Saturday, August 21, 2010

Palawan-derful

I seem to not be able to organize my thoughts right now so I will just write a list. :) I went to Palawan with my colleagues to give a talk at a conference and we were able to do these given our limited time:

1. We got there at around lunch time and so we decided to have lunch. We at Balinsasayaw along Rizal Ave. and while I did not like the Balinsasayaw Express a medley of seafood with their special sauce that tasted too catsup-y for me, I liked their Bird's Nest soup and their chopsuey was okay as well. I also liked their kinilaw ang grilled fish. :) Fresh seafood is Palawan!

2. Ate at Badjao Grill. The restaurant is located in the middle of the bay, it's on stilts and you have to walk on a really long bridge amidst the mangroves... It was really beautiful there. The food was also good. I loved their Fish Taosi with Tofu and also their Kinilaw! *yum!* Their Salt and Pepper Squid was a bit on the salty side though. I also ate Puso ng Saging in Coco Milk. It was my first time to try it and it was good. I also had hot calamansi juice with Palawan honey! *yum!*

3. Ate at Bona's Chaolong and this is a very special place, not only because they serve really good Vietnamese Chaolong Noodles but also because Pho Hoa got their recipe from this place. Pho Hoa bought the recipe from them, their noodles are very cheap too! 45Php, best eaten with French Bread. Vietnam was occupied by the French for a time you see so they have been influenced by the French in their food, and even education system.

4. Ate at Kalui's. Best place in Palawan hands down. You have to reserve many nights in advance because they are always full. They update their menu everyday and they have the best food. Be sure to order the Set Meal of the Day when there. The Sashimi was also guhreat! We ate the meal barefoot because that is just how they do it there. Must not miss this restaurant!

5. Went to the wet market to buy loads and loads of cashew nuts! :) Also got interesting Squid Chicharon. Have not tried these yet though.

6. Ran 5KM at their Bay Walk. It felt great to run after a long time. :) It really felt good though I felt like I can still run some more after running 5KM but we had to head back because we had to prepare for our island hopping from Honda Bay.

7. Went Island Hopping at Honda Bay. This I enjoyed immensely. It is just so much joy swimming and watching the fishes! *sigh!* I love Palawan for this and I want to go back to Palawan for this. The boatman asked me if I were a Badjao because I swim so fast and so well... even better than him *hehe*! I have tan lines again! *woot!* I love my tan lines! :) I love the sea really... I cannot get enough of it. I also appreciate that my left arm does not hurt so much anymore! *yehey!* I think the Barre3 helped me. The Pandan Island was really beautiful because it has powder-fine white sand like in Bora. Snake Island is beautiful because of the big fishes there. Starfish Island is a bit forgettable. Luli Island was beautiful not because of the diving board but because of the assortment of the corals. I felt so sad though because many of the corals were dead but the ones still alive left me in awe of the beauty of these. For a moment, I thought about learning how to dive. :) Hmm... Maybe someday. Who knows.

I really feel lazy right now... :) don't feel like writing at all but I do not want to forget these places just in case I find myself back in Puerto Princesa again. We stayed at Fleuris and it's a nice place with free WiFi so if you plan to go there it's a great place to stay in. It is in the heart of Puerto Princesa and from there everything is walking distance. :) Then again I do run 10KM now *hehe!* so my friends tell me they do not want to believe me if the place is walking distance *hehe!*.

Next time I find myself in Palawan I will make sure I go to El Nido! :)

BTW, if you are going to Palawan, pack Off Lotion in your bag because they have Malaria and Dengue mosquitoes. I had to buy from there because I forgot to bring Off. :) All is well though.

I love Palawan! I cannot say it enough!

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