Travel flashback: Baragatan Festival in Puerto Princesa, Palawan (June 2011)

Right after our Coron trip that gave me my first ever breathtaking experience of Palawan, I promised myself to go back to this beautiful island province and explore its other parts. It turned out that my promise came to form unplanned when I was able to catch a PhP 88 promo fare by Cebu Pacific to all domestic destinations like Puerto Princesa! I initially booked myself, Pol and my mom with the promo fare and it was yet six months before the travel period. And when my brother came home from the US a month before our flight, we booked him with the regular fare.




So we had ample time to arrange for the trip. But we still had other promo flights that we were able to book and would occur before our Puerto Princesa flight, like our short Bacolod trip and our Jakarta and Bali getaway. Even Pol was able to book PhP 247 promo flights to Boracay wherein our travel dates would be a month after our Puerto Princesa trip!

Thankfully, it was Pol who was in charge of arranging for our Puerto Princesa and Boracay tours and accommodations. He bumped into Travbest Travel & Tours and got a deal at PhP 5,500 per pax for 4d/3n accommodation with breakfast at Puerto Pension, Honda Bay island hopping tour with buffet lunch, and Underground River and city tour also with buffet lunch.

Day 1: Arrival in PPS, dinner at Tribu, City Baywalk stroll

We had a delayed departure from Manila and arrival at Puerto Princesa International Airport due to the rainy weather in both cities.


Puerto Princesa International Airport

Upon our arrival, our airport pickup driver also became our instant commentator who first introduced the city of Puerto Princesa to us and pointed out remarkable places during our journey to Puerto Pension. We passed by the restaurants Kinabuch’s and KaLui which he highly recommended for us to try. We were reminded though to book reservations at least a day in advance.

In just fifteen minutes, we were dropped off at Puerto Pension, which is located just right by the City Baywalk. Our deluxe room was located on the first floor, which had one queen bed and two twin beds. We found our room quite neat because aside from the air-conditioning and mini bar, we had at least two mosquito plugs in the room. The bathroom was clean and dry too despite it looking a little old. The place had fast and reliable wi-fi too!

 

Our room at Puerto Pension



Mini bar in our room



We left our things in the room and checked out the hotel’s restaurant “Tribu” located on the fourth floor, overlooking the baywalk. We ordered a platter wherein we could choose our seafood, meat and vegetable, and how we would like each variety to be cooked (fried, grilled, or steamed). Our dinner was quite good, especially the fried shrimplets, grilled liempo and and grilled tuna belly!



Our dinner platter at Tribu



After our dinner, Pol and I strolled at the city baywalk on our way to a convenience store where we could buy a gallon of drinking water. I really can’t live without water by my bedside before and after bedtime!



City baywalk at night



Day 2: Honda Bay island hopping tour, KaLui dinner, Mutya ng Palawan talent night at the Baragatan Festival

Our morning in Puerto Pension started with a nice complimentary breakfast consisting of toast, butter & marmalade, choice of type of cooked egg, choice of hot drink and choice of fruit drink. We enjoyed our breakfast as we gazed at the panoramic view of Puerto Bay and the city baywalk. An upgrade to Filipino or Continental breakfast has an additional charge of P88, but upgrades were not necessary for us because our tours included buffet lunch anyway!



Panoramic view of Puerto Bay from Tribu



We explored Puerto Pension as we waited for our tour guide until we were picked up at 8 AM by our tour van. There we met fellow tourists Tito Poli and Tita Nona. It was a small world because we had a common acquaintance who was a former colleague of mine.



At Puerto Pension



Our van drove us to the boat terminal of Honda Bay where we rented our snorkel gear at PhP 150 per set for the whole day. From there we took the boat to Snake Island, named to be such because of its shape. It was my third time to snorkel (my first time was in Coron and my second time was in Bali), and I was so excited for my mom and my brother to experience it in Palawan for the first time. The beautiful underwater kingdom of Snake Island surely didn’t disappoint! And of course, I didn’t forget to bring my trusty DiCaPac WP-410 underwater camera case for my Canon IXUS 80 IS to take breathtaking underwater photos.



