Dec 6, 2017
I scheduled our city tour on my birthday. I contacted Kuya Ricky a few days before this and was really grateful with him saying yes even in short notice. I'm sure you'll never regret to have a city tour with him. You can contact him through these numbers: 09157816964 (globe) and 09194074955 (smart).
After breakfast, Kuya Ricky came and got us on his tricycle which can fit 2-3 persons. These were the places we visited:
1.Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Entrance fee; Free
It was under renovation at the time of our visit. Kuya Ricky said the feast is on December 8. There was a mass going on when we came so we just stayed outside.
2. Plaza Cuartel
Entrance fee: free
This is where more or less 150 American soldiers were massacred by Japanese troops. Some soldiers managed to get away by swimming to the sea to the Iwahig River. Now it has been transfromed to a leisurely park.
3.The Boulevard
Entrance fee: Free
The area comes alive during night time especially that they have erected a huge Christmas tree near it. And since it was still daylight, there were only a few people. One thing I have noticed about Puerto Princesa is that the city is very clean. People are do not litter anywhere.
4. Kuyba Almoneca.
Entrance fee: 100 pesos
It is a private property with 2 caves. The first cave contained a stone formation which looked like the face of Jesus.
The second cave had a very tiny entrance and I was shocked to see what was inside.
There were 2 pools of spring water. Guests are able to enjoy the pool.
I can say that the place is more on the religious side. There is also a tiny but serene chapel where we stayed for a few minutes.
5. Butterfly Farm
Entrance fee: 50 pesos per person and 40 pesos for Senior Citizens.
I really thought that I would be bored in this place but I was wrong.
It was like a mini zoo for me. First off, our guide showed us a millipede whose a cousin of the centipede. I used to see this as a child in our old house's backyard and I used to kill them because they look scary. But the guide said that they have a good use in the ecosystem and are already a bit rare nowadays.
Next he showed us a pet gecko brought from the pet shop. Very different from the house geckos that bites people. This one is very behaved and cute.
Next one is the scorpion. Sorry I didn't hear much of what he said because I was in awe of him touching it. I remembered he said that when UV light will hit its shell, the color is actually blue.
These are larvaes that the supplier gives to the farm and will hatch in a few days to become beautiful butterflies. Heaps of them!
Also saw the Palawan Bearded Pig sleeping in his room because it is a nocturnal creature. The same as that of the Palawan Bear Cat
Next up, we went to the Palaw'an Village which is still part of the Butterfly Farm. Our guide was very knowledgeable about them and showed us their musical instruments, the bag used they use to hold their things and their hunting tools which are all amazing. We also got to have a picture with them.
Saw this nice map of the province of Palawan outside the Butterfly Farm.
We then went to Ka Inato for lunch. Since it was my birthday, I invited Kuya Ricky to join us. We had their pancit, lechon kawali and shrimp. We reserved dessert for later and headed on to our next destination.
6. Mitra's Ranch
Entrance fee: free
We saw an aerial view of PP here. There were activities such as horse back riding and zip lining. People can come into the Mitra House but they have to pay a fee of 20 pesos for the maintenance.
7. Baker's Hill.
Entrance fee: Free
This is just a few meters from Mitra's Ranch. I liked it there because its like a place where you can take lots of selfies and also has a viewing platfrom. They have an aviary which includes different kinds of birds and beautiful peacocks. Their bakery is one of the must go to places because they have affordable baked goods which can be gifts for people back home. I recommend their hopia which is about 50 pesos for 1 box and contains 10 hopias already. I also love their choco crinkles shaped into bite sizes for 25 pesos. The one I bought didn't even reach Cebu because I gobbled them all up while waiting at Puerto Princesa Airport.
We also headed to the Pasalubong center (8) to buy gifts for people back home. The shop sells pearls, wallets, shirts, ref magnets and keychains.
My sister was amazed that Palawan Pawnshop really originated in Palawan. Their main office and head office is in Puerto Princesa. She could not pass the opportunity not to have her photo taken in one of these popular places to send money.
To cap off our tour, our stop number 9 and the last stop was at Noki Nocs where we tasted their famous Halo-halo. Yes, it was a delicious way cap to our whole day tour. It was easy and comfortable for all of us and I did not regret trying out a tricycle tour in the city.
Thank you for reading and 'til next blog! ;)
