Work and Pleasure in Palawan

Jeremy E. Marfori is working as a manager in Jollibee-Crossing, Calamba City. He has been always dedicated to his job, together with the whole crew of the said store, to bring the great taste and happiness to everyone as what the company’s mission says. It is open 24-hour a day to cater all the needs of the late night passengers and of those who work at a night shift. This results to a busier and, like any other hardworking professionals, a more stressful everyday life to Jeremy.

Many times he had wished to find a time for even a short vacation where he could relax, reflect on important things that he had often neglected due to the hectic demands of his work. However, it seemed too far to become a reality. Until last year, the company has offered him a one-month job in the two store outlets in Palawan to assist the first-time managers there.

"Puro kasi mga bago ang mga manager kaya tutulong ako ng konti," he said.

Jeremy was excited when he learned about the offer. He thought that it could be the right time to give his little wish a chance while rendering his job. It would be just a matter of time management. He was determined to make his so-called ‘job’ in Palawan in May of last year to be really enjoyable.

"Mahilig kasi ako sa mga trips kaya pumunta agad ako sa Roxas. May festival daw doon at may crew ako na taga-doon na malapit sa plaza. Kaya nung unang rest day ko, gala agad ako," he amusedly said.

On his next rest day, there was a day tour that was offered to them but Jeremy and his friends had decided to hire a mini-van instead. Their first stop was at the exciting Crocodile farm.

"Excited kami, madami daw crocodile," he joked, "By batch ang pagpasok at suwerteng last batch kami. May film showing tungkol sa mga buwaya. Napaka-educational, talagang marami kang matututunan. Sumalubong sa amin ang isang malaking skeleton at balat ng buwaya na nasa loob ng isang glass box nung pag-pasok namin.”

"After nung film showing, sumunod naming pinuntahan ay yung tinatawag nilang nursery. Doon sa amin pinakita kung papaano pinapakain at inaalagaan ang mga buwaya. Sobrang saya. Napaka-exciting nga nung tumatawid kami sa itaas ng kulungan ng mga malalaking buwaya. Bawal magtulakan kasi nga baka mahulog. Puwede rin magpa-picture sa mga baby crocodiles.”

On his third rest day, it was the 8.2 kilometer Underground River beneath St. Paul mountain his next destination.

"Maganda siya, ang lalaki ng mga puno, nakakatuwa. Nung nasa bangka na kami, ang linaw-linaw nung tubig at kita mo ang ilalim. Pero pagpasok na namin sa loob, kakaiba yung pakiramdam. Dumilim, lumamig, at medyo nakakatakot. May taga-ilaw sa unahan ng bangka. Mga thirty minutes din kami sa loob."

"Nagloko nga yung camera ko kaya kakaunti lang ang mga nakuhanan ko ng pictures sa loob. Hindi ko nga nakuhanan yung mukha ni Jesus at yung mga stalagmites at stalactites.”

At the end of that day, Jeremy had described the longest and reputedly the most beautiful subterranean river in the world and his adventure there in one word: amazing. He even would like to invite all the people he knows to visit Puerto Princesa, especially the Underground River, themselves so that they would know the inexplicable feeling while navigating the said underground river. "Proud ako at atin ‘to," he added.

On his last adventure in Puerto Princesa, he was with his co-manager and friend Myra who had become his personal tourist guide in his island hopping at Honda Bay.

"Una naming pinuntahan ay yung Pandan Island, sumunod ay ang Snake Island na kung saan kami nag-lunch. Nag-rent din kami ng goggles para sa pag-snorkling namin. Ang masasabi ko lang, napaka-ganda ng mga corals natin. Sana ingatan natin ito sa mas mahaba pang panahon."

It was no doubt that Jeremy had enjoyed his one-month stay in Puerto Princesa. He wanted to explore the other places he was not able to see such as the Butterfly Garden, Vietnam Village, and the Penal Farm. If ever he would be given again a chance to work in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, this was what he said, "No second thoughts, I will pack and go back."

In Love with Puerto Princesa

Patricia Bello fell in love three years ago. She went to Puerto Princesa for a vacation with friends and fell in love with the city. "It’s a bit silly how I can rhapsodize about Puerto Princesa and everything I experienced there," she said. "And me, having visited the place only that one time."

