Puerto Princesa Underground River

Underground River

For our underground river tour, we booked our tour through Pyxidistourspalawan for Php1500.00 per head which covers the transportation to the port, registration fees, boat and buffet lunch. We encountered a problem at the registration area since the registration papers of another group were with their tour guide who was at Honda Bay during that time. They had to make some arrangements to allow them to go on with the tour. After fixing that problem, we had to wait for our turn on the boat.

When we landed on the island, we had to rush to the other side since it was almost our turn for the underground river tour. To get to where the boats were, we had to pass through the monkey trail. It was just like having an eco-walk. But we were warned not to carry plastic bags as the monkeys there might grab it from us and eat it.

Sea side where the we landed

When we got there, they were already calling our number so we had to suit up (helmet and life vest) and got on our boat. Each boat could accommodate around 10 people so we were mixed with other groups.

A flashlight was provided to the ones in the front of the boat and they are the ones in-charge of lighting the formations as instructed by our boatman. I hated that part since the ones holding our boat's flashlight were not paying attention to the boatman and were lighting the formations they wanted to see.

As for the formations inside the river, it was okay. Though we can't help comparing them to the ones inside the cave in Sagada. For me and my friends, the formations in Sagada cave are better. But atleast we can say that we've been to one of the seven wonders of the world.

Here are some of the pictures inside the cave:

UGONG ROCK ADVENTURES

We had fun during this side trip. The experience of climbing up the rocks and passing through thin openings was amazing. We were also amazed by the formations we saw.

Welcome to Ugong Rock Adventures

For this caving adventure, we first registered and paid the fee then headed to their gears area where they gave us our helmets and white cloth gloves for our own protection. We were also introduced to our guide.

Before going inside the cave, we offered a short prayer for our adventure. Then our guide explained why the cave looked that way. And on almost every formation, there is a story behind which was entertaining.

Though this was not as great as the cave in Sumaguing, I still enjoyed this adventure because it was fun to go through narrow openings, see lots of rock formation, climb up the rocks and more!

Me passing through the narrow opening

Climbing up the rocks



Peeping through the rocks

 The zipline was also another great experience. The adrenaline rush plus the great view even made the experience more unfogettable.

Ziplining in Ugong

For Php450.00, we were able to experience the Ugong rock spelunking and ride a zipline going down the rocks and back to where our service was. It was a great experience and would recommend everyone going to the underwater river tour to also try this tour. It will definitely be worth it! Here are more pictures from our spelunking:

- E N D -

Half Day Honda Bay Tour - Possible!

I had a trip to Puerto Princesa with my bestfriend and her boyfriend. Our flight was morning of December 8, 2012 and our return was 1PM of December 10, 2012. That leaves December 9 reserved for the Underground River Tour. So now with our dilemma. Our departure time from Manila was around 10 in the morning and our estimated arrival at the Puerto Princesa airport is around 11:30. To maximize our stay in PP, we decided to have a half day Honda Bay tour. I contacted the hotel where we were supposed to stay and other agencies and got the same message, the Honda Bay is intended for a whole day tour. I had to do a lot of research and found out from other blogs that it's still possible to have a half day Honda Bay - Do it yourself style.

And came December 8 - flight going to PP. It was a good thing that our flight was early. We landed in PP 5 minutes ahead of schedule. Haha. Anyways, when we got out of the airport, I saw my name in one of the welcome greetings. It was our "sundo" from our hotel. We immediately noticed that most of the hotels in PP has their own van to pick up and drop off visitors from and to the airport.

Welcome to Puerto Princesa!

We booked at Tres Pension. It was just 10-15 minutes away from the airport and near the town. When we got there, we were impressed. The place was exactly like the pictures from their site, except for the room that looked bigger from the photos. The rooms was nice and clean though. We were glad we chose this place. 

