The Philippines' Last Frontier

Back in 2000, we were considering of retiring in the Philippines... but we were not sure where to settle. My country of origin is made up of 7,107 islands, however not all are inhabitable. So you could imagine our predicament. We had to narrow our choices and considered a few places namely Palawan, Bohol and Camiguin (my birthplace). All beautiful and unique in their own way.

This was our first visit to the island province of Palawan... I must say, it wasn't a pleasant experience for us. First off, one of our many luggage was lost (which contained some very important stuff) and a box of pasalubong for my family upon arrival in the Puerto Princessa airport. But the worst part was... the airline left my husband's wheelchair in the boarding gate in Manila. The airport authorities foot dragged for days. Meanwhile, Bill was using a loaner and it was horrible! Ten days later, after many attempts of retrieving our belongings... we got the good news. They finally managed to send our stuff to the island, that was our last day and we were on our way back to Manila. Because of the airlines blunder & incompetence, our whole vacation was ruined! We had so much planned to see all these intriguing natural wonders and was wrecked by those idiots! Pardon my language. Last but not least, the airline lost the pasalubong box again on its way back to America. By the way, the airline I'm talking about was PAL, after that, we never flew PAL again... Cathay Pacific is way better in all aspects... the service, the food and each seats have their very own tv (a must in long trips).

Anyway, we still had fun considering all the stress and unpleasant incident. We'll probably visit Palawan again someday, but it's not the place for us... truly beautiful, but too remote for me. I guess that's why they call it "The Last Frontier".

Welcome to the island province of Palawan!

White Beach, Puerto Princessa

resort for sale in Aborlan

at the time, this resort was for sale for only $125,000 (asking)

@AsiaWorld Resort in Puerto Princesa

my bros... how young they are in this photo! 9 yrs ago...

my younger sisters ...

mom & dad

family

Badjao Seafood Restaurant

my darling & i... relaxing at the poolside of 

Asia-World Resort, Puerto Princessa

Other interesting places to see while in Palawan...

Tataran Island

Sabang Beach... beautiful! However, the main attraction of Sabang, is the underground river, or Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

Lake Cayangan, Coron Island

other attractions:

Coron Reefs, Coron Bay, Busuanga

Seven lakes surrounded by craggy limestone cliffs attract hundreds of nature lovers to Coron Reefs in Northern Palawan, near the town of Coron. Busuanga Island, whose main town is Coron, is the jump-off point for numerous dive operators. The principal dive sites are 12 World War II Japanese shipwrecks sunk on September 24, 1944 by US Navy action. The aquatic views from the sunken Japanese warships off Coron Island are listed in Forbes Traveler Magazine’s top 10 best scuba sites in the world.

one of the many hidden beaches

one of the many beaches in El Nido... a marine reserve park and municipality at the northernmost tip of Palawan Island...

Travel + Leisure’s 20 Favorite Green Hotels scored El Nido Resort’s protection of Palawan’s giant clam gardens and the re-introduction of endangered Philippine cockatoos

Fun Facts from Wikipedia

History

The history of Palawan may be traced back 22,000 years ago, as confirmed by the discovery of bone fragments of the Tabon Man in the municipality of Quezon. Although the origin of the cave dwellers is not yet established, anthropologists believe they came from Borneo. Known as theCradle of Philippine Civilization, the Tabon Caves consist of a series of chambers where scholars and anthropologists discovered the remains of the Tabon Man along with his tools and a number of artifacts.

People and culture

Based on the 2000 census, the population of the entire province is 737,000. The province is a melting pot of 87 different cultural groups and races who live together in peace and harmony. Influx of migrants from other parts of the Philippines, particularly from Muslim Mindanao, accounts for the high population growth rate of 3.98% annually. The native-born Palaweños still predominate the populace. Eighteen percent is composed of cultural minority groups such as the Tagbanua, Palawano, Batak, and Molbog.

Climate

The province has two types of climate. The first, which occurs in the northern and southern extremities and the entire western coast, has two distinct seasons – six months dry and six months wet. The other, which prevails in the eastern coast, has a short dry season of one to three months and no pronounced rainy period during the rest of the year. The southern part of the province is virtually free from tropical depressions but northern Palawan experiences torrential rains during the months of July and August. Summer months serve as peak season for Palawan. Sea voyage is most favorable from March to early June when the seas are calm.



