Coy Caballes Palawan Experience Day 3

Video blogger (vlogger) Coy Caballes took a 4-day PAX (Palawan Experience) tour and this is the last part of his travel chronicle.



Our last day in Palawan was the most exciting and funniest day ever. The gang takes advantage of our last day in paradise as we go snorkeling in Honda Bay and tour its different beautiful spots - Snake and Pandan Island. Great food, awesome scenery - perfect for a photo and video shoot for our "model" blogger friends. :) After Honda Bay, we got to explore Puerto Princesa on our own riding the city's very own tricycles! We went shopping at Puerto Princesa Public Market and food tripping at McCoy's Pizza and Badjao Seafront. It was certainly the perfect way of ending a beautiful 3-day adventure!

Watch as we enjoy our last 24 hours in discovering new places in Puerto Princesa, Palawan!

Support Underground River bid as New 7 Wonders of Nature

After getting almost 100 million participants to vote, the recently concluded New Seven Wonders of the World helped spawn a new campaign called the New Seven Wonders of Nature. With the first few months of its campaign, half a million people from all around the globe already submitted over 200 nominations. A lot of the nominees were quite unknown and is now becoming recognized through this campaign’s list.

Getting four entries in the top ten of the New Seven Wonders of Nature official nominees will definitely make any Filipino proud. Coming in fifth place, as of June 2008, is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (often referred to as the Underground River). Although Filipinos have a real penchant for online voting, one cannot deny the natural beauty of this eight-kilometer underground river. It is supposedly the longest navigable underground river in the world and has been inscribed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage site last December 1999. Aside from being declared as a National Geological Monument, the Palawan Biosphere Reserve also declared it as one of five places in Palawan as an Important Bird Area (reference).

Upon entering the underground river, visitors are greeted by a picturesque lagoon outlined by a fantastic limestone karst mountain landscape. The river flows directly into the South China Sea, making the stone formations vulnerable to the ocean’s tides. The major formations composed of stalactites, stalagmites and a couple of large chambers are subject to tidal influences making them extremely unique. The cave is also a safe haven for birds and bats – so you might see a bird nest or two in there.

If you visit Puerto Princesa, most likely, your itinerary would include a visit to this natural wonder. The city of Puerto Princesa has great pride in this underground river and has taken measures to protect it like using solar charged halogen lamps in lieu of fuel emitting pressure lamps and a ferry boat system among others.



The river is a four to five-hour drive from the city proper. Although exploring the underground river just takes an hour, the long and uncomfortable drive is worth sixty minutes of ooh-ing and aah-ing at this natural phenomenon. Visitors don’t get to see the entire cave though, but they are shown a long stretch of interesting rocks that look like a lion, the holy family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph), a huge mushroom, and a large chamber called ‘the Cathedral’, etc.



After doing adventure caving inside the underground river, you can also do wildlife watching just right outside the cave. Visitors flock to this site to observe brightly colored birds like parrots and hornbills. Large monitor lizards, monkeys and squirrels also thrive at a park near the beach. The park is also near white sand beaches such as the Sabang wharf and Panaguman beach. It is also just one boatride away from another New Seven Wonders finalist – the Tubbataha Reef, an atoll coral reef that boasts over one thousand marine species, comprising of many endangered species. That’s why it is not surprising that Palawan attracts tourists from all over the world.



(written by Faith Salazar)

Tamilok: The Longest 'Oyster'

The tamilok, a wood worm which tastes like your familiar oyster, is a famous delicacy found in Palawan. Although it looks like a worm, it is actually a mollusk found inside rotting mangroves. The word ‘tamilok’ was surprisingly coined by two Americans. They started calling one of their friends - "Tommy, look!", after seeing the locals eating the tree worm. The locals adopted this term to refer to this wood worm delicacy.

How is it harvested?

If you’re a Palawan local and you live near rivers and mangrove areas, most probably, you live off gathering these now elusive tamilok. They are very hard to come by so they sell like hotcakes – in wet markets, restaurants or to tourists who want a special pasalubong or take home.

Finding these wood worms among throngs of mangrove trees is not an easy feat. First, those scouting for tamilok need to locate a dead mangrove. When they find one, they need to be careful when trudging muddy parts of the mangrove – it can get very sticky and slippery in there so their steps have to be calculated. Plus, they have to evade sharp shells and tree branches. When they get to the prized rotting mangrove, they hack it open. They are lucky if they find a tamilok inside. Looking at a live wood worm is not for the faint-hearted – it is slimy, fat and long – it is bigger than a twelve-inch ruler.

