TBK Travels- Chester goes to two beaches starting with T

 

                                        This was my favourite photo of the day

The purpose of The British Kabayan is to share with you the beauty of Palawan in the Philippines, my home for the last year, and to document my journey from working in the Middle East to being retired in Palawan. As part of that journey we have been exploring the beautiful beaches here and completing a blog called the A- Z of Palawan’s beaches , which will be ready by the end of 2023 ( some beaches require a long drive and a boat trip to get to!)

                                                                  Tala Beach

When it came to the letter T we were spoilt for choice! We have already blogged and vlogged about Tagkawayan :

                                                        Chester goes to Tagkawayan

This blog is about our latest discovery. You get two T’s for the price of one at Talaudyong beach- as one end is called Talaudyong and the other Tala! I took Kevin as my cameraman and Chester and of the three beaches on that coast (Nactabon, Tala and Tagkawayan) Tala is the prettiest and at the moment least developed.

                                    The wonky walkway across the mangroves

You  walk over a very uneven bridge across the mangroves and then arrive at the beach (Chester had to be carried after his leg slipped between the wood and refused to go back that way). Then two women appear and demand a 200 pesos entry fee!

                          The beautiful beach at Tala

The beach itself is gorgeous-with white sand and clear shallow calm sea ( suitable for skimming but not surfing) and we did over 5000 steps walking from the middle to one end and back. However, the only utilities are toilets (CR) in spite of the sign for a bar which was closed. So, take your own food!

                      Thanks to Kevin for taking all the photos

We found a car park just before the point where the road was closed and decided to do a recce before unloading the car. We went down some steps and then across a wooden causeway which Chester was very scared of as his back leg slipped between the wooden pieces. In the end Kevin had to carry him (and he is no longer a baby puppy!) .

                                                The Bar- long since closed!

The bar, which had been advertised with big tarpaulins at the roadside was a wreck and had obviously not been used for a long time. It soon became clear there was no food or drinks available. I was about to turn back but Kevin was already running down the beach with Chester and it was so beautiful and quiet. I think I counted about 5 people walking or swimming! It was a Monday morning but it’s the start of the summer here . This is the beauty of these secluded beaches- no people- but this one is easy to get to:

             It takes just over an hour and is 39 km from Bagon Sikat to Tala beach

You follow the road North from Puerto Princessa towards Roxas and then turn left onto the road to Nagtabon but instead of turning left to Nagtabon follow the signs to Tala Beach. 

In case you missed it here is the Vlog of our trip to Nagtabon beach:

The road then slowly descends to the beaches with spectacular views of the islands and bay to your left.

                       It is amazing what you can carry on a trike!

We even saw a trike taking a fishing banca on its roof- and a few Four by fours taking groups to the beach. Instead of parking where we did the better option would be to go to Tala beach where they have cottages and parking next to the beach but the road there appeared closed when we went. When we walked there on the beach there were a few vans and 4 x 4 there and a road leading off the beach so there must be another road that we missed.

              The road leading from the beach at Tala - not sure where it goes!

As you walk down the beach you see something new to me “ Day tour Destinations”. They provide cottages, barbecues and kayaks/ skim boards, chairs and tents so that people can come and stay for the day. Down this end of the beach were maybe 30 people in total in groups of 6, unloading their ice boxes, water, food , and goodies from their 4 x 4 for family picnics by the sea.

    There is another Day Tour Destination on Tala beach called Pak Pak Luin 

Interestingly, I guess all being Pinoy, they sat in the shade under the trees and did not venture on the beach! Near where we entered the beach they were building what looked like a hotel, so sadly, once again, my prediction is that the peace and tranquillity of Tala beach will be ruined as more hotels are built with restaurants and karaoke and bars and all that go to make a “Tourist “ beach. I hope they do not buy ATV and race them up and down the beach like at Nacpan ( See our Nacpan blog by clicking this link: https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2023/01/tbk-travels-to-nacpan-beach.html)

Many of my regular readers will know I first discovered Palawan in 2013 when it was a quiet sleepy beautiful island and over the years that I stayed here for a months vacation from my work in the Middle East it became more popular . When Boracay was closed Palawan became the number one destination in the Philippines with people flocking to El Nido and the Underground river. The locals took advantage and built more hotels, tour offices, shops, restaurants etc ( often without environmental permits and without sewage treatment ) and soon every available space was taken. Just like Boracay there was insufficient infrastructure to support the growth with regular Brown outs ( power cuts) and in some places electricity was only available 12 hours a day. The internet coverage ( which the modern tourists demand to post their selfies to Instagram) was poor and often there was insufficient water, or flooding when it rained.

Slowly I moved away from the places that became overcrowded ( El Nido, Nacpan, Port Barton) and headed south to San Vicente, Sabang, Nactoban, Tala etc. However the developers ( local like IPhil, Megaworld and Ayala and international like Marriott, Sheridan etc) are following close behind building resorts and towns on what were once quiet sleepy beaches. I long since abandoned my plan to get someone to buy land by the sea and build my dream house and decided to stay here in Puerto so I can spend my time discovering quiet beaches like Tala.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Chester’s latest trip and seeing Kevin’s great photos ( Thanks Kevin for looking after Chester and all your work behind the lens) . We will be back next week with more adventures from Palawan but now I need to take Chester to the Vet to check on his ear infection and the cough he woke me up with at 1.30 am! It’s a tough life  looking after a superstar like Chester

 

       If you know of a beach in Palawan we did not visit yet let me know!