Living La Vida Loca

Covered stairs to our native deck.

Puerto Princesa is experiencing unprecedented growth is the last 2 years. We have been here going on 4 years and it's changed drastically. New hotels, Inns, restaurants and even a giant Robinson's Mall has gone up in this amount of time. Brownouts were already hurting many small businesses back in 2009. Now it's affecting everyday life even more.

We just had a 10 hour electrical brownout from midnight to after 10 AM today. I'm just so grateful that Dave is such a handyman arming us with solar lights at night and a generator to power the refridgerator, TV and aircon.  With the roads being fixed and the rains coming now, the roads are muddy and it takes us almost an hour to get to town. We usually stock up on meats and such to store in the freezer to save on trips, without the generator all this food would have spoiled, or we would have to spend more time going to town for food.

Our electric motorbikes are
charged by the sun.

At least if all else fails and there is a little sun, our electric motorbikes can be charged via our solar panels and we still have transportation around the village for our staff. We like to drive our electric Trikes around the village, it's hard to charge them with no power, they take more solar panels than we have at the moment to charge.

A two carabao sled family!

Yet, even with all this to deal with, I do love living in the countryside here in Luzviminda. We have clear blue skies. There is no traffic to speak of. What traffic there is, are Carabao (water buffalo carts or sleds) trundling down the paved road and making no noise at all, except for my dogs barking as they go by.

I must admit, when they cut down the 20 or so hectares of old mangoe trees for put in a Robinson's mall, I was the first to feel deep sadness over the loss of those trees. Now I am Robinson Supermarket's most avid fan. I still do wish they had left some of the old Mango trees for shade, between the mall and the Go Hotel next door, the cement with no shade has heated up the temperature that part of town quite a bit. I do also wish they had put in solar panels on the massive roof to offset the power the mall sucks up. I know this is contributing greatly to the mass and lengthy brownouts.

What with Cebu importing 85% or more of potable water, I was hoping the City Planners would have taken note and had new develpments use some sort of rain harvesting system to water their plants with. We do harvest a little rain on our land in Luzviminda where we are trying the best we can to learn about sustainability.  We collect about 2000 liters of rain water at a time in our two 1000 liter reservoirs.

The electric Trikes we drive around Luzviminda.

I'd love it if businesses had to replace what greenery they cut down with equal shade value. Robinson's, as most businesses in town seem to favor the Palms, which are slow growing and take so long to give the much needed shade. I can only assume this is because most shade trees lose a lot of leaves and therefore present a maintenance issue. Surely there must be a type of tree that grows faster than a palm and gives shade without too much debris.

20 KW Generator for Sale

150,000 Php - REDUCED FROM 175K Php! Only 172 hours on meter.
Brand name is "Mindong"

This unit would be perfect for a small resort.

20 Kilowatt- KVA Genset - Recently serviced at CBPP, oil and filter changed and new starting battery. Spent 13000. PHP plus for service.  Bought brand new at 250.000. Php

Click any photo to Enlarge.

Good operating condition. Only 172 hours on meter.

Mounted on casters for easy placement at generation site, then can be blocked for stability during use.

Operator manual, tools and basic repair parts included.

Cash sale only.  150,000.00 Php in full. No partial payments please. Serious buyers only.

Located at Solid Road, San Manuel, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines.

Call Roy at - +63-917-311-0991  - English
or Estela - +63-917-553-1999 -  Tagalog or English

Salakot Waterfalls - Napsan

The falls in November. Water is cold and with
sediments during rainy season. Everyone swam except me.
Too cold for me then. Giant trees and tall tree ferns
dot the sides of the river. This is the view from the old
foliage overgrown bridge leading nowhere.
Click Photo to enlarge.

Off the beaten track are the Salakot Waterfalls. They are down the south National Highway, past Iwahig prison, coming from Puerto Princesa City, and then down to a wooden sign that says Napsan, turn there and keep going about 40 Kilometers, maybe a little more.

