Puerto Princesa, Philippines - May 2011

I am back aboard and loving the Philippines. We are in Puerto Princesa, the capital city on the island of Palawan in southern Philippines. The people are smiley and friendly, the weather slightly less humid, food is good quality and cheap and it’s easy to get around –what more could you want.

We have been anchored outside the Abanico Yacht Club which is run by a very friendly expat, John, and his lovely wife, Sissi. The city is 15 minutes tricycle ride away which you flag down for about a dollar. Our record is to have 4 of us in it for a trip …but you want to see what the locals pack on them!!!

Abanico Yacht Club..............................................Happy to be back

English has not been as widely spoken as we thought it would be but we are well used to persevering. The people are so willing to help and are keen to interact, which is great. And being happy to have their photograph taken is always a plus for me.

I must have become a seasoned traveller because I didn’t even notice for the first few days that we were travelling on the right (or should I say wrong) side of the road. I think it all seemed so chaotic that it wasn’t easily noticeable. The saving grace is that the traffic isn’t generally travelling very fast. There seems to be only one road rule – go where you need to and go around anything in your way – seems to work. You can imagine Daryl, he couldn’t wait to get onto a motorbike, get amongst the chaos and play by their rules. He, too, turns across a 3 deep mass of oncoming traffic and trusts everyone will veer around him!!!

View from the tricycle........................................Shopping in Puerto Princesa

The local jeepney bus

Shopping at the market.......................................Electronic repair shop

Chess on the street..............................................Getting a phone top up

They recycle ....................................................Brian and Amber riding on concrete country roads

Tricycle is the common transport.....................Peter and I with the driver

View from the yacht in Puerto Princessa Harbour

The lonely planet suggested that we could get a tour of the local prison farm – sounds interesting, so off we go. At the gate we sign ourselves in with security and then bump our way down the gravel road towards the buildings. On arrival we initially discovered lots of smiles but no one who spoke English. A down pour of rain found us sheltering in the St Josephs Catholic Church and encompassed by a christening of four children. When the weather cleared Daryl was invited for a game of tennis with the staff and we establish it is a special feast day and we wouldn’t be able to have a tour. We then get invited to lunch with staff and prisoners alike where we meet Antonio who has a good grasp on English and is thoroughly informative. He said that the prison’s philosophy of a ‘correction farm’, as opposed to a place of punishment, is working effectively. Antonio feels they have systems in place to rehabilitate the prisoners and the community is involved in forgiving the person and accepting them back. The area we saw functioned like a village with stores, churches and we saw some prisoner’s children and families who lived there. As we were leaving a prisoner asked if he could have a ride in our tricycle up to the gate to which we replied “Why not?” (I was however thinking, I don’t know about this). Daryl asked him what he had done and he replied, “I killed my neighbour”. He assured us he was a changed man, had learnt many new skills (like speaking English) and had found peace in the church. He then talked us into buying some plastic souvenirs from him so he could buy some toothpaste. Being somewhat idealistic I would like to believe it is the perfect system???

Prisoners attending church.................................Child at the christening

Daryl playing tennis with prisoner watching

On the way back into town we stopped at a pretty little butterfly farm and then a very sad, neglected looking crocodile (and animal) refuge centre.

Butterfly in flight..................................................Amber observing the butterfly

Laurel having fun with the butterflies

Daryl and I cautiously playing with the scorpion

Daryl and Amber cautiously playing with the baby croc

The native bearcat..............................................dragonfly

Extending my visa at Immigration was an experience. On arrival the sign directed us to the back of a shop and up some crude steep concrete steps with a rusting rail that was missing in places. Through the plain paint peeling door was a jumbled looking office – Immigration. The officer tells us to extend my visa we need a photocopy of my visa and entry stamp. How silly that I should presume they would have some way of copying my visa. Down the steps we go and over to the bike shop, who is the one with the photocopier……Back at the office the process slowly progresses, including staff asking Daryl if he could look at her computer to see if he could fix a glitch that was preventing our process being completed. So there is Daryl sitting at an Immigration desk fiddling with their computer – didn’t seem right really!!

That left a quick provision and we are all set to sail up and around the top of Palawan to El Nido on the west coast.