Port Barton, Palawan - A Little Piece of Heaven

Eversince our trip to El Nido, there was no other beach better for us. Then again we wanted to explore more of Palawan so our good friend, Bia, suggested we go to Port Barton. We don't regret it at all! It is actually a more laid-back, quieter version of El Nido.

DAY 1

We booked a plane going to Puerto Princesa. Unfortunately, the flight we got arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon.

NOTES:
Make sure you book for an early flight since you have to travel around 4 hours from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton.

Withdraw cash in Puerto Princesa. No ATMs in Port Barton.

Electricity shuts off at 2:00 AM - 6:00 AM. Some resorts have generators.

We rode a van to Barton at 3:00 PM from PP and arrived around 8pm. We booked an overnight stay at the White House. (because our reservation at Ausan Beach Cottages wasn't until the following day) Locals told us a government official owned the place. Anyway, it was late, of course there was nothing left to do but chill. We had a few drinks before going to bed. Ardie surprised Bia with a necklace! Yep. It was their anniversary. Talked a few minutes more and finally went to bed.

DAY 2

We checked in at Ausan Beach Front Cottages for the duration of our stay in PB. We realized there's really no use in booking an air conditioned room since you're out in the morning and afternoon, and when it's time to sleep, it's going to shut off anyway. We couldn't sleep! Ang init!

Also, it's fine if you don't book a beach front accommodation, the hostels are very near the beach. I'm sure that's also what the locals will tell you.

We booked a 2 day tour. (about 700 per person per day. including lunch)
Everything is actually negotiable with the tour guides. Just please make sure not to haggle too much. Their prices are very reasonable.

Exotic Island
We spent around 30 mins in this island. When the tide is low, a sand bar appears which connects 2 islands together.

Toby and Thelma’s Palawan Camping
For those of you who enjoy camping, this is the place for you! They're offering nipa huts and tents for rent. They'll go fishing for your food and cook it the way you like. For us, it was the best island we visited. The beach was really beautiful!

German Island
It's an island where a lot of palm trees grew in the middle, hammocks were set up, so people can chill, read a book, sleep, eat... We were startled by people shouting and immediately swimming towards something. I thought there was someone drowning. Apparently, someone saw a Pawikan! Too bad we didn't see it.

Long Beach
We went here on Day 2. You'll need to travel by boat, then by tricycle to get to the longest beach in the Philippines. We stayed for about an hour since there was nothing to do but swim and take pics anyway. :) It was worth seeing!

Lubog-Litaw island
It's a sand bar they call lubog-litaw since when it's high tide, it's under the water. :) Then it "surfaces" or lumilitaw in Filipino, when it's low tide. Here's where we took pics with the star fishes!

WHERE TO EAT

We only tried 2 restuarants. Jambalaya and Paella restaurant along Bonifacio. Jambalaya is a beach frnt restaurant. You won't miss it since you'll see 2 large chairs where you have to use a ladder so you can sit on it. :)

We eat at Paella Restaurant EVERY SINGLE TIME - breakfast and dinner (since lunch is part of the tour)

We love this place since they have good food and reasonable prices. They are also open to a "paluto" style where you can just buy seafood from the market and have them cook it for you. Every night was a feast for us!

After the tour on the 2nd day, we rode a van going back to Puerto Princesa. Booked a room at Natua's Cabin, which is just beside the airport. Very budget-friendly and convenient! We rested for a while, went to Baker's Hill for pasalubongs..

 Then had dinner at Kinabuch, of course, we tried the tamilok and crocodile sisig again.

We had a few drinks at the Tiki Resto Bar then kwenuthans at Natua's.

Day 4
Morning flight to Manila. Couldn't believe it's over! Waaaaah! Til next time, Palawan. You'll always be one of our top favorite destinations!

Dumaguete - Oslob - Siquijor Day 2

5:30 AM - Alarm beeping

Yes yes... we woke up early! We're going to swim with the Whalesharks and visit Tumalog falls today.

Oslob New Village Lodge offers a car to bring you to the whalesharks and Tumalog falls at 500 per person. Not bad for us since we want to relax and forget about all the stress.

We met a fun couple staying in Oslob New Village Lodge - Mark & Mimi. They're such a fun couple! Adventurous & friendly. We clicked right then and there, and we went on a tour together that day.

Got to the whaleshark briefing area in about 20 mins. We had to listen to the short orientation where they mentioned the rules & regulations while you're swimming with the whalesharks.

Rules:
Don't go to near the whalesharks, no touching.
No flash photography
No jumping from the  boat
Don't apply sunblock - yes that's why we wore rash guards

Here's Mark & Mimi!

 All groups are given 30mins to swim and take pictures of the whalesharks. It was a really an enjoyable experience.

After the whalesharks, we drove to Tumalog falls. The car can only get you to the top and then you'll have to walk down the path - It's a cemented path so don't worry, trekking level: easy.

We took pictures and swam in the super cold water, but it was manageable, good thing the sun was up.

After an hour, we went back to our place. We had to since we're suppose to catch the boat going back to Dumaguete since we'll still go to Siquijor. We decided not to stay another night in Oslob since there was nothing else to do after visiting the Heritage park, Tumalog Falls and Whalesharks.

We packed our stuff and waited for a bus along the main road. Arrived at Liloan Port, bought a ticket and headed back to Dumaguete.

When we arrived, Kuya Hanz & Ate Jen were waiting for us. (Ate Jen and I were together in the Ateneo Children's Theater 16 years ago. Yup! That's how long we haven't seen each other!) They treated us to lunch before our boat ride to Siquijor. Food in Sansrival Bistro is yummy!

