Sunday, August 18, 2013

Days Well-Spent


A couple of months ago, I, together with my mom and a few relatives, flew in to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. We booked our flight 9 months before the departure date which means we have enough time to save money to manage the expenses when we get there. 

Since I am very particular with the must-try, must-do, must-eat, must-etc., I conducted my own research through online blogs and personal experiences of my friends. And I finally came up to our 3-day itinerary. 

Below are the highlights of our 4days/3nights stay in Puerto Princesa.


Day 1
We arrived in the city around 2pm. We did not waste any time so with our bags and luggages at the van compartment, we headed to the City Tour. It was rainy during that day but the plan still pushed through. We first went to Plaza Cuartel. It is not an ordinary park but a historical one -- 143 American soldiers were burned alive by Japanese invaders. Only 11 prisoners have survived in that ill-fated event. Right in-front of Plaza Cuartel is a beautiful cathedral, known as Immaculate Concepcion Church. Since it was our first time there, we prayed inside and made a wish. I'm crossing my fingers that my wishes will be granted! The rain was pouring non-stop but our tourist guide continued to tour us around the city. House of Pasalubongs can be found along the way so we stopped for a few minutes to buy anik-anik. Our next stop was at Crocodile Farm. Well, I'm not really fascinated with crocodiles. Maybe I have fears because of what I mostly see on movies or heard on the news. The last stop was at Baker's Hill and there we bought breads and pastries, which believe or not, we downed during our tours. Then we were dropped to Go Hotels, our decent home for the next 3 days. This hotel wowed me and it's "not bad" for I felt like we were not in a budget hotel. Affordable accommodation without compromising quality and good service. The hotel is situated beside Robinsons Puerto Princesa and so we had the perks of dining out, do a little bit of grocery & mall shopping, and grab some drinks to cap off the night.

Day 2
We woke up early the following day to have breakfast and prepare for the Underground River Tour. The weather was better than yesterday but because of the ocean's big waves, the coast guards did not allow the boatmen to sail on. Instead, we headed to Honda Bay Tour. We were given a few minutes to change into a swimming attire for the tour. We travelled by land for less than an hour and there, we started the tour. We tried snorkeling and fish-feeding. That underwater experience was so amazing! Of course during that tour, we enjoyed the magnificent beach, cottony clouds, the fine sands, the paradise, and the time  of spending together -- chikahan, tawanan, and the boodle fight for lunch. It was late in the afternoon when we got back in the hotel. We freshen up and went out again to dine either in KaLui or Kinabuch. Our feet brought us to the latter. The food was just fine for me and kind of pricey I must say.


Day 3
I dreamt last night that Underground Tour will be cancelled yet again because of the bad weather. I can't accept that because it was the highlight of this trip. We were there because we wanted to see why it is part of the new 7 Wonders of Nature. Lucky me and sure because of our prayers, it was just a dream. The weather wasn't too good -- it was sunny and rainy for a weird reason but the coast guards allowed the tourists to go on a tour. Land travel from our hotel took us about 2 hours and in that terminal, we waited for a boat. From one boat we sailed over the sea and transfered to another boat. Sailed again and then we walked through the woods and finally saw the river and the cave. There was a queue but you won't notice that the time was passing by quickly because of the beautiful scenery. To cut the long story short, we were able to witness the beauty of the Underground River. It should never be missed! 
We had our late lunch at a nearby buffet house and went straight to our hotel. I thanked Mary Ann, our tourist guide, for a stress-free vacation. Her intelligence and wit made the whole experience educational and fun. I have her number if you need her service! 

Since it was our last night and we have no plans early in the morning, we explored Puerto Princesa at night. We found the lively bar called, Tiki Bar. Great place to chill, drink, party, and enjoy the live music of Manila Pop. Then we hit the sack.


Day 4
Nothing much happened this day. We woke up late since we went back to the hotel late. All I can remember, we packed our things and ate our lunch at Mang Inasal then we headed off to the airport. Argh, it was so hard to leave that place, especially we had days very well-spent.

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