Skip to main content

Dangerous Palawan



The air is warm and immediately sticks to my skin as I leave the plane on Palawan.

Walking through the small airport, getting my baggage from the old and only beggage conveyor belt. The air almost feels like steam floating into my lungs, filling in every part of my body and coming out of my pores to create the perfect circulation of moisture, but for me it was perfect satisfaction since it got cold in Taiwan.
Happiness runs through me as I found a van to jump on to get to an intersection on my way to Port Barton. What I didn’t know yet: As soon as the sun sets, the people go to sleep, because they don't have electricity. It was 14:30, sunset at 17:40. The intersection to Port Barton was still 3 hours away and I was starting off in Puerto Princesa with a van full of people going to El Nido.  





Half way through the only well enlarged street on Palawan, our van stucked. We had to wait for one hour to continue riding. A few people from the van and me used the time to get some photographs of the locals.  


Sun was setting and we were still riding towards El Nido. We made a stop to get dinner when it was completely dark. The local food was delicious but nothing new for me. Rice with chicken and sauce. After that meal we went to the intersection where I was dropped off. Alone- completely in the dark - without any idea where to go next. The driver was so kind to talk to local people, living there. Someone asked me where I had to go. He offered me a price to go to Port Barton with a tricycle. After a huge negotiation we started towards Port Barton.


 Actually the vehicle wasn’t the problem. The street, or however you would call a small path, filled with dirt and tons of puddles and potholes, carved a long and winding road through the jungle for about one hour to Port Barton. 

 Entering the vehicle, my thoughts were circulating around stories I have heard about people getting kidnapped and robbed. At this moment I realised in what helpless situation I was. Nevertheless I had to get to my accommodation, so I overacted my fear with self confidence. There was no way out of the situation then right through it.




The ride was incredible. Definitely nothing for people advanced age. My back was hurting and I was very glad as we reached Port Barton around 8 PM.

 He got me a boatman and, again, we had to negotiate about the ridiculous price, but after all I was too tired to negotiate a lot. I gave him the money he wanted and he got me to the camping place. 
After this long trip in an uncomfortable van and an even more uncomfortable trysicle, the small part with the boat was amazing. The moon was shining and the air was still warm as we reached the lonly camping place's bay. 

 Toby and Thelma, the owners of Palawan-camping, welcomed me with a huge smile on their faces and the message that I broke the record for late arrivals. It was about nine PM.


I hope you enjoyed this blog entry. 
See you soon.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Credits

CREDITS Topology Travel     Peter - Thank you for being a nice boss, although we didn't see each other a lot, I always enjoyed working with you. Steve - Especially developing and improving the walkabout tour was an everyday joy. Thank you for all your kindness and advice. Core -  Always a smile on your face and a happy welcome. Working with you was a pleasure for me. Linda -  I still remember all the times we laughed together in office! Even a bad day turned good with a afternoon sitting next to you! Jesper - I hope you are fine and still remember the time we got lost around Taipei Zoo! It was a pleasure to work with you and doing the walkabout tours with you!! Alan - We spent some time doing music together! I also enjoyed our visit in Tamsui University! Thank you for giving me this opportunities. To the rest of the office : I am sorry if I didn't meniton you here. I enjoyed working with you and all the fun times we had in office. I learned a lot fro
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Toby and Thelmas Camping is worth travelling any distance to.

Paradise After an amazing, silent night with the calming sound of the ocean in the background, I woke up and got out of my tent to recognize I was in paradise: Camping The campground is only small and offers space for maximum 15 persons. The small group of guests provided the opportunity of a friendly and relaxing atmosph ere. Moreover the bewitching environment, the friendly staff and the amazing food made this campground a priceless experience for me. The price of about 26 € per night included three meals a day (two buffet meals and a breakfast) and free use of all equipment for example Kayaks.  I took a ten minute ride to the next small island everyday.  This small Island was called "the office" It was the only opportunity to get some Internet and a call from my girlfriend. Actually this week was very hard for the relationship. The time difference, a bad connection, we were able hear each other only a few times
Post a Comment
Read more

Long time no see!

Arriving in Tokyo was a two parted experience. My first thought when I left the airplane was: It's so cold!  And yes, I felt the 30 degree drop from Phillipines to Tokyo.  The cold air soaked me in as soon as I left the airplane. The second thought was: I am going to meet a good friend soon! Ruben and I are friends since we met in school. He decided to go to Tokyo for one year and I decided to go to Taiwan, so the decision was easy to visit Tokyo. The city itself is a very busy, modern, weird, full, vibrant and traditional place at the same time. Nothing like Taipei or Manila. The buildings are large around the touristic parts but get lower as soon as you leave them. I immediately felt lost in the urban jungle. It was freezing in that time and although I got sick we went out every day to see the all the different facettes that Tokyo offers. Another thing you should consider if you are going to visit Tokyo, is that it is super expensive. I spent the money f
Post a Comment
Read more