Palawan is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction.

Pearl diving used to be a significant economic activity for Palawan until the advent ofplastics. The world's largest pearl, the 240mm diameter Pearl of Lao Tzu, was found off Palawan in 1934.

Mexican Riviera Cruise 2001

My first cruise (2nd time for Bill) was short and sweet, but it certainly was fun and enjoyable... so the following year, we decided to go on another cruise... this time, a 7-day sailing aboard the Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas. The ports of call includes Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Day 1... San Diego, California

Day 2... Cruising

Day 3... Cabo San Lucas popularly known as just 'Los Cabos' is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California Sur, Mexico. Cabo San Lucas can be translated as Cape Saint Luke. It is well-known for its pristine beaches...

Day 4... Mazatlan is a popular tourist destination, with its beaches lined with resort hotels. It is located across the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula. The second largest city and Mexico's largest commercial port.

Day 5... Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean. The Night of the Iguana (1963) was filmed here which brought the following actors: Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Elizabeth Taylor (who was not on the film). There has been many movies filmed here...

We were not familiar with these places at all, so hiring an experienced cab driver was the way to go! From every port, Cabo to Vallarta, we had a really good experience and a well-informed city tour. We would not have known what we were looking at without the knowledge of the cab drivers. They were not recommended by the cruise line. We were just sight seeing at the port and always get approach by cab canvassers, so we just hop in and enjoy the ride!

Day 6 and 7... Cruising back to San Diego.

tendering in Cabo San Lucas

room balcony

Radiance Main Dinning

formal dinner

casual dinning with our waiter from India

Radiance Bar and Theater

John and Karin (Bill's old chum and his wife)

Puerto Vallarta

Our lady of Guadalupe

The Ship Highlights:

• Rock-climbing wall
• Portofino Italian Restaurant
• Chops Grille
• Seaview Café
• Themed bars and lounges
• Casino RoyaleSM
• The Colony Club, a unique British colonial-style lounge with self-leveling pool tables
• African safari-themed Solarium
• Indoor/outdoor country club with golf simulator
• Adventure Ocean® youth facilities
• Day Spa and Fitness Center
• Sports court with basketball/volleyball court

Ship Facts:

• Maiden Voyage: March 10, 2001
• Passenger Capacity: 2,501
• Godmother: Margot Pritzker
• Gross Tonnage: 90,090
• Length: 962'
• Beam: 105.6'
• Draft: 26.7'
• Cruising Speed: 25 knots

Just a little over a month after its maiden voyage that we were able to enjoy this incredible ship!

Mexican Riviera Cruise 2000

 

Viking Serenade 1990-2002

“The only Royal Caribbean Ship that was not theirs to begin with.”

The ship was originally built for Scandinavian World Cruises, which later moved to another cruise line. After 8 years of service, she was rebuilt and joined the impressive ships of Royal Caribbean in ’90, from a ferry to a cruise ship and renamed “Viking Serenade”. Originally named “Scandinavia.” Her Godmother was “Whoopi Goldberg”. She started cruising into Alaska, later to Los Angeles. In 2010, the ship was once again refurbished to the tune of $4 million and changed to “Island Escape.” She served Europe in the summer months and South America, in the winter months.

My husband and I totally enjoyed the cruise. This was our very first cruise together. Though hubby had been on a cruise years before we meet.  If you have cruised before you’ll understand such pampering and luxury. It really is an ultimate stress-free vacation. Of course, some people either like or hate it. Where do you go on in any vacation where everything is included? From the food, to plenty of accommodations, entertainment, and the ship takes you to the attractions!

This ship was simpler. Now they are bigger, better and has way more amenities and dinning options. It boggles the mind. Like a floating city.      

Dress up for formal night.

This is an unusual routine. A guy in a pirate costume with a wavy fake sword, goes around every table and pose with each passenger and a cameraman follows him around.

Do I look like I take him seriously? 

I think this pirate is from Australia! :)

@the bar

Port in Los Angeles, embarking.

I know, this should be on the top.

I just want to share the memories of my very first cruise..

What an amazing experience... my hubby and I totally love cruising!

This was just the beginning of the many travel adventures we shared together :))