My wife and I moved to Hawaii back in 1998 and the pure splendor of the place blew us away.
Old timers would tell us, You shoulda seen Oahu before it was paved over and commercialized. Most beautiful place on Earth.
Now, we’ve finally seen it. It’s called Palawan, an island in the Western Philippines between the Sulu and South China seas.
Getting there takes some effort. We got up hours before dawn to make our 6:30 flight to Puerto Princesa from the Manila Airport. Then it was a 6-hour drive to El Nido and our hotel. (We decided to take a van instead of a small plane so we could see the countryside.)
The countryside shouldn’t be missed. Green mountains, blue sky, terraced rice fields, coconut and mango groves, cattle and dairy goats. Dogs sun themselves in the middle of the road.
The stunning white beaches and fishing villages look like something out of National Geographic.
We passed a bus that had a small goat tethered to its roof with the luggage.
You don’t see many private vehicles. People travel by carabao carts, bus, motorized tricycles or Jeepneys. The villages are bamboo huts with thatched roofs at the very edge of the shimmering, blue ocean.
I commented to our driver that there didn’t seem to be many stores or food markets and the ones I did see were small.
They have to take the bus or rent a vehicle to go to a big store, he said.
What do they do for groceries? I asked.
He grinned. They raise vegetables and eat a lot of fish, he said.
We kept crossing shining rivers and streams that meandered from the mountains down to the ocean.
Crossing one bridge I saw a carabao (domesticated water buffalo) in a river with only its head, horns and back visible. They love the water to keep cool, avoid insects and graze on aquatic plants.
Three boys perched on the huge animal’s back, diving into the water and then scrambling back aboard. It’s amazing how gentle the carabao are. You see little girls leading some thousand-pound beast down the road. (Carabao are the National Animal of the Philippines.)
Weary, we arrived. The Streets of El Nido are narrow, winding and colorful. At night they have an exotic, neon, carnival-like atmosphere.
Our hotel, some distance away, was on the beach. We ate on the patio in the shade of the trees and watched the white sails of passing skiffs in the sunshine. At night the crash of the incoming tide lulled us to sleep.
The food was simple, well prepared and reasonably priced. The staff was more than helpful and courteous.
Lounging around the hotel and gazing at the ocean and the towering, sheer-faced stone islands offshore had so relaxing an effect as to be nearly narcotic. But we mustered the effort to take a lagoon tour one day.
We went into El Nido and waded through the surf to clamber aboard a waiting diesel-powered catamaran that held about 20 passengers. If you take one of these tours, you are going to get wet, so dress accordingly.
The passengers came from Brazil, Mexico, the UK, Spain, France, Germany, U.S., the Philippines, Thailand and Dubai.
The capable crew of four was agile, quick, very fit and brown from sun and sea. Jody, the captain; Eric, who called himself The Legend; Jeremy and Raymond.
Captain Jody was rather reserved. The others laughed a lot and called each other civilized monkeys. They nimbly moved around the deck, up and down the rigging, into and out of the water. They laughed and sang a lot.
The sea was calm, a bit choppy and as with all small craft, we bounced about a bit.
We made five stops at islands with hidden coves and beaches, blue lagoons, underwater caves and grottos. At one stop the crew grilled chicken and pork for an excellent lunch.
Kayaks for rent paddled out to us and took people to the various attractions. Vendors came alongside selling bottled water, cold beer and snacks.
The passengers swam, snorkeled and paddled about in kayaks.
It was splendid.
On the way to the last island, which featured a small restaurant and bar, we crossed a fair distance of open sea, heading into the wind and waves. The catamaran pounded the waves, the wind was in our faces and splashing water drenched us.
Eric the Legend shouted Free shower! And sang Don’t Worry, be Happy.
If you’re older (I’m 67) getting up and down the small ship’s ladder and then making your way through the swirling surf can be strenuous. But the crew was extremely helpful and solicitous.
By the time we got back to El Nido, the passengers were promising to follow each other on Facebook.
The next day on the ride back to Puerto Princesa, we stopped at Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, one of the largest open-air prisons in the world.
It covers thousands of acres and has more than 3,000 inmates, from car thieves and druggies to murderers.
It started out as an American Penal Colony in 1904, when the Philippines was a U.S. territory.
A wire fence surrounds the prison. A guard at the entrance gate greeted tourists and other visitors with the briefest of inspections.
On the way in we saw a long line of prisoners shouldering farm tools walking back into the penal farm. A single guard with a shotgun lolled along behind them.
The minimum-security inmates tend to rice paddies, coconut plantations, corn fields and vegetable plots throughout the prison grounds. There are also cattle and dairy goats.
There are few escape attempts, evidently because of the humane treatment.
We went into an old Colonial building to see artwork and crafts that the prisoners offer for sale.
A dozen prisoners played a boom box and danced for us, asking donations.
An inmate named Jayvee from “up north” told me he had been there 8 years. It’s been hard, he said.
I asked when he got out and he broke into a big smile.
Next month, he whispered, as if it were a treasured secret.
He passed his hand in front of his face. Then, he said, forget all this.
All manner of handicrafts and artwork were for sale.
Hanging chimes, one said God Bless Our Home, woven shoulder bags, T-shirts, religious paintings and wood carvings.
Toy cars, desk ornaments, purses, coin purses, sombreros, key chains, little rocking chairs, carved boxes, ships in bottles. One that caught my eye was a carabao horn with a Madonna and Child carving and an electric light installed in the horn. When you plugged it in the carving was illuminated like a small shrine.
One large woodcarving was of the mermaid called Sirena, a mythological Filipino sea creature.
The Sirena has an enchanting voice that can put fishermen in a trance as she lures them into danger.
On our way out, the prisoners waved and smiled. One called out, Thank you for visiting us.
Airports in the Philippines seem to always be very busy, no matter the time of day.
The Puerto Princesa Airport was jammed and sweltering but soon enough we were in an air-conditioned plane on the way back to Manila and then home.
All in all it was a great trip.
JW