We are not those who enjoy crowds or yearn for services when we venture out seeking rivers and waterfalls to cool off in, or just for a gentle adventure.  We pack up all we will need for the day. From our house in Luzviminda it's about a 50 minute drive. From Puerto Princesa City, I would venture to say it would take an hour 1/2 or a little more.

When the roads are wet during rainy season (7 months a year), I suggest a good 4 wheel drive vehicle, or good front drive at least, as the roads are muddy and full of pot holes to get stuck in.

We have seen vans and motorbikes go on the road there all seasons, so if you are the adventurous type, give this a try. But don't go any further than your vehicle will allow or be prepared to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with very few vehicles per day passing through to help you.

Salakot Waterfalls in late April 2012. Cold pristine waters. This
is the upper falls. Above this, you can climb the rock face and
get to another view of the river and it's shady and peaceful.

The area is still raw with no services whatsoever. In fact only an old arch sign signals it's existence after a ride over mostly unpaved and rough roads. After you get over the fact that the locals have left plastic and trash at the shed at the entrance (we bring bags and pick up the trash when we leave, even if it's not ours), the rock step trail leads to a beautiful primordial tropical forest and soon enough the falls.

Only a 2 or 3 minute walk from the road is an old bridge what leads nowhere that allows a full view of the two main falls and pools to swim in.  The upper falls is the easiest to swim in, even for toddlers such as ours, with supervision.

Old arch sign on right side of road approximately 40 to 42 kms.
off the National HWY South going to Napsan,

Salakot Waterfalls is one of our favorite places. For those seeking solitude and natural untouched beauty, this is a place you will enjoy. Do bring mosquito repellent, sun block, your own towels, food etc. as there is no one there at all to help you or offer you services.

The drive there is dotted with mini waterfalls and several varieties of wild gingers. A long river is on the right side of the road all along the way to the falls. You go through beautiful and untouched forests. Occasionally we have seen troops of monkeys and huge monitor lizards crossing the road. Even the drive there, if you don't get to the falls, is worth it if you are a nature enthusiast loving untouched places.

All along the road to the waterfalls are many other dirt roads leading down to the river that follows it. One of these days we will venture down them and explore new areas.

Lately a lot of people have been thronging to Puerto Princesa to see the Underground River, but it is, a I write, fully booked all of May and June, and needs booking a month in advance anymore, I thought I would feature some other places for those who would rather not follow the crowds.

Do be a good eco-tourist and bring your own trash bags to haul trash out. And if you really care, do pick up some of the other trash other's have left, just for the love of Mother Earth.

Also, if you keep going on the road past the falls another few kilometers, you will wind up at Napsan beach. We haven't gotten that far, but one of these days will go. Not much there I hear, but nice clean beachs.

Our main swimming hole at the falls. The rock face on the right, when the waters are low, can be climbed without too much
trouble and there are other spots to hang out in the shade and it's a great view of the falls from another perspective.

The second pool is less accessible. On the far upper left of the photo you can see the main falls where the
pool we swim in is. This photo was taken last April 22, 2012.

The upper pool has little fish you can feed. They are always so hungry. But don't worry, they don't nip at you when you swim.

The waters have worn a sort of slide going to the lower pool.

Book Underground River Early

A giant stalagmite in the Puerto Princesa Underground
River.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River has become such a hit, the PPC Tourism Department is requesting visitors to book 2 weeks in advance online!!  Walk-ins and last minute bookings could result in visting Puerto Princesa without seeing the new 7th Wonder of the World Awardee.  Only 780 people a day may enter the PPUR. (Puerto Princesa Undground River), in order control the human footprint on the caverns which is also a Unesco World Heritage site.

This is a link to the article.
http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=711330663231

The website of the city government has a list of the accredited travel and tour agencies at http://www.puertoprincesa.ph

This mineral formation looks like a the Lion King to me!

Should this happen to you, don't despair, there are many other things to do in the Sabang area which is where you launch off to see the Underground River. There are mangrove tours, Spelunking at Ugong rock, hiking trails for all levels of climbers and a zip line.

