A Little Bit Of Something

I’m finally capping off the Palawan series, which I began just after me and my wife’s honeymoon last year, with a post about our Honda Bay (island hopping) tour.

You get to visit only 2 islands, really, but the first stop is to a sort of outpost in the middle of the sea where you can go snorkeling.  They have masks and aqua shoes for rent, but me and the wifey already had our VFFs so we just went for the masks and snorkels. If I remember correctly, the rate is about Php300 for each mask and snorkel set, and another Php300 for the aqua shoes. That’s for whole day use. Lunch is also included in the tour package.

Among all the tours we got, this is the one I really enjoyed the most. The Underground River tour was good as well, but I didn’t like the long trip to get there and then the short trip inside the actual Underground River.

Anyway, for this, I got to borrow a friend’s underwater casing for my DSLR, which allowed me to get some images underwater. It was a new experience, and I can see how some people can invest in much more expensive equipment for real diving and underwater photography.

I wouldn’t call myself well-traveled, but I’ve been blessed to be able to visit a few local destinations here and there, and so far, Palawan has been one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in my life. What’s more, I really love the laid back and pleasant attitude of the locals despite the regular inflow of tourists in the region. Rarely you will see people taking advantage of tourists here – the food is very much affordable and the servings very adequate (even in the good restaurants – I think I usually spend more here in Manila [many times for lower quality food] than I did in Palawan when me and the missus ate out), and transportation is cheap – not once were we overcharged when we took a tricycle – Php7 per person for nearby destinations, Php10-12 a head for the ones farther off. Even the accommodations are cheap – good places can be had for just Php900 a night.

Hopefully, me and the wife will get a chance to visit the place again (and finally know what tamilok tastes like, LOL), or go to Coron, for a different Palawan experience. But all in all, even if you can only afford to travel a few times a year, Puerto Princesa should definitely be one of the places in the Philippines you should visit.