Palawan is one of the most beautiful islands to visit in the Philippines and Puerto Princesa is the best gateway and introduction to the Palawan island experience. It’s easy to fall in love with Puerto Princesa, the capital city of Palawan. The city exudes the slow and easy provincial pace, and hints of nature’s wonders in and around its city limits.

Patricia has a friend, Pierre, who is a native of Puerto Princesa and who helped fix their itinerary. "We were lucky Pierre was with us," she said. "He knew where to take us."

They toured the city, stopping by the Vietnamese Village for lunch, checking out the crocodile farm, and admired the view from Rancho Sta. Monica, the Mitras’ hilltop ranch.

"Don’t forget about the food," says Patricia. "There are restaurants in Puerto Princesa that you just can’t miss. The food was just so good."

There was the Vietnamese village for their cuisine and French bread. There was the table groaning, overflowing with food in Badjao Seafront, which can feed 10 but was served to 6, and costing less than expected. Ka-Lui’s for its seafood sisig and a quick game of sungka. Coffee and art was enjoyed in Kamarikutan. A visit to Kinabutch Bar and Resto, for a night out in town.

But the best thing about Puerto Princesa for Patricia is how easy it is to go back to mother nature. The Underground River is a usual destination of visitors to the city. A few hours’ drive from the city limits and a short boat ride takes you to a pristine cove of white sands as soft as Boracay and just as clear. Languid iguanas and naughty monkeys keep you company as you walk to the shallow pool leading up to the underground cave. Armed with only one powerful torch and anecdotes, the boatman guides you far enough into the labyrinth of the caves awesomely decorated with stalactites and stalagmites, traveling on a seemingly deep clear river.

Honda Bay, within Puerto Princesa’s city limits, boasts of a string of white sand islands for island hopping: There’s Bat Island, where thousands of Bats dwell; Starfish Island is abundant with starfish; Snorkeling in Snake Island reveals the entire cast of Finding Nemo many times over; Luli Island’s existence depends on the tides (Lubog-Litaw). While it helps to be a strong swimmer, life jackets make it easy for those not as skilled to enjoy the warm, clear waters of Honda Bay, above and below the water.

"The great thing about Puerto Princesa is the total lack of commercialism," Patricia observed. "There are no vendors or food stalls at the Underground River or in Honda Bay. Packed lunches are brought back with the boat to be disposed of somewhere else other than these spots. It’s all about eco-tourism here. Everything is so clean, beautiful and alive.

"The locals have learned to protect the environment as it’ll maintain their livelihood, and work with the NGOs in the area to safeguard its natural resources. It’s great."

So what makes visitors like Patricia to fall in love with Puerto Princesa? Is it the easy pace of the city? The good food and fresh seafood? The underground cave and the islands of Honda Bay? "That in Puerto Princesa, I feel like I can truly escape to nature. I wouldn’t know where to begin to explain how I feel."

A Nostalgic and Unforgettable Experience

Emmanuel Ilagan, a tourism attaché in Los Angeles California, is living in the US with his family for over a decade now. Visiting the Philippines from time to time for a work related trip is his common official routine. Barely having time for recreation as his busy schedule hand tied him, as soon as he was able to squeeze in a planned trip to his home country, Palawan was the first to come up on his list of priorities to explore. As with every Filipino who experienced the place, the exhilaration and bliss that struck each visitor is unforgettable—and is worth sharing.

“Puerto Princesa is one of the best tourist destinations in the Philippines. It is rich in sanctuary of nature compared to other beaches in the island. The town itself still portrays the lifestyle in a Philippine province rich in culture.”

Coming from the utterance of a tourism attaché, Manny’s words describes best what he had experienced during his trip to the Underground River of Puerto Princesa in Palawan along with Momar Visaya, editor-in-chief of a newspaper in Los Angeles and some tourism officers of Los Angeles. Manny considers his trip to the Underground River of Palawan as one of the highlights in his life.

“Underground River of Palawan is the only place where I had an exciting, nostalgic and unforgettable experience The place is harmonious, as if the complete balance between heaven and earth unites and there you are caught somewhere in between. Underground River in just one tourist spot in Palawan where you can experience God’s greatness portrayed in nature itself."

