Tag Archives: palawan

Destination

The purple crabs of Palawan – The Insulamon genus

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This stunning species of tiny, colourful crustacean has only been found in the Philippines, exclusively in the Palawan island group. Previously, only one species within the Insulamon genus was known. A study released in 2012 by Hendrik Freitag of the Senckenberg Museum of Zoology in Dresden, Germany has described four new species in the Insulamon Genus.

The four species discovered in 2012 range between about an inch or 2.5 centimetres to 2 inches or 5.3 centimetres wide and feature a striking purple colour on their shell.

Extensive investigations into the freshwater crabs in the area began back in the late 1980’s. At this time one species within the Insulamon genus was found – the Insulamon Unicorn. This means there’s now a total of five known species within the Insulamon genus found in the Palawan island group.

The biggest of the four new species Is the Insulamon Magnum followed by the Insulamon Palawenese and the Insulamon Johannchristiani. Then the smallest of the species is the Insulamon Porculum.

The Insulamon features and habitat

The species feature a distinct purple shell with red tips on its legs and claws. There are many theories as to why the crabs have developed the vibrant purple colour on its shell.

First, there is the possibility that it serves no purpose at all, it may have just evolved by chance. Another theory is that it serves as a visual signal for the crabs to recognise their own species. It is known that crabs can recognise and react to colour. This does add to the credibility of the shell colour having a signal function.

This theory could help explain colour variations between the Insulamon species. The large males within the species generally appear more reddish as opposed to the immature males and females who appear in a more violet tone.



The Insulamon species seems to be endemic to the Palawan island group. They are mostly found in small, lowland-forest ecosystems. The discovery of this species adds to the Philippines standing as one of 17 countries which are home to most of the earths animal life.

The Insulamon are semi-aquatic, they burrow along the banks of streams, as well as usually being found under boulders and roots. The crabs emerge at nights, entering the water to forage. They feed on dead plants, fruit and small animals.

The Insulamon face many threats to their existence. They are prey to reptiles, birds and other mammals, as well as local populations in remote areas of Palawan collecting them for food. The Insulamon also face threats to their habitat. This is due to deforestation relating to farming, mining and the construction of housing. They also face water pollution due to heavy industry operating on the island.

Destination

The Underground River Tour In Palawan

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For those travelling to Palawan, the Underground River should almost be a mandatory stop on the itinerary. Flights going to the island will take you to Puerto Princesa; this city does have a lot to offer, though you will not see the real beauty until you travel further up the island to El Nido.

This is where the Underground River comes into the picture. The Underground River is roughly half way between Puerto Princesa and El Nido. A lot of the tour companies will pick you up in the morning, then take you to the river. Once the tour is over a van is able to take you the rest of the way to El Nido.

A lot of the tour companies do this on a daily basis so making arrangements with them is a very simple process. Puerto Princesa is full of tour companies, so it’s as simple as finding one who wants to negotiate a good price.

The van will generally pick you up from your hotel early on the morning of your tour. From there your permits to enter the underground river will be processed before commencing on the journey to Sabang. From there you have a roughly two-hour ride to Sabang.

Then you will be taken on a small boat ride to arrive at the final destination. From there you will be taken in small groups to the entrance of the underground river where the tour begins.

What will I experience on the tour?

The tour itself is an amazing experience. You are taken by a guide in a small boat towards the entrance of the cave. Once inside, it is not long until you are in complete darkness; the only source of light comes from the tour guides headlamp.

You will be taken up to 4kms into the cave; there you will see plenty of amazing rock formations as well as experience the thriving community of bats within the cave. You are handed an audio device with headphones on the tour, this will help guide you on where to look to see the more interesting rock formations within the cave.

Is the Underground River really worth a visit?

Before visiting the Underground river I had seen a few negative reviews saying it was not worth visiting. From my experience, this is far from the truth. A lot of the negative reviews were due to the amount of tourists visiting the area. A lot of people seemed to be frustrated by the crowds of tourists found around the destination.

I visited during the off season, in addition, I also made my visit on a weekday. So while I was there I was only dealing with very moderate amounts of tourists. There was also very little waiting for things like a boat to get to the Underground River entrance and the boat which took us on the tour itself.

So to avoid any frustration I suggest trying to time your visit for the off season. As like most other tourist destination in The Philippines; this place can get busy.

Destination

El Nido, Unrestrained Beauty With A Dash Of Isolation

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El Nido, the “promised land” of Palawan. Thousands of pilgrims make the journey to Palawan each year to witness the somewhat unadulterated beauty of the tropical municipality. Tourists across the world are lured in by the breathtaking images of places like El Nido, which have spread virally across the Internet.

