The Angry Birds goes to Palawan

My college barkadas and I had this " Annual Breather" that we started way back 2010 when we had our very first getaway in Bicol ( will be posting this soon).  The Palawan group is composed of Venus, Godo, June and her Mom, Mary Joy and Ex (who are natives of Palawan ) and of course myself.

It was the month of August 2011, when we left the busy city life and flew to Palawan. We arrived in Manila the day before our flight to Palawan so we did some "malling" and saw a a store selling uber cute shirts. We thought that it would be cool  wearing these  t-shirts the following day going to Palawan. So we bought the Angry Bird shirts with matching "bling-bling" to be our outfit the next day.

The Angry Birds invades NAIA

en route to Puerto Princesa

Coming from Manila, the flight to Puerto Princesa will last for about an hour and 10 minutes. We took the early morning flight that is 7:30 AM via Air Phil Express . The weather was rainy when we left Manila and we were bothered that it would be the same in Puerto Princesa . An hour has passed and as I looked by the window I saw the beauty that awaits us. We really are in PALAWAN!

Look at the view as we are about to land. Isn't that stunning?

Arriving in Puerto Princesa, we were then greeted by Kuya Nards - our tour coordinator in Palawan. We hired him to be our guide for the whole four days of our stay in the city. The city tour then started with a visit to Palawan's Wildlife and Conservation Center.

Formerly known as "The Crocodile Farm", this place was built as an institute for the preservation of wildlife that is found in Palawan. It also houses a veterinary care for the sick and injured crocodiles. There is also a mini zoo that house species endemic to Palawan. 

Guests are given the opportunity to have pictures taken with the crocodiles that the center is conserving.  For a small amount of Php 50,  one may take hold of a baby crocodile and have their picture taken.  But then again, having just a picture with a crocodile isn't enough for us. Ever wondered how the crocodile meat tastes like? Ask us. We tried the crocodile sisig and it tastes like CROCODILE.

Baby Crocs meets the Angry Birds

Trying crocodile meat for the first time - and maybe the last =)

After the Crocodile Tour, we headed to the highlands and checked on one of the best views of Puerto Princesa atop the " Mitra's Ranch". This view-deck is seated a few hundred feet above the rest of the city offers a magnificent view of  Puerto Princesa. The place is owned by the family of the late Senator Ramon Mitra.

Not so far from the Mitra's Ranch is another favorite spot for city tours. The Baker's Hill is a themed park located along Sta. Monica heights ( where Mita's Ranch is also located).  The place is like a wonderland for it is filled with giant fiber glass statues of cartoon characters. They don't charge for an entrance fee so, anyone can just go here and enjoy the place. 

The place also houses a cozy restaurant - "The Baker's Kitchen". We decided to take our lunch here since we were already starving and to think the last food intake we had was the "crocodile sisig". After lunch we bought some stuff from its bakery. I have to say that their ube hopia and chewy crinkles are a must try. Bought some for family and friends.

Don't go home without trying their hopia. You'll love it.

loved BANDUNG ( the pink drink ) - milk flavored with rose syrup.

The last stop of our city tour was the BINUATAN Weaving. Here we were given the chance to try using the hand-loom. The workers were kind enough to teach us how their products are made. Finished products are for sale in their showroom.

We were so tired after visiting the various  spots in Palawan and Kuya Nards  told us that it would  best if we took a rest first. He brought us to the hotel and he will be dropping by at 6PM for the Firefly Watching at Iwahig River . 

We freshened up and took some rest. At exactly 6 PM we went down and saw Kuya Nards waiting for us. Iwahig River is about an hour ride from the city proper. I was so excited about this part of the trip since the night before we left for Palawan, the firefly watching in Iwahig river was featured in ABS-CBN's late night show "Bandila". During the show, they interviewed one of the boatman and shared how it helped him and the livelihood of the people near it.

Upon arriving in Iwahig River, we then registered and booked for the tour.  The Iwahig river tour will need us to ride a boat good for 3. Each boat cost  Php 600.00 and the the tour will last about an hour. Since we are only 5, Kuya Nard's son, Prince came along with us. Minutes later our group were called. We were given instructions ( absolutely no flash photography ) and was told to wear the "salakot" hat and the life jacket to complete the look.

We boarded the banca which is stirred manually by a single boatman and happens to also be the guide. Having been to the crocodile farm much earlier, I asked if there were crocodiles present in the dark brackish  water ( a mixture of fresh and salt water). The guide told us nothing to worry about. 

As we move towards the stillness of the river, you can hear the sound of the crickets which gives the eerie feeling. However, as we began to see swarms of fireflies glow green under the midnight sky, the eerie feeling turns into admiration as we see thousands of fireflies lit up our surroundings  I immediately took my camera hoping to get a glimpse of the glowing fireflies near me. But it was pitch dark and i was having a hard time capturing them through my camera. So I decided to stop taking pictures and just enjoy every minute of the tour.

Fireflies are natural indicators of a healthy environment. The light coming from their abdomen is a chemical reaction of their bodies and is used to attract  a mate. Fireflies are choosy when it comes to mangroves, they only like a particular specie of mangroves called Nilad. Our  guide said that Manila was once full of Nilad mangroves, that is why it was named Maynilad. 

More and more fireflies show up as our guide points his red laser light along the mangroves around us.

The time seemed so fast that after the tour had ended, we were still in awe of how lucky are we to visit such an wondrous place. Truly one of the must do in Puerto Princesa.

And to end the night, we had our dinner in one of the highly recommended restos in Palawan that is "BALINSASAYAW'. The name coming from the bird where we get the famous " birds nest". This restaurant offers good food at a reasonable price. We didn't miss their house specialty " the balinsasayaw soup" - the authentic birds nest as what they say. 

For Puerto Princesa Tours
Contact :Kuya Nards Gran