Puerto Princesa - City In A Forest

I feel very much at home in Puerto Princesa.  It was like I'm in my island home.  Peaceful, clean, green sorroundings and friendly people.

No cabs but lotsa tricycles.  Big tricycle way different from the tricycles here in Manila.

naki-upo lang ako para magpa-picture haha

Plaza Cuartel

                                       

Sorry as much as I wanted to took a lot of pix of the church which is a sort of San Sebastian's replica, there was an ongoing funeral mass

Their crocodile farm.  Im not comfortable to post crocodile's pix. So yan lang mapo-post ko haha.

Mitra's Ranch.  According to my cousin two years ago tourists were allowed to enter atleast at the balcony of the mansion.  But now tourists were no longer allowed.  Outside, the roof of the mansion looks like "sabungan"

 You can enjoy some activities there, zip line, horse back riding or simply enjoy the view and have some Me time or emo-emohan portion...nah Im not emo there .. was just for the sake of picture taking haha.  Oh there's no entrance fee.

Baker's Hill, I so love the place even my mom love's it too eh kasi sya mahilig sa plants and there's lot of flowers/plants plus a very beutiful landscape inside.  See the one below.  Isn't it lovely and very creative?

 It was 'ber" month so there you go  santa was in town haha. The sorroundings was clean nad so green.

 A garden and a play ground in one. Oh the child in me. Ok please allow me to strike a silly pose.

 I can stay the whole day sitting, reading or sleeping there.. what?? oh ok playing there run around dancelike no one is watching :)

On the way to Under ground river. Sunlight plus mountain oh countless beauty of our mother nature.                          

It took more than one hour of waiting for our boat.  It was hot at the port area. There's a tent at the other side but I think it's even hot there.  So there I was on my sunnies and talukbong.  Haha i love stolen shot.

And so they decided to buy some beach caps :) They dont have the color that I want so I didnt buy.

A view of the ocean.

That rock formation.. on our way to Under Ground river.  Breathtaking.

 And yes we're there.  But I'll have a separate post for the Underground River. So for this post all I have was this one.

This Magrove Paddle Boat tour took away a lot of my energy haha but it was worth it.  Will have a separate post also.

 On our Honday Bay tour/Island hopping.  I will have a separate post also. Whole day there was not enough.  There's a "bitin" factor coz I love the sea so much.  Any body of water makes me feel coo haha.

 

Palawan Getaway

Needless to say this is one of my long over due posts.
Most of us look forward to this getaway. I, my mom, aunts and cousins.  Time to bond out of town and enjoy the gift of mother nature.

So Palawan here we go.  Why Palawan?  My mom's choice.  This year daw.. Davao...?? well before I became a fangirl I really wanted to go there but now, the place is not a priority haha "may kirot sa fangirl heart ko" haha .. soon I might share my reel world here.

And we touched down Puerto Princesa

                                               

I did a lot of question and answer portions to my friends, where to eat, what food to eat in a certain resto, where to go and where to stay. We did not include lunch and dinner in our accommodation package, so we can eat anything and wherever we want.

First stop.. haim Chicken Inato

You gotta love their chicken

                                               

This deserves an extra rice haha thumbs up

                                               
                                     
You love sea breeze while enjoying your food?  Badjao Seafront is a place to be in Palawan. Worth dining here for picture taking ;)                    

romantic ambiance with lovely interior design

This long isle wooden bridge drama with mangroves on both sides is love

                     
  Baker's Hill - I love their Hopia and chocolate crinkles(must try) and I love the place.  

I cant help it but strike a pose like hers

It's already 6:00 PM our Ka Lui's reservation was at 6:30 PM but I can not afford to missed Noki nocs halo halo. I heard a lot of this from my cousins this is the best halo halo in town.  And they were right.

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We made it on our Ka Lui's 6:30PM reservation.  Yes make sure to have a reservation to be able to experience Ka Lui's.  Great food and food presentation and great place

very homely

Oh it's a bare foot restaurent.  Yes shoes or slippers were required to be taken off.

Don't worry the floor is very clean.

Kinabuch Bar & Grill.   I'm sorry I wasnt able to took a pix of their large screen :).  Their wide open-space is a plus.  Their crispy pata was so good and their version of pinakbet best pinakbet I ever tasted.                                                  

                                      
                                      

Thought of coming home

One of the best things about long wkends and holidays is coming home to an old familiar place..   To unwind, to relax and to be with family and friends.

