Ok Ok...Wala muna kokontra at baket nakabikini ako.....Here's the story....

I wanted to celebrate my birthday in a very adventurous manner. So I packed along my skimpiest bikinis, ( you can only see one, this is my favorite) I got my plane ticket and one of my favorite travel companion HanZeL to journey with me as we explore the beautiful Puerto Princesa.

When the Captain said we'll be landing in a few minutes, as you peep out the window you can see the little green stones carefully dropped to the body of water from the sky. I was so excited to jump and see it as nearly as possible.

When we reached the airport, we got our bags and found out my name outside. Yeepee we have sundo!!! Gerard, the husband of my dear friend Jo Anne, booked us a place to stay for just 500 pesos per night. When we reached Bulawagan Princesa and saw the place it was so peaceful. It looks like a retreat house in Tagaytay except for the kidney shape swimmingpool.

We rested, or Hanzel rested for a while, while I was so busy pestering him and taking pictures of us in different angles. Our first stop, City Tour. We went to the Bayan first to get ourselves a map of the place. There was none. So we rode the tricycle ( by the way there trike looks like a mini jeep and big trike all at the same time)and went straight ahead to The Butterfly Farm,



The place was pack with butterflies. Yun nga lang its hard to take pictures of them because you have to be extra silent coz they fly.

After Butterfly Farm. We went to Rodeo Sta Monica, or bahay ni Mitra for the locals, its a house on top of a hill overlooking the whole city. Its like Tagaytay or Antipolo. On your right you see the wide ocean and on your left you see the vast mountains. Beautiful!
Because we are only using the PUV which can be a Multi cab ( used here in Manila to deliver Mineral Water) or the tricycle we are at the drivers mercy. Buti na lang walang salbahe sa Puerto! From the hilltop because its not your usual tourist spot , there was NO tricycle at all...puro motor na mag jowa ang nakasakay. So Hanzel and I kahit na madapa dapa ako ay nilakad namin ang ilang kilometrong akyat baba na hill....buti na lang at sementado na. It took us 45 minutes to reach the main road...it was like oasis in the desert. When we arrived at the hotel room and I checked out my slippers the rubber sole was filled with small sharp stones...OuCh!!!

Hanzel and I decided that we sleep early to get ready for the big day tomorrow.

Underground River here we go!!!!
From PPS to Sabang is a roughly ( because of the endless dirt raod)2 1/2 drive away in an ordinary bus. We braved commuting that far to witness what the local call

God's Highway

, you need to pass the looong highway, the forest, hill, steepy dirt road and the endless towns which we passed by. From Sabang you have to rent a bangka to take you to the Underground River. There youll see the forest and the two species ruling it, the Monkeys and the BayawaKs. Then at the end of the forest, youll see a cave. You have to ride a fiberplastic boat to reach the inside of the cave. There youll find it creepy and cold. There were bats, tarantula ( gives me shiver), snakes, birds, eels, stalagtites and stalagmites in it. It was oddly stunning, especially the rock formation inside. The bangkero who was also our tour guide was so effective that we even shared some laughs in the trip. After the breathtaking Cathedral Cave we went back home to PPS.


At the end of the day we acquired a bottle full of dirt on our head and left us with sticky skin and tangled hair but with a smile on our face and a tug in our hearts. Sorry I cant picture the inside of the cave. Without the little spotlight it was really Pitch Black inside.

When we reached home ( our room) we took off our clothes and headed to the swimming pool....a bat was dipping on the pool eating the little insects when he accidentaly fell on the water. We thought he was going to drown. He swam his way up to the gutter and my dear Hanzel got his slipper and scooped the bat from the pool. After a few minutes, dried himself and flew away...without even saying goodbye.

Honda Bay TouR
We had our breakfast sa Bayan in Jollibee ( was so sad there was no Mcdonalds) and bought our lunch there as well. We rode the tricycle all the way to Sta Lourdes to witness another Palawan experience. We hired a bankero and told him we want to go to Dos Palmas. It was a little bit far from what we expected. Along the way we saw Bakawan (mangrove) so we were a little amazed but as we journey far and all we can see was the big ocean I thought Id end up in Sulu Sea. And there it was, the one and only resort in the middle of nowhere, with there own coast guard watching over them, Dos Palmas. I promised Lheng and Lany I wont set foot there so I just took the liberty to pose in front of the resort.


Island Hoping was the main thing in Honda bay and after DP our bangkero went ahead to Snake Island. If your on an aircraft hovering over the bay you'll see the Snake Island easily because its shaped like a snake. On its side are the mangrove and the Sea just the sand to separate them.

Its almost 2 hours walk from end to end. There we stayed for lunch and the best part there is that you can snorkel and feed the fish. There are different kinds of fishes, I was looking for Nemo and all I saw was Dori and in different sizes. The fishes were so interactive and so plenty. I was afraid ( as in ) to feed them because i tend to lose my balance and they all swim in front of me as if Im attacked by hungry fishes. By the time I got the hang of it, Hanzel was there to feed the fish and I was there to swim with them.

Hanzel and I decided to call it a day and went back to our room. We ate dinner at the Skylight something sa bayan again! Then like good boy and girl that we are we slept the night away.

The next morning, I was awaken by my celphone. Its my birthday already and my well wishers are up so early. We packed our stuff and went straight to the airport. When we arrived our mental note was to take a picture of us on with the Welcome sign so here it is:

I was looking for pasalubong for my loveones and I cant find any decent thing in the giftshop. So we decided to go to the mall. We ate Brunch there and bought some pearl and colorful bracelets and a sando for my kid brother. We arrived at the airport at 1200H and waited for boarding. By 1400H we were back in Manila, were the smog is as thick as clouds and you can smell it coming inside the aircraft from nowhere.


I miss Puerto already. The simplicity of life and the beauty and wonder it has to its guests.