Snake Island



As the fishes enjoyed the pieces of bread we fed them, it was time for us to feed ourselves with delicious buffet lunch, freshly cooked in the island! Everything in the selection was a favorite of mine. I was super glad to have three varieties of veggies, namely ensaladang talong (eggplant salad – eggplant is my favorite veggie of all), salted egg with tomatoes (one of my all-time breakfast joys), and lato (grape seaweed). They’re enough for me personally but there’s still grilled fish, grilled squid and grilled liempo which I just can’t ignore!



Yummy lunch at Snake Island



Our next island was Pandan Island, which had sports activities and massage services. We enjoyed having halo-halo while Tito Poli went for a massage. And of course, we continued our snorkeling which we never got tired of doing.



Pandan Island



Our island hopping tour ended too early for us as it was yet early in the afternoon. When we were brought back to the hotel, we took the chance to go to the Palawan Provincial Capitol for the trade shows and exhibits in celebration of the Baragatan Festival. This festival is where all the cities and municipalities in Palawan come together to celebrate and showcase different aspects of their culture. We walked around the complex of the capitol and marveled at each municipality’s exhibits and goods. There were also a lot of food stands and souvenir shops.



Baragatan Festival at the Palawan Provincial Capitol



We learned that there would be a talent competition among the candidates of Mutya ng Palawan 2011 by evening, so we decided to go back to the capitol after having dinner. From the capitol, we took a tricycle to KaLui.



KaLui, one of the highly recommended restaurants in Puerto Princesa

In KaLui, customers were required to remove their footwear. I personally loved the ambiance of the restaurant because the place was surrounded by various fresh fruit and vegetable displays, and native works of art. We ordered from their menu the KaLui Special of the Day which was already a complete set of various viands.



Our KaLui Special of the Day



After our hearty dinner, we took a tricycle back to the capitol where we watched the entertaining talent competition of the Mutya ng Palawan 2011 contestants. The Palaweño ladies were all ravishing that night. It was an interestingly beautiful way to end our day, and we couldn’t wait to watch the following coronation night.



Lively evening at the Baragatan Festival



Some of the beautiful Mutya ng Palawan 2011 contestants during the talent competition night



Day 3: Underground River, city tour, Kinabuch’s dinner, Mutya ng Palawan coronation night at the Baragatan Festival

This day was the highlight of our whole Puerto Princesa adventure because of the Puerto Princesa Underground River, or the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. This was our first stop for the morning. Our tour van took us to the Sabang Wharf to register for the Underground River tour, and from there we took a motorized boat to the park.



Sabang Wharf, the gateway to Puerto Princesa Underground River



I didn’t expect our Underground River tour to be that amazing. We were lucky to have a funny boatman and commentator in one as he pointed out countless stalactite and stalagmite formations that resembled a lot of different things as if they were purposely formed that way. I wish I wasn’t the one holding my camera so that I could focus on looking at each of the formations but I couldn’t help but take photos because they were all interesting. There was even a section they called “cathedral” because of a group of formations there that resembled the relics you would find in a cathedral, like the statue of an angel, and even the nativity scene!



Before exploring the Underground River



Some of the creative formations in the cave, clockwise from top left: A corn, a candle, a carrot, a bacon strip, a giraffe, the milky way (on the cave's ceiling), a sphynx, an image of Jesus Christ!


The Underground River is 24 kilometers long but tourists are only allowed to explore up to one-sixteenth of the whole length. One would need a special permit to explore the whole cave. We were told by our guide that there were more fascinating formations to behold beyond the usual tourist area. Perhaps I could go back to Puerto Princesa for this purpose!

After our amazing cave exploration, we headed to Sabang Beach by boat for our buffet lunch. On our way to the beach, I was fascinated to see a mountain formation which had a prominent nose. It was the Saint Paul Mountain Range where the Underground River lies underneath.



The "nose" of Saint Paul Mountain Range



Sabang Beach



The Sheridan at Sabang Beach



Half of our day had ended and it was time for the city tour. We had quick stops at the historical Plaza Cuartel and the Immaculate Conception Cathedral which were just across each other.



Plaza Cuartel



Immaculate Conception Cathedral



We next headed to the Crocodile Farm, or the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center. We had a glimpse of the skin and fossil of the largest crocodile ever caught in Palawan as of our time of visit, as well as the nursery where the baby crocodiles were being taken care of. We were warned though to be careful and not to touch the baby crocodiles no matter how cute they were. Despite their small snouts, their bite could take fingers off without effort. After passing by the nursery, we passed by the area where huge crocodiles lived underneath the bridges we were walking on. The 60-year old crocodiles were twice as long as two tall humans with one standing on top of the other! After our tour of the farm where other animals can also be seen, we had a photo-op with a baby crocodile named “Chabelita”.