Why is tamilok so popular?

Most locals are accustomed to the sight of tamilok served in a bowl. But, if you’re a first-timer, seeing a bunch of intertwined slimy grayish worms won’t really perk up your appetite. Although tamilok doesn’t look appetizing with rice, it is actually a good dish for pulutan (food consumed while drinking). Most tamilok neophytes need about a minute and some jeering from their friends before anyone attempts to eat the dish.

Aside from the inquiring tourists and the usual adventure-seekers, the locals love eating tamilok as well because it tastes better than oyster especially when served fresh. Tamilok is usually consumed with hard liquor like vodka or local alcohol like tuba, but it can still be an experience even if you just down it with your normal draft beer.

Courage to eat this type of dish does not come with a fork. Eating tamilok just requires your picking out a fat strand of this wood worm. Swallowing the tamilok is a challenge – it is really slimy and feathery. It will stick to your esophagus like an extra slippery and long oyster. Make sure you have your alcohol in hand – you might not be that brave enough after all. It is also known as an aphrodisiac – maybe better consumed when you’re with someone you can cuddle with.

Let’s just hope the locals serve it in a different way other than the traditional ‘kinilawing tamilok’ so more people would be encouraged to try this exotic dish. The tamilok is increasingly becoming popular with both foreign and local tourists that would definitely put Palawan on the map making it one of the hottest tourist spots in the country.

(written by Faith Salazar)

Poyt Salazar Palawan Experience Day 3

Photoblogger Faith "Poyt" Salazar took a 4-day PAX (Palawan Experience) tour and this is the last part of her travel chronicle.



This is our last day at Palawan, so I was psyched to enjoy the whole time. We got up extra early to go snorkeling and swimming today. The van dropped us off at Sta. Lourdes Wharf, where boats and other swimming, diving and snorkeling gear were sold and rented.



It actually took quite a while for us to leave. Good thing there’s a small market beside the rental place so I was a bit occupied scouring for pasalubong.



Coincidentally, our tour guide for the day was also Christine’s guide when she got on the Honda Bay tour. The boat ride from Sta. Lourdes Wharf to Snake Island took about less than an hour. We stopped by an area where the waters were so clear we can see the corals.



We passed by this really small island they call ‘Luli’ for LUlubog-LIlitaw. It’s so small you can go around it within five minutes. During high tide, you won’t be able to see some of the small islands.



When we got off the boat, I was surprised at how undeveloped Snake Island is. We changed clothes in a make-shift dressing area – note that you have to take someone with you because the door is just a piece of rotten plywood. The beach isn’t that much to look at but after I put on our gear and began snorkeling, I forgot how dull Snake Island looked like. This is just my second time to go snorkeling and the last one did not leave me impressed. You can see the thriving marine life with the vivid colors.



We had lunch at Pandan Island where we got to swim and snorkel again. The marine life is more diverse here - we even got to feed the fish with bread. One of them bit me as I held on to the bread longer. It was both scary and exciting to have throngs of fish coming me. Pandan Island is just perfect for jumpshots and group pictorials – the fine sand and the perfect weather made everything picturesque.

After buying pasalubong (I bought lamayo, shrimp, cashew wine and lots of shirts), we stopped by McCoy’s, a local pizza place. If you happen to pass by McCoy’s, their curry pasta is a must try.

Badjao Seafront Restaurant



This place had a weird feel to it – it has a high ceiling and you have to cross a bridge to get to the restaurant. It even had chandeliers – everything was very elegant and the food was served fresh. The restaurant also had a wonderful view of the sea and a couple of mangroves. Note that this is the only restaurant that His Royal Highness Prince Andrew (UK) dined in while he stayed at Puerto Princesa.

The Legend Palawan
After staying at the Legend Palawan Hotel for three days, going back to Manila seems like a bad idea. Although we weren’t able to use their swimming pool, we were lucky to have their band play for us before we got home. The hotel has a new wing called The Pads – it is way cheaper than the rooms at the hotel proper. So, if you’re on a budget, you can get dormitory type of rooms at the Pads.



There are still lots of places to discover at Puerto Princesa. There are so many places to go to – you can go with your family, friends or your significant other. This is definitely not my last trip to Palawan!

