Lakwatsarah

Our first 2 days in Palawan  perfectly spells summer. Every photographer would surely drool over Coron’s many islands and underwater life, we sure did. I used and abused my newly bought camera. I wanted to capture everything, it's just a visual feast out there! It’s the kind of place that made me wish I have Google Glass in tow. Coron Town Our day 3 and 2nd day of island hopping tour was merely a continuation of a beautiful exploration where we experienced the majesty of nature’s exotic beauty, but it also made us taste the overwhelming power of the sea…  Like the 1st island hopping tour, we requested to start early since we want to visit Maquinit Hotspring before it gets dark. It’s March and I kind of assumed it would be a smooth less than 2 hour boat ride, I was WRONG!

Palawan is home to some of the   most enchanting group of islands in the Philippines. It's where you can see the most secluded, unspoiled white beaches but down under its water, a colorful marine life thrives. So when Cebu Pacific announced one of its much awaited Piso Fare sales, I immediately texted my travel buddy MC of my plan to travel to Coron . After replying with a giddy "yes", I booked a 4 day trip set for March 2014, a 10 month advance booking.   all girl group pic with the scenic Kayangan Lagoon in the background MC invited her officemates as well, the same 3 girls I travelled with in Laguna and Sagada . I got even more excited knowing the trip will be filled with boisterous laughter because this group is super fun to be with. Magaan at masayang kasama. Plus it's cheaper to travel in group! Travel Dates: March 12 - 15, 2014 Day 1: Hello Coron! We arrived in Busuanga's Francisco Reyes airport after less than an hour flight from Ma...

Location: Coron Town, Kayangan Lake, Twin Peaks Reef, Hidden Lagoon, Bulungan beach, Calachuchi Coral Eden, CYC Beach, Mt. Tapyas, Malcapuya Island, Banana Island, Bulog Dos - Malaroyroy Island, Maquinit Hotspring

Summer is definitely here! What better way to enjoy summer heat than to bask under the sun, sea and sand in any of the many enchanting islands of Coron. Bring with you your best gal pals na super bibo and your summer will forever be memorable. This Palawan province is blessed to have the grandest of mother nature's mystic beauty. Thumbs up, Coron is my No. 1 Summer Destination this 2014!  Here's a quick glimpse of what we did during our awesome 4 days in Coron. You can use this as your guide when planning your own Coron getaway :)

Since we were able to save on our airfare, we feel good adding a little more to our food budget, so yes we splurged a bit. After all, Palawan's not just about beaches, it also offers fresh seafood options in a unique dining experience. Palawan Restaurants we tried and other food finds: 1. KaLui - Dining in Barefoot We ordered KaLui Special of the Day Set that includes fish steak, prawns, veggies of the day, fried fish with escabeche sauce, rice and starters. We also ordered eel in coco cream for a change. It's not everyday that we get to eat eel! :) For our refreshments, we ordered classic fresh fruit shakes like buko and mango juice and the equally interesting guyabano juice. They also gave us a complimentary fruit salad in fresh coconut bowl. Sweet! More in the menu includes shrimps halabos, Palawan seafood sisig, kilawin, sashimi and more.  

Together with my aunt and uncle, we visited Puerto Princesa city last February 21-23, 2012. Feel free to copy our itinerary. Day 1 - check in at Marianne Home Inn - lunch at KaLui Restaurant - at around 2pm, we started the City Tour - dinner at Balinsasayaw Day 2 - at around 8am, van fetched us for the Underground River Tour - early lunch at Sabang (meal included in the tour) - Mangrove Paaddle Boat Tour - Sabang Zipline   - 3pm start of Underground River Tour - dinner at Skylight Restaurant Day 3 - Pasalubong/ Pearl Shopping at Delma Pearl and Souvenir Shop for authentic south sea pearls - Pasalubong shopping for shirts at the newly opened pasalubong center - lunch at Badjao Seafront Restaurant - check out/flight back to Manila Expenses: Roundtrip ticket - Php350 roundtrip (thanks to Piso Fare) Terminal Fee - Php200 (Naia) + Php40 (Puerto Princesa Airport) Tour package - Php2990 (inclusive of 3 days 2 nights accommodation with bre...

South Sea Pearl Bracelets When one thinks of pasalubong shopping in Puerto Princesa, Palawan pearls are definitely on the must-buy list. Our third and last day in Palawan was devoted almost entirely on pasalubong shopping, of course I was on the look out for the cheapest store I can shop for pearls. The tricycle driver we hired that day brought us to Delma Pearl and Souvenir Shop located beside another famous local restaurant in Mercado de San Miguel, the SkyBox. We found this particular souvenir shop selling cheaper pearls and other accessories compared to the first store we were brought in during our city tour. Best of all we could still use our haggling skills here.

Puerto Princesa Bay So what made a former city girl like me love Puerto Princesa so much?  Every city dwellers who've been to this part of the country would surely agree that there's more to Puerto Princesa than the famous Underground River and many island beaches. Surprisingly, it also offers a much tamed city vibe feel unlike its equally stunning El Nido and Coron. Okay, just to be transparent, I've never been to the latter two which I'm pretty sure will both sweep me off my feet for their scenic beauties. It's just that I already found Puerto Princesa a lot more conducive to live ( if ever I plan to live here for good ), it's the more developed ( without the pollution ) part of Palawan. You get the outdoor feel which can be practically just a few feet from your home and at the same time you have a good number of schools, cheap and fancy restaurants, government agencies, hospitals, malls (Robinsons Galleria is under construction) and airport within reach.

Palawan Mangroves The Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour is a community based sustainable ecotourism project. The 45 minute tour into the Sabang River and its centuries old mangroves allows visitor to observe and appreciate what old growth mangrove forest free of human entervention looks like. Visitors are also given a chance to contribute to conservation by planting mangrove saplings in designated planting area. After taking our lunch and rested at Sabang Beach, our tour guide Mae-Anne asked if we wanted to join the newlyweds for the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour. We agreed of course, after all, our Underground River Tour was scheduled at around 3-3:30pm. We left the other group who chose to stay and relax at the beach while we hopped on the van that took us to where the mangroves are. During the very short drive, we saw tourists mostly foreign backpackers, walking their way to the much secluded part of Sabang Beach  where the mangrove tour is also located. It was like 12 noon and they'r...

inside the world's longest navigable Underground River  The two hour drive from Puerto Princesa to Sabang, passing through sharp curves on 2 part zigzag roads (yes, expect to sway inside the van) is already an adventure treat itself. We learned a lot from our tour guides Mae-Anne and Grace telling us stories about healers, folklore, history and other fun facts during the long drive while passing the scenic country charm of Palawan. This post gives you a glimpse of what happens on a typical day when you book the Php1,500 Underground River Tour .

colors of Palawan The beach, the sun, the sand...the island province of Palawan is best known worldwide for its GREAT OUTDOORS. Located at the western border of the Philippines, the irregular coastline of Palawan boasts a land area of 1,703,075 hectares and roughly 1,780 islands of sugar-white sandy beaches. From Manila, the capital city Puerto Princesa is approximately an hour's travel by plane.  February 21, 2012 - I boarded a Cebu Pacific plane bound to Puerto Princesa to experience the much raved Palawan adventure.Together with Uncle No and Aunt Lily, our first glimpse of Palawan was unforgettable, as expected. For 3 days and 2 nights, we drove from one tourist spot to another, the outdoor tours, picturesque stop overs, freshly grilled seafood dinners, the welcoming locals..geez, that 3-day Puerto Princesa tour was too short to fully explore the Palawan outdoors, I don't even think a week-long vacation would be enough, considering there's still Coron, El Nido and...