With three of my close friends from work, Erky, Mars and Jen, I went back to one of my favorite destinations in the country -- Palawan. Last year, I was able to explore the islands of Coron. This time, I spent six amazing days in the islands of Puerto Princesa and El Nido.





01.23.2014: Arrival Day

It was around 6PM when our group arrived at Puerto Princesa International Airport. It was almost an hour and a half plane ride and we were all excited to finally start our vacation.

Touchdown, Puerto Princesa!

We hailed a tricycle right outside the airport. Tricycles are the primary transportation in the town and the minimum fare is 10 pesos per person. The tryke took us to Casa Linda Inn which we booked in advance.

We stayed in a standard fan room with three beds and one extra foam for Php1600 per night. The place is nice and peaceful. The walls and floors are made of wood and there is a garden with a cottage outside which makes the ambiance very relaxing and homey.

The cottage at Casa Linda's garden.

After resting and settling our luggage, we went to Robinsons Place Palawan. It is the largest and newest mall in the city. We took our dinner here and decided to watch the last full showing of Bride for Rent.

Our tickets for the movie. It is much cheaper here compared to Manila rates.

We were all giddy going back to the inn because the movie was really funny :)

01.24.2014: One of the World's Wonders

We woke up early Friday morning to visit our main destination in Puerto Princesa -- The Underground River.

The tour costs PHP1500 per person which we availed from Casa Linda Inn. The package includes van and boat transfers plus a buffet lunch. The van with our tour guide, Kuya Jomar, fetched us at around 7:10AM. It was a long ride going to the port but it was not boring because Kuya Jomar was very accommodating. He told us interesting facts and stories about Puerto Princesa.

We reached Sabang Bay at around 10AM. There were a lot of tourists already waiting because of cancelled tours during the past days due to the rainy weather. Luckily, the sun was shining bright on that day. We were welcomed by vendors selling cute hats and souvenirs. We got tempted and each of us ended up buying a beach hat. Hooray for the impulsiveness!! Haha!

My friends and I wearing our hats on.

Me and my new hat! :)

While waiting for our turn to be fetched by the boat going to the river, we made ourselves occupied by taking pictures. No need for any camera filters to make each photo perfect because the place itself is already picture perfect! The sea, the sun, the trees, the different shades of blue and green, they were all breathtaking...

Some of the boats at Sabang Port.

The shore at Sabang. Isn't it amazing? :)

Posing for my #OOTD shot.

It was already 2PM when we finally had our turn. The ecological park, the entry point going to the river, was a 15-minute boat ride from the port. From the docking area, we took a short trek in the park going to the entrance of the Underground River. We then transferred to a little boat that took us inside the cave.

The docking area before our short trek.

It was 2011 when Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, popularly known as the Underground River, was chosen as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. No wonder!! Because from the moment we went inside, all I felt was amazement! Who wouldn't be? Just thinking how the rocks were created and formed throughout the years would already make your mind go nuts!