Even during the flight to Puerto Princesa, my eyelids still feel heavy because of lack of sleep. But just like on our way to NAIA, I could not understand why I could not fall asleep. I thought, maybe I could crawl into the bed upon arriving at our lodge...
Or so I thought.
Upon getting out of the Puerto Princesa airport, we loaded our luggage into the van (which has been waiting for us for, like, an hour), hopped into it and drove to our lodge. Which was just a few steps away from the airport, by the way. And when I entered the room assigned to us, I thought I could just lie in the bed and sleep until the next day.
But I was wrong. Because we still have a city tour.
First stop: Crocodile Farming Center
Palawan is known for their abundant flora and fauna, and what better place to discover more of them than right here. Don't be fooled by the name -- this place houses more than crocodiles. They have birds, monkeys and animals that are endemic to the province. And for the record, the biggest croc they have here is more than half the size of the infamous Lolong. *sorry*
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| There was a crocodile captured the same size as Lolong was. This was his 'leather'... |
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| And his bones |
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| These are baby crocodiles... |
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| That can grow as large as this one... |
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| Welcome to the Nature Park! |
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| A bear cat |
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| The hornbill or kalaw |
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| The Palawan parrot |
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| An eagle! |
Second Stop: Mitra Ranch
It is named as such because it is owned by the legendary House Speaker Ramon Mitra (which reminds me of a lolo that any grandchild would want to have). The view is simply breathtaking, but if you want to see more of this view (and if you want a bit of an adventure early on in your Palawan trip), I suggest you go ziplining.
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| The team and the breathtaking view from the ranch |
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| My attempt for a jump shot |
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| My most pa-tweetums pose ever |
Third Stop: Baker's Hill
What started out as a bakery turns into a mini-theme park this side of the forest city. But amidst the mini-butterfly farm and attractions that caters to children, I say go for the bakery to taste their to-die-for baked products. I highly recommend their hopia.
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| This is actually a feeding ground for butterflies. The flowers are floating on water. |
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| The house at the (Baker's) Hill... |
Last stop: Plaza Cuartel and Puerto Princesa Cathedral
There happens to be a mass going on when we arrived at the cathedral. We decided to sit at the pews and participated for the rest of the mass. Afterwards, we proceeded at the Plaza Cuartel, a park which was once a prison compound for American prisoners of the Japanese during the World War II. Actually, I could not imagine how a park this beautiful was once a prison. There might be people who died there, so imagine how creepy it might have been, had it not for the view of the sea. And with the cathedral just walking distance from the plaza, it was like having a cemetery of sorts near the church. By the way, the cathedral reminds me so much of San Sebastian Cathedral.
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| Smiling at the Plaza Cuartel. See the waters at the upper left corner? |
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| The Palawan Cathedral |
So that ends the city tour. Upon returning to our lodge, I immediately fell asleep on the bed. Little did I know that they went to a nearby resto for dinner. When I saw the photos, I immediately regretted that I slept immediately. :(
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| Guyabano shake pa lang, oh! |
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