Pristine Palawan

With only a few days left in their tour of the Philippines, Kevin's family wanted to enjoy some leisure time at a resort on the beach to close out the trip. We offered no objections to this proposal, and along with Lola and Grandpa, headed off to Palawan with them.

Palawan is the westernmost island of the Philipines and is reputed as the "last frontier". Much of it remains undeveloped and it offers a wide array of natural habitats still in laregly pristine conditions. The coastline offers many nooks and crannies of marine-rich coves in addition to the many islands along it shores. Once off the beach, the landscape turns immediately to jungle and mountains filled with all kinds of native plants and animals. Just our kind of place.

There aren't a lot of developed roads on Palawan yet. So, though there is much to see, it isn't easy to get from place to place. For this trip, we settled on one primary destination - Sabang - and stayed there for our entire stay. A return trip to Palawan is really in order to see all it has to offer.

Sabang is in northwestern Palawan right on the beach and adjacent to the Subterranean River National Park. It's about a two and a half hour drive from the airport on a largely muddy road. There are efforts to pave the road and we saw the construction going on, but its far from finished (1-2 years assuming no changes in government policy or funding..which means it is far from finished....).

What's peculiar to us about the constrution process is that it is discontinuous. You'll go by a 100 meter paved segment of what would be the right lane, then just a long gravel stretch. A few hundred meters ahead, there will be another stretch of pavement, this time on the other side. Why this patchwork approach to paving is still a mystery to us. Anyway, from our perspective the lack of paving adds to the adventure, and keeps the number of tourists down. I suspect the area will change dramatically once access to these sites is improved. Only time will tell if those change will be for the better.

We arrived in Sabang just after noon, and took a quick lunch before heading straight to the beach. For the first time, we were on a beach with real waves, not just calm waters. So, we grabbed a few boogie boards from the resort and had some fun riding on the surf. Kevin's family is from San Diego so this was familiar territory for them, but for Jo Jo, this was a new adventure and he was loving it. Check out his blog for a video. It was just pure beach fun.



Jordan has written some about Palawan and I think Hans is working on a post as well. Our stay included a hike along the rocky coast to a tropical waterfall. Hans, Jo Jo and I all climbed up and took a "shower" in the falls which was quite refreshing. Ironically, it was pouring down rain at that moment in a tropical cloudburst so we were wet already anyway. We of course navigated through the underground river and were captivated by the mineral formations at every turn, not to mention the many species of bats hanging overhead or occasionally swooping by. We also hiked through the "monkey trail" and got a good look at some monkeys and monitor lizards not to mention an abundance of plants and vines that are just what you'd imagine in a jungle. And, we also paddled up through a mangrove forest which is home to its own range of critters including lizards, snakes, and even wood worms. I think it best to leave it to my ecologist husband to really recount all of these sightings. He has taken full advantage of our time in these setting to sharpen his field skills and has quite a notebook of all we have observed.






The sights and scenes of Palawan were wonderous and our accommodations did afford us a chance to relax after a lot of travel. Mornings and evening were especially quite which provided time for me to write or read as needed so I managed to keep up with a few work tasks. Afternoons were pleasant with the breeze off the water and I even made time to do a few sketches (Kate and Sharon - I have two drawing that I think you'd be proud of!). The most memorable day came not from any outings at all, but a day spent with Lola.

Lola was a bit tired upon our arrival in Sabang and had stayed in to rest our first few days while the rest of us were hiking and swimming. As our last day approached everyone was planning to head out for a snorkeling trip and I opted to stay behind. We'd been traveling en mass for nearly three weeks so a little solitude seemed like a good idea. And, Lola had been in solitude for several days so it seemed like a little company was appropriate for her. I took a little time to read in the early morning, but then joined her on her veranda.

It couldn't have been much past 10:00 AM when I joined her and I think our conversation went on without even a moment's pause well into the lunch hour. We managed to slow ourselves down enough to walk to the restaurant to order lunch. Lunch offered a chance to extend the morning conversation and the tea that followed allowed us to continue on further. Next thing we know, it is 4:00 PM!

For me, this one day was exactly the reason we came to the Philippines - to see the country through her eyes. In one day, Lola recounted stories of her youth, her studies in the states, her three-week trip return to get her VISA renewed (which lasted five months and included giving birth to her first child while her husband was still in the states!). She introduced me to other family members through even more stories. She share some of her hopes and aspirations for the property she still has here. There were no sights on Palawan more valuable than this day spent with Lola. And, as if that wasn't enough, the bartender taught us how to weave tiny grasshoppers and angel fish out of coconut leaves.

Funny thing, this day I spent with Lola was actually Thanksgiving...we all nearly forgot. So, when we were gathered around the table for dinner that evening with dishes that had no resemblance to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, I certainly had something to be thankful. We may not have had turkey, but we still took the time to share some of the things we are thankful for - the kids, their parents, and the grandparents all chimed it. It will certainly be a memorable holiday.

The next day was our last. We got up early to pack so that we might have a few hours in the water. We rode a few waves and soaked up a little sun before cleaning up and loading our luggage onto the caribou-pulled carts. We would return to Manila and continue our stay here with Grandpa and Lola, but Kevin's family would be returning to the states. We had reached the end of the multi-family tour of the Philipines. Truthfully, we found ourselves feeling a little travel-weary and actually looked forward to being Manila-bound for a while!