PUERTO PRINCESA & TAYTAY, PALAWAN - PHILIPPINES

DAY 57 – DEC 11 – MANILA TO PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN – PHILIPPINES

We were up at 7am and in a cab by 7:45am to Manila airport. What a fiasco! Our driver took us to the wrong terminal, so we were late checking in. Then we were overweight with our bags. It was a bit of a nightmare.

2 hour flight – then took a different type of tricycle to our hostel, yes hostel – I wanted to try it all on this trip. It was super hot and muggy!!

We had lunch, then walked to the sister hostel to ours, which had a pool. I swam while Tina chilled on a lounger. Great afternoon chilling by a pool!

Came home, I worked, and Tina went for a massage.

DAY 58 – DEC 12 – PUERTO PRINCESA TO TAYTAY, PALAWAN – PHILIPPINES

We enjoyed our hostel, quite nice for a hostel. Ate with live music, had a mediocre sleep with one girl in our room snoring, 6 beds in our room… then up early to catch a shuttle to TayTay.

Taytay was a pleasant surprise. I had planned to do one night in this fishing village to get the feel of a smaller town. When Tina expressed that she was wanting to join on this trip, I kept Taytay in the plans. Got a little cabin for the night for our stay in this town.

The ride was about 3 ½ hours long on windy roads almost the entire way. Tina gets very carsick and nauseous so when we arrived, she laid down while I rented a scooter to explore the town. I went around from about 2:30 – 6pm. I loved this town. All the little kids are beside themselves to see a foreigner. If I took their photo, they all yelled ‘thank you’!! I chatted with a lot of the kids. This culture is so beautiful and friendly!

I stopped at some shops. I drove down residential roads to see homes and people living. Bought an ice cream and chatted with a woman, shop owner for half an hour. Her 2 sisters live in Canada. She prefers to stay in Taytay, and I do not blame her. Great little town! I stopped for half an hour to buy shuttle tickets to El Nido for the next day. I stopped for half an hour to watch the sunset, a little girl hung out with me the entire time. Totally beautiful afternoon!

Tina and I ate dinner, then walked down to the water for a stroll. Went to sleep pretty early for another bus ride in the morning.

PICS BELOW:

1-4 airports and landing in Puerto Princesa

5 lunch at our hostel

6 Tina buying a coconut, they opened it, she drank it, then they took out the innards and chopped it up for her to munch on, so happy and kind!

7 I like the trade and construction truck in Puerto Princesa! #advertising

8 our hostel, great pitstop for one night close to airport

9 how does she not drop that heavy fish!?

10 we saw a few kids riding these oxen, reminded me of my dad - this would have been him 100% as a kid, no shoes, living life!

11 Our van driver- entertaining if nothing else

12-24 exploring Taytay the fishing village. kids so happy to be in a photo. little boys playing with toy machine guns. and the cutest little girl, Lorraine hanging out with me for a sunset while her father sat close by

25 this mother doggie just had puppies, she was skin and bones. I gave her my pork rib bones to munch on

26-28 the park by our hotel (cabins), Tina in our cabin and free breakfast each morning

29 buying from a local bakery while munching coconut

30 this is how they move a house in the Philippines

31 I love the children in this country. so happy

32 my pork rib dinner with a beer and a fanta all for $6 I think it was