What an amazing day to be in Puerto Princesa — our first ever city to visit in the Philippines!
Outside the port (where the local high school band welcomed us with “Tie A Yellow Ribbon” and two dance troupes performed on our way to our vans), the town gave me rural Thailand vibes: motorized tuk-tuks (think motorcycles with carriages on the back), lush vegetation, locals gathered around food stalls buying fruit and rice for breakfast, modest local businesses in concrete and corrugated metal buildings along the roadside.
But once we reached the shores of the South China Sea, everything changed. A carnival atmosphere pervaded the beach area, where we climbed on motorized outrigger canoes for the twenty-minute ride to the Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park in the neighborhood called Sabang (a local name that means “Where the river meets the sea”). After the bang-bang-bang of the rough road to the beach, the outrigger ride was smooth as silk, and we glided across the water in cool comfort.
The caverns themselves are magical: almost five miles of underground river to explore. Some rooms, like The Cathedral, have ceilings that soar as high overhead as a football field is long. Others host bizarre natural formations: the jellyfish, a nativity scene, and even a formation where some people see the face of Christ:
With all the natural wonders on display, you’d be tempted to let your jaw drop … but don’t. We were warned going in to keep our mouths closed during the entire voyage. Some of the water dripping from the ceiling is among the purest on earth. But some of those drops are infused with concentrated bat guano … and even a drop in your mouth could make a person deathly ill.
Is that just a way to keep Americans from taking cell phone calls during the ride? I don’t know — but I know a few other places we’ve visited that could have benefited from liquid bat guano warnings to keep the crowds quiet!
We did open our mouths after the cave experience … at a local buffet restaurant. After a morning of wonders — and warnings — the feast felt well earned. I’m curious: what would you have eaten at today’s buffet?
