Philippine Travel Notes

Yeah, Davao! And this one is a strategically located accommodation place near to so many things. But its not something you may want to be shouting to the world about, though its not something you will also despise. Fact is, me and 4 friends could not decide what to really say about it. Reason why am telling you here, now! Its cheap! As in inexpensive or mura. Not the “other” meaning of the word, though I know it can readily fit into such a category hehe. Friends and I settled to calling it a… sleeping quarters hehe – because we could not say its bad yet we could not also say its grand, even for the price! And as I always say during my talks about travel, never ask a local regarding accommodations in his place unless it is his very home you are talking about. Why? Again, as I always say, because he will never have had the chance to stay in those hotels, inns, pensions or resorts as a visitor or tourist, since he has his very own home nearby. So he will never really know! YET, for this t...

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...