. Toby and Thelma decided to purchase the 5 hectare property when they got married and started working on the resort while the family was growing.
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| Thelma and Toby's (Palawan Camping Adventures |
The resort has 10 tents and three cottages. It's not your typical campsite. It's glamping at its best! Each tent has its own fire pit. you gotta pay 50.00 for firewwood though. But that's plenty of warmth at night and it drives away mosquitoes. At (pesos) 1,600.00/pax/night, it's pretty reasonable considering you get full board plus use of the facilities. The water is abundant, and even if the bathrooms are shared, it is always clean and well stocked with tissue paper. The meals are always fresh catch of the day ranging from Giant Trevalli to Yellow fin Tuna and shrimp. The guests get a treat when the staff clamber up the trees to fetch young coconut. You can kayak to a waterfall in the adjacent cove and the locals are always willing to welcome you to that area. A small donation won't even wreck your budget.
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| My accommodations at Palawan Camping Adventure |
Chatting with Toby over breakfast is a great fun. He has this "awww shuchks" vibe about him and he's always up for good conversation. The days go by slowly over this tranquil spot on earth but not one of the guests can be heard complaining. Actually, quite a lot want to extend their stay. It's just beautiful out there. Good reviews on trip advisor keep the guests coming. Toby wants to keep the resort the way it is though. No need to expand operations. All one needs to do is get an online reservation.
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| Sunset at Palawan Camping Adventures |
Day 4
It was time to leave for Taytay as the guests were booked for 1D/2N in Apulit. I made arrangements to have the boat drop us off at San Vicente, which was the next town. A bigger one than Port Barton! It would have meant a shorter drive to Taytay plus the roads are better. Nonetheless, the drive is another 3-4 hours. We stopped midway for snacks at Lorna's where for 750 pesos, all five of us had a heavy snack of pork nilaga, menudo adobo chicken. plus drinks.
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| Sala de Apulit |
We reached Taytay by noon and had lunch at Pem's Pension house two blocks from the Sala de Apulit. What used to be known as Club Noah Isabel was acquired by the Ayala Group and they decided to use the name of the island. A lot pricey but still in great demand. Those cabins in the water attract a lot of foreign tourists.
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| Cabin 20 at Pems Pension House |
I on the other hand, stayed in Taytay and found my lodging at Pems Pension House. At (pesos) 1,500.00/night I had an air-conditioned cottage with TV to myself with a great view of Fuerza Sta. Isabel. This fort was completed in 1738 after the Spaniards decided to stay in the area when it was discovered by the survivors of Magellan's fleet. After Magellan's soldiers were massacred by Lapu-Lapu's men, the survivors fled Mactan and were said to have been pursued by the Muslims. They ended up in the northern tip of Palawan and took Taytay's local King and Queen as hostage demanding they be given food and supplies so they could sail to the Moluccas strait where they could seek help from the Portuguese sailing in the area. They started building the fort to protect themselves and stayed when the Philippines was colonized. The Fuerza de Sta. Isabel stands as a mute witness to Spanish colonization in a least likely Spanish ruled area.
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| Fuerza de Sta. Isabel, Taytay, Palawan |
Last order prior to the kitchen closing was at eight p.m. Ms. Jen (whom I had met earlier in the day), the supervisor, came knocking at my door to asked if I was interested in having dinner. I decided to order a plate of spaghetti bolognese for (pesos) 295.00. The order was a huge serving of pasta good enough for three people. Later on, I discovered that the servings in Pems Pension House was always huge
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| Backyard of Pems Pension house with the fort in the background |
DAY 5
I woke up early morning to the sound of birds chirping in the garden. I had the day all to myself to do as I pleased. The owner of Pems, Chan Lee mentioned the Cayawyaw falls as an interesting destination 45 minutes away from the town of Taytay. I'd have gone except that I would get calls from the tour operator about changes in itinerary. It had to be cancelled.
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| Pems Pension House lobby |
So for the rest of the day, I explored Taytay. The fort was a necessary stop. and then I went around the market area to buy mosquito repellent and some other supplies. Took a million photos of the area and the church of St. Monica. I didn't venture too far out to visit the Cathedral of St Joseph as it was too far off town. The rest of my day was spent at the Pems Cafe where there was wi-fi and chatting with the locals. Pems is a nice set-up. I could have stayed in Casa Rosa but I didn't want to clamber up the hill where it was located. Too much hassle. But my stay at Pems was worth every cent. Near the coastline and the market area, and right next to Sta. Monica Church.
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| Sta. Monica Church, Taytay Palawan |
Chan Lee and some of the staff are exactly the right people you wanna hang out with. I also met some of the guests from all over the world and my free day was all over before I knew it. I was also getting tired from all that walking so I slept like a log after downing a huge plate of shrimp in garlic and butter.
