Dec. 28, 2008
Sabang
The Cebu Pacific Airline departed shortly after midnight and arrived at the new Terminal 3 of Manila airport about 3.5 hour later. There were not a lot people during this early morning so immigration was supposed to be quick. However, I was questioned by the immigration officer who said that a person with the same name of mine was blacklisted and asked me to show evidence of my last entry to the Philippines. This was ridiculous since I came to this country about 3 years ago with my now expired old passport and in my opinion it’s their responsibility to identify the right person. After talking to the supervisor, they finally cleared me.
The good thing is that my flight to Puerto Princesa (8:30 a.m.) is also by Cebu Pacific at Terminal 3 (changing terminals at Manila airport involves a taxi ride outside the airport buildings). The domestic leg takes only about 1 hour and I was in Puerto Princesa later in the morning.
The airport at Puerto Princesa is still under renovation so there is no point to stay there any further. A tricycle took me to the market in the center of the town for 40 peso where I found the bus/jeepney to Sabang is actually at the San Jose Terminal far away from the town (a notable mistake by the Rough Guide). I jumped in another jeepney (50 peso) to reach the terminal. Luckily there is a jeepney heading for Sabang at 12:00 noon. I was told it was the first jeepney to Sabang on that day (not sure if it’s because of Sunday).
The trip to Sabang took more than 3 hours but still left me enough time to check in Dar Dar Cottage (just 150 meters from the pier, 550 peso with private bathroom) and go to the Underground River by boat.
At the pier I was told it’s too late to walk back (as I planned initially) using the trail so I had to buy a return boat ticket to the park (Underground River) for 700 peso. The boat trip takes about 25 minutes. When I arrived there, most people were returning back so it didn’t take too long to get my seat in a small boat organized by the park. Despite being the world’s longest (although we could only explore part of it), the Underground River didn’t give me the same excitement as Tham Kong Lo in Laos although it was a pleasant and well organized trip anyway.
Back in Sabang where there is only limited light in the evenings, I treated myself with a steamed fish dish for dinner. The price was good (200 peso) but the taste so-so.
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| Entrance to Underground River, Sabang |
Dec. 29, 2008
Sabang to El Nido
There is a boat leaving for El Nido at 7:00 a.m. for 6,000 peso. However, the jeepney heading for Puerto Princesa at the same time turns to be more economical. After about 1.5 hours, I and many other tourists got off the jeepney at an intersection to wait for the Puerto Princesa – El Nido bus to pass by. We waited for more than 1 hour and didn’t see the bus. A few minivans for Roxas and Taytay passed and one driver told us that the bus for El Nida was very full. We decided to take this minivan to Roxas first. As we almost reached Roxas, we saw the El Nido bus and it was really very full. We were transferred to the bus and the driver put some people on top of the bus and added more movable stools for the rest – not too bad.
The bus arrived in El Nido before dusk and I saw immediately the difference from Sabang – there are just so many tourists, everywhere. Not very surprisingly, I couldn’t find a resort available except the very expensive El Nido Beach Resort (3,500 peso up) and the extremely simple El Nido Plaza Inn (400 peso). Of course I chose the later. The lady there was actually quite friendly and tried to help a lot. It’s just a very small single room with shared bathroom (no hot water) but I was quite happy.
I spent the evening arranging a personal tour to see the Bacuit Archipelago the next day at Sea Slugs Beach Bar & Restaurant (1,300 peso including snorkeling equipment – it’s worth asking around since another restaurant asked for 2,300 peso for the same tour), getting my air ticket to Manila the next day (8,232 peso) at the magnificent Boutique & Artcafé, eating pizza at a western restaurant (big pizza but no taste and I had to wait for more than 1 hour to get it served to my table!) and having a massage in a barbershop near Artcafé for 500 peso (pricey but the work not too bad).
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| On the Way from Sabang to El Nido |
Dec. 30, 2008
Bacuit Archipelago
Because my flight to Manila is 5:00 p.m. and most of the group tours (around 600 peso per person) ends at 4:00 p.m. and it’s not uncommon to come back late if some group members decide to enjoy themselves longer on the islands, etc., I had no choice but arranging a private tour. Not surprisingly, the restaurant sent 2 boys to take care of me. Their services were pretty acceptable except that they usually docked the boat a little bit far from most sites (therefore more walk in the water).
