It's been a while since I had that feeling... no words can ever truly capture it, but it's the kind that leaves you wanting for more.

Too bad I wasn't in the best of my spirits last Saturday. My throat became scratchy early Saturday morning, and I knew that it was going to get worse. My afternoon, my throat was burning, and I started feeling woozy. Anyhow, nothing was to stop me from leaving the hustle and bustle of Manila, and on to the next stop in this never-ending journey of mine.

Puerto Princesa. I never thought I'd be awed again by any place in the world, the way Costa Rica has awed me and captured my heart forever. But I was wrong. I fell in love. One more time. Boracay is pretty much a mistress, someone you like to keep on the sidelines, to spice up your life once in a while, but Puerto Princesa is the wife-material - someone you want to keep forever and love with longevity, who has beauty that just transcends the trivial, the fleeting and the mundane. Puerto Princesa has captured my heart, too.

In a lot of ways Puerto Princesa reminded me of the many coastal towns in Costa Rica I fell in love with, such as Guanacaste and Puntarenas. The trip to Sabang was reminiscent of the weekend trips I had to visit not only the coastal towns, but also to the other sights such as Arenal, Irazu, Poas, and the coffee plantations in Cartago.

Day 1: Our flight was on Saturday afternoon, and after Cebu Pacific announced a delay, all the sleepless travellers (coming from shift) became restless yet still excited. We arrived at dusk and we were met by the staff at Lola Itang's where we stayed. The inn was around 15mins away from the airport, and we immediately settled in. Our first adventure happened during the quest to find a nice place to eat at. One of the trike drivers suggested we go to Badjao Seafront, which, unfortunately, was somewhere far, and we had to take the unlit roads, which of course, scared the first-time travellers. We then went back to our plan A, which was Kalui's. The place was jampacked, and they normally required reservations. Thankfully, they accomodated us, but the wait was almost an hour. Dinner arrived and we knew the wait was worth it. Fresh seafood galore! What a feast.

Tired and weary because I had barely slept, and because of my worsening condition, I decided to get a massage. It was so-so, but a welcome treat for my 1st real vacation after the summer.

Day 2: Time to check out Puerto Princesa's pride - the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park, popularly known as the Underground River. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and apparently the longest navigable river tunnel in the world. The trip to Sabang took around 2 hours, plus a 30min wait at the wharf before riding the boat to the national park. As we traversed the South China sea, waves were a-splashing, but not too bad and scary like our trip to Anawangin back in summer. The stone formations are a sight to behold, and the view of the mountains is just totally breathless. THe boat ride to the national park was around 20mins, and the frontage was just glorious. The sand was fine and powdery, and it was just a photographer's heaven. Of course, I had the brilliant idea to leave behind my D80, because I was not in a clicking mood. Bad move. Anyways, this gave me an excuse to definitely come back another time. And I will return. Someday :)

Waiting for a boat to navigate the tunnel took another hour or so. And again, the beauty of the cave was definitely worth the wait. The bankero or banker/tour guide went on with his spiels with gusto, and listening to him was a delight. The sight was spectacular. Nature is indeed mysterious and mystifying. WOW cannot even begin to describe it.

On the way back to the boat we saw a couple of monkeys and at least 3 huge lizards who almost looked like roots of a tree until they moved. Again, WOW!

We went back to Sabang beach for our much-awaited buffet lunch. Food was abundant and delicious. After lunch, most of our companions frolicked at the beach, and sickly me stayed under the shade and watched. Boohoo. I was happy to be watching from afar. The sound of the waves has got to be the most beautiful music of all, and I was in my happy place :)

On our way back to the city, we stopped at the Viewpoint, where the view of the bay was absolutely gorgeous. It was easy to see that sunsets would be glorious to watch at that place, but unfortunately, we did not have the luxury to do that since we had to get back to the city before sundown. Souvenirs were sold at that stop, at a relatively affordable price. I got magnets for P35 /pc, a dreamcatcher, a back scratcher for my sweetie (lagi kase nagpapakamot sa likod, hahaha), and a lizard ash tray. I also got a couple of pearl earrings back in sabang. ONe can never have too many pearl earrings :)

We also passed by the Vietnamese village, which is now mostly abandoned. I wish that the government continue to maintain the place, it is an interesting part of heritage, not just for the Vietnamese, but also for the Filipinos. They can turn it into an immersion site, where anyone who wants to live the life of a Vietnamese can do so, even for a few days, right here in the country :)

We also bought cashew nuts along the way, and we reached our hotel just a couple of hours before dinner time.

We decided to check out another famous resto - Kinabuch for dinner. I had a seafood plate which was again, hearty and fresh. Yum! Our tour guide convinced us to try the tamiloc - a local, err, aphrodisiac (or so they say). Now, at this point, I was totally convinced that I will never be a Survivor, because I could just not dare eat anything that doesn't look like food. Tamiloc is actually a wood worm that grows in dead mangroves. It is long, thick, white and very gooey. Just looking at it made me want to barf. But the girls convinced me to try it. I knew I was never going to be able to eat it, but well, A for effort. So, I guess I'll never know if that icky stuff aroused feelings other than utter grossness.

I capped the night with another massage (hehe!) because I wanted to get rid of all the knots and stress I was feeling.

Day 3: The island hopping to Honda Bay (the locals actually call it Hunda) did not push thru because I was not feeling better. Which was another excuse for me to come back for more next time. We instead just decided to rest and watch TV, then checked out Baker's Hill for lunch. The place is definitely worth checking out. We had lunch at the cafe, which was almost disastrous because of their poor customer service. I bought several pastries for pasalubong and a new sarong.

Before we knew it, it was time to say our goodbyes.

BTW, we met a couple who had already retired from work, and they were travelling on their own. And when I grow up, I definitely want to continue exploring, hopefully, with someone in tow. But with or without someone, I know that I will continue to see my country, then the world, and I will fall in love again. Someday :)

Labels: palawan, philippines, travel