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| Bar area of Pems Pension House |
DAY 6
Woke up at dawn to get ready for Mass. It was a Sunday. I got dressed and ready and went next door to the church. Apparently, there was no fixed time for Mass. They start when most of the neighborhood was present in Church. At 7:00 a.m. the processional went on and an hour later, I was at the breakfast table with a plate of toast, bacon and eggs. My guests were scheduled to arrive after lunch and then we move to El Nido.
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| Cadiao Island, El Nido, Palawan |
The van arrived shortly after lunch and we waited at the Sala de Apulit for the guests. The boat was a little late and once we had loaded the luggage in the van, we sped off to El Nido. We reached El Nido Town around 2:00p.m. and the guests decided to have late lunch. We stopped in town so the guests can do some walking and a little exploration and they decided to eat at Angel's for their spicy chicken. El Nido is the touristy version of Puerto Princesa. The shoreline is dotted with hotels and B&Bs and bars that cater to tourists. Name your cuisine and you'll find it in El Nido. What makes for interesting backdrop while your dining are the islands jutting out from the West Philippine Sea.
We had to continue to drive to Tapik Beach which was a 2-hour drive along the El Nido Coast. It was dusk when we got to Tapik Beach so I checked in the guests and found my accommodations for the rest of our stay. It was a two-man tent with a thatched roof over it. It was similar to the Palawan Camping Adventures in Port Barton but a lot smaller in scale. This is far removed from the busy street scene of El Nido and access to it is through the beach. It is quiet, secluded and off the beaten track - literally! After dinner, I decided to settle into my tent and fell asleep by 10:00pm.
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| my accommodation at Tapik Beach |
DAY 7
I woke up at dawn to get ready for a heavy schedule. I was going to take the guests back to El Nido for an island hopping tour. The guests were to ride bikes to town and from there board a private outrigger for Island Tour A: Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Seven Commando.
Overcast skies loomed over the coastline and the bikes came 2 hours late. But when it did, the guests were so gung-ho about taking the bike ride to town. We reached El Nido near noon, boarded the boat, got the coast guard clearance and sped off. It was a rainy day but it didn't dampen the spirit of my guests. They were gobsmacked with the beauty of the limestone cliffs rising above the deep indigo water.
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| Small Lagoon |
The small lagoon was the first stop and the three of the guests snorkeled all the way to the small lagoon. One of them stayed on the boat to watch lots of tourist renting kayaks. He spotted a lady using an oar that had dark and light streaks and decided to buy it for himself. Apparently he has a collection of oars from every country he has visited. we decided to make a pitch for it at he purchased it after haglling for (pesos) 500.00. After the rest came back from snorkelling, they were treated to lunch of tuna, crabs, shrimp, mussels, and mangoes and watermelon for dessert.
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| Entrance to Secret Lagoon |
Next stop was Secret Lagoon. Once we reached the spot, they decide to make a swim for the secret lagoon entrance and they had to line up to get in. Our boat was easy to maneuver as we had the boat all to ourselves.we weren't sharing it with twenty other tourists.
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| Shimizu Island |
We made our way to Shimizu Island. Named after a man who was said to have drowned in its waters, it is rich snorkeling area. Beyond it is open sea but the water on our side was calm. Not far from from the island is Turtle island which is where sea turtles spawn and lay eggs. One would need special permission to do a night watch there.
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| Big Lagoon |
Big Lagoon was our next stop. The lagoon is big enough for boats to sail into. There's a portion where one can walk the shallow part but watch out for bancas that go in and out of the lagoon. Those jagged limestone cliffs can be sharp. Big Lagoon is the deepest, reaching up to 80 feet. Whute tipped reef sharks can sometimes bask in its depths.
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| Big Lagoon |
7 Commando is an inhabited island. After a long day of swimming and snorkeling the island is the last stop where tourist can get a cup of coffee prior to getting back to El Nido port. We decided to skip this one and headed back to El Nido so we can get back to Tapik Beach by nightfall. Those roads going through the different barangays are dark and unlit. The roads are now paved except for some portions where road construction is still ongoing.
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| Big Lagoon |
DAY 8
Our stay was made memorable when one of the guests decided to go to Barangay Sibaltan to look for a guy who makes oars for canoes. I found out through the staff that the guy was employed at Tapik Beach. I asked him to go home and fetch his oars so the guest can take a good look at them. Those oars he made by hand fetched (pesos) 300.00 each. So my happy guest came back to Manila lugging 2 oars for a canoe and one for a kayak.
We made a temporary stop at the viewpoint overlooking Deep Blue beach in Barangay San Fernando in El Nido and by ten a.m. we had reached El Nido Airport for our flight back to Manila.