Tres Pension garden

Panoramic view of the other side of Tres Pension

We then asked the reception lady to call a tricycle to bring us to Honda Bay. We unpacked and changed clothes and when we got out, the Kuya Gil, our tricycle driver, was already waiting for us. Since it was lunch time, we asked Kuya Gil to drop us at Robinsons to get some food before heading to the bay. The trip from town to the bay took around 30 minutes. During the trip, Kuya Gil tried to convince us to stop over at some of the stores to rent snorkeling gears. Since we already read from the blogs that the gears are cheaper at the bay, we humbly refused the offer and just told him that we'll need to secure our boat first at the bay.

Meet our super nice tricycle driver - Kuya Gil with his brand new tricycle

We got at the port around 1PM and there was a Taiwanese couple who were trying to negotiate with one of the personnel in the terminal. The personnel then recommended that they join our group to be able to save on the cost of the boat since we can divide the boat rental. They were hesitant at first because they just wanted to stay in one island and be back at the port as soon as possible. But since that would be more expensive, they decided to join our group. The boat rental was Php1300.00, so we had to divide that by 5. And we (three of us) had to pay a total of Php 120.00 for the environment fee and Php 21.00 as terminal fee. Another cash out for this trip was the gear rental. We only rented the snorkeling gears for Php100.00 each. But they also offer fins and bootlegs for Php100.00 each.

Usual payments for a Honda Bay tour

 And so the tour begins. Our first stop was Pandan island. It was around 20 minutes from the port. We initially planned to eat our lunch at the island. However, when we got there, they were charging Php300.00 per table. So instead of paying for the rent, we decided to just eat our lunch at the boat, which was okay with our boatmen. After our quick lunch, we headed out to explore the island. Even after visiting a few of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines, I am still in awe to the fact that the water here is clean.

A view of Pandan Island

After taking a dip at the crystal clear water and taking some pictures, we decided to move to the next island which was Starfish Island. Before leaving, our boatman collected the entrance fee - Php100.00 each. From the name itself and from what I read from other blogs, there were a lot of starfish here. So that was what we expected. However, when we got to the island, we were disappointed to see that not only was the sand not fine, but there were no star fish to be seen!!! The boatman then said that IF we really do not spot a starfish, we'll just have to tell him and he'll be the one to look for one. When he asked around, he found out that the starfishes were moved from near the docking area to the end of the island where we did not go. haha.

So with a bit of hope, we went to the end of the island and yes! The starfishes were there indeed. We were however reminded by our boatman that the starfishes should be returned to the water within 5 minutes of taking them or else they will die.

We saw them!

Picture at the bamboo frame

"Shell" camera trick of our boatman

After satisfying ourselves with the starfish and some picture taking at the island, we then headed to the Pandacan reef where we would maximize our snorkeling gears. Again. before leaving, our boatman collected the entrance fee - Php50.00 each. When we got to the Pandacan reef, we were asked to pay the Php50.00 entrance fee before we were allowed to go to the snorkeling area. Our boatman was there to guide us. He asked us to hold on to the his round floater while he tour us around the area to see the corals and fishes. We were disappointed at the sight since the water was not that clear anymore. The boatman said that the water was usually not clear in the afternoon. *Sigh* Too bad for us. Atleast we were still able to see some of the sea creatures though not that clear.

Pandacan Reef

Since the Pandacan Reef was our last stop, we then headed back to the port. It was almost 5PM when we got back at the port. Kuya Gil was patiently waiting for us. When he saw us, he immediately approached us and offered to take our pictures before we head back to out hotel. We arrived at the hotel after around 30 minutes. We then handed Kuya Gil our payment - Php500.00 thanked him and waived him goodbye.

Though the tour was not perfect, we still enjoyed it. Now it's time to rest before dinner time.

Puerto Galera Weekend Getaway

November 10, 2012

I have always wanted to go to Puerto Galera. No matter how much discouragements I hear from my friends. I wanted to see it for myself.

So here it goes.