The first place we checked out was the Small Lagoon. Except for the long walk in the water, we also needed to swim to enter it. It’s a nice spot to explore.
We later checked out the Secret Lagoon and I had a very big lunch (fish & pork) at a pleasant beach (I guess they prepared the lunch for the group).
After lunch when the tide was higher, we reached the Big Lagoon (not as exciting as the Small Lagoon) and Seven Commando Island (excellent beach and snorkeling offshore without many tourists) before heading back to town.
The small airport is 20 minutes away by tricycle (200 peso) and is actually a traditional style house. ITI, the solo airline flying El Nido – Manila direct, actually sent two 19-seat aircrafts that day to handle increased demand (most of the passengers were Japanese in package tours). The flight took an unexpected 1.5 hours (indicating the pilot might not be familiar with the route).
The aircraft finally landed at the private A. Soriano Hangar of Manila Airport (near Terminal 3). I had to take a taxi to Terminal 1 to catch my Air Niugini flight 3 hours later.
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| Bacuit Archipelago |
Dec. 31, 2008
Asaro
Since the Air Niugini flight departed about 1 hour later (perhaps a normal thing) from Manila, it arrived at Port Moresby shortly after 6 a.m. (about 1 hour later accordingly). Visa on Arrival was extremely simple – while the lady officer was processing my visa, I went to the bank to exchange money. After I handed over the 100 kina bill, I was in (no photos required). It was the Customs where most hassles occurred. There was a long line – not surprisingly because everybody’s luggage had to be checked thoroughly and I myself was asked many questions.
Having spent so much time at the Customs, I didn’t spend much time waiting for my 9:15 a.m. flight to Goroka. The flight was fully booked and again there was a large group of Japanese tourists on this tiny flight.
Many of the PNG airports are in the city center since air travel is an essential way of transportation in the country. Goroka is not an exception. I was able to walk uphill from the airport to my hotel, the Goroka Lodge, in 10 minutes. Along the way many people waved to me and said “Hello”, “Happy New Year”, etc. Many of them shook hands with me. At Goroka Lodge, I chose a room with shared bathroom for 79.80 kina. As expected, even at this steep price, the room is very basic and not so clean. However, the hotel staff is very friendly that made me feel at home.
After a short rest, I went to the Goroka Treck & Tours at Bird of Paradise Hotel for my pre-arranged tour to see the Asaro Mudmen (a steep 330 kina). The company is run by a Japanese lady who married a local guy (the Japanese tourists I met on the airplane turned out to be her customers too). The guide John was there waiting for me already. It didn’t take a long time for us to reach a village in Asaro where he showed me some fields to grow sweet potato (a very important vegetable in the region), coffee and other vegetables. We then visited some traditional houses before having the mumu lunch – a traditional way of cooking using underground oven. All the food is wrapped under banana lefts with a hole in the middle to have water in. It’s a kind of steaming therefore quite healthy. I also tried a fruit called sugar fruit which is only available in the region.
Then came the show. Though a little bit touristy as expected, the show itself has quite good visual impact (for taking photos and videos) because of the white powers performers put on their bodies and the head masks they use (after the show I tried to put a mask on my head and it’s very heavy). A 3 year boy performing with his 34 year old father was particularly interesting. John told me that the boy started the show when he was 1 year old and now he is a star. John also said that almost all the young men in the village can perform the show if the demand is high. Back to Goroka, we checked the Duan Duan Theater, a very interesting traditional house but not much in use anymore. Due to the fact it’s not safe in the evenings, I went back to the hotel before dark and had a very big dinner (pork chop, 32 kina) to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Jan. 1, 2009
Goroka to Kegsugl
The previous day John of Goroka Treck & Tours arranged me to meet a local guide called Paul (a pastor in the mountains) in Kundiawa at the local police station just opposite the PMV (public motor vehicle) stop. He probably didn’t expect the complexity of the New Year.
