Underground River Experience

Palawan's top attraction is the St. Paul Subterranean National Park. This underground river is a short 2 hour land trip from Puerto Princesa on good roads and a pleasant 15 minute boat ride. Traveling to the Park is made easy with the numerous tours being offered priced reasonably at P1500 (US$35.00) per person. The price already includes admission fees to the park, air con van and boat transfers, and native buffet lunch.

However during peak season you have to wait at least 2 hours to be able to board the boat that will take you to the underground river. The tour inside the cave lasts only for an hour so the wait may be longer than the actual tour. The navigable area inside the underground river is 8 kilometers and you will see interesting forms and shapes of stalactites and stalagmites. Lighting inside the cave is provided by a battery operated flashlight which the person at the first row of the boat will be asked to operate to spotlight the interesting features of the cave.

The underground river is one of leading contenders for the new 7 wonders of nature. It is good to do it for the experience of doing an underground river boat trip but the sights inside are not really impressive. Nevertheless, the beautiful seascapes and landscapes that you will see along the way makes the entire tour a worthwhile experience.

Baguio in Bloom

February is when Baguio holds its month long flower festival, the Panagbenga. Highlight of the festival is parade of floats made of flowers similar to what they have at Pasadena's Rose parade. Since I am not fond of festivals because of the big crowds I have never actually witnessed Baguio's famous flower festival.

However, in January this year when I was in Baguio, the flowers were already in bloom. It is really a refreshing and colorful sight of flowers of various varieties and colors. Flowers abound at the amphitheater in Camp John Hay and at Burnham Park.

Fresh Organic Produce in Baguio

An alternative to going to the Baguio market for vegetables and fruits is to shop instead at the organic fresh produce market at the popular Cafe by the Ruins. I find this as the more convenient and hassle free way of getting fresh lettuce, strawberries, beans, broccoli, etc. The place is clean and crowd free, and does not require haggling skills for the best prices.

The produce are reasonably priced and there is not much difference from the Baguio market prices. This organic produce market is at the Cafe by the Ruins every Wednesday and Saturday from 8am to 12 noon.

Baguio's Delicious Strawberry Shortcake

My niece was raving about a really delicious strawberry shortcake that she discovered in Baguio City. So it was on my "must" list of desserts to try during my recent Baguio vacation.

This best selling cake from Viscos along Session Road lived up to the high recommendations of my niece. The cake was generously topped with fresh strawberries and the cake itself had a nice strawberry taste. It was really yummy and good, and was the best dessert that I tried in this trip.

The strawberry cake comes in three sizes, small (P345 or US$8) medium (P540 or US$13) and large (P850 or US$20). It can also be ordered per slice (P75 or US$1.75).

El Nido's Best!

El Nido's main attraction are the Big and Small Lagoons in the Minoloc Islands area. In both lagoons you will be in clean turquoise waters and surrounded by awesome limestone cliffs. There are a lot of dead corals in the Small Lagoon which makes it a bit of a disappointment.

We were lucky to be the only boat in the Big Lagoon so we were treated to a quiet and relaxing time to enjoy the best attraction of El Nido. The Big Lagoon is blessed with towering limestone cliffs and fine white sand that makes it ideal for moments of swimming and playful enjoyment in its clean and aquamarine waters.

I felt privileged to have the opportunity of being in this beautiful place which to me is a natural wonder this side of paradise.

Cruisin El Nido

As if to compensate for the long, tiring and difficult land travel to El Nido from Puerto Princesa, crusing around the islands of El Nido is simple, relaxing, and easy. This is because there are a number of reasonably priced island hopping tours being offered by boatmen, restaurants, hotels and resorts in El Nido. They are basically the same, price wise and in terms of the inclusions in the tours. Price ranges from US$ 12 to US $ 33 depending on the number and location of islands included, and duration, whether full day or half day. Lunch is included for the full day tours.

I opted to book my tours through El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe. Their tours require a minimum of four persons. The tours did not disappoint delivering everything stated as included in the package and their boatmen were sincerely friendly and helpful. Tips are appreciated but not a must. I had the same boatmen for 3 days and their friendliness did not change for the 3 boat tour packages that I took. So on my last island hopping tour with them, I gave them a generous tip. The foreign tourists who went with me during these tours did not give tips and they were treated with the same warmth and kindness.

The islands around El Nido are truly awesome with the towering limestone cliffs, white sand beaches and pristine turquoise waters. My personal favorites are the Helicopter Island which has the best beach, and Snake Island which is actually a sandbar, for the scenic views.

El Nido on a Budget

Not a lot of tourists go to El Nido because it is relatively expensive compared to the other beach destinations in the Philippines. A 3 days 2 night all inclusive ( airfare, accommodations, food, and tours) at the premier resorts in the area, Lagen and Minoloc, cost about US$ 700 per person during the off season.

However, you can still enjoy El Nido on a budget. There are actually resorts/ small hotels in El Nido town which are reasonably priced. Depending on the location and quality of accommodations, you can get a room from US10 to US 50 per night. Food is also cheap in the town where you will find a number of restaurants offering international dishes and fresh seafood.

The fastest way to fly to El Nido from Manila is to take the Island Transvoyager plane. But this 1 hour flight cost US$314 round trip. But if you are not willing to spend that much on transportation and find no problem with taking a long land trip on bad roads then there is a much cheaper option of flying instead from Manila to Puerto Princesa.

Flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa is a reasonable US $46 round trip on budget fare. From Puerto Princesa you will have to take a bus or van for the 8 hour trip to El Nido by land. Bus fare is only US$7 one way.

It is not easy to go to El Nido if you are on a budget. But the awesome scenery and natural beauty of the place is well worth the extra effort to get there.