I grew up in an island where everything is so simple.  Small-town affability, fresh air, quiet and peaceful environment.  You can have your windows open at night even if your house is not heavily gated.  We don't have malls; movie houses; jollibee and busy streets. 

  

It's not easy to be an islander, especially during "ber" months to February and during typhoon season that before was normally from July to December.  But nowadays weather is more unpredictable.  Just like now winds and rains in March? What's happening?  

Coming home is always something to look forward to.  

lezz go (read: let's go). Will give you a little tour.

Of course from mainland I will need to ride a motor banca to get there. When the water is calm(like the one in the picture) a small motor boat ride will do, we call it L300.  We can wear a big smile while sailing.  

But, when the water is rough /wild then we need to ride on a big motor boat (below).  This is not even a violent waves this is just the normal waves during the "ber" months to February (September to February). (Brown un kulay ng water kasi maulan galing bundok un tubig)

Nervous attack!!!! Pray!!  Sleep (if you can)!!  kwento to lessen the kaba haha; Afraidy Aguilar (read: afraid) pag maalon

As we all know an island is surrounded by water.  So ours Lamon Bay  in front

 and Pacific Ocean  at the back.  We are under the Pacific Ring of Fire and typhoon belt. 

A beach getaway  is just a click of a finger.   There are a lot of ways to enjoy the beach.  Like, having a quiet moment with my self (emotera); going for a walk by the sea shore or dancing with the waves with friends.  Hearing ocean waves splashing on the shore gives me a different kind of  feeling, very therapeutic. And I will never get tired watching how the waves touches the sand. Home is, where I can appreciate the beauty of warm orange smile of  the sun and not getting nostalgic after

 In our beaches there's no hopping nightlife; no beach restaurants and no water modern day activities.  It's a  bring your own baon type of beach but a barbecue party will do.

My dear alma mater! Clean and Green! .. . 

♪♫ How we wish dear alma mater ♫♪  Memories sweet round thy name  ♪♫ Always and forever ♪♫  You guide and lead on our way

Below are some of the meriendas in the island.  Sarap mga paborito ko. (From upper left corner to the right down to the left down to the right).

** Snowball ** - Shaved ice with food color (read: syrup) + evaporated milk upgraded version.  I couldn't find snow ball in the city or even one that is close to its taste.  Snow ball is love it may look ordinary and the ingredients are ordinary but the taste is not. **   Butsi ** (our town/local version) - deep fried mashed sweet potato (kamote); **  Sumang saging ** - steamed mashed banana (saba) wrap in banana leaves; **  lipute  ** - a black color fruit when it's already ripe.  You can eat it with just a salt or "kalunggo" way.  not familia? never  heard?  then feel free to ask me  ** bbq **  (sa isla lang ako bumibili ng street cooked bbq) arte arte lang; .** sugarpritong saging and native bibingka  **   sinukmani, pancit and bagkat na saging **  pilipit ** balinsuso **

Living in an island is so laid back, every day is a lazy outfit!  Since we don't have malls; coffee house; movie house and resto bars in the island bonding with friends means:

Strolling (read: mamasyal) around the town with friends pwedeng lakad pwedeng nakabisikleta while having kwento.

Visiting a friend's house to have some catching up at maglagay ng bangko sa kalye para presko.  Hanggang madaling araw na yan.. Same old kwento and yet still crack us up.  

and tambay sa pantalan (wharf) ang tambayan ng bayan .  Bawal ang alcoholic drinks diyan.

 Boring?  It's not.  Try it the probinsyana way.  You can have fun without being drunk. :)  Note: Town's curfew for minors is 9:00 PM

a child-like an "anytime-anywhere" moment with friends!  Playing tubig (read: patintero) at our age?! haha why not?  Pose anywhere we want even having election campaign tarpaulin as our background showing the  L sign of the political party; hiding in an electric post but showing our heads ; strike a dance pose while holding on to fence; posing in the middle of the road and in the police vehicle parked outside the municipal hall. ..... ahhhh a child in every grown-ups moment

And yes family.  How I wish I spend every single day with my family. For sure coming home from a minimum of 8-hr work is something to look forward to everyday.  It is very comforting having them around me beside me. Having kwentohan at the dining table. Light moment after meals.  "Never ending "batusan" and down memory lane.   Happy family = happy life.  I love them 

Coming home is a reminder to me of who I am.  A short escape away from the corporate world and away from the citylife  truly .. there's no place like home.