I got up early before 6 a.m. and had the free American breakfast at the hotel. When I checked out the hotel, they sent a security guard with two assistants to escort me to the PMV station because of “New Year”. At that time I didn’t fully understand what they meant.
When we arrived at the PMV station, we didn’t see any PMVs. Around the area, many police vehicles were hanging around and there seemed to be an incident between the police and some people. I saw some people slept on the ground apparently due to being drunk. The guard told me that there ware no PMVs until noon because it’s New Year's Day and the road is very dangerous due to young people getting drunk and crazy as a result of the New Year celebration. I finally hired a car for 500 kina for this 1.5 hour trip and nothing significant seemed to happen on the road except that some people tried to stop the car for a ride.
The driver took me directly to Mt. Wilhelm Tourist Hotel where I asked the hotel staff to call Paul. It seemed he already went back to the mountain where he lives due to my late arrival. So I decided to go to the mountain myself. Because of New Year, there were no PMVs going to the mountain so I had to hire a vehicle again. This time I asked the hotel security guard to ask the police for help. The police was actually quite friendly and they finally found a car owned by the brother of an officer to take me up to the mountain for 600 kina. They also offered to escort me (by 3-4 police officers) for an additional 300 kina but I rejected politely (the brother of the driver stayed in the car anyway).
The road to Kegsual is very bumpy. Luckily the view is great – it’s like driving in the jungles with small villages dotted on the way. Amazingly we met Paul half way – he was going to Kundiawa to meet me. This guy seems to know a lot of people. After learning I was the person he was supposed to meet, he jumped onto my vehicle. A bridge on the way was damaged by flooding 2 months ago so we had to use another vehicle on the other side of the bridge for the last 1 hour. When we arrived in Kegsugl, it was already dark.
I explained to Paul that I would like to save some costs due to unexpected car hiring during the day. He then took me to his relative’s house just next to the high school for the night for 20 kina. It was quite an interesting experience and I had some vegetarian food with the family. The light by generator is only available between 7 and 10 p.m.
Jan. 2, 2009
Mt. Wilhelm
We got up early at 6 a.m. and stocked some food and water at the only shop in town on the other side of the airstrip. Paul told me that there are still occasional charted flights landing at the airstrip. Not too far from the shop on the way to the mountain, a local man asked 10 kina to enter the area. We first walked one hour to Toby’s House at the foot of the mountain then another 2.5 hours to the first lake. The view is dramatic. Since we walked fast, we had time to walk another 30 minutes to see the second lake with equally nice views. The climb to the two lakes is not difficult but can be exhausting. Paul told me that the climb to the top (another 5 hours) is more difficult and sometimes hands have to be used to help the climbing. People usually get up around 2 a.m. at the base in the lake to start the second leg climb in order to have a clear view in the early morning when reaching the top.
Back to Kegsugl we had some lunch at the same family and called the same driver to take us back to the broken bridge (10 kina per head). It was already 3 p.m. when we reached the bridge. Obviously no PMV was available. We hired another car for 300 kina back to Kundiawa. It took more than 4 hours to arrive due to mechanical problems on the way caused by a combination of bad car, bad road and bad weather (it started to rain and the road became muddy when the problem occurred). I paid Paul 100 kina for his service plus all the transportation and other costs for him and myself (total 450 kina).
The Mt. Wilhelm Tourist Hotel is a better value at 104 kina (after weekend discount) with private bathroom with hot water (the first time in my trip). I had a beef pasta at the hotel restaurant for 23 kina. Although it’s not as tasty as my New Year’s Eve treat, the amount is huge and the restaurant staff were extremely friendly.
Jan. 3-6, 2009
Port Moresby
The Mt. Wilhelm Tourist Hotel is next to the airport so it only took me 1 minute to walk to the airport (a very simple building without bathrooms) to catch my 9:55 a.m. flight to Port Moresby. This time I got a window seat and had a chance to see the scenery on the way.
On arriving at Port Moresby Airport, I tried to call my friend who works in the city to pick me up but couldn’t reach him. I finally called his overseas number and found that he was not in town. He then offered to have his colleague to pick me up. The young man arrived in about an hour. We chatted and had some buffet at the nearby Airways Hotel. I then asked if he could take me to have a look at the Town and the Parliament House (if we still have time) before my flight to Manila departs at 5:45 p.m. He said “no problem”. Neither he nor I knew that a nightmare was awaiting us.
