Palawan - a Journey through Puerto Princesa

My very first trip to Puerto Princesa City in Palawan happened in July 2004. I volunteered for a layover on a special charter flight to Korea because I knew, after one day of work, I would have plenty of time to go around the city. One hour from Manila by plane, Palawan is considered the greenest and cleanest place in the Philippines.

Quick Tips:

Seafood is abundant in Palawan. You may want to try the prawns, crabs, oysters, mussels, and most of the variety of local fishes in their freshest state. Palawan is also famous for their bottled wild honey syrup and cashew nuts, which can be bought either fried or roasted. Vegetables and meat can be quite steep in price because of Palawan's location, but they can also be bought in local markets.

Best Way To Get Around:

Try to make transportation arrangements with the concierge as soon as you arrive at your hotel. Rent a van or a jeepney for your daytrip; it would only cost around to /day for a van and around to /day for an open-air jeepney. Most hotels offer a shuttle to the only shopping mall in downtown, where you can also find ATMs, fast-food outlets, and a pharmacy. Tricycles are easily accessible if you want to get around on your own; fares are for only P20 to 30 Pesos(PHP) per ride.

After freshening up at our respective rooms, our local and very gracious host took us out for seafood dinner at Badjao Restaurant. The Badjao Restaurant is a nipa hut structure perched on top of a body of water. The owners said that, during daytime, their restaurant is filled to the brim because of the scenery. Too bad we missed the ambience they are projecting, but we really enjoyed the freshly caught, cooked seafood the restaurant is famous for.

Our table was brimming with food when the waiter started to serve us. The Sinigang na Hipon soup (shrimp in tamarind broth) was brought in for starters as well as the local seaweed salad marinated in vinegar, which were really appetizing. Hot steaming rice came next, followed by grilled blue marlin (fish) and stuffed grilled squid. We filled our stomachs to our hearts content and everyone declined to take some of the sweets they were offering for dessert. We finished our meal with hot tea and coffee and went back to the hotel for the evening

Our first stop is at the Crocodile Farm and Nature Reserve. For a very minimal fee of 10 pesos per head at the entrance, we saw and appreciated the facility's effort in preserving Palawan’s crocodiles.

A 5-minute video presentation at the lecture room gave us a background on how crocodiles are born, nurtured, and kept at the farm. We were amazed by how long a crocodile can grow during its life span and actually saw a skeleton of a crocodile, which was about 17 feet long.

The crocodile nursery area houses newly hatched crocodiles until they are strong enough to be with the older ones in open-air cages. Pictures can be taken while holding baby crocodiles for a small fee. It was really weird to hold a baby crocodile, especially when it wriggles. The scales feel like broken egg shells laid side by side and the mouth is held tight by several rubber bands to prevent it from biting anyone who holds it.

After spending time taking croc pics, we went to the Iwahig Penal Colony and visited souvenir shops whose crafts are made by the prisoners. The facility is a long way from a major road, but the green scenery will keep anyone from getting bored. The Mitra Ranch was next on our agenda; it is a vast property of a late Filipino senator, Ramon Mitra, and overlooks the famous Honda Bay. It used to be a horse ranch and a rest house for the former senate president's family. The lady who looks after the house will sometimes allow vistors to view the magnificent tree sculpted and perched inside the living room and some of the family portraits.

Our next stop is the Vietnamese Village Restaurant for snacks. Located at a former refugee center for Vietnamese boat people, the restaurant is run by a young Vietnamese woman.

Our group went there and sampled the beef stew noodles, oven-fresh garlic French bread, and the best ripe mango shake I’ve ever tasted. You can also sample other varieties of their noodle soup as well as other popular Vietnamese food. Behind the restaurant is a souvenir shop where you can find quaint Vietnamese crafts, coffee drips made out of tin, souvenir items, and some Vietnamese preserved fruits.

Our driver took us for a drive around the village after eating snacks, and there we saw a Vietnamese bakery that sells French bread, a rice noodle factory, and several homes of local Vietnamese who chose to stay and live in Palawan.

Our fifth stop for the day is at a local handicraft store where we marveled at the woodcarvings and other woodworks that were on display.

Three of my companions bought rainmakers, a laminated bamboo the length of the arm that has several small stones inside that make a sound like that of the rain when it’s turned upside down. It is a Filipino belief that when it rains, blessings come forth, and when someone makes rain, he is blessed.

My group spent almost an hour at the store admiring and choosing the best souvenir item to take home in Manila. I purchased a Yakal, wood-carved fruit bowl and two ref magnets in the shape of a turtle.