Monday, May 03, 2010

Hello from Puerto Princesa 2

This afternoon, we went to the Mitra Farm, which is about 20 minutes drive from our hotel. The vast land space was capped with two magnificent edifice. Next, we went to the Palawan Baker's Hill. We did not eat here but we saw interesting houses, which seem to have been modeled  from the Disney's Castle. I wonder how much they cost. There were quite a few pets and they seem to lack nutrition. The ostriches almost lost all their feathers. Poor birds. A pair of Mayna birds said konnichiwa and naze, the Japanese words for hello and why. The afternoon heat was good enough to tan me in less than an hour of sun exposure. The humidity and sun block made me feel so much nanggigitata. lolzzzz

It is interesting to note that compared to Metro Manila, Puerto Princesa is clean by Philippine standards. The Province of Palawan is in the Hall of Fame by bagging the cleanest place in the entire country for three times. I was told that the Province does not have strong typhoons unlike the Luzon Island. No major earthquakes, too. During the height of Typhoon Ketsana and Parma in September 2009, Palawan had surprisingly nice weather. I am impressed, too, that many locals can still drink water from their household faucets. In Metro Manila, I would like to see a show of hands who can drink safe and clean water from their faucets without any form of filter.

We also visited the Iwahig Penal Colony where the tame prisoners from the National Bilibid Prison are housed. The minimum risk prisoners wear brown and are allowed to join the community between 8:00 to 5:00 everyday. They become economically productive by doing handicrafts and selling their products. The medium (blue) and high (orange) risk prisoners are not allowed to go outside the jail. Orange color. I wonder why some politicians like it so much. High risk.

The Tuk Tuk or tricycles have their trademark appearance. They literally have color coding scheme. Blue and white tricycles take alternate schedules everyday. On Sundays, they travel together. If you see tricycles of a different color plying the streets, they are most probably privately-owned.

Off we went to the Crocodile Island. There I saw the skeleton of the biggest crocodile found in this country. Spanning a length of about 17 feet, this amphibian that lived during the 70s was known to have half-eaten a human being. But for me, it was not really necessary to come to Palawan to see these crocodiles. There are so many of them in Metro Manila. You see them everyday creating havoc in their own ways, big and small.

Palawenos take pride in having the premier marine food products. But when asked what food best describes the province, one will scratch his head. They also boast that peace and order here is unparalleled. I think selective amnesia strikes again. They forgot the Dos Palmas abduction case.

It is exciting to see the low tide sea just at the back of our hotel room. Stretching for a bit less than a kilometer of off-white sands, we walked near the edge of the sea. The sands, however, are not as fine as can be found in the Boracay Island.

Altogether, my first of three days in Puerto Princesa has been fun. The summer heat was made bearable by the abundance of trees. Metro Manila residents and officials should plant more trees and stop cutting them.

I look forward to island hopping tomorrow. Ja ne.




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4 comments:

  1. I am glad you had fun. By the way, they are called kuyunin and not Palawenos.

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  2. wow!! like ko din magpunta dyan! may picture kayo dyan? post naman!! hehehehe.. ^_^

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  3. @Darklady: Thanks. Please see the end of the article to see the photos. I hope that you could visit this place soon.

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  4. @Anonymous: Thanks for your comment. I asked around here. The people of Palawan are called by many names in addition to the two mentioned above. Palawenos are the most widely used.

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