I ordered Lengua. So yummy!

Carlo liked the Bbq Ribs he ordered. 

There are several boat rides to Siquijor but most people prefer the Ocean Jet since it's air conditioned and only takes 40mins. Others take an hour and 20, others - 2hrs. We missed the once a day Ocean Jet trip (12:50PM) so we took the GL Express (1hr 20m) It wasn't air- conditioned, but it wasn't that bad.

Finally we arrive Siquijor. I was so shocked to see a long stretch of white sand. "Is this really a port??"

Here, we booked a room in Cocogrove Beach Resort Siquijor. It's not a budget resort, but I tell you it's really worth it!

We decided to relax today since we'll be staying here for 3 days more anyway.

We just ate dinner and slept the whole night.


Expenses (for 2):
Van c/o Oslob New Village Lodge - 500
Whaleshark watching - 1000 (500 each for locals)
Tumalog Falls entrance - 40
Bus to Liloan Port - 64
Boat to Sibulan Port, Dumaguete - 124
Trike to Dumaguete Port - 150
Boat to Siquijor (GL Express) - 260
TOTAL - P2,138

Alaminos - Bolinao Road Trip

My friend Rose just celebrated her birthday in Pangasinan last week. Luckily, Carlo and Marlou's family lives in Bani, Pangasinan. It's a small town between Alaminos and Bolinao. So yehey!! It's just a short drive going to the Hundred Islands, Patar Beach and the Enchanted cave. 

We arrived Nov 1, had breakfast in Carlo's lola's house. We had shrimps and danggit! It was indeed a special breakfast to welcome us. Mama Ced, Carlo's grandma, told me the shrimps were small and there weren't many seafood in the market since it was rainy season. It was okay, we were just hoping that it wouldn't rain when we go island hopping. 

DAY 1

During our first day, we didn't waste any time at all. We just rested for a bit, then drove all the way to Bolinao. Our first stop was the Lighthouse. It wasn't peak season so it was just us visiting the place. We were actually scaring each other since the environment was a bit eerie. We just took pictures and went straight to Patar beach. 

 

 

Along Patar beach are a lot of inexpensive resorts. But if you have the money, it's really very nice to stay in Puerto del Sol. Since we already have a place to stay in Bani, we just went to the open beach. It's part of the Patar beach that is open to the public. We only had to pay P30.00 for parking. Beach huts were also there for rent, but since we weren't planning to go swimming there, again, we just took pictures. :) 

After our photo op in Patar, we drove to the Enchanted cave. the entrance costs P90.00 per person, if you decide to swim inside the cave, you just have to add P30.00 per person. A guide will accompany you to a super short trek going inside the cave, the cave was already developed that's why you'll see stairs and lights already installed inside. The water was so clear. And cold!!! But wow! It was so refreshing! There are ropes on the sides of the cave so you can hold on to those, but for those of you who are good swimmers, you can go to the middle part of the cave where the water is 8ft deep. The cave stretches to 25 meters. I actually wanted to go to the end of the cave but it was too dark and Carlo was scared. Hehe. :) SO nevermind! We stayed there for about an hour and a half and went back home at about 5 in the afternoon. We got to Bani after 45 minutes. Dinner was waiting!!! SO hungry! 

 

 

After dinner, we just had a few drinks, and lucky for us, there was a fair and a Halloween party just right beside the house! So we decided to walk around and look for things to do. After feeling sooo tired, we went back home and slept. 

DAY 2

Carlo woke me up at 9am, telling me we had to prepare for our drive to Alaminos. I was still super sleepy but also didn't want any time to pass without doing anything. SO we drove to Alaminos. It took us only 30 mins to get there. 

When we got to the pier, people asked us if we were going on an Island hopping. You'd have to register before renting a boat. There were 5 of us and we were thinking of getting a day tour that costs P800.00 (small boat: good for 3-5 people) or the small service boat that costs P1,400.00. The difference is that the P800 pesos day tour will only take you to 3 major islands. so we opted for the service boat. 

Before getting into the boat, we bought food for lunch. Carlo and I spent about 300 pesos - 3 viands and 4 cups of rice.

Our boatman, Kuya Efren served as our tour guide. And since Carlo and Marlou speaks fluent Ilocano, it was super easy communicating with Kuya Efren. He also speaks Tagalog by the way, but you know how comfortable one gets when another speaks their dialect. :) 

We went to 6 different islands. Our favorites include the Lopez and Clave Islands. Believe it or not, the sand was comparable to Boracay station 1. 

Our first stop was the Governor's island. We climbed up 120 steps just to get to the view deck. Tiring but worth it! 

We ate lunch at Lopez island where I spent most of my time sun bathing, didn't really work! :( Rose, Carlo, Marlou and Elaine went snorkeling. Rose had so much fun chasing fishes! It was actually her first time to snorkel. Carlo taught her how to swim. Hehe. 

We went to Romulo island, where I built a sand castle. We spent most of our time just watching people there and doodling on the sand. 

We ended our day taking pictures and chilling on Clave Island. We called this island Narnia. It was because a there was a statue of a Lion at the edge of the cliff. Kinda reminded us of Aslan. (I'll look for the pic, can't seem to find it) :) 

All tours must end at 5:30 PM, and it was already 4:00 PM so we decided to go back. Plus it was already raining a bit and the waves were getting stronger. 

When we got home, we were sooo tired to do anything so we just slept after dinner. Yes, it was our last day and all of us actually wanted to make the most out of it. But then we thought, hey! we already have!!!