The Budget Travel Guide to Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

April 10, 2011 by 39 Comments
puerto-princesa-subterranean-river-copy2

Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan, is one of my favorite cities in the world and probably the local city I loved the most.  It is one of the largest cities in the Philippines based on land area. Yet, it is brimming with countless natural wonders, topped with good food, outstanding cleanliness, and friendly, disciplined people. The best part, the tourism industry here is so organized that exploring is never a problem even if it's your first time to set foot on this unique paradise.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budget and Expenses, Palawan, Planning a Trip, Puerto Princesa, Sample Itineraries, Travel Guide Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Plaza Cuartel and Immaculate Conception Cathedral – Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

April 10, 2011 by 8 Comments
immaculate conception cathedral puerto princesa

Puerto Princesa City may look vibrant today but like many cities in the Philippines, it also has a dark history. This is most evident in a small park in Barangay Liwanag called Plaza Cuartel. Plaza Cuartel looks like your ordinary city park with concrete pavements, towering trees and benches. The ruins of an old garrison and tunnels are proof of its grim past. Plaza Cuartel is the site of Palawan Massacre. The tunnels were where 150 American prisoners of war were kept during World War II.  But on December 14, 1944, the Japanese decided to kill them all by burning them alive. Many perished but eleven prisoners were able to survive and escape the mass execution. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Historical Sites, Palawan, Parks, Puerto Princesa, Religious Sites Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Mitra’s Ranch and Baker’s Hill – Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

April 9, 2011 by 22 Comments
bakers hill

We started the Day 3 of our Puerto Princesa City Tour with a date with butterflies and crocodiles. After a stop at the Palawan Butterfly Garden and the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center, we still had four more stops to go to. Bear in mind that we traveled around on a tricycle with Kuya Ding leading us (P300 per tricycle for the whole tour, 09186620495). … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Palawan, Parks, Puerto Princesa, Theme Parks Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Morning with Crocodiles at Palawan Wildlife Rescue Center – Puerto Princesa, Philippines

April 9, 2011 by 9 Comments
Baby crocs. Small but still scary.

When the Poor Traveler was just a young boy, he heard from a magazine show on TV of a child being attacked and then devoured by a huge crocodile in the province. Since then, I had feared crocodiles. I didn't like seeing them even on TV. Whenever National Geographic Channel would feature them, I'd switch channels. They had been giving me the creeps until our Puerto Princesa City Tour. After our moment with the caterpillars and former caterpillars at the Palawan Butterfly Garden, our driver announced that we would be heading to Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center to meet some crocodiles. Imagine how I felt when I learned about our next stop. "It's the end of my life as I know … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Palawan, Puerto Princesa, Wildlife Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Beauty and the Bugs at Palawan Butterfly Garden – Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

April 3, 2011 by 5 Comments
palawan butterfly

Our flight back to Manila was scheduled at 2pm so we still had the entire morning to explore Puerto Princesa City. Again, our original plan was to take the City Tour by Casa Linda, which cost P600 per person. That would allow us to explore the city on an air-conditioned van. But if there's one thing we learned by then, it was that tricycle drivers always had a greater offer. Once again, we contacted Kuya Ding (09186620495) and asked how much would he collect should we choose to hire him for the tour. P600, he replied. Wow, that's so much cheaper. Imagine, instead of paying P600 per person, we would now be paying P600 for the entire trip. Who wouldn't grab that deal? Besides, we could … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Palawan, Parks, Puerto Princesa, Wildlife Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trying Tamilok at Kinabuchs – Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

April 3, 2011 by 19 Comments
tamilok

The Poor Traveler isn't really a brave food lover. I'm just a food lover. But I'd rather be on the usual, ordinary, typical, safe, boring side when it comes to trying a place's delicacy. That explains why eating sea urchin at Virgin Island in Bohol didn't interest me. And why I barely touched the stingray served at KaLui restaurant. My tastebuds aren't bold enough. My tastebuds don't like anything they are not used to. I always blame my tastebuds, not myself. Anyway, since Palawan is also famous for several stay-away-from-me delicacies, I dread each time I would dine with my friends during my stay in Puerto Princesa. You see, they love trying new, exotic things. I knew they wouldn't let … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food, Palawan, Philippines, Puerto Princesa Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

A Playful Day at Sabang Beach – Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

April 3, 2011 by 13 Comments
The shallow waters of Sabang Beach, Puerto Princesa

After the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park experience, we headed back to Sabang Beach for lunch. We were so tired and hungry so when our buffet lunch was ready, we were more than ready to dig in. Unlimited Filipino food at Sabang's gorgeous beach --- oh life, I love you. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beaches and Islands, Palawan, Puerto Princesa Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Into the Wonder: Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park – Palawan, Philippines

April 3, 2011 by 33 Comments
puerto-princesa-subterranean-river copy

Our original plan was to take Casa Linda's Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Tour with buffer lunch at P1600 per person. However, the tricycle driver we met (Kuya Ding, 09186620495) referred to us a travel agency that offered the same tour with buffet lunch at a lower price --- P1300/pax. We grabbed it. Kuya Ding gave us the number and we contacted them right away. The woman on the other side collected our names because they said they needed it for tourist registration, which should be completed ahead of time. We agreed that they would pick us up at 7am the next day. After our brief talk over the phone we had dinner at Ka Lui Restaurant and slept tight that night. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beaches and Islands, Palawan, Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Rivers and Lakes, Wildlife Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Restaurant Review: Ka Lui – Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

April 2, 2011 by 21 Comments
Prawns are just so-so.

Ask anyone in Puerto Princesa about the best restaurant in the city and there's a big chance he or she will point you to Ka Lui. KaLui is probably the most famous Pinoy restaurant in Puerto Princesa City. It is just 10 minutes from the airport. And lucky us, we just had to walk going there from Casa Linda, where we were staying. The place has that homey feel and very Pinoy since the building and the furniture inside is made of wood. The interior is adorned by artwork pieces --- wooden sculptures, ceramic pieces, batik fabric --- mostly with fish as their subject. It feels like it's owned by an art-loving traveler. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food, Palawan, Puerto Princesa Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Island Hopping in Honda Bay – Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

April 1, 2011 by 14 Comments
pandan island honda bay

After checking in Casa Linda, the first item on our itinerary was Honda Bay. We initially wanted to avail of Casa Linda's tour at P1,100 per person. Since we were a group of 4, that would be P4,400 for all of us. But we had a better option. Rewind to an hour earlier, on the way to Casa Linda from the airport our tricycle driver Kuya Ding (09186620495) talked us into just getting his services. He offered to take us to the port at Honda Bay where the boats were and take us back to Casa Linda for only P400. Wow, that's just P100 per person. We liked it, liked it very much and took it. We got his mobile number (09186620495) and promised to call him after settling down. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beaches and Islands, Natural Wonders, Palawan, Puerto Princesa Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Close
Get travel tips and ideas straight to your social media accounts! Follow me!


Twitter

Facebook

Google+