If a traveler enjoys his visit to a certain place, it is priceless. Of course, I did treasure my experience with Palawan, thus worth my money".

Traveling hundred of miles away from US to the Philippines is no joke, it should be well planned and thought of, the money and time spend should be worth it.

Emmanuel believes the Filipino people are lucky enough to have Puerto Princesa in Palawan on our shore. "They need not to travel hundred of miles away and spend huge amount of money in order to experience its beauty. Puerto Princesa is indeed the Philippines contribution to the earth’s splendor. The Underground River boasts outstanding scenery. If you have gone there once and was able to comeback again, you will notice that it is not the same the last time you were there. Why? Because the stalactite formation and the images on the rocks inside the caves evolve differently depending on the light at the time of the day.

My unforgettable experience was when I boarded a paddle boat winding through the tunnel, and at every turn, you will discover stalactite pillars, rock formation, and domed amphitheater”.

Your imagination is your best ally to enjoy the Underground River, different images surfaces every corner of the blissful cave as you cruise along the boat as if you’re totally in a different dimension. As with Manny’s experience, being there with the family is the next best thing, exploring not only the Underground River of Puerto Princesa, Palawan host numerous places equally overwhelming to one’s senses. Filipinos wherever they maybe, roaming around the globe or just trying their luck in foreign land, there will always be a time when they would come back and appreciate the beauty of the place they call home.

Emmanuel “Manny” Ilagan is also a contributing writer for Tribune USA, Taliba, and Ang Peryodiko newspapers.

Coming back to Palawan

On the weekend of Nov. 30th last year, Jon Limjap got the chance to visit Puerto Princesa City on a three-days leisure trip with his wife and her barkada. "We were supposed to go the week before, but typhoons Lando and Mina had us rebook it." Jon is a 27-year old software developer, married, and has a 3 year old daughter. He blogs a bit and help out in his wife's travel agency business.

On the first day, they took the Honda Bay tour, snorkeling at Starfish, and Snake Islands. On the second day, they went to the Underground River and visited Estrella Falls on the third day.

During this trip, Jon had difficulty in choosing between the snorkeling at Honda Bay and the Underground River tour. "It's the first time for everyone in the trip except me, and my "motive" for going to the Underground River was to photograph what I had first seen as a teener more than 10 years ago. The snorkeling, on the other hand, was a new experience for me, and I had fun seeing all those fish and corals in their natural habitat for the first time."

Jon considers Palawan unique from all the places in the Philippines because of the community effort to keep the province's ecotourism industry alive. "Everyone would remind you of their strict no-littering law (to the detriment of one of our chain-smoking companions, even!), nobody's too keen on the urban development the rest of the Philippines is drooling for -- simply because ecotourism has become their livelihood and preserving nature is to the best of their interest."

"It is also the first time I saw the traditional Philippine rural setup again. In various places in Luzon (my wife was born in Pangasinan so we always go there) farm houses are concrete-and-hollowblock affairs or shanties with plywood walls and corrugated steel roofs. In Palawan I got to see the traditional bahay kubo (nipa hut) in all its glory. I guess we owe that to the fact that they don't get typhoons much, but it was nostalgic for me to be able to see a bahay kubo which I thought has all but been erased from Philippine culture."

"Carabao use was still widespread too, unlike in Luzon where they are being replaced with motorized hand-tractors.

And then there are the limestone cliffs -- you never get to see that anywhere else. The beaches are comparable to everywhere else but those limestone cliffs make the scene simply amazing."

With his recent trip experience, Jon now wants to live there!

"The city in itself has all the urban amenities that I need thus far: electricity, water, internet connection, and cable TV. The roads are wide and clean (I admire Rizal Avenue's design, where parking space for cars were taken into account along with the width of the road). And then a few hours drive away is paradise. I'm not sure if there's any other place in the country quite like it."

He now looks forward in going back there either in late 2008 or in 2009. "We intend to take up the Dolphin watching tour which we missed. We'd also like to explore the rest of Palawan outside of Puerto Princesa, perhaps Fort Barton (which I heard had the 7 km white beach comparable to Boracay), El Nido, or perhaps Coron, Busuanga. I'll still have to figure out when I could buy a house there though."