The Crocodile Farm (Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center)



Our next stop was Mitra’s Ranch, or Rancho Sta. Monica.  The ranch has a breathtaking panoramic view of the city, and offers leisure activities like ziplining and horseback riding which could make you enjoy the view more. For a zip at PhP 500, for me it was overpriced. I stopped myself from giving in despite my newfound love for this activity (which I first did in Legazpi City with a breathtaking view of Mount Mayon, and it was only PhP 150)!



Mitra's Ranch


It was time for goodies shopping at Baker’s Hill, and we tried out all the hopia flavors in the bakery. After shopping, we took photos around the entertaining “theme park”.



Baker's Hill

The last part of our city tour was the Iwahig Prison souvenir shop in the city center. Our itinerary actually included a visit to the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm itself which I really looked forward to, but unfortunately our group tour guide said that the hour was already too late to visit. It could have been an enriching experience to encounter something interestingly bizarre in a good way, and could be something that only Palawan has and that there's nowhere else in the world like it. This is another reason for me to go back to Puerto Pricncesa.



We were dropped off at Puerto Pension and from there, we freshened up for dinner. We confirmed from the hotel reception our 7 PM reservation at Kinabuch’s. From there, we took a tricycle to the jampacked restaurant. We were eager to try tamilok (woodworms) but unfortunately they were out of stock. We somehow had a chance to have a taste of crocodile meat. We ordered their “crocs adobado” which is basically adobo with gata (dish in soy sauce and vinegar with coconut milk). Yum! I love everything with gata! The croc meat tasted just like pork, only better because it is lower in fat! I’m drooling right now as I write this part of my blog post. And I would have to go back again to Puerto Princesa for more, and for that oyster-tasting tamilok that got away.

After our very satisfying dinner, we took a tricycle to the Palawan Provincial Capitol for the coronation night of Mutya ng Palawan 2011. Since we were too early to arrive, we canvassed around the souvenir shops for some nicely priced packs of cashew nuts. When it was time for the coronation night, Luis Manzano was the pageant host and the lady who got most of the special awards was Miss Taytay. We were not able to finish the whole show because we were tired from our whole day of touring, so we went back to Puerto Pension to rest.



Mutya ng Palawan 2011 coronation night, hosted by Luis Manzano



Day 4: Balinsasayaw lunch, departure to Manila

Our last day in Puerto Princesa was a free day, so we slept all day until checkout. Our flight would be on an afternoon, so we left our stuff at the reception and took a tricycle to Balinsasayaw Chicken Grill and Restaurant for lunch. We tried the bird’s nest soup which was quite expensive but not quite remarkable for me. The squid sisig was very good though.

We just had to kill the time before we were picked up for our airport transfer. We spotted Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz at the airport. She was one of the judges during the Mutya ng Palawan 2011 talent competition night.



Gloria Diaz at the airport



Our flight back to Manila was delayed again, probably due to the rainy weather there. And when we got to Terminal 3 in NAIA, it took us almost two hours to ride a shuttle going to MRT because of the very long queue, the nonstop rain, and some flooded areas in Manila causing the already bad traffic to be much worse. When we were finally able to ride the shuttle, we had to step into the flooded walkway from the shuttle drop-off point to the MRT station just to take the train. We finally reached the North EDSA station where TriNoma mall was already closed. Good thing, my dad was there by the entrance gate where he pleaded to the security guard to allow us to come in because my dad’s car was parked in the mall. This was the worst experience I had as a traveler, but it had nothing to do with my wonderful Puerto Princesa experience. J

Finally, I had somehow returned to Palawan, where the first time I went was in Coron. And I still want to go back again to both Coron (for the Calauit Safari and other gorgeous islands) and Puerta Princesa, because there were still more things to see and do. In Puerto Princesa, I want to further discover the whole length of the Underground River, to spend a day at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, to have a taste of that tamilok that got away, to have more of that crocodile meat adobado and buy some crocodile sausages, and a lot more. And I still want to go back to Palawan, particularly for pristine El Nido when my time and money would permit. Thanks to the Baragatan Festival, I discovered that each city and municipality in Palawan is really worth visiting and going back to.