Beautiful Palawan – Sabang

Two flights from Singapore we arrived in Palawan, and after a short stop in Puerto Princesa to get some cash (there are no other ATMs on the island), we headed to the small town of Sabang on the west coast.

We stayed in a simple bungalow just a stones’ throw from the sea, and we ate our dinner in a private treehouse over the water. We had heard a few complaints about the Filipino food, so we were delighted that our meal was tasty – a whole grilled fish each, with rice and salad.

The main reason we came to Sabang was to visit the subterranean river, which has just been listed as a new wonder of the world. To reach it, we took a boat to an empty beach further along the coast, and then a smaller boat to drift through the caves. Sophie had the ‘stressful’ job of holding the torch as with floated along in the darkness. Our guide showed us animal formations and Jesus, and the standard stalegmite and -tite formations. It was a good experience, but we couldn’t help thinking that the Vietnamese caves we had seen were just as good (if not better) and haven’t received the same accolade.

On our return to the port, we had just enough time to buy Olly a baseball cap and a retro tee, before boarding a minivan for a 5 hour drive up to El Nido, our main destination!

Catching a sunset in a coastal treehouse

Jeepney bus! The way the locals travel.

The Filipino design of boat with wave stabilisers

Impressive beach outside the river cave

One of the new 7 wonders of the world!? The subterranean river (cave).