There are a couple of high end hotels in Sabang, the Daluyon which has a native feel but not low budget, and the modern Sheridan with many more flexible rates and online specials with tours included in the price.

If you are on a budget or want to go native, there are several off the beaten track Inns which you can look up on Google or better still, www.tripadvisor.com which will have reviews by people that have been there with first hand experience. You would type in the search terms, hotel, Inns Sabang, Palawan. This should get you to a list of real reviews and prices as well.
If you want to have fun and don't want to drive the hour and a half to the Sabang area, just 20 minutes outside of City Center is the Honda Bay Island Hoping tours and to the South of Puerto Princesa there is the longest Zip line in the Philippines at Irawan Forest Canopy Adventures. While there the Crocodile Farm and Nature Conservancy is just around the corner.
On the way back to town you can have lunch at the various restaurants on Mitra Road, such as the iconic Bakers Hill restaurant and Park.

To see the booking schedule at the official Underground River Office click link below:
http://www.puerto-undergroundriver.com/management/booking-schedule/

Park Rates and Other Fees - as of April 23, 2012
General Entrance Fee
 Adult  -  P 150.00
 Minor  -  P 100.00

Underground River Tour*
 Adult -  P 250.00 - Filipino Senior citizens 60 years old an up are Free
 Minor -  P 150.00 - Minors 12 years old and below free.
UR Express Tour -  P1,000.00 each (minimum of 4)

Commercial Video Fee -  P3,000.00

*Filipino Senior Citizens 60 yr. old and up, minors 12 years old and below, and the handicapped are exempted from paying for the Underground River Tour.

*minors two years old and below are not allowed inside the Cave.


Here's a video of the Official Inauguration of the Underground River Ceremony in Pasay City, Manila April 21, 2012

Grocery Shopping

Click to enlarge

When I first published my blog there was only one supermarket in Town, NCCC in city center.  More often than not they are blasting religious music so loud you can't even hear yourself think though! They have recently opened a new location at the newly built 168 Building in San Jose outside of town off the National Highway going north.  This is handier for me since I live in Luzviminda. So far they don't have a meat counter, but it's close enough to the San Jose New Market to make it handy for most goods you will need. They do carry fresh vegetables, but of course more expensive than the open air market on weekends, starting on Friday through Sunday, although the enclosed section of the San Jose Public Market does carry vegetables all week, and they are behind the meats and fish.

There is also another supermarket downtown by the Old Palengke or Native Public Market called Unitop.  There is parking in a basement lot with a ramp leading upstairs to the market and the dry goods department. There's even an LBC office in that building for sending packages from. The Unitop Supermarket often has goods that NCCC doesn't carry and they do have a good meat counter as well. I like the ground beef meat there better than NCCC which has two kinds, one of which has too much fat and the other is too lean, whereas Unitop blend is somewhere in the middle. The fresh chicken is also cheaper at Unitop.

I buy my eggs at the San Jose New Market in
trays of 24 for 150 PhP per tray.  If any of the
eggs are bad, my "suki" always replaces them
on my next visit, whereas the supermarkets
have not ever done that. They do sell eggs
at the downtown Public Market as well.

If you do live outside of City Center, in the San Jose Public Market bus terminal area there is also a grocery store called Goland. It's in back of the bus terminals and a little obscure and hard to see, but it's on the same side as the Caltex Gas station just a few meters down.  They don't have fresh meats but they do carry the normal variety of canned and dry goods and the aisles are nice and wide and looks more like a warehouse inside recently since they expanded. It's a little harder to find parking because the tricycle drivers usually block the driveway, but I do go there more often of late.

I go to the San Jose outdoor market for fresh fish other seafoods and vegetables as well as pork and chicken.  Don't wear good shoes or you'll muck them up at the Public Markets! When it rains it's usually muddy and they wash down the meat and fish counters so the floors are usually wet even insdie.  You can also buy rice at either of the Public Markets. More varieties than I even knew existed actually!

