Having given Nagtabon beach a rest after Chester would not come back to the car to go home we spent a week going to Tagkawikan beach. However as they are replacing the concrete on the road to Tagkawikan we thought we would go back to Pakpak-Lauin Day Tour Destination which is on Talaudyong beach on the West Coast of Southern Palawan.
Elay had kindly topped up the credit on my phone and WIFI ( they call it load in the Philippines) during the night so we headed off at 7am to get some money for her and hand it over before she had to go to college at 8 am. However the first ATM ( Land Bank at the Capitol) was not working and we had to go to BDO at Palawan Uno hotel. Then we had to stop on the way to her Boarding house while they played the National Anthem ( a regular occurrence at Mall opening time and Government offices here) . We just made it in time and then headed to Golden hour cafe for breakfast. The place was empty at 8.30 am and the gardens were beautiful and peaceful. I had coffee and bacon and scrambled egg with toast, butter and marmalade. For my regular readers and friends back in Bahrain I would have maybe 10 mugs of coffee a day, and here I am down to NONE! The joys of retirement and a stress free life with 12 hours sleep a night. So this was a special treat and I sat for a while enjoying the scenery and my coffee.
Then we drove on to our destination where we were amongst the first guests to arrive and paid our 80 peso entrance ( I do love being a Senior!) and parked under a tree by the sea and then headed off down the beach. Having learnt my lesson from previous trips I kept Chester on his lead and we enjoyed walking down to Tala beach and the Tala resort and back.
Chester met the same female dog he saw last time and backed out of his collar ( I must get a newer tighter one- the current one got bigger when I washed it ) and ran off! As there were not many people around it was not a problem and he enjoyed running in the sea, in the mangroves behind the beach and on the sand.
However when we got back to Pakpak - Lauin there were a lot more people and several parties were eating in the cottages by the sea . One group even had a Lechon ( whole pig roasted- common for parties, birthdays and family gatherings here). It was just too much for Chester and he gatecrashed the party and the guests threw him food . For an hour we ran around in circles and eventually I walked to the car. When he heard the car start he ran down the beach but found some more food Z( they have a waste tip at that end of the park) and started eating again ( no comments about him taking after me please!) . After another hour I got him in the car as I was parked by the road to the exit gate, and after he had tried to get food off plenty of other guests- so embarrassing!
Because of his size ( 32 kg) no one wants to catch him- so they just feed him in the hope that he will go away. We will have to find somewhere else to go now!
It is a pity he is so badly behaved ( Makulit in Tagalog) as its a lovely long deserted beach and the day tour destination is immaculate and very well laid out, beside the beach. There is also Tala resort further down the beach to the right and other places if you go to the other end of the bay. We just covered half the beach and did nearly 9,000 steps! There were some sandflies so take your OFF lotion and it was very hot today ( 32 degrees) so if you are not used to the sun wear your sun lotion. However there are some shady spots down the beach under the trees or you could hire a cottage at Pakpak- Lauin so you have a seat and are in the shade ( prices below)
The place is ideal for families and big groups and you can park beside your cottage and then carry all your food to your table. They do not provide food but they did have some bottled cold drinks for sale at the entrance and they have clean toilets / comfort rooms. They always have a lot of staff on duty raking and sweeping and emptying the bins etc ( especially after the weekend - here there was a public holiday on Friday so I am sure they had been busy on the long weekend.
The sea is very calm at Talaudyong beach ( unlike Nagtoban and Tagkawan where people go surfing) , However my neighbour Andy pointed out there are fishing nets attached to buoys a few hundred meters out to see for part of the beach ( the middle section). However it is a local beach and the locals earn money by fishing! There is plenty of space to fish at either end of the bay if you wish.
One of the fishing boats and nets at the right hand end of the beach- there are a lot more at the left hand end
I always get asked what the roads are like to reach the beach. This is probably the most easily accessible after Nagtoban. Head north on the Great Northern road, turn left after Golden Hour cafe ( there is a big sign in the corner in green and white for Pakpak-Lauin Day Tour Destination. Follow the road past the school ( do not turn left for Tagkawan) and up the hill and go past the Nagtoban signs/ Turn off on the left and follow the signs for Tala Resort and Pakpak-Lauin Day Tour Destination . Go past the first two resort turn off's on the left ( not as nice) and then you will see big gates on the left for Pakpak-Lauin Day Tour Destination. Usually if there is anyone in the security post at the top of the hill they will tell you to pay at the bottom. This is all good concrete road. Its quite a steep bendy road down to the beach ( again all concrete and every time I go they have done more work on the walls and gardens- it really is very pretty. At the bottom of the drive is a kiosk on the left and this is where you register and pay ( it's a very long form on A5 asking for your health etc - a hang back to COV19).
Even though I always tick that I am a Senior they ask for 100 peso, so then I tell them I am a senior and only pay the 80 pesos! ( £1.14 for the Brits). Then you drive and park under the trees or by the beach or, if you pay extra, your cottage.
On the way back we went to the Paleco ( electricity company) drive through to pay our bill. I think this is a really smart idea to save parking and queuing etc . However as a lot of people like me were on their last day to pay ( before a surcharge is added for late payment) there was a massive queue . If you look in the mirror in the picture above you will see Chester looking out of the back window after having slept most of the way there to see what the delay was! I was going to say " Big Mac and chips with a large coke " when we finally got to the kiosk but thought better of it in case the lady did not laugh and refused to take my money!
We then went over the road to Robinsons Mall to get some dog food and treats but that too was packed and I could not find a space in the shade to park, I had planned to get a take away for lunch but by then it was 2 pm and I was starving so we went to Rustic cafe for Chicken kebabs and chips with a lovely yogurt and mint dip. Once we got home we both went for a nap and did not wake up until 5 pm when Chester demanded to be fed again before going back to sleep!
Well I hope the blog has been of use and if you are staying in Puerto I strongly suggest you visit Pakpak-Lauin Day Tour Destination! If you see a big Labrador begging for food please dont feed him!
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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