Kring Elenzano Palawan Experience Day 3

Vlogger Kring Elenzano (http://funnysexy.wordpress.com) took a 4-day PAX (Palawan Experience) Puerto Princesa tour and this is the last part of her travel chronicle.

Our last day at Palawan was indeed very memorable. It was my first time to go snorkeling and Honda Bay didn't disappoint me one bit. I only wish I knew how to deep dive (or whatever that's called) because swimming amongst a school of Jacks (again, I'm not sure about this. Clearly, I don't know what I'm talking about hahaha!) is exponentially cooler than floating on the surface with a life vest. But really, I didn't mind. Because I was just overwhelmed to see all those fishes, of different colors and shapes randomly swimming underneath my belly. I can't even put into words how awesome it was, especially when we fed them and they went gaga over the bread! I was expecting to see a pawikan but I was told they live far out in the sea.

After almost half a day of mingling with the sea creatures, we went to the Puerto Princesa market to buy pasalubongs for our families and friends. If I had brought more money - or make that - if I was rich enough, I would've bought pearls for me and my mom because they're relatively cheap compared to those sold in Manila.

We had merienda at a pizza/pasta at McCoy's before we went to Badjao Seafood Restaurant for dinner. Shrimp! Shrimp! We went Karoke-ing much later that night and boy, what a way to cap the day (P0yt pawned us with her performances)!

Not to sound cheesy or showbizy but my Palawan experience was just... exponentially awesome. The Legend Palawan made us feel at home and the people of Puerto Princesa seemed genuinely happy to have visitors. I only have praises for Palawan and I could only wish that more people would visit it and have the time of their lives. Seriously, visit it. If you won't enjoy, the beer's on me. :D

Rick Manzano Palawan Experience Day 3

Photoblogger Rick Manzano took a 4-day PAX (Palawan Experience) tour and we'll be sharing his travel chronicle in this blog.

Snake Island



Right after breakfast, we started with the Honda Bay Tour. We took the boat from Sta. Lourdes Wharf going to Snake Island which took about 20 minutes. There were lots of people snorkeling and hanging out on the beach. It was a bit too crowded for me. A part of the island had a lot of mangroves and that reminded me of the Tamilok we tried the night before. I thought the island’s name meant there were a lot of snakes in the area only to find out that when you look at the island from above, its shape resembles that of a snake.

We put on our gear and snorkeled for a while. The water was wavy but not as strong as the water in Taraw Resort. I saw a lot of fishes swimming around but the water wasn’t very clear probably because the area was packed with people. Nonetheless, it felt great to bathe in the water of Palawan.

Pandan Island



We took another boat ride to reach Pandan Island which took about 15 minutes. It was awfully quiet there but the view of the sea was so delightful. It was so peaceful; there was barely any movements on the water as there was hardly any wind. Good thing the island was covered with really tall coconut trees because it was already lunch time and the afternoon sun was scorching. Our tour guide unpacked our lunch and we ate, soon after we went back to snorkeling.

I noticed that there was a sudden drop just a few meters from the shore and that scared me a bit because the sudden change of colors from the white sand to the dark blue water was very noticeable. We saw more fishes here than in Snake Island and we had a chance to feed them. I enjoyed watching them going crazy over the bread. Also, the beautiful corals started appearing a few meters away from the shore. Be careful not to go near the Sea Urchins because they’re very big and there are lots of them.

Shopping for Pasalubong
Before going back to the hotel, we dropped by the market and bought pasalubong for our families and friends back home. Everything seemed so affordable: the cashew nuts, tarts, souvenir shirts, accessories and seafood! Coy and Faith got a kilo of shrimps for only Php500.

Badjao Seafront Restaurant
Evening came and we went to a popular seafood restaurant that was situated by the sea. When we arrived, we passed through a very long bridge surrounded by mangroves which lead to the entrance of Badjao Seafront Restaurant.



It was already dark and we couldn’t view the sea but the place still looked so elegant with its high ceiling and beautiful lights. Dinner was served shortly after and the seafood did not disappoint as usual. Everything was so fresh and delicious.

Just before dessert, we talked about how fast the days went by. We had so much fun that we barely even noticed we were already leaving for Manila the next day. We haven’t even left yet we were already thinking about going back and bringing our families the next time we go back to Puerto Princesa.