Chester cooling off in the sea at the Microtel in Puerto Princesa
It was during one of the things I least like about the Philippines (a brown out or power cut) that I decided to write about all the things I love about living here in Palawan.
Chester paddling by the Microtel
2. Beautiful beaches. Do not just take it from me!
"Palawan has been named the 2nd World Best Island for Beaches by Condé Nast Traveler 2021 Reader’s Choice Awards, as numerous tourism spots throughout the world began to reopen for tourists."
Source: Conde Nast names Palawan the second-Best Island for beaches in the worldin the world (accessed 12.10.22)
I try and spend a week every other month by the sea in Nacpan, Lio, Alimanguan, Sibaltan, Sabang, San Vicente (14 km white sand beach, the longest in Asia). Port Barton or one of the many other beaches around the Island. Unlike in Bahrain the beaches are all clean, with white sand and, best of all, free of charge.
From the first time I visited Palawan in 2013 I have met so many lovely people who are a big part of my life today. Ran and Sheila, both asked me to be Ninong when they got married and now, I have two Innanak, Cyrus and Zeus. The kids in my street always wave as they go past and love to come and play with Chester. The adults are very helpful too with Chef Arnel and Gracie advising on where to buy things, Maggie and Mick inviting me to their Wedding Anniversary party and Beth and Paul arranging my car hire at a reduced rate.
4. Amazingly fresh food
Here I shop daily and get fresh pineapple, which Chester loves, and Cassava pie, a favourite with Noel & Frythy, and Gracie has freshly made Natural yogurt delivered weekly. The yogurt Monster (Chester) can eat a whole container on his own chasing the container around the kitchen floor and getting it all over his face!
Chester eating yogurt and blueberries
My Berry parfait made with Gracie's yogurt
5. Great Restaurants
As a Foodie I love to eat out and have found some amazing restaurants with great food and great service to suit every budget and taste across Palawan. Some of my favourites include Punta Playa, Manille and Liams at Lio Beach, Angkla and Sunmai at Nacpan, Kinnabuch, Roma Pizzeria, Badjao Seafront, Senordamla and Ka Joel here in PPC.
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Amazing rack of Lamb at Angkla for Elay's Birthday lunch
6. Beautiful Islands to visit
One of the things I love to do is to take my friends Island Hopping. Drew has arranged three trips for me at Honda Bay and Rey arranged one at Sibaltan. It's a great feeling to have a boat for the day with all your friends around you. We swim, snorkel and sunbathe, have lunch and of course my Pinoy guests all love to take selfies and make Tik Tok and uploads to Insta and Facebook. I have taken my friends visiting from Manila, like Mark, and from Nacpan, like Rhoda and Matilda, plus my anaks and assorted cousins and of course, Richelle's boys Kobe and JP who have now done 2 trips with me. You can read more about our Island-Hopping adventures by clicking the links below:
Sibaltan Island Hopping - the Blog
The Vlogs are here:
Honda Bay Island Hopping- the Vlog
Sibaltan Island Hopping, the Vlog
Stereotypical Pinoy jump shot with the Bagets on the Honda Bay Island Hopping trip
7. My wonderful Houseboys
I rented a big house here in Puerto and wit a car, a dog, and humid weather meaning several changes of clothes a day I soon realised I needed help. I found a guy called Frythy and he bought along his friend Noel, and they impressed me with their work ethic and entrepreneurship. They soon persuaded me that Chester needed dog sitting one morning a week (so I could get Out and about as he does not like to be left in the house alone). Annoyingly their school kept changing tehri timetable but at one point they were coming to my house for 8 am (30 mins on a trike / multi cab) and then working from 8 until 11, having a shower, eating, and then going to school from Noon until 8 pm. Not bad for a 17-year-old. To make matters worse Frythy's mum is an OFW in Singapore and their house was destroyed by Typhoon Odette. His elder brothers are rebuilding, and he is giving the money he earns to his younger sister. I also questioned Noel as to why he was always washing his school shirt and hanging it out to dry when he came here, to find he had only one shirt. Next week is Frythy's 18th so I am buying him some volleyball shoes he wants (he and Noel both play Volleyball for local teams), and Noel is getting another school shirt as a belated 17th Birthday present, and they are both sharing one of Gracie's strawberry cakes! Frythy also helps with the cooking and now I am teaching Noel to cook as well.
The boys are limited for time due to schoolwork and the house building and Volleyball matches and practice, so I decided to employ another boy on Saturdays.
