Thursday, May 17, 2007 P is for --- By Jude A. Bacalso
“YOU can’t sell the beach to a Cebuano.”
Over the din of dinner, that statement from Legends Hotel VP Patrick Favoreal lifted over the centerpiece of fresh crabs, raw lato, and giant shrimp, landing true to the right of the plateful of ingenious seafood palabok. We already live on the sand; what more is there in the famed Philippines’ last frontier for a beach-jaded Cebuano?
Honda bay is infamous for harboring, among its chain of islands, the one where a million hearts were broken when the thinking woman’s teen heartthrob lost his life (God rest Rico Yan’s soul). Of course my companions and I craned our necks for this particular one as we sped past on the speedboat, en route to two islets for our private picnic. Distant lightning loomed with a mass of nimbus up ahead, but the call of the clear water was too tempting to resist.
Two among us tried the signature Hookah Dive on Pandan Island (above), so called because one breathes through a tube attached to a compressor on the banca while snorkeling or walking at the bottom of the ocean, like smoking the Arabic pipe it was named after. Now this is defying gravity! And don’t be too daunted when they say the next stop is Snake Island (right), the island takes its name from its serpentine shape, and not its inhabitants.
PITCH DARK
And it was in exactly that that we stealthily made our way into the mouth of Iwahig river at sunset, the black water holding the promise (for some on the speedboat, threat) of crocodiles. On both sides loomed 12-foot high bakhawan, mangrove trees that held a less sinister promise: lightning bugs! Mistakenly labeled as fireflies fire , these winged beetles produced an eerie cold light that festooned the trees on either side of the river: Christmas without the electric bill.
As our guide trained a flashlight on the trees, the beetles responded with a light display of their own, glowing fiercely, playfully, magically. The moment required a collective hush over us: the stars gleamed, winking suspended in the black sky; the fireflies dancing in an ancient mating ritual; the bioluminescent plankton on the water’s surface sparkling when churned. Glow, I decided, was in overdrive that night. Dinner was in the middle of the bay on a berthed wide flat boat, digging into a convenient binalot feast of adobo and fish to the music of a homegrown latin band. Pitch dark can be magical in this family sense, too.
Still another adventure in total darkness? The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park or the St. Paul underground river (far left and below), eight kilometers of narrow flooded cave system under the St. Paul mountain, transported us into a whole new world where an active imagination is key. Cave formations in the cavernous “cathedral” require a suggestible mind: the Holy Family, San Pedro with his dog, a giraffe, even a sexy Sharon Stone (testament to the dry wit of the native pundits) can only come to life after a perfectly-timed, spot-on, running (rowing, actually) narrative from your boatman.
As you train the light upon his direction at the stalactites, he goes: Bakit nakapikit si Hesus? (as we approach a facsimile of a thorn-crowned Christ). Kasi nasisilaw sa ilaw mo. Classic.
PLATEFULS
Dinner, as all our meals in Palawan, was a carefully-studied culinary trip. The chef, who I had charmed with my wiles earlier in the day, prepared a dish that was not short of genius: seafood palabok (below)! Lobster, chicharon, greens on fettucine made the dish strangely new, and yet altogether familiar. I’m a little bit miffed that I never got the chance to try the tamilok, an edible worm, but forgave their unavailability after I set out to discover the interesting restaurants this island had in store.
Ka Lui (right) is a must-go. Built along the lines of a traditional (but sprawling) bahay kubo, it requires one to take off footwear and leave them at the door. There is no regular menu here, as it changes constantly according to the availability of the ingredients. The owner refuses to use anything but the freshest, so one is assured of a delicious surprise at every visit. Apres dinner, Kinabuch (yes, Butch owns the dig) is the place to be seen with a drink in hand, or for a game of pool.
PASALUBONG
Buy a rainmaker, the Filipino bamboo musical instrument that mimics the sound of, you guessed it, rainfall. Seeds inside the bamboo hollow make the soothing sound, mine was encased in beautiful bamboo strips and intricate carvings. There are several sizes: I bought a six-foot version and several foot-long ones to give away. The cashew nuts come in several varieties: roasted and cooked in oil, and are available at the palengke, where, yes, they are cheapest.
PAYDIRT!
On our last day, we struck paydirt! Toto Cayabo, the enterprising fisherman and our guide, was already getting nervous, barking into his cellular phone: “You sure? Three of them? Ok, on our way.” An hour into our travel into the middle of the ocean, he was triangulating the position of his lookouts, constantly keeping an eye on the horizon, and another at our fidgety eyes and hopeful expressions. Then, suddenly, like a gift from Poseidon himself, there among the waves, two heads bobbing, then three, then 10! Frolicking in the azure, dolphins swam and jumped in the wild, unbridled and untrained.
Three families, at least, swam beside our banca, engaging in a game of aquatic tag with us. “They are here everyday…but come to the surface from April to September,” Toto ends as a tip.
Patrick was so right. Don’t sell this Cebuano the beach, sell me the entire Palawan Experience. Because I am so buying.
*The author availed himself of the 2007 Palawan Experience, Legend Hotels International Corporation’s signature family tour package. The three-day, two-night package is at P11,555 per person (on weekdays from Sunday to Wednesday), and P12,999 per person (on weekends from Thursday to Saturday) on twin and triple sharing. Maximum of two kids, aged 2 to 7, are free on hotel room (if sharing bed with parents), meals and tours.
For the family vacation getaway to top all others, one may call the Central Reservations Office at (632) 702-2700 to 04.