Fresh meat, poultry, fish, crabs
and vegetables can be found at
the Public markets downtown
and the San Jose New Market
off the National Hwy.

The traffic in city Center of late has put me off, so I am very grateful there are more choices outside of town. Now I am just wishing for a quality bakery so that I don't have to get stuck in traffic jams just to feed my sweet tooth!

Tio Rods Restaurant

Tio Rod's Restaurant on Rizal Avenue

Asian Fusion food and Tio Rod's has a long Happy Hour from 1 to 7 PM!
It also can be reserved for weddings/birthdays, conventions,
and other special occasions

Telephone numbers - Landline - (048) 434-2101

Mobile: 0917-504-3314

Asian Fusion Food

They have a full bar with diverse wines, liqour and beer

I recently had lunch at this restaurant and I just loved the Pomelo Shrimp Salad with a piquant and refreshing dressing.  The fried seafood tempura sushi roll was also excellent.

I definitely will go back. The service was good and so far, I've loved what I tried.

The restaurant is on Rizal Avenue towards the airport and not too far from the Capitol building. It's definitely worth trying and I personally will be back to try the other dishes on the menu.

They also can be viewed on Trip Advisor and they may also have other reviews if you wish to check them out there.  They have a website at http://palawantravel.info/tiorods/index.php so check it out.

The owners also have a budget hotel One Rover's place nearby http://palawantravel.info/oneroversplace/index.php  The guests can dine at Tio Rod's restaurant and they open for breakfast at 6am.  They also offer tours so if you contact them, you may be able to get a good package rate for board and tours!

Irawan Forest Canopy Zip Line

Irawan Watershed, Palawan Flora-Fauna & Watershed Area, Bgy. Irawan, 5300 Puerto Princesa City, Philippines: Check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ForestCanopyAdventure

The 3000 hectare Eco Park is located off the National Highway going south. It's 3,000 hectares of the Flora and Fauna Protected Area of the Irawan Watershed. You can also take in the Crocodile Farm while out in that area.

The Irawan Forest is one of my very favorites as it is accessible to non hiking persons like myself!  Even if you don't want to take the Zip lines, it's well worth a trip up to the Eco Park just to have a cup of coffee at the check in building and walk along the river.

You do always have to check in at the main building below the watershed, as the zipline is in a protected area and has checkpoints to go through to preserve the pristine beauty from spoilers!
They have a beginners run, 1/2 Kilometer and 1 full Kilometer run (as of Sept. 1, 2010)!!

They opened the 1.3 Kilometer Zipline last November. It's a quick flight through the beautiful Irawan Forest and above its river.

They recently added horsebackriding in the Irawan Forest as well.

Nice relaxing waiting area with a great view of Irawan forest.

Click the link below to view their packages and rates. https://www.facebook.com/ForestCanopyAdventure#!/notes/forest-canopy-adventure-irawan-zipline/irawan-canopy-zipline/182481545144082

This is the building where you check in. There is an Art Café which serves food as well.
This is the cafe area.

The reception area has lots of space to relax in while you are being checked in.

This is where you end up after the 1/2 Kilometer ride and this also is the beginners run where you can take a short Zip to get the feel of the harness.

After you check in you are driven to the higher watershed area to be harnessed up and shown a map of where you will be flying through the trees.

Tree house where you land after the Zip line ride and the line to go off onto the beginners zip route.

This is where guests are given orientation, and are harnessed up and also given hard hats for safety.

Happy zip line guest!!

About:
Forest Canopy Adventure - Irawan Zipline is Asia's longest zipline at the 9meter level of Mt. Tagaod, Bgy. Irawan, Puerto Princesa City

The Zip line is located in the Puerto Princesa Watershed area. It's a pristine and beautifully relaxing area with the river running beside the park.  We like to go up there just to have coffee and enjoy the views and the walk along the clear clean waters of the river.