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Amazing Race in
Tokyo, Japan
Island Hopping, Puerto Princesa, Palawan,
Philippines
Manila, Philippines
Munich, Germany
Salzburg, Austria
Mercedes, BMW
and Nazis
Upon arrival in Manila from Tokyo on late
night of Oct 10, I had to wait for a few hours at the airport en route to
Puerto Princesa, Palawan on Oct 11.
Palawan was known in the
Philippines as "The Last Frontier" because it was the last unsettled area in
the country. Also, it was so diverse with pristine mountains, clean air, and
clear blue waters.
I arrived at about 1000am and the
Kawayanan resort staff met me
at the airport. While waiting for my parents and Lolo Val, I went around the
very small city and had lunch at the Lotus Garden restaurant. There
was nothing much to do in the city except to visit the crocodile farm but
there was one in Davao City which I have been to for so many times.
Went back to the resort hotel and made arrangements for the island hopping which
was scheduled on the third day. Mary Rose, the owner/manager of the Kawayanan resort was very accomodating and even gave me a discount for the
island tour. The resort was perfect for us because it was landscaped
for family members to feel comfortable and at home. Members of the
staff were great and very helpful with inquiries and they were very
attentive to our needs as guests.
When my parents arrived late in the
afternoon, we went for dinner at
Badjao Seafood Restaurant and it was a great treat for a very sumptuous
seafood feast. Extremely reasonably priced menu and since I was with
3 senior citizens, extra discounts were given! Importantly, food was
very delicious.
The following day, we made our way to the
Underground River which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a
finalist in the
New 7 Wonders of Nature. The cost of going to the Underground
River was Ps1,500/person and was standard among reservation offices in
Puerto Princesa. I had our reservation completed at the airport upon
arrival but Kawayanan Resort could have prepared it for me.
We were picked up at the resort at about
0830am and it was a 2 hour road trip to Sabang. Upon arrival, we had
an early buffet lunch then we took a pump boat to the Underground River
park. Too bad, we did not see any monkeys at the rainforest area of
the park when we arrived.
We were escorted to the mouth of the cavern
where the river traversed. From the river port, we took a
small boat and a well versed guide escorted us through the river.
Inside the cave was pitch black so the person in front of the boat held the
spot light. Pictures do not give justice to the beauty and the
"awesome" cavern structure. One had to be inside the cavern and
experience the amazing natural structure. I compared the awe of the cavern to
my Aurora Borealis/Northern
Lights experience in Yellowknife on April 2008.
Inside the underground cavern, there were so
many natural rock formations and there was a very large chamber which
they aptly called the "cathedral." The cathedral area had rock
formations that looked like some statues/sculptures that you see inside a
cathedral. The cavern had thousands of bats that hung upside down.
The guide told us to close our mouths when we had to look up at the ceiling
due to bat dung!
The actual river round trip tour was about 45
minutes and it was such an amazing experience! The Ps 1,500 price
tag/person was more than worth it which included the back/forth road trip,
lunch buffet, and river guided tour.
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