i've been to palawan several times, mostly to visit relatives, a few times to visit the lovely sights and beaches in and around palawan, and puerto princesa has almost always been a one day stop, a jump-off point to go to the underground river, honda bay, dos palmas, etcetera, etcetera.
this recent visit to palawan was like no other because this time i got the chance to really explore the city and hang like a local, well at least almost like a local.
after cebu and bohol, i have officially adopted palawan as my third 'hometown'. my mom has opened a small business in the city and i see myself visiting the city more often in the coming months/years and what better way to celebrate my first 'homecoming' than to get to know the city that i will call home a little better.
puerto princesa is a lazy but bustling city, lazy because city comes a alive around midmorning, motorists drive slow, around 30-40 kph along city streets, establishments close up at around 11ish, but, bustling because business in the city is visibly booming, with numerous hotels, inns and other tourism-related establishments cropping up here and there, foreign travelers walking around the city, maybe on their way to or back from their beach vacations. the main mode of transportation in the city are the tricycles, they are everywhere and they can take you everywhere. motorcycle rentals dot the stretch along rizal ave, the city's main thoroughfare, where adventurous tourists can rent a motorcycle explore the city for P500/day.
for those who opt to travel outside the city, an abundance of travel agencies arranges day tours to the nearby tourist spots and transportation rentals are readily available for impromptu road trips. but then again, this post is about getting to know the city.
when in palawan, never fail to eat a sumptuous seafood dinner. there are numerous restaurants in and around the city that can satisfy your seafood craving.
inihaw places are always a hit and you also see a lot of these in puerto princesa.
a must-try are palawan exotic delicacies like crocodile meat and the wood worm tamilok.
crocodile meat, surprisingly yummy - tastes like pork!
tamilok - slimy and fishy, basically tastes like seashell, but it is still a worm!
when i first visited puerto princesa several years back the vietnamese village still had its residents, with guards manning the gate and if i remember right the residents needed to obtain pass in order to get out of the village and visit the city. i also remembered that they served really good food a french bread in their restaurant and they still do up to this day, the village though only had a handful of residents left.
vietville restaurant owner mr. le van cong
another area worth visiting in the city is sta. monica heights where the mitra house and baker's hill is located. officially known as rancho sta. monica, the locals simply call it mitra house. the mitra house is the late senator and house speaker ramon mitra's house and ranch in palawan. the ranch is open to public and it overlooks honda bay and has 180 degrees of of seaview, perfect for a lovely afternoon picnic which you actually can do in the wide expanse of grass fronting the house and the numerous picnic tables strategically located under the shade of the trees by the side of the house.
located just a stone's throw away from the mitra ranch, the baker's hill literally sits atop a hill and has the same view as the ranch. a favorite destination of visitors and locals alike, it is a bakery complex cum garden park cum mini zoo with food stalls and souvenir stores. they have numerous fiberglass cartoon character statues, a number of peacocks, a golden pheasant a talking bird, picnic tables and garden benches where you can play sungka , a traditional filipino game played by two participants on a solid wooden block with two rows of seven circular holes and two large holes at both ends.
the peacock showing off! this bird can talk - it's favorite word: pangit!
gb and rikka playing sungka
ever wonder where the puerto locals go and satisfy their beach craving, why there is a beach just within the city, just 5 minutes away from the airport! it is no honda bay, snake island or any of the breathtaking islands in palawan but it is no less beautiful. you had to go through a path of mangroves to get to the beach but it has the same fine white sand and clear waters - nasin-aw white beach.
when in palawan or any new place for that matter, one of my favorite places to visit is the local market, in puerto princesa it doesn't matter what market as long as there is fresh seafood! it's always amazing how cheap fresh and high quality fish in in palawan! but its also sad to see some endangered marine life - rays, sharks, mantas - dead and for sale in these market stalls. good thing in this particular visit, there wasn't any, but i got my fill of fresh tuna sashimi!
i'm looking forward to my future puerto princesa, palawan visits and can't wait to discover more interesting places in the city.
the venus occultation on my last night in puerto
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