Philippine Travel Notes

This is a bakeshop, and usually the last stop of your Puerto Pincesa Day Tour itinerary, but... As you can see in the collage of pictures, I don't even have one that shows the bakeshop or the baked products haha! I let my companions do the buying, and I did the eating, in this fun, humurous gardens! Yep, the bakeshop could be crowded in the afternoons, when all the day tours are winding down, with this bakery as "the" or "one of the" last stops. But one of my wiser companions told us to look and see what we liked, while she already fell in line. Then we txtd her everything, while we enjoyed the garden!

Some call this place "The Mitra Ranch" or "Mitra House and Ranch". I want to call it "The Mitra House" since that's what was written in our itinerary from the tour company. That's also how our guide call it. It's a beautiful old wooden house (now modernized for us tourists) amid rolling hills with cool views. Why are those people peeping into the glass wall? Ah, it was/is closed, but we could see parts of the house, so all we (and guide) could do was pathetically peep through the clear glass. Sige na nga lang! Yeah, nakakawala ng dignidad. You're like intruding into another person's private home. But that's how they do it here, sige go! If the owners (Mitras) really want to let us (the public) see their old house, why don't they open it and perhaps just place a velvet rope where "private". Otherwise, it is better removed from the already good tour itinerary. Mag-lalakbay ka, mag-babayad, para lang mamboso na ganya...

Visiting this place is usually still a part of the city tour. You of course know, Iwahig is a prison. So what is there to see or experience in such a place? Well, just read on, and learn through my story below. I'm now even convinced, this is the most eye-opening place I've been to in the country. Full of realizations! It is not near wherever you may be coming from. I remember we traveled on a not-so-good road to this penal colony. We were thinking we would just be peeping at some old prison cell for a very short while and that's it. We even almost decided to back out as the distance was making us impatient. Good that our tour guide kept everything interesting with stories, facts and figures. So we reached it "in no time"! Check-in. At the entrance guard house, at least one person in the group must write all visitors' names on a logbook. Seniority has its benefits, and my companions were quick to claim that benefit. I, being the youngest in the group, was...

So that is the short name. In fact, it is even shorter as people just usually refer to it as the Crocodile Farm. I learned on this visit however, that more formally, the whole place is named the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center. And in this conservation center is the Crocodile Farm and Nature Park. Also referred to as “Silungan” maintained by the Crocodile Farming Institute (yes, there is such a thing) fully supported by the city government and the PENR of the DENR. Hah! So we all better just call it “the crocodile farm” hehe! The reason why I wanted to know and tell you all of the above is to ascertain really if this place is owned and managed by a private entity, a family (like the butterfly garden) or a responsible government office. Why did I want to know? Oh well, it is a facility taking custody and breeding dangerous big animals that could easily lap any of us anytime, right?! Simba ko! So there it is, good to know that it is a DENR facility. At least I had confi...

Its nothing new and nothing different to many of the butterfly farms or butterfly sanctuaries you can see everywhere in this country. This one is not even that big and not even that colorful during our visit. But yes it is a butterfly farm well and good. And there were things we learned that will be useful for you future visitors of Puerto Princesa. Foremost, the butterflies are livelier and therefore more abundantly seen all over the garden during the mornings. They are like most of us, not too fond of romping around in the rain. So, the sunnier, the more of them we see. Eh, we arrived at the garden on a gloomy afternoon! But there were still hundreds of them in various sizes and colors fluttering everywhere. Some would even land on various arts of our bodies or clothing. Hey one even landed on to of my camera! A visit to this garden is really educational. After paying the meager entrance fee (twenty pesos) you step to a little open video area where a recorded story about butterflies ...

Okay folks. we were out of that heavy lunch at Ka Lui’s and off we were on our city tour. But before we go on with the rest of where we went, I have some nice tips for you. You better listen so you’ll know when its your turn to roam there… First, it is called a “city tour” for all intents and purposes. But if you were wondering what might it be you’ll see in the little urbanity that is Puerto Princesa, please don’t compare it with HK, SG or even Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. This city tour takes you to some of the most beautiful rural sceneries in the area, plus more! Second, it is a city tour alright, and you may wonder that travel from one place to another sometimes take about 20 minutes to half an hour on seemingly endless roads. Don’t panic, that is still your city tour. While PPC may just have a small “enclave” of urbanity at city center, be aware that this is one of the biggest cities in the country – even in Asia – in terms of land area. So do not wonder why you seem to be doing ...

Its a wonderfully cute dainty little fusion of a native and modern restaurant! Suggested by our hotel’s staff, we thought this restaurant would have been at least good. We discovered, it is not just good, it is lovely! Entrance alone, we were already wowed! Like how? You must leave your footwear by the entrance steps – no exceptions! Just like how you do it at most homes in this country, right?! But this restaurant has shelves, ‘cabinets’ AND baskets for you to even keep your footwear in, That is, f you are one who might not easily recognize your shoes from an array of too many, on the way out! It was noontime alright, and really time for lunch. But even if the hotel called up to reserve a space for us, we were not able to enter immediately. Why? Because, aside from my other companions still interviewing the trike driver, we were stuck ogling and taking photos of the unique and lovely decor by the entrance and garden. Do you know what those are?! Yeah, pebbles! Must have been a painsta...

Lazing around the rest of the morning at Hotel Fleuris, checking out its various nooks and cranies (I’ll share my notes later), time for us came. Though we liked the ambiance and the food at this hotel, we wanted to go some place else that we might call “tatak PPC”. No issue and no problem! Hotel staff recommended Ka Lui and called up the van’s driver. I butted in with “it’s okay, we will just commute going there”! yeah yeah, I earned some stern glares from 5 pesky souls a.k.a my companions hehe, but I explained its just nearby that we can even walk towards it if it were not a sunny noontime! So, hotel’s driver hailed the first tricycle that passed by and told him to whisk us to Ka Lui. Before boarding, the earnestly trained metro manilan – ever cautious of being had by money-hungry metro manilans of course asked “magkano ba?”! With a smile, trike driver said “minimum fare lang ma’am, 7 pesos each”. surprised, I think I heard everyone say “ah talaga?”! so along the way they (include me...

I encountered this at a resort in Sabang, Puerto Princesa. Yes, that white beach area which is the take-off point going to the underground river. Too complicated, I think! Oh well, the merry-mixed languages of out times...

A wonderful trip! This was not a DIY nor a packaged tour. We went to see Puerto Princesa (its attractions in and around the city) with only flights and hotel bookings firmed! We did not do any prior tour arrangements, but all just fell into place smoothly! Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either. This was what I can probably call as a tour that was filled with a series of accidental luxuries! Here’s the story… To celebrate something, a friend invited me for a go-around of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. Ahuh, without even checking my calendar, I said "yes, let’s go" - even if that invitation was just 5 days before intended departure. Why? Because the last time I was there was probably in the late 80s or early 90s! I did not know he meant I was being invited with free tickets and accommodations! And I did not also know there were six of us – all friends – traveling together on this tour. Wow! This friend, the host, the inviter, isn't well versed on t...