Pretty Puerto Princesa

March 7, 2013

Puerto Princesa, Philipppines was our next port of call.  This is on the Palawan island in the Philippine chain.  We took an Island Hopping boat tour with the ship.  The local operators did such a wonderful job.  They gave everyone gifts of bags and necklaces.  They made sure there were drinks at each of the 2 resort stops and they provided a guide for each of 6 passengers (this was how they divided us for the ride to the boat launch area).  The guide kept an eye out for their passengers at each stop and we had additional boat staff helping with water safety and entertainment.  Additionally, they provided a security boat that rode along with us and scouted the islands out before we landed.  They did everything to make sure everyone had a great and safe day.

We couldn’t  have had a nicer day.  We started out in the mini van and saw many of the local sites during the rush hour.  Our driver explained that their little moped taxis are rotated by the days of the week depending upon the color, so if today is the day for the white taxis, then tomorrow it would be blue etc.  There was a beautiful cathedral in Puerto Princesa that we passed on our way to Honda Bay.  We also saw water buffalo (they call them caribou) resting in the fields, still didn’t get the allusive shot for dad though of them working the fields. 

beautiful view from the boat

Once we got to the harbor area, they had a kids marching band greeting us.  We then boarded our boat which comfortably seated 50+ of us.  The boat is a local one with a flat area which is covered and then out on each side there were outrigger type attachments.  They had long benches with backs that were each only supposed to hold 2 people.  They had everyone wear a life jacket whenever we were in open water.  It was a comfortable and safe environment, much better than we had been warned to expect. 

The trip made 4 stops in Honda Bay in the Sulu Sea.  The islands are generally named for the animals or items found there are the shape of the island.  The island the farthest out was our first stop, along the way we passed Bat island where the bats take off at sunset and then return the next morning. We also passed Snake Island, so named because from the sky it looks like a snake.  There is also an Island called Luli, which is above the water at low tide and underwater at high tide. 

The first island we got off at was Starfish Island.    The exit from the boat was a bit precarious, we had to go down the ramp at a very steep angle and it had the wooden footings every foot or so.  Fortunately there was a hand rail on the one side.  Everyone managed well.  Here we saw lots of local shells and took some fun photos where it looks like you are pushing a giant clam shell open with your hands.  In the water, there were lots for varieties of star fish.  “C” wore his snorkel while I took photos and waded along. 

Next stop was Dos Palmas, a private resort island.  Here they greeted us with a local fruit juice, known as the Four Seasons.  “C” actually liked it, pretty amazing for a kid who only likes water and milk normally.  After settling in, the boat took us out to the snorkeling platform.  Once we got settled in the water, we had a great viewing of a ton of fish, including a close up of a parrot fish.  Some of the other guests saw a different type of ray, more cream like with ruffled edges, than we had seen in the South Pacific. 

After returning to shore, they fed us a wonderful lunch on the beach.  There were lots of local foods, we had unicorn fish (it was delicious), fresh calamari- very tender, and local desserts made from purple sweet potatoes.  At each table they placed a plate of a local shrimp dish which “C” devoured and a plate of huge crabs.  Everything was delicious, but the most surprising was how good the local pineapples were.  They were very pale, almost white, which I generally associate with lacking flavor.  It was quite the opposite and I think we all had refills of them.  After lunch, “C” and dad went kayaking while mom and I visited with some people.  Mom had met some Filipinos from San Diego, who were visiting family and had come from Manila.  They were both retired Navy.  So they all exchanged info on traveling throughout Asia.

lunch on the beach

Our next stop was Isla Pandan.  Another resort island where “C” fed the fish- the crew gave him crackers which they didn’t share with anyone else I don’t think- the Filipinos love kids and it showed during this trip.  They took wonderful care and paid him lots of attention.  While he was doing that with dad, one of the boat guides led me out to the coral beds.  There were some amazing examples of different types of corals.   I even saw the tree type I don’t think I have ever seen while snorkeling, only washed up on the beach.  He also pointed out a rock fish and explained they are poisonous if you step on them, like urchins. 

Our final stop was to Cowrie Island.  This is a National Park and there are a ton of beautiful shells there which you cannot remove.  At this stop we went swimming in the ocean and played around.  “C” was asked to take a photo with a local Filipino lady.  I think this “celebrity” status may occur frequently in Southeast Asia. 

We all loved our day and would come back here in a heartbeat.  We decided we would probably be looking back on it as a “remember when” moment though as we expect tourism to boom here soon.  They have the subterranean river that is ranked number one in the voting for the new 7 wonders.  So, that fame plus the beauty of the area lead us to believe this area will change much like Hawaii has over the years.