Periwinkle Plan: Puerto Princesa 2013: Underground River - One of the New Seven Wonders of the World

Know that feeling of anticipation, when you're counting days to an event and the day finally arrives? That's how we felt the day we boarded the tour van bound for the St. Paul Subterranean River on April 18. This was the tour for which this Palawan trip was planned in the first place--well, at least, partly. Having voted for the Underground River to be included in the Seven New Wonders of the World, finally seeing it up close created an excitement like no other.

Me, at Sabang port

Side story: Years ago, Mel visited the Underground River with his fellow reporters from the Congress beat. They were assisted then by the staff of former Congressman Abueg. Due to the rough roads at that time, it would have taken them more than two hours to get to Sabang port, where the boats bound for Mount St. Paul would take off. However, it took them a lot more than that--about four hours, because the passenger jeep they rented ran out of fuel in the middle of a lonely stretch of road and had to wait for another vehicle to pass by. Mel recalled how they tried to think of every possible thing they could do by the roadside to while away the time, while resisting the urge to pull the driver's hair out for not being ready. "Rescue" finally arrived when they were at their wits' end.

This time, however, our tour guide Marco assured us that the roads have been fixed (partly cemented, partly with asphalt) and the trip to Sabang would take, at most, two hours. We had an early breakfast and had plenty of time before Marco and the van of Pretty Planet (his travel agency). The van and guide were prompt, but another group of tourists we would be traveling with wasn't. We fetched this set of spoiled brats from Go Hotel near Robinsons. There were actually two "groups": a couple whom we found to be pleasant companions, and a foursome of relatively young, self-centered people. Pickup time for them was supposed to be 7:30am. We arrived around that time in Go Hotel, and in about 5 minutes, the couple boarded the van and greeted us "good morning". The rest of the bunch had us wait until way past 8:00, and had no consideration for others whose time they are encroaching on. They took their sweet time coming out, and when they finally boarded the van, didn't even say "sorry". Insensitive, inconsiderate, a total disgrace to the whole Filipino nation. 'Nuf said.

LESSON 1: If you can afford it, get an exclusive tour or travel in a group of at least 10 so the travel agent doesn't bundle you with other insensitive and selfish tourists. Some travel agents group you with other tourists who have their flights scheduled that very day they're taking the tour. Which means, they'll be in a hurry to go through the tour because they have a flight to catch, and your group won't have the luxury to dilly dally and enjoy the scenery. Beware of such arrangements and always confirm with the travel agent or hotel. You'll be shortchanged rushing through a wonderful tour.

Sabang is a small village in the West coast of Puerto Princesa. It's roughly a two-hour drive from the main city along paved (some unpaved) or asphalt roads. More than halfway through the trip, there's a stop where you can buy souvenirs, food and drink, or take a rest room break. The pier isn't too far away from there.

Waiting at the pier with other tourists

Once you get to Sabang port, your guide will take care of registering your group with the ferry management, while you wait. Make sure you don't leave your IDs as your guide will use them to enlist you in the manifesto. You can have some ice cream at the pier, stroll around in search of hats or fans to ward off the heat, or simply marvel at the islands visible from the port. Don't wander off too long, though, as boats come and go fast and before you know it, your group might already be next in line. In our case, we waited for about 30 minutes (see, that's the reason you're supposed to be early in Sabang: tour groups arrive from 8:00 onwards and if you're late, you'll have to wait longer; those spoiled brats don't get it) and the kids enjoyed "dirty" ice cream in the meantime.

Finally, our boat arrived.

LESSON 2: When going on the Underground River tour, do not wear full-length jeans/pants and rubber shoes with socks (as one of the tourists mistakenly wore). To get to your boat, you'd have to wade through ankle- or calf-deep water, so you'll either soak your shoes, socks and pants bottom, or have to go through the trouble of removing them, making the boat men and the rest of the passengers wait. Get the picture? Wear shorts, leggings, jeggings or anything that doesn't go lower than your knee, or can be lifted easily during the boat ride.

St Paul Subterranean River, here we come!

A white sand beach greeted us at the boat dock of Mount St. Paul, where the underground river is located. We would have wanted to enjoy the shore longer but that isn't allowed during peak times. In previous years, when the Underground River wasn't one of the Wonders of the World yet, and it was receiving fewer visitors, you could actually tell the boatmen to let you stay in the island and swim longer. They're willing to wait or come back for you in the afternoon. That is no longer the case, with thousands of tourists coming in and out daily. The operators had to make sure groups arrived and left together for safety and security reasons.

After registration and some last-minute instructions, we walked a short path to the mouth of the river where we were fitted with head gear and life jackets before boarding the banca (small boat).

Lesson 3: If you have keen hearing and high ability to follow instructions, I suggest you volunteer to be the group "beacon" (the one seated in front of the banca who will hold the light and train it toward the direction the boatman will point). The group will ask for a volunteer before you board the boat. The boatman will be positioned at the back so the "beacon" should have strong hearing ability to catch his instructions well.