Puerto Princesa 2: Biking, Barbecue and Beer at the Baywalk

Four o'clock in the afternoon isn't exactly the best time to visit the Puerto Princesa City Baywalk. First off, the sun is still high in the sky; not ideal for a leisurely walk. Secondly, there aren't many food stalls open yet. Most of the baywalk sari-sari stores, barbecue stands and street food joints start cooking and setting up tables at 5pm, in preparation for the night crowd.

In front of the famous giant fishes (didn't see the peacock, though)

Nevertheless, we were ready to pump up our appetites for adventure, so, at the advice of our tricycle driver-cum-tour guide Dave, we went straight to the bike rental area and chose our two-wheelers. You can rent a single bike for P25/hour, and a sidecar for P75/hour. My mother, who, as usual, was hiding from the sun, decided to stay in the shade of a tree and watch our bags. My husband Mel, who's not in the mood for biking that day either, on the pretense that he will act as our photographer, also stayed under the same tree. I bet he just didn't want to get tanned that early in the trip.

My son Jules is just starting to learn how to ride a bike. We've taken him out to ride on a few occasions, but his comfort level in bikes remains low. He chose a sidecar so he can drive his two sisters and still keep the balance. Meanwhile, the girls' nanny Olive and I rode around the plaza with gusto. It isn't everyday you get to ride a bike without a car beside you to worry about, you know. Carpe diem!

Sharpening my biking skills

Apparently, the Baywalk had quite an intriguing history, but that will be the topic of another blog. In a more recent history, the Baywalk used to be a stretch of squatter homes that got burned in a fire. The fire trucks had difficulty entering the area as the streets were very narrow and the houses were too close to each other. More than 1,700 families were affected by the fire. The local government decided to have rent-to-own tenement buildings constructed for the families. Each family has to pay P1,000 per month for the unit. After 25 years, the units will belong to them.

When you look at the tenement houses, they're nothing like the ones along South Super Highway in Manila, which were built for similar purposes during the administration of former president Fidel V. Ramos. The ones in Baywalk are a lot cleaner and appeared well-maintained by the tenants themselves. It really takes the right attitude to groom a city like Puerto Princesa; when can that attitude ever rub on the residents of Manila?

Baywalk buddies

There were a few boats in the wharf. According to Dave, when you book a tour for dolphin watching, this is where you board the boat that will take you to the site, which is about 2hrs away. I'm not sure if it's also the takeoff point for the firefly watching tour, but one thing is definite. We won't be taking this tour because it's too expensive. P900/person! We did firefly watching in Bicol last year and it cost us only P1,250/boat of five people. Normally, they don't allow beyond five in the boat, but the boatman allowed my youngest daughter to be the 6th person since she's small anyway. So that means we spent about P208/person. Are the fireflies in Palawan made of gold? I think the tour operators should rethink their prices. They'll be losing clients in the long run.

By 5:30, we've had enough of biking and watching the abundance of sea urchins near the water. Imagine, these sea urchins are being sold for P400+ apiece in Farmer's Market in Cubao. Here, they don't even merit a second glance. If only we could get down there and pick them.... We started drifting toward a barbecue stand that had just brought its grille out -- but not before we caught sight of an ice cream cart and purchased five cones.

Beer and soda to fight the heat

A stick of barbecue cost P10 each, but a stick of regular hotdog cost (what the....?) P25 each! That's what you get for ordering processed meat in a predominantly-fishing community. Both the barbecue and hotdog servings were small. A bottle of San Mig Light was at P50. Not bad. I don't remember how much the 1.5 liter of Coke cost, but I think it was a little more expensive than usual. If you want to enjoy the street food in Baywalk, I suggest you come in the evening when all the food stalls would be open and there would be more options.

Before 6:00, we were on our way back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. We had a reservation at Ka Lui Restaurant at 6:15pm. Read about our excellent first night dinner at Ka Lui..

Puerto Princesa 1: La Charica Inn & Suites

It's funny that you should find my last entry to be my 2013 New Year's Resolutions, which, as you can see, were never followed to the dot. I did with the salad, the half rice and exercise, but they weren't regular. As for blogging everyday.... oh well, I'm trying.

I think, therefore, that this is the perfect first blog post of the year. Since it's about a place that has always inspired me, may it inspire me to keep on writing here daily.

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Palawan is my favorite tourist destination in the Philippines. I've visited the province a few times before, as a tourism reporter for a newspaper and as a PR account supervisor for the Malampaya natural gas project, and my amazement at the place has never ceased. This year, to celebrate my son's graduation from high school, I decided to bring my family to the spot that has etched a permanent mark in my heart.

There are many parts of Palawan worth visiting, but we decided to start with Puerto Princesa because of the St. Paul Subterranean River, which is now one of the seven new wonders of the world. We arrived in Puerto Princesa on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The hotel's pickup van arrived almost on the dot—which increased the hotel's points in my book—and we officially began our first day in the city.

We checked in at La Charica Inn and Suites, a boutique hotel in Abad Santos St., just parallel to the Rizal national road. Since some parts of the hotel are under renovation, the facade wasn't that attractive and the view deck wasn't open. The interior of the lobby, however, is adorned with artistic wood furnishings—oddly shaped benches, masks, wall art—that contribute to the homey ambiance of the hotel.

My husband Mel in the entrance, surrounded by wooden artworks

Daughters Fides and Marthe sitting in front of a shell-adorned table

Manager Jam was very accommodating, from the very first e-mail we've exchanged. She arranged for us to get the hotel's promo rate and we chose the dormitory room for 7 for only P3,200/night. That translates to P400/person/night. I had initially booked a Family Room for that price, for six people. But my mom wanted to join and I requested Jam to squeeze in an extra person and to find a room for us seven that would not exceed my budget. She told me she won't be charging the extra person but will be moving us to a Dormitory Room so we can fit comfortably and still have enough space for our things. What's more, for that rate, daily breakfast is included. Great bargain!

Unlike the other hotels I tried to contact (such as One Rover's Place, which replied to my FB message more than a month after), La Charica gave me prompt replies to my e-mail and was willing to do the extra mile for a potential guest. Jam waived the 50% down payment and requested only for a portion of the accommodation and the cost of the Underground River tour so they can book the tour well in advance. They also agreed to help me look for a welcome grad gift that they can present to Jules when we arrive. She chose a black Palawan shirt.

Just arrived

The Dormitory Room was large enough for our group, with individual beds (not double decks) and pull-out beds for larger groups, a cable TV (with all my favorite channels except for Bio and TLC), a small fridge and a dressing table. The beds were comfortable; it was easy to be tempted to stay indoors, if not for the lure of the Underground River and Honda Bay. The aircon was cool enough (in fact, colder at times, we had to adjust the temp).

The toilet and shower looked a bit worn, and the shelf in the lavatory area was of old wood, but the toilet flushes, the bidet squirts water strongly you can use it for massage, and the shower temperature is adjustable. Shampoo and soap are provided. I wouldn't say that this is the downside of the room, as it had all the essential stuff a bathroom and toilet can offer. For P400/night, I have no complaints.

After unpacking, we toured the inn a bit—lots of renovation going on so we couldn't visit the 3rd floor balcony and spa—and then went off on a tricycle to the Puerto Princesa City Baywalk. 

Before we left, Franny of the front desk reminded us that only blue and white tricycles are allowed to transport passengers within Puerto Princesa city. Day fare is P8/person and night rate is P10/person for a given distance. Tricycles may charge higher for longer distances.

(For reservations, you may contact La Charica Inn & Suites through tel (048) 4342088, mobile 0917-8592088 or email reservation@lacharica.com.)