Second Stop: Puerto Princesa, Palawan! March 21, 2009
Posted by monica in my happy endings.Tags: Hunda Bay, Palawan, Puerto Princesa, summer, Underground River
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For the second destination of my 2009 summer leg (hahaha!), my polsci girlfriends and I decided to visit the other side of Palawan. Woohoo!
The place boasts of the now famous Subterranean River. A lot of foreigners, mostly Europeans, are coming to the Philippines just for the chance to see this world heritage site.
A two kilometer tour from the entrance of the cave gives you an array of beautiful and majestic rock formations that were naturally formed. It might feel creepy at first because of the blinding darkness that welcomes the eager tourists but you’re sure to warm up to it once the lone boatman starts with his tour spiel. He even injects jokes that albeit the inability of the foreigners to understand, he still gives out. One example is his version of the two kinds of bat inside the cave, namely: batugan – the lazy ones, and bato – the ones who do not move and of course he never fails to say Jok! at the end. Funny.
One’s trip to Puerto Princesa wouldn’t be complete without the Hunda Bay tour (it’s actually Hunda and not Honda). Time was against us so we had to cut short the trip and were only able to visit the three most popular islands: Pandan, Snake and Starfish.
I hate to compare it with Coron since they offer different things but it needs to be mentioned that beach-wise, Coron has the upper hand. But I would say that the snorkeling experience I had at Snake Island is my best Puerto Princesa memory. It’s definitely a must-try to swim with Nemo and many other friends in such close range, I was so close to bringing home one of them.
We missed to see the other tourist spots like the Baker’s Hill, Iwahig and the Crocodile Farm but I had fun nevertheless. And that’s reason enough for me to come back to Puerto Princesa anytime I’d be given another chance to do so.
Next stop: Hundred Islands, Alaminos, Pangasinan!
First stop: Boracay! February 16, 2009
Posted by monica in my happy endings.Tags: Boracay, summer
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It is definitely the start of the summer for me. Yey!
I just came back from a three day vacation with my girlfriends, Lai and Marella, in Boracay last week and even though I’m far from being done with my school obligations and still busy as hell with work, I can certainly feel the summer heat and more so, it’s calling me to come closerJ. 
I am not a big fan of Bora though because the island has been ruthlessly divirginized but I love it just the same for even after so many years since its name came to popularity, the beach remains a divine sight.
My first visit was in 2003 and after six years there have been a whole lot of changes. New resorts and more building type lodges have added to the development pollution to the point that if you’re not seeing the beach from where you are standing, you won’t realize that you’re actually in an island, miles away from Manila.
It was an early summer trip so as expected, the usual Bora crowd was nowhere in sight which made the vacation even greater as there were only a few of us sharing in the gift of the fine white sand and clear blue waters that Boracay offers. And even more, we got to enjoy the discounts that almost every establishment there was offering. We were able to experience the atv/ buggy car ride to the Mt. Luho Viewpoint, and from up there though it felt like heaven was so close, the sight below was not bad either. It was Boracay in all its glory.
The trip still comes as a reward after an exhausting first month of the year and also a birthday gift to myself. This experience remained true to my belief that the beach has a certain healing power over me that just wipes away all my anxieties and problems, well, sort ofJ.
But I’m not yet done, next stop: Puerto Princesa, Palawan!
