TBK News- Chester is 1 this month

 
           Chester celebrates his birthday at Tagkawayan Beach

I cannot think of anyone who has slept in the same bedroom as me and bought me so much joy, other than Chester ( the dawg, not the Hooman who snores!)

So we decided to celebrate with a birthday picnic on Tagkawayan Beach, which is 38 km north west of Puerto Princesa. The route takes you over the mountains and the scenery is spectacular. We set off early and were rewarded with an empty beach. We were given a warm welcome by the Puerto Tourism team and paid our 350 Pesos (£5) for the use of a cottage ( table and bench) by the sea where we had our picnic. TBK had made a Quiche Lorraine and Double Baked Cheese Soufflé for the adults ( Jhoanna and her boyfriend Jullymar) and a special dog cake ( made of peanut butter, carrot, apple sauce, flour and eggs, with a potato and yogurt frosting)

The adults went to buy soft drinks and Chester went to explore and meet the local dogs, while TBK got the picnic ready and the camera to take photos of the special event for the Blog, video for the Vlog and more photos for Chester's 2023 calendar. The Birthday cake was very popular and Chester soon invited all the local dogs to his party. Within 30 minutes the cake was all gone!

               TBK with Chester and friends serving out the Birthday cake

     Chester's cake - special thanks to Sarah Bond whose recipe I used

  Her excellent website full of Vegetarian, Vegan and recipes for humans and recipes for dogs can be found at https://www.liveeatlearn.com/dog-birthday-cake/

Before we set off we also gave Chester one of Sarah's Candy Corn Dog Popsicles ( an ice lolly made with mashed banana and yogurt) which he also loved.

After the picnic we headed down to the beach and Jhoanna took some photos as Chester and I played in the water. He just loves splashing about, running in the water and swimming. Originally we spent a week at the seaside every two months ( Sabang, Alimanguan, Suraya, Lio, El Nido, Nacpan etc) but it just was not enough so now we go every couple of days to more local beaches like Emerald Playa ( Microtel), BM, Nactoban maybe once a week and walk by the sea at  Baywalk every few days.

 Chester tries out the sea at Tagkawayan Beach- verdict perfect, clean, quiet, sandy!

You can see the Vlog that Jhoanna and I filmed by clicking on the picture below

Special thanks to Elay, as usual, for Chester's Birthday costume. Sadly she could not join us today. Jhoanna translated and helped with the photography and video and guided me on the route there. Thanks to my neighbour, Benny, for suggesting we visit Tagkawayan Beach and for the staff there for looking after us, providing a bin for our waste and cleaning up after us. As usual Chester did not want to get back in the car he was having so much fun. Jullymar helped carry all the picnic stuff to and from the car and helped wash up when we got home. What a team!

                     Jullymar, Chester and Jhoanna at Tagkawayan Beach

The other Chester ( the Hooman) back in Marikina, has used his amazing graphic design skills to turn our birthday photos into the April Page of Chester's calendar which you can see at the top of TBK Facebook. For those who missed any of Chester's calendar pages ( where Chester has a costumed photoshoot in a different location around Palawan each month) we will be creating an eBook with all 12 months at the end of the year.

In terms of beaches Tagkawayan Beach is well worth the drive and a great place for a family picnic. My only advice would be take what you need as there is no on site restaurant like Nactoban, Lio, Nacpan, Surya etc. The sea is beautiful there and the area is kept clean and tidy, with no sewage going into the sea. There are no boat trips and no hawkers selling bracelets and the like. Having spent a week in Nacpan and visiting Lio and El Nido town beach back in January I got totally fed up being asked several times a day if I wanted to buy jewellery. Even at Baywalk people come in the restaurants asking if you want to buy cakes to support them at college and kids being sent to ask for money. This is very annoying when you are trying to enjoy a quiet meal or rest on the beach. If I want to buy Pasalubong I will go to a shop and I am not giving money to beggars- I already support 7 children through various charities and trusts here in Palawan. 

      Tatay gets in the party spirit on the deserted beautiful Tagkawayan Beach

Wow, April 1 2023 already, how time flies, was it really a year ago that I arrived in Manila and had dinner with Chester ( the Hooman) at Mall of Asia?

It has been an amazing year discovering the beauty of Palawan, and still we have much to explore. This week Chester and I am in Alimanguan, then in May my friend Mark is making a return visit from Manila and I have promised to take him to El Nido, Nacpan, Sibaltan ( to meet my second Innanak Zeus for the first time) and then back via Puerto for a few days in Port Barton and Alimanguan and to see the Secret Beach, Bato Ni Ningning and Long beach at San Vicente.  In July we are off to the Balabac islands and in September I will be celebrating MY Birthday in Cuyo. So make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel, this Blogspot and the TBK Facebook page ( click on the links below if you have not visited before, and see what's in store for you).

Ingat Palagi