We decided to take the Jac Liner bus in Taft and head straight to the Batangas pier/port. We left around 7 in the morning and arrived at the pier at around 9AM. What we liked from this bus ride was the fact that the conductor charged us for student fare! haha. So we only paid Php128.00 each.

Upon arrival at the port, we were greeted with a lot of guys volunteering to assist us in getting our tickets. When we got to the Minolo Shipping Lines ticket booth, I was surprised to see that the round trip fare was already Php500.00. It used to be at Php450.00. We also paid an additional Php80.00 for the environment fee and terminal fee.

Before entering the port departure area, we were informed that we need to buy water at the port since water in Galera is more expensive. We got tricked! That was a lesson we will never forget. :p

When we got onboard, we noticed that there were alot of other passengers going to Galera for the weekend. The trip took around 1.5hrs. When we got to the first island, we thought we were going offboard. But we were told that passengers headed for the White Beach should remain at the ship.

While waiting for the passengers to get off the ship, some kids were asking the remaining passengers to throw coins to the sea for them to dive and get the coins. I hated the scenario because it looked like people are thinking of these kids as their toys. Anyways, from the first island, it took another 15 minutes to get to White Beach where we plan to stay.

Finally! We are at White Beach. The first thing I noticed while getting off the ship is the crystal clear water. I didn't imagine it to be this good. After getting off the ship, we were greeted by alot of people offering hotels and water activities. We ignored them and went straight to the table of Minolo Shipping Lines to reserve our slot for the ship back to Batangas.

 

Panoramic view of the beach from the port

After reserving, we then entertained the people offering hotels. We were then escorted to see the rooms at Dreamwave by "ate". But since there is a bar at the ground floor, we decided that we didn't want to stay there because we were thinking of the noise at night. We then asked for another option and were then escorted to Mendelluke's Suite. We were offered the big room that cost Php 2,000.00 for a night. When we saw the rooms, we immediately decided to stay there since it was clean, very spacious. and we wanted to decide right away for us to start our tour.  

Panoramic view of the beach from infront of our lodge

Beach infront of our lodge

 

Affordable meals

We then decided to eat before proceeding with our island hopping tour. We walked a few blocks looking for a good place to eat. But it seems that the menu was the same. So we decided to eat at the next place that we see which was "Food trip sa Galera". Their food was affordable. They had rice meals that range from Php 85.00 to Php 125.00. Not bad.

After eating, we texted "ate" that we were ready for our island hopping. I'm glad that we were able to bargain for this tour. It was initially offered to us as Php 1,500.00. But I was persistent that the trip should only cost us Php 1,000.00. So she offered the tour for Php 1,200.00 including transportation to and from the port, gears and some bread for the fish feeding. We grabbed the offer and off we go!

The trip from the beach to the port only took around 10-15 minutes via tricycle while the trip from the port to the "Aquarium" took around 20 minutes.

One of the nice islands

When we got to the "Aquarium", our boat was approached by 2 small boats. Our boatman and guide explained that since our boat was big, they are not able to "park" the boat where the corals are since it may damage the corals. For a better snorkeling experience, we need to hire the small boats who will be guiding us around the area.

 

Fish feeding - get ready to be bitten!

                                                                             Since we had no choice, we had to hire 2 small boats at Php 200.00 each to take us around the area. Well, it was worth it I guess. They provided the snorkeling gears while the life vest was from our big boat.
 
The small boat brought us to where there the corals and colorful fishes were. We really enjoyed this part except for the part where we saw snakes swimming. Haha. Here are some of the pictures I took underwater.


View underwater



View underwater

 After snorkeling, the "Kuya" from the small boat was convincing us to try the underwater cave since that place is good for picture taking. Being on a budget, we declined the offer. They then escorted us back to our big boat. From there, we went to one of the islands for more picture taking.



Sexy ladies at the beach

 We spent around an hour just taking pictures (which I will not post :p). Afterwhich, our boatman had to come fetch us to say that we had to go back to White Beach.

It was starting to get dark when we got to White Beach. We decided to go back to our room to freshen up then eat our dinner.





