The 'Wait' At Sabang, Puerto Princesa

Let us start this story with a screenshot of the last paragraph (and photo) of my previous post..,

That "next story" begins here and now...!

Okay, at 75 kilometers away form city center of Puerto Princesa, this place is not near. It is almost like traveling the whole length of Singapore east to west AND back! Via a road of rivers, fields and forests.

But that road amid farms, mangroves, karst mountains and endangered specie habitats, is and can be the tour or adventure by itself. Reason why my previous story was so long, I had to omit some topics!

Anyway, I also said that reaching Sabang, you are not there yet. The underground river is still far! But..,

This big wide photographic "backdrop" is quite convenient for your "posterity shots" - if only for you to have something to show and remember-by - that you have been there (at least 6 or 7kms short) haha!

I'm probably not the only one who wonders why such a big "as if you are there" tarpaulin when it is just a jump-off point, you still ride a boat for 6 to 7kms! It should say something like "this is just the way"!

In fact, one of my younger companions who is a good swimmer but not very keen on boat travels, said "can I just stay here and wait until you return from that cave"? May sa tama sya ha! Because one could actually 'kill' time at the restaurants and resorts that sprouted around this beach and wharf of Sabang! Why nga naman still go on a bumpy half-hour sea-ride eh you already have that picture hahaha, di ba?!

Good that there's a significant wait for boat rides (just like at the Sta. Lourdes wharf) such that, during the wait, we spent time convincing her to join us, as planned, all the way to the underground river tour!

She had a very good plan by the way! While we were out (to the underground river), she would browse the souvenir shops of Sabang, then have lunch and chill-out at the poolside of Sheridan Beach Resort.

Marunong! In fact, by my own calculations, she wouldn't be nowhere near bored at all, since the entire underground river thing takes only 3 hours from departure to arrival back at this wharf in Sabang. Had we really left her to it, she wouldn't have been done chilling at the pool yet, by the time we came back! 

Mahusay! Magaling! Nagmana sa akin (kanino pa nga ba?), but good we got her to join us!

Hey look at that picture above again! Yep, the right edge of that picture, which is actually this..,,

An information center that's actually also the ticketing office - where the tour guides (or you in person, if you do not have a guide) arrange and pay for boat rides (plural, take note) - 1] a 'motorized-boat' ride from this port to a beach which is the landing area in going to the underground river; and after walking to another spot from that beach, 2] a 'paddle-boat' ride, this time to enter the cave with a river inside it.

Ah, do you see that board with text on yellow background? The title says "Management & Conditions", which (I suppose) are the fine print' yadidadida for us tourists going to visit the underground river. But forget about it for now, because it will just confuse you (as it did me). Let us discuss that later, below!

Now.., here's a very important thing to do (good I remembered to anticipate this)..,
Once you see your tourguide enter that 'information center', get his/her cellphone number (if you have not done so yet), then you are free to roam this area of Sabang - the souvenir shops, eateries, or even walk the entire length of the beach (yes, you can swim too), have beer or snacks here and there, etc.!

Why is that? Ah eh, another long wait - about 2 hours (ours was exactly an hour and 40 minutes) until you are able to actually ride your designated boat! How come? Well.., something about "visitor limits"!

I learned that the authorities here (per suggestion daw of conservation groups) has imposed limits as to the number of visitors that can be in the cave (underground river) area, at any given time of any day. So, they control boat departures according to number of heads that come back from the underground river - something like that. In fact, the number of visitors who may go there in each day, is also limited.

And that's a maximum of just 1,200 visitors per day. Of that total, only 100 is allotted for walk-ins, the remaining 1,100 is spread on a first-come-first-served basis to prior (usually a day before) bookings of facilitating entities like tour operators and/or resorts. "Minus" (OMG) any number of instant (meaning without prior advise) slots that are (can be) taken by the city or tourism bosses for their own visitors!

Thus, nowadays, if you plan on going for this underground river tour on a DIY mode, you better be the earliest at that "information office" to make sure you catch your slots within that 100. While if you get the services of accredited tour guides, they won't offer it if there are no more slots for your preferred day/time. Note too, that hotels, inns, etc., also use the services of (or themselves are) tour operators!

Okay, back to my group's case.., oh well, as soon as we exchanged numbers with our tour guides', we scrammed and scattered around the vicinity of this Sabang Wharf and the beach, for whatever it was we wanted to see or do! Both guides just called/texted us when it was time for us to hop on our boat!

Here's a sampling of what I saw as I went around (while most companions were at the stores)..,

I walked the length of this beach (as I did a decade ago) since this is a nice wide sandy promenade!

Those mounds are supposed to be 'sandcastles' made by some locals. Each is engraved with a letter, and they spell "cameratrix", that we the tourists are supposed to use (I don't know how)! That is why, if you notice, there's a broom on top of the first mound, waiting for anyone to create something like this!

By the way, a bit ahead, after the big tree (upper-right-corner of photo above, but not seen) is Sheridan Resort's pool area. Most of my companions enjoyed light meals there, while waiting for our boat ride.

It seemed to me that the vans could actually park just about anywhere with some available space!

There is a wide (concrete) real parking area, but van drivers do not go with the boats anyway, right? So they can actually park at any available space they like, where they (usually) snooze in their vehicles, to wait it out! Our driver told me, if traffic marshals or the police come to let them move, then they move!

Can you see those huts on the left side of the photo? Those are just some of the structures that I like to call the "everything stores". They sell everything you can think of - from souvenir shirts, to ice-candy, 2-pice swimsuits, local delicacies, batteries, gums, selfie sticks, bottled water, wristwatches, etc., etc.!

That house with a big red signage over at the end? It is an eatery named "gusto grill & resto"!

Here's a view of the 'nearby' sea, as I roamed around the wharf area and the many mini-stores..,

This was on a gloomy mid-morning (9:40), but the water was still clear blue. I noticed, the boats here are more of like huddled by the wharf area in every which way they want to face unlike at Sta Lourdes.

While this place is not disorganized, the passenger experience at Sta. Lourdes Wharf is much better..,

Look at the red arrow I drew at right, most passengers are asked to descend on those (slippery) steps down to that wooden pontoon, then walk to their respective boats (see the mother and child walking).

However, look at the other end of the wharf (roofed structure) towards the water. There are also such steps there, and those are also used to simultaneously board other passengers to other boats. When the boatmen and/or tour guides start calling hollering shouting, many passengers are confused as to which way it is! Good that we had 2 guides, one stood at that pontoon waving, while the other rounded us up at that waiting area. As for other folks going to other boats, it was chaotic with lots of shrieking!

But on our side of the 'process', via the wooden pontoon, it was not also that easy a walk after all!

We had to hop between boats, amidst other guests also doing the same thing, to reach our respective boats. That, while those who just arrived, also hopped between the same boats, in order to reach land!

And as we hopped, all boats were constantly swaying with the little waves. Labad sa ulo!

Look at those people up there waiting.., there is no assurance their boat would dock by this pontoon!

It depends on which available "space" boatmen think would be most convenient for them to dock at.

Their boat could dock, therefore depart from here, then they'll have to run from that stairs (pic above)!

This is that other stairs by the end (front) of the wharf. It even has railings, and no pontoons needed!

So.., our boat pushed back, and we were on our way to the 'underground river!

But let's discuss details of that boat ride in my next story!