Jovan is the younger brother of Jhoann who runs the restaurant at the Huni Hotel in Lio where I stay when I am in El Nido. They stayed here for his university enrolment a few months ago. Jovan asked if I would sponsor him at college, but I already had 6 people I was sponsoring then so I had to say no. I said he could work one day a week ironing and cleaning my car inside and out and doing any cleaning the boys could not manage in the week. He told me he had to his washing at the weekend, so I told him to bring it with him and while he irons, I wash his clothes and mine! When I was telling him about Noel's shirt, he told me he only had one pair of trousers and one Tee shirt as part of his university uniform, so I bought him 2 more tee shirts and another pair of trousers. I collect him at 7.30 am every Saturday and he work until 5, then showers and then I take him home. So like Frythy and Noel he works very hard as he has college 6 days a week.
Jovan looking very smart on his first day at college
8. My anaks
People often get confused when I use the word anak as it means son or daughter in Tagalog. I have not married and did not adopt them, but they all call me daddy (Tatay Neil), so I call them anaks rather than the students I sponsor at college. So, I sponsor Jhoanna and her sister Elay who are at Palawan State University (PSU) here in Puerto, some 7-hr. drive from their home in Barutaan. So, I pay for their boarding house (but they stay here when I am away), their food, uniforms, load (credit) for their phones as some of their college work is done online). Grecil, who went to school with Jhoanna and who I met when they were all doing OJT at Lio and Cove where I was staying, is studying 3 hours south of Puerto (10 hours from her home in Nacpan) and Kit is studying in El Nido, near his home in Barutaan (he is Jhoanna's cousin).
From left to right Elay, Kit, Jhoanna and Grecil with the two Chesters
In addition, through the charity El Nido Friends for HOPE Inc. I sponsor a girl called Aimae who just turned 13 and who I have sponsored since 2017.
I have others coming to my door, emailing and messaging me daily but I only have a small pension from the UK and no longer work so I am unable to sponsor anyone else- sorry.
The great thing about all my anaks is they regularly update me on their progress and Elay and Jhoanna visit regularly, helping me with my shopping, looking after Chester and carrying out little projects for me. Elay is currently working in the costumes for Chester's 2023 Calendar and table decorations for our Christmas party for example. Jhoanna does all my online shopping, gets my stationery and new bedding, cd player and things Chester needs as I do not have g cash or a credit card.
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Jhoanna and Elay at Elay's graduation from BNHS
9. A culture of giving
One of the things I love about the Philippines is the culture of giving. When I was in Bahrain my co-worker, Ate Hazel, gave me a big donation for HOPE. My friend Ran bought his family along to one of the early HOPE events with several co- workers from El Nido cove. My landlord, Mick, an American, sponsors a large number of kids at school here with his Pinoy wife Maggie, and often there are queues of kids outside their house for Hot dogs which they regularly distribute.
The kids often come to my house and ask if I have hot dogs and I send them next door!
The really amazing thing here is how young people look after the old and the Indigenous people, those younger and poorer than them, and also those affected by illness and calamity. I remember being asked to help by TPSK and the Alimanguan skimmers when Typhoon Odette hit Palawan. They set up community pantries and distributed food packages over great distances. I went to meet the skimmers in Alimanguan and have taken several of them out for Pizza here, and they are all in their first year at college, so just 19 years old, but already they are doing great work in their community, supported by their Amazing Mayor, Amy Alvarez. You can read more about their community pantries here
https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2021/05/community-pantries-vs-food-trucks.html
and this was my appeal for help after Typhon Odette hit the Philippines:
https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2021/12/an-appeal-for-help-from-my-kabayan-in.html
Some of the Skimmers enjoying Pizza at Roma
10. The kids
Chester and I ran a series of Blogs and Vlogs about Pinoy Nostalgia, and one was about the games children used to play in the Philippines. If you missed it, then click this link:
https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2021/05/pinoy-nostalgia-childhood-street-games.html
However, every day looking out of my window, come rain or shine, from as early as 6 am, I hear the happy chatter of kids as they walk to school past my house. They operate the schools on a shift system so come go from 7 to 5, others from 12 to 8, some from 6 to 3 and so on. Sometimes you see them running home soaked to the skin, but still laughing and joking. There is a big Mangi tree opposite me and every day they come with sticks, catapults, nets, poles with hooks on the end or just throw their tsinellas up into the tree in the hope that they will knock a mango down. I have two pairs of tsinellas o my roof from someone who was not a very good shot and daily I have to sweep up the mess I make, but that's all part of life here in the Philippines!
The kids outside my house with their bamboo sticks ready to throw into the Mango tree opposite
I could go on and give you more things I like about this place, but I think that gives you a flavour for it. Next month we are buying our drone and go pro cameras and returning to the water to do some diving so in the months to come you will see from our Vlogs many more reasons for at least visiting Palawan.
Until then stay safe and I hope to see you soon, or, as they say in Tagalog
Ingat Palagi
Kita Kits
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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