We had dinner at Residencia de Galera. We were so pleased with their waitress. She is super nice and accomodating. That's why we also decided to have our breakfast there the next day.


Highly recommended due to their super friendly and accomodating Ate Joy

One of the many groups of fire dancers

While waiting for our dinner to be served, we watched some of the fire dancers. It was entertaining and exciting since they allow the visitors to have their pictures taken with the dancers. We also had our pictures taken with the dancers. But we weren't able to give some tips since we didn't notice that they have a container where you will just drop your tip. haha
 


 

The famour Mindoro Sling

 After eating, we went to Dreamwave to try the famous Mindoro Sling. The price was consistent for all bars. A pitcher costs Php300.00

While drinking, my friends tried their henna tatoo which only costs Php100.00 per design.

Some vendors were also roaming around selling "pulutan" which was way cheaper than the ones offered in the bars. it was practical to buy from them since there is no corkage fee.



Now, it's time to go back to bed and get ready for the next day.


Our room at Mendelluke's Suite (Php 2,000.00 per night)



Banana Boat Station where you can leave your valuables

 The next day, we tried their banana boat ride. It was now at Php200.00 per person. The ride took around 15 minutes with 3 drops.

Before we were able to ride the boat, we had to wait for 6 more people since the boat can accomodate 10 people.

Banana Boat

When a group of 6 were willing to share the boat with us, we immediately paid for it and wore their life vests.

Before settling in, I asked one of the "Kuyas" to take our pictures using my water proof camera. So we had to be in the front of the boat. Haha.

It was fun! Though we had to take in a lot of the super salty water with every drop.
After the ride, we didn't have anything else to do but to swim and enjoy the beach.

It was a short but fun vacation indeed.

-End-

Hundred Reasons to visit the Hundred Islands

I went home to Baguio for 2021 All Souls' Day. Since this was a long weekend, I was able to convince my parents to go on a short trip to Pangasinan on Nov. 2 and 3. My dad agreed and thought of Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan. Hooray!

We left Baguio around 8:30 in the morning. The trip from Baguio to Alaminos would usually take around 3 hours of driving. Unfortunately for us, there were a lot of road constructions that made our trip longer than usual. We had a short stop over at CSI Dagupan to buy some groceries and snacks since we were getting hungry.

We reached Alaminos around 1:30 in the afternoon. We then looked for a place to spend the night. There are a lot of hotels/inns/lodges near the port so accomodation was not a problem. We were supposed to have our island hopping that same day after we eat lunch. But since it was nearing 2PM and we will still take our lunch, the guys at the hotel recommended that we move our island hopping to the next day for us to have more time in the islands and be able to really enjoy the place. When we asked if we could stay at the island overnight, they said that it is possible but there would be a lot of mosquitos and their is no electricity there. They also adviced that we can spend our time to look for seafoods which we can cook at the islands for lunch. We took their advice and reserved a boat for the next day's adventure.



Welcome to Hundred Islands!

Since it was already late, we asked the locals where we can eat. They initially pointed us to the food court just around the corner. When we asked if the food in Maxine by the Sea was good, they just said that it was expensive there. But we still tried it out. When I saw the menu, the prices were okay if you're in Manila. A dish cost an average of Php200.00 while the shakes are around Php 80.00.

Initially, we order the calamares, kilawin, pork barbeque, and prawns. Unfortunately, they had no prawns during that time. We also got fruit shakes for drinks.

For the food, it was okay. Nothing extra ordinary. Their shake was also normal. Though it would have been better if they added some milk to the strawberry and papaya shakes that we ordered. The price of the food was a bit overpriced for the taste but I think the ambience would compensate for that. We were told that it would be great to have dinner there because of the ambiance but we didn't get the chance to go back for dinner.