Palawan is one of the tourist hotspots in the Philippines. It is situated between the South China Sea and The Sulu Sea; separating the central cluster of Philippine Islands from Malaysia. There are three main destinations in Palawan which seem to attract most tourists. These are Puerto Princesa, El Nido, and Coron.

So, how do you get to Palawan?

For those wanting to visit Coron, you simply have to book a ride on a ship leaving from Manila which will take you directly to the island. For those wishing to visit El Nido, it will require a little extra work.

El Nido, despite its reputation, is still a relatively small town. It does have an airport there, but the airport only accommodates smaller airlines – which can be expensive. Unfortunately, there are no regular flights to El Nido made by the countries large commercial airlines. The next option is to travel to El Nido by land which is easily the more popular choice.

Flights leave daily from Manila to the largest city in the region, Puerto Princesa. Once you arrive there, you can either arrange to be picked up by a van the following morning and be taken directly to El Nido, or you can take a bus from the terminal which also goes directly to El Nido. Although the bus can take slightly longer, as it frequently stops to pick up passengers along the way.

Our journey to Puerto Princesa

Once we arrived in Puerto Princesa, I spoke with a few of the locals. The consensus was that we should take the van to El Nido, despite the price being almost double that of the bus, the van was able to save us a significant amount of time.

So after staying several nights in Puerto Princesa, we were picked up by a van outside of our hotel which would then take us to El Nido. We were the first ones in so I had no idea of what lay ahead. After about 15 minutes we had driven to a couple more locations to pick up the rest of the passengers. By that time I was not feeling very confident about the journey at all.

I was sandwiched in the backseat with three other people. My legs were pushed hard up against the seat in front of me. I’m 6’3 – these seats were not meant to accommodate somebody my size. The vans took minimising leg room to a whole new level. I had to try and distract myself from the realisation that I would be stuck in that position for the next 5+ hours; minus the brief stopover along the way.

By the time we got to El Nido, I was about to crack. The muscles in my legs were cramping up from being in such an awkward position for so long. I was also starting to feel sick from so many people being in such a small space for that period of time. I have never felt more relieved to leave a vehicle and just be standing out on the street breathing fresh air. It felt amazing to move my arms and legs freely after that trip.

We then went on to spend seven days in the social media photography, Mecca. I had the time of my life in El Nido, though I just couldn’t shake the feeling of the inevitable moment where I step back into one of those vans to make the journey back to Puerto Princesa.



Revelation – Is the bus the best means to travel Palawan?

The day eventually came when we had to leave. I couldn’t do it, I woke up that morning not caring if I have to waste 2 – 3 hours; I was taking the bus. All I cared about at that point was having the room to move. I was not going to spend another 5 hours jammed in one of those vans with 12 other people.

We went to the bus terminal and spoke to one of the drivers. The bus fare is almost half the price of the van, so that was our first win of the day. I went and bought some snacks with the money we saved and then walked back over to the bus.

It was such a relief to be on the bus, we sat in the front seat, so I was able to stretch my legs out in front of me and then have all my stuff laid out across the dashboard. Once the bus ride began, I was able to lay back in my seat spread myself out and enjoy the ride.

5 hours and 45 minutes later we were back in Puerto Princesa! I could not believe it, I was expecting a 7 – 8-hour ride. After everybody telling me how slow the buses were, I had assumed they take significantly more time than the vans – not just 45 minutes!

So the bus had been a lot cheaper, more comfortable, uncrowded and only took 45 minutes longer than the van. For me, I feel like the bus is undoubtedly the better option. I thought maybe the bus driver had been driving a little faster than how the bus drivers usually drive. But, I was then talking to some other tourists who told me that they had taken the bus to El Nido and it had taken them 5 hours and 30 minutes to get there.

If I ever find myself travelling back to El Nido, I will be taking the bus, without question, I feel like travelling in comfort while you are on holiday is ideal.

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Culture

Awkward Tricycle Rides And The Charming Appeal Of A Peso

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So many questions were running through my mind at that moment. I was playing out different scenarios in my head, wondering how they would turn out. Was the driver going to get aggressive? would he back down if I become aggressive? Should I wait until we get to our destination, or should I bring it up with him now?

We had just arrived back in Puerto Princesa after spending some time in El Nido. We were at what seemed like a secluded bus stop on the outskirts of the city. The bus driver told us it’s best for us to get a tricycle to take us to the hotel from there. We were then approached by a driver who told us what seemed like a reasonable price, we were soon on our way to the hotel. The price hadn’t bothered me at the time because I was thinking we were reasonably far away from the city center.

