TBK Travels to the Philippines- part ten-Palawan 2020

 

At the Butterfly farm in Puerto Princessa

My final trip before my move to Palawan was by far the best. 

I went alone, had not arranged to meet anyone (apart from Drew to hand over my hire car) and I decided to avoid El Nido and the more expensive hotels. 

So the plan was 2 nights in Manila (at the Heritage in Pasay of course), then 2 nights at my old favourite, the Microtel in Palawan, before getting the hire car and heading down the coast to Sabang for New year’s eve. 

Ran celebrates New Year in Sabang

 

After that it seemed a few inches on the map to St Vicente for 2 nights on its pristine 14km beach (longer than the coastline of Boracay for the fact check aficionados). In Palawan there are no short cuts so there was a 2-hr drive to the neighboring Port Barton for 2 nights, to catch up with the lovely Rose, Dam Dam and Bailey.

The 14 km sandy beach at St Vicente

Finally I drove back to Puerto for 3 weeks on an organic farm, living in a Cabin ( better than cottaging in Siargao Corleen!)

The Cabins at LVF

The key to a successful holiday I have learnt is to relax, forget work and go with the flow. So once everything was booked ( thanks Hazel for suggestions of places to go and to the Bapco travel agent Tony for your help with the flights) I stayed cool when people kept emailing me to change their plans. First Drew was going to stay with me for 10 nights, then just one and finally 2.

Drew, asleep as usual, in our Suite at the Microtel in Puerto Princessa

Jhoanna offered to take his place at Sabang for New year then was summonsed home to El Nido, so Ran said he would come for 6 days and ended up staying for 5 before returning for a family party. 

Others came and went along the way, one even got locked in and had to stay at The Cabins .The car trips were as challenging ( "can Marnel come to El Nido and Edzel and Erik return?" then became Jhoanna and a friend of Jam’s up and down and Erick with us for English lessons on the way back! ) 

The poor hire car got filthy and had to be cleaned 3 times along the way

 

There was a huge variety in accommodation from the most basic at St Vincente ( poor Ran who had to share a very small bed with me- it's ok , his wife knows now!) to the luxurious Dalyoun Mountain resort and spa where we had a luxury cabin overlooking the beach. I can announce this now as his wife now knows where he really slept and they made me Ninong at their wedding!

Worst bed- St Vincente - 6 bd  800 peso

Best bed- Dalyoun Mountain resort and spa, Sabang- 86 bd or 12,000 peso

The Microtel at Puerto Princessa (my third visit) upgraded me to a suite with microwave and fridge and adjoining room. This confused one of my guests who nearly visited the couple next door instead of going to the bathroom in the night. 

Girls chatting in the sea at Puerto Princessa while a kite surfer passes in the distance

This was the first vacation I had hired a car and I had to learn a whole new way of driving, so special thanks to Corleen for his on line advice! “Every-time you overtake use your horn , Tatay”. 

The first time I did this the trike driver gave a friendly wave back to indicate he would move in 2 minutes and then proceeded to slow down.

I thought I was becoming relaxed but my calmness was nothing to the dogs who sleep in the middle of a dark country road of the kids who run across the highway to see their school friend on the other side!

Captain Ran on the Tublien raft

Of course as Palawan is series of islands water transport is necessary and one of the highlights of this trip was having to pull myself across a river on a raft to our cabin. I really don’t now why I expected the people watching to rescue me when I failed to tie the raft up properly and drifted off down the river. I hear the video , shot by the wonderful couple from Greece, has now gone viral and I earned a free drink from the French viewers!

 

 

Acacia avenue between Puerto and Aborlan in the south of Palawan

 

At all times the views have been stunning, moonlit cathedrals, Acacia avenues and the orchards at La Virginia Farms. We delivered a whole case of Pasalubong around the Philippines and replaced it with new clothes, shoes and sweets and fruits to take back to Bahrain!

Puerto Princessa Cathedral with the full moon

Yes, we had to pay excess baggage in Bahrain, Manila and Puerto Princessa in spite of a carefully planned strategy of using 3 bags and leaving what I did not need in Pasay, Puerto and LVF!

My car and I resting at LVF

Being the Philippines many of my passengers sang their hearts out along the way and I even found out later that I had slept with a cathedral chorister ( he was 33, its okay friends!)

Daryl, Nephew of the Irawan Barangay Captain, who took many of the photos in this blog

So its time to end this quick summary of my final vacation, house hunting in the Philippines. 

I know some of you have a question on your lips and the answer is 10. 

 

One of my healthier dinners on the beach at Port Barton with Chef Erwin

But after Longanisa, Halo Halo, Chicken Binacol, Shanghai Lumpia what do you expect? The best breakfast award goes to Paul at LVF for his Bacon, fried bread and scrambled eggs!  

I was asked how I will cope doing nothing when I retire here eventually and I have worked very hard on this conundrum over the last month

 

The answer is :

Very easily!!

So until I live here and have time to write more about doing nothing, this is the British Kabayan signing out from Robinson's Mall in Puerto Princessa where I just demolished a huge Halo Halo ( well it is 31 degrees in January here, as opposed to snow in Saudi, Rainy runways in Dubai and dust clouds in Bahrain)

The bay-walk at Puerto Princessa

Kita kits xx