Our Lunch

Group Menu

After eating, we decided to go back to our room, rest for a bit then head to town to buy some seafoods for the next day's lunch. We went to Nepo Mart to buy the things we needed. When I saw the word Nepo, I initially thought that it was the same as Nepo Mall in Dagupan. So when we got there, I was looking for the supermarket and other shops. Then I realized that it was just a market. Haha. Anyways, we bought a shrimps, squids and some eggplants. Oh, and some coal too.
With nothing else to do, we went back to our room and asked the lady in the hotel to store the seafoods at their freezer. We spent the rest of the night eating some of our snacks and watching some teleserye - since we were with our mom, we had no choice. Haha.

We got up around 6 in the morning for our island hopping. It took around 30 minutes from the port to get to the islands. The first island shown to us was the Governor's island were Pinor Big Brother's House - Teen Edition was located. Our boatman asked if we wanted to stop there but we preferred to stay at Quezon Island were the activities are. The boatman then showed us the Marcos and Imelda islands. Then we headed to the Quezon Island were we stayed for the rest of the day.

Port

One of the many islands

PBB House in Governor's Island



Imelda Island - Has a small cave underneath

When we got off at the shore of Quezon Island, we were greeted by one of the caretakers in the island. He immediately asked if we'd like a table or a nipa hut. We chose the latter for privacy. We were then guided to our hut which was overlooking the island. It was the perfect spot!
After settling down, we asked our guide and boatman to start preparing our lunch. We were so not prepared. We forgot to bring paper plates and spoon. So we had no choice but to buy plates from the store in the island. It cost Php5.00 for a piece of styroplate! That was waaaay too much. But we had nothing to use to we had to buy them. While the food is being prepared, we went down to take a dip at the water, take some pictures and try out their kayak.

View from our cottage

View from our cottage

View from our cottage

It was our first time to try kayaking. Before we started, we were advised that whatever happends, we should not let go of our paddle since it's expensive and it would be very hard to retrieve it once we lost it in the sea.

Parents enjoying the kayak

 

Kayaking with Brother

 It was so much fun. We were able to go around the island and to the other islands on our own. It was a bit scary when we were in the middle of the sea and had to paddle to be reach the other islands. It was scarier when we got stuck a few times when we were in the area near the giant clams. The water got low and our kayaks were already touching some of the corals. We had to push our way off the corals for our kayak to be able to move again. Whew! That was so close. We didn't want to be stuck in the middle of the sea! Haha. After an hour of kayaking, we went back to the island to return the kayak. But the owner insisted that we have another round for free since we were their only customer at that time. Yipee! But I think that was a good advertisement for them. When we came back, almost all the kayaks were out! Haha. We paid Php250.00 for one kayak.

Enjoying the beach (Got to the island through the kayak)

Panoramic view

After the tiring activity, we went back to our cottage for lunch. The tour guide and boatman were done grilling our food. Since the food was so enticing, we decided to buy some rice to go with it. The price was too much! It cost Php25.00 per cup or Php150.00 for a small pot of rice. And we had to pay for the extra bag of coal that costs Php50.00.

 

Sugpo

Pusit

Talong talong

After eating, my brother asked if we could do the parasailing. So I called the number in the advertisments. The foreigner who answered the phone said that he will be at the island in an hour. After an hour of waiting, he finally came. Hooray!

And our parasailing adventure began!

Our parasailing guide

Yacht baby!

  

Parasailing

View from the air

After the wonderful experience in the air, we decided to stop by the snorkeling area to see the view. The view was not that great as compared to the one in Coron but it was okay. My brother enjoyed it since it was his first time to snorkle.
 

Underwater pixes

Underwater pixes

Underwater pixes

This has been a great family bonding. The water activities offered also made the place more interesting. They now offer snorkeling, kayaking, and even parasailing. Nice!

For those who haven't tried parasailing yet, it's a great chance to experience it for only Php1,500.00. You may contact the owner at 0999-8008180. He's a great guy form Hawaii. :-)

We ended our short trip to Alaminos with a dinner at Bangsal in Binmaley, Pangasinan. The food was okay. Try their catfish or "hito". It taste good.