Within minutes of our ride, I immediately had the thought “he is ripping us off”. I began to recognise the shopping areas and some of the restaurants we were passing. The driver had told us it was expensive because it was a 45-minute ride to the hotel. Once I knew where we were I could tell we were only 10 minutes away from the hotel at most.

Then I began to wonder what I should do, as I didn’t feel right paying what would be a 45-minute tricycle ride fare, after what wasn’t even a 10-minute tricycle ride. I ended up not saying anything until we got to the hotel, I waited for the porter to take all our luggage inside, I then gave the rider the normal price with a 20 peso tip as he had helped with our bags. I then immediately went inside the hotel before he could say anything.

Thinking back, it seems so ridiculous for me to put so much emphasis on a few pesos. What I spend on public transport in Australia eclipses anything I would pay to a tricycle rider in The Philippines. But the context of the situation caused me to lose perspective. 

I usually happily tip drivers if they offer a good service. If they are friendly, take my bags and then talk a bit during the ride I will tip them well. But when you have somebody trying to take that extra money from you, even if its just a small amount it changes the whole dynamic.

That sort of behaviour just does not gel well with me. Basically, it comes down to me feeling like I am reinforcing the behaviour. If I get service like I described above I will pay them what I owe, nothing more nothing less. Whereas if I experience good honest customer service I feel like that’s the kind of behaviour which should be reinforced, so I make sure I compensate them nicely.

Comment your thoughts and feelings on this issue below. I would love to hear how others go about this issue, or just how you think it should be handled.
Destination, Uncategorized

Sunlight Hotel Is A Rose Amongst Thorns

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We were flying through the dimly lit afternoon sky heading towards the small exotic island of Palawan, nested between the Sulu and the South China Sea. At that point in time, I had an idea of how I imagined the island to be fixed in my mind. The stereotypical white sandy beaches with palm trees and fallen coconuts littering the shoreline. As for the city itself, I was completely clueless as to what I should be expecting.

As the captain announced that we would soon be landing, I began staring out of the window trying to see the island. I was staring, looking for the white sandy beaches with palm-filled shorelines but they never came. An island eventually came into view, a small land mass covered with vegetation with the occasional small houses poking through the tree line.

As we flew over the city, I couldn’t help but think about how rural this town seemed. After spending my time in The Philippines always travelling between the urban sprawls of Cebu and Manila, this city seemed so small in comparison. Then I began to realise how low the plane was flying at that point; I started noticing how easily I could easily see the people walking through the streets. I could watch everything that was happening in the streets of Puerto Princesa in detail, as we made our way to the airport.

Once we landed, we quickly walked from the plane got our bags, then set our focus to getting to the hotel. A young man greeted us outside the airport, then went on to offer to take us to where we would be staying, the Sunlight Hotel. I have come to realise anybody who is enthusiastically offering you a ride outside the airport is generally trying to get a bit of extra money from you.

I would love to think that I have stopped falling for these tactics, but unfortunately, this guy managed to fool me and get double the standard fare for that particular route.

After a short 5-10 minute tricycle ride we were there standing outside a multistory supermarket. Our hotel lobby occupied a small section of the supermarkets ground floor as the hotel itself held the top story of the supermarket building. As I entered the building, I let out a sigh of relief. I knew Palawan was an isolated place, so I had no idea what to expect from the mid-range hotels. But from the look of the Sunlight Hotel lobby, I could tell straight away that this would be comfortable there.

After spending the previous sleeping on the floor of a friends condo, it was nice to be in our own room again. The room was beautifully decorated and was so much bigger than an average hotel room. We were only there for a few days before going to El Nido, if I hadn’t planned other activities in Puerto Princesa I could have easily just stayed and relaxed inside our room.

The first morning I was awoken early in the morning by a whistling sound which quickly built to a loud roar, it was the last thing I had expected to hear at that time in the morning.

As soon as it had come the sound disappeared leaving the dull sound of heavy wind. I immediately remembered how low we had flown over the city when coming into the airport; I had in no way imagined that the noise from the plane would be as loud as it was. But this, for me was a minor inconvenience for our stay in the Sunlight Hotel.

After our spending several nights in Puerto Princesa it came time for us to move on to El Nido. I had loved our stay in Sunlight Hotel; I actually would have liked to stay there and enjoy it a bit longer. But our primary reason for visiting Palawan was to see the beautiful scenery of El Nido, so we had to move on.

All in all our stay at Sunlight Hotel was extremely positive. It exceeded my expectation when it came to the quality of the hotel. I liked the hotel so much that we returned there another time, but I think I will save that story for later…