PUERTO PRINCESA: JUNE 9-11,2007

Why is it that when someone comes home to Manila, we all do our darn best to get them out of it? Hahaha. My cousin, Dooders, was home for a 3-week visit and this year's destination of choice was Palawan. Palawan, meaning Puerto Princesa, not Lagen or Coron. Having just received our bills from our recent HK adventure, sister Pusjing (yes, I've decided to use only pet names in this site) and I decided that it would be best to keep our potential expenses to a minimum. Having been to Palawan before with Hubby Sweet (but having been marooned in Dos Palmas for the most part), I thought the Puerto Princesa adventure was reasonable @ PhP 8,000 per person for a 3-day, 2-night stay, inclusive of airfare and taxes, plus breakfast courtesy of PALAkbayan.

We decided to take advantage of the June 9-11 long weekend. I mean, where else in the world can the celebration of Independence Day be moved by one day so that everyone can enjoy a long weekend?! Nowhere else but the Philippines! Hahaha! Then again, heck, I'm not complaining, notwithstanding the fact that I find it hilarious. =)

We stayed at The Legend Hotel. Crap. To be fair, I did not really expect 5-star accommodations, especially given the price we're paying. It's just that the Legend Palawan hyped everything up too much in their website, its reality inevitably fell short of my expectations. I don't mind basic, but clean and comfortable are absolute essentials for me.

Misadventure #1: Hubby Sweet and I entered our room to find TWO SINGLE BEDS with an immoveable nightstand in the middle. Ack! Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!! =( We called reception to ask if they have any available rooms with at least a double bed, but were told that one will only be available late the following day. Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! Resigned to our fate, Hubby Sweet and I retreated to our separate single beds at nightfall, with him grumbling the entire time about this being the first time we would be sleeping separately. On an out-of-town trip that was supposed to be special, romantic and intimate pa naman! I tried to make light of the situation, saying it's going to be only for a few days anyway. "Good night, Tweet," he said, as he pulled the bed covers down--only to find stained sheets and pillow cases underneath! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! The sheets and pillowcase were newly-laundered, of course (they at least smelled clean), but I don't care! If the sheets have already been stained, no hotel worth their salt should be using them for another guest! Augh! Augh! Augh! And so it came to pass that Hubby Sweet and I got to sleep in one bed after all. Yes, me plus all of 5'9-1/2", 170+ lbs him. We have never been that close! Haha! 'P

The room situation was worse for sister Pusjing and her fam actually. With niece Patita in tow, bro-in-law G-Genius took matters into his own hands and decided to rearrange the layout of their entire room just to get the two single beds together. G-Genius thought he had devised the perfect plan until he saw all the dust balls that have accummulated under the beds for goodness knows how long. HAHAHA!!! Pretty hilarious, really, having to call housekeeping so they can vacuum the room because, uh, we decided to rearrange the furniture. =)

To be fair, outside this admittedly not-so-minor issue with the rooms, The Legend Palawan is actually OK. Nothing spectacular, but OK. After all, as a traveller, I've always preferred basic lodging so I can use more of my travel budget for food, culture and sites. Truth be told, if we had ended up with a double bed with clean sheets, I probably wouldn't even be griping. =) The food's reasonably priced and some of the dishes are actually good. The people are friendly and generally eager to help. To top it all, it's practically near everything. So there. The Legend Palawan--with a few reservations--is...not bad.

On with the rest of the trip!

Having taken the 8:00 a.m. flight on Day 1, we arrived in Puerto Princesa with enough time to go on the City Tour. For P850.00 per person, we got to see The Crocodile Farm, The Iwahig Penal Colony, The Mitra Ranch, Baker's Hill, The Weaving Looms with a side-trip to Galeri Kamarikutan.

We had to split up on Day 2, however. Having gone on the Underground River Tour before, hubby Sweet & I decided it was infinitely more worth it to go island-hopping in Honda Bay instead. Sister Pusjing and her fam decided to go with us, after hearing that it would take a 2-1/2 bumpy van ride + a 30-minute bangka ride to get to the St. Paul Subterranean River Park from Puerto Princesa. Dooders & MJ (his girl) decided they'd do the tourist thing and take the Underground River Tour instead. (Then again, maybe they were just trying to get away from us. HAHAHA! 'P)

Details for a separate blog. More on the different tours later. =)

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TIP!!! The pics were soooooooooooo what we were expecting because of The Legend Palawan website and sooooooooooooooo NOT what we got! I suppose I will just learn from this experience. From now on, whenever I book, I will learn to ask for a room with a double bed! Hahaha. Seems absurd, but better safe than...uh, sorry. =)