#LaFamiliaGoesPalawan

Hi, guys! It has been awhile since I posted in my blog. But I will try to publish our latest escapade the soonest that I can. I just hope though. HAHA!

Anyway, a few days ago , me & my family (except Mama) went on an out of town trip in Palawan.

So, why Palawan?

Palawan is always part of the dream destination of most of the people not just with Filipinos but even foreigners. But other than that, there can still be another reasons for other people why they chose to visit Palawan.

For me & my family, I guess we have more or less 3 reasons. Let us talk about that one-by-one.

1. Palawan is a popular tourist destination.
   • Having one of the 7 Wonders in the World, Underground River,  be located in this place encouraged more people to go, visit & experience it. But aside from that, Palawan has in store a lot of wonderful things to do and see. Of course, that includes the wonderful beaches.
2. Palawan is so beautiful to miss.
   • Palawan is more than just a city or a province or a group of islands. But Palawan is paradise. A paradise of the beautiful Mother Nature, delicious foods and friendly people. These and more really want you to come and go back.
3. Palawan used to where my father worked when he was younger.
   • He talked about it a lot of times and over & over again. And every time that he shared his story, you can see that excitement and happiness in his eyes and voice. Actually, he was his own talkative self during the trip, talking anything to the our tour guide, boat crew and van driver.
4. I have been here last 2016 (if I am not wrong) and I want my family especially my parents to visit it. I want them to experience what I did, to create their own memories and to tell their own story.

That is why when Cebu Pacific Air offered a seat sale promotion last August for their domestic and international flights, I then checked to possible places where we can go. Fortunately, the fare to Puerto Princesa was only around Php 1800 per person and that\’s already round-trip. And so, I called my sister, mother and aunt. When they agreed, I then booked everyone. I booked 10 pax that include my parents, sister, brother, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle and 2 cousins.

Months prior to our scheduled trip, I created an itinerary then I asked tour packages in an agency. But as days went by, I decided to have it DIY (do-it-your own). That\’s when I started looking for hotels to stay, van transportation to rent and tour in El Nido.

When we were like a few weeks away to our trip, my uncle became unsure if he can go because he has a training to attend, my brother sent me a chat message that he won\’t let my sister-in-law go because of some personal things and my mother is hesitant to go as well because of work. Until we were able to convince my brother to go but they will just go home ahead of us and thanks God, he agreed. So, I booked his round-trip plane ticket and my sister-in-law\’s return ticket. Then, my aunt also called requesting me to book for my uncle from Manila instead of Cebu.

On the contrary, my mother really was not able to go because of work. Okay! We already ranted and complained enough and everything was over so I won\’t rant again here. 😀

Thus, the trip was a mixed of emotions. Happy that we can spend it with the family. Excited because it will be our first out of town trip together (aside from Negros Occidental & Cebu). Plus, it\’s my cousin\’s (Keishza) first plane ride and she didn\’t know about this trip until we arrived in the airport. She\’s 9 years old by the way. Sad & worried because Mama cannot join and she\’s alone in the island.

In addition, typhoon Basyang had landfall on the week of our trip. We were worried that it might be stormy during the weekend. Thanks God and we were blessed with a fine, sunny weather.

I am gonna share our tour, experiences and tips on the following posts.

TIPS

1. If you are going to El Nido or other municipality in Palawan, you can commute a van, or rent a van or car. I am not sure if how much is the fare but for El Nido, it costs Php 600 per person per way if you will commute. But for us, we rented a van from Northern Hope Tours at Php 10,000.00 two-way.
2. It is cheaper to rent a van for the city tour than book a tour. The van costs Php 1500 for the first 4 hours while the city tour package costs Php 600 per head. The differences are when you rent a van, it only comes with the transportation, fuel and driver. But, you have the option where to go and how long to stay. While when you avail a tour package, there is a tour guide, a transportation, fuel, entrance fees, driver and snacks. But, it is limited to what is included in the package.
3. Puerto Princesa is a little bit traffic already. So make sure that you have enough time to travel to the airport. Enough that you won\’t be left by the airplane.
4. There are lots of places to choose where to stay in Palawan. Just make sure to book earlier because there are many tourists coming there and rooms are most likely to get sold out fast.
5. If possible, devour yourself with seafood. The province is rich with this. You can choose from a wide variety of foods. They can cook it whatever you like.
6. Try their Crocodile Sisig and Tamilok. These sounds weird but the first tastes like a ground pork while we haven\’t tried the second. But it is best to try something new.
7. Don\’t forget to bargain when you buy pasalubong and souvenir. Use your haggling skills because in most cases, it worked for me. HAHAHA!
8. The people in the province really gives important to Mother Earth. They really have this mission to protect and conserve it. So, always abide their rules and help them protect the nature and their pride.
9. When you travel, aside from seeing, exploring and experiencing, also try to learn from where you go. Learn about the history, the story and even its purpose. In this way, we would understand the people in there.
10. Remember to connect to the people (both the locals and fellow tourists) and have fun.

 

Day 1 – Puerto Princesa City Tour