Palawan

my relatives on my father’s side lives in this province. hopefully, i’ll get to know them once i visit the place. i’ve always wanted to go here because of the beaches and to see how the people of the province preserved the natural beauty of the place.

Palawan has a lot of breathtaking views.. Beach bums/ beach lovers MUST see this place. Definitely when you get to see Palawan, it would make you WANT to go back and see more.

Love the food (lobster and suka on the beach!), the underground river, the coves. If people want a respite from the party atmosphere of Boracay, Palawan is the place to go!

Came here with a friend for a few days of beach holiday. After she left, I stayed on for 4 more days to do my Padi Open Water Diver on a tiny Island at the North end of Palawan. I liked it, very quiet and relaxing.

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Palawan is a melting pot of 87 different cultural groups and races. Basically, the people are of Malay origin, with sprinkling of Chinese and Spanish bloodlines. Its culture has a strong influence from Borneo, China and the Middle East. Influx of migrants from other parts of the Philippines accounts for the high population growth rate of 3.98% annually. Eighteen percent of the population is composed of cultural minority groups such as Tagbanua, Pinalawan, Batak, Ken-uy (Tau’t Batu), Calamian, Jama-Mapuns, Molbog, Tausug and Samal-Bangingi.       

Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City and it is the largest province in terms of land area. The islands of Palawan stretches from Mindoro to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea in the northwest and Sulu Sea in the southeast.       

I went to Palawan for one day last 2003 for a meeting. How cruel can that be! No time for leisure. I wanted to go back ever since. Hay…

Well, there are two places of interest in Palawan.. On the north side of the island is El Nido. This is where the rich and famous hop off to when they want to get away from urban life hussle and bussle. Except for the truly exclusive Amanpulo, commercial plane ferry passengers twice a week only from Manila.

If you have four days to spare visit this island. It is really an island paradise. If you want to dive, there are also good diving spots.

see pictures
http://community.webshots.com/album/62229876vNOasf

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/elnido/

On the south side of Palawan Island, the capital Puerto Princesa City is located. It is more accessible by commercial plane. There are daily flights going to and from Manila. There are a lot more to see here. The beaches are also spectacular, but you have to drive or rent a car/jeepney going to Honda Bay. In Honda Bay, you can island hop, snorkel, see different white sand beaches. Island hopping usually have to be whole day or whole morning at least.

There is also the St. Paul’s Subtareanean River. Its a sort of underground river/cave. Caution: there are smelly bat dung, but once you got over the smell, you can enjoy the stalactites and stalagmites formation. The boatman will usually weave a tale around the stalactite/stalagmite formations.

On the other side of Puerto Princesa, there is the Vietnamese City, the crocodile farm, and the market place, where you can buy pasalubong (gifts for loved ones or friends after going on a trip) at more reasonable prices.

Ciao

A place very much unlike this (see picture, focus on person in the far left). A kingdom where imps with azure fairy wings gather pink fairy dust from twenty-foot, affable, expletives-bearing trees and sprinkle said pink dust to whoever is wearing a Brazilian shirt. Dust makes person think he can play like Ronaldinho and makes him scurry back to wherever he came from. Then i can put on my feather-weight, rainbow glass wings and play with imps in this wonderland. I am Alice for a week.