We got back to the car and he started to drive into the city. Perhaps because it was a Saturday, there were not many people outside. The first impression Port Moresby gave me was it’s a clean city with fresh air. After a few minutes, he pointed to a building and said “that’s Parliament House”. I was a little bit surprised how fast we arrived here. He then drove to the front gate of the building but found the gate was locked and there was nobody there. I thought it’s closed because of weekend then got off the car and took a photo of the building from outside. At this moment, all of a sudden 4-5 young males approached us, one of them with a bush knife and another with a gun. One person shouted “everything” then apparently 2 people working on 1 person they took all our valuables in the pockets in 10 seconds. My friend’s colleague managed to get the key to his car back from the robbers but when I begged for my passport they hesitated a little and threw back some papers but no passport.
The whole thing happened in less than one minute. When the robbers were gone, I didn’t have any feelings. I remembered a storey told by the Chinese shop owner at the airport that an old Shanghainese man was shot dead by a robber when he resisted to the robbers. And I didn’t resist at all to the young boys. Perhaps because I had a lot of stuff in my pockets, one robber hit me once but I didn’t feel any pain. And no fear at all after the event. The only feeling was perhaps the regret for missing the return flight back home, the trouble caused to my friend and the loss of my personal notebook (paper book, not computer) and the photos I took of Mt. Wilhelm (luckily my other photos were on another SD card). PNG is notorious for its safety issues and I excised extreme caution when I was in the highlands during the first few days of my trip. Perhaps because of the expectation that someone familiar with the city would take care of me in the capital I lost all my alertness after meeting my friend’s representative – a lessen to be learned hard.
With the help of a local colleague of my friend, we reported the incident to the nearby Waigani Police Station. While some policemen sympathized us and said “sorry, sorry” repeatedly, the head who was writing the report apparently was only interested in asking for snack money to finish his duties. I later recognized that perhaps that’s why the city authorities didn’t do anything to protect the Parliament House areas. It’s very strange that there are no security personnel at the front gate of such an important venue and opposite the compound it’s a large unfenced bush area that makes the robbers too easy to hide and escape.
The next day the local colleague drove me around the city. We went to the Town including the Papa Hill as well as the Parliament House using the back door. There was security there. She told me that people always use the back door to get into the Parliament House and the front door is permanently locked. Wow!
On Monday I was busy contacting the Australian High Commission (providing Canadian consular services) to get a temporary passport. After a busy day, they asked me to come again the next day.
Tuesday after lunch, I was just about to go the High Commission to get the final approval of my temporary passport, my friend’s colleague called me and said that he got my passport back. I met him 10 minutes late and found my passport in his car. I asked what had happened. He said that he kept calling his lost mobile phone number and finally reached somebody who claimed to have bought the mobile phone and also got my passport from the robbers. They met at a supermarket and my friend’s colleague paid 100 kina to get my passport back. Wow!
This was about 1 p.m. – just a few hours before another flight to Manila departs (there are only two flights per week). We rushed to the High Commission to explain the situation to them. I could see the complicated expressions on the faces of the staff. Anyway the first thing they remembered was to return the 35 AUD they received from me on Monday that made me proud to be Canadian (at the Australian High Commission though).
I was able to catch the flight to Manila later in the afternoon and successfully bought another Kuwait Airways ticket at Manila Airport to get back to Bangkok (260 USD one-way, cheaper than online booking) the same evening.
Overview
Palawan is a nice holiday destination although facilities are limited at the moment. However, It has strong potential to become a good competitor to the beaches in southern Thailand especially if Thailand doesn’t wake up from its political problems – I could see this from the number of tourists in El Nido. International food in the Philippines is not as exciting as in Thailand. I found the most delicious food to be the local ones at the bus stations, on the road, etc.
My feeling to PNG is mixed. Almost all the local people I met were very friendly. However, if the Port Moresby authorities don’t take effective actions to improve security at least at tourist destinations like the Parliament House, tourism will be within limited scale – forever.
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