Island Connections

Same island we were on, but now we are at the other end, on the other side, and in a different world.  We left behind the high energy of the adventure tourists in the north and any diesel fumes of city life.  Our new resort is 10km outside of a town, and in fact even a full 3 km off the main road. No tricycles run past this place, only the odd local motorcycle or a cart pulled by a water buffalo or cow. This fairly new establishment is within a coconut grove on the seashore and has very little in the way of population around it. Gone are the sounds of horns and engines, replaced by birdsong and the occasional thump of a falling coconut and a coconut leaf . I was warned not to walk too close to the tree trunks.

On our last evening the resort gave us dinner on the beach. They had 5 bonfires set up ready to be lit, and as the night went on, each bonfire got its turn.  No feeding the fire, once it died down the next one was sent up in flames. There was a buffet table and eating tables with linen and place settings set out for the four couples at the resort, and they even had a fellow with a guitar serenading us with songs from the 70’s. It was a glorious evening under the stars with a gentle breeze coming off the ocean, and a good celebration of our final night there.

One of the reasons we came to the town of Narra in southern Palawan was to locate family members, some not seen for 55 years and only a distant memory. We found them. They are a boisterous group who eagerly enfolded us and proudly showed us the best spots of their region. Their family occasions remind me much of my own. Food is the hub around which everything else radiates. A trip to a waterfall became a picnic. A boating excursion over to a little island was a reason to eat and drink and let the little kids swim… and swim some more.  And then they collected clams to cook up once we got back to the main island, just in case anyone was hungry.

Hubby is enjoying revisiting the past and mentally connecting the branches of a convoluted family tree, basically trying to fit those 55 years into four days.He has been grilling the older relatives about names, places, and dates, and finding his own spot in an ever expanding universe of family.  Big bang theory, proven.

There is a string of mountains running the length of Palawan, and the island isn’t so over populated as some parts of the Philippines. This means that there are still a few wild animals in the mountains. What we saw were mostly wild monkeys. Wild in the sense that they are not yet tame, but they are certainly habituated to people. They follow you around and steal off picnic tables. One poor young lady was startled by a monkey jumping up beside her as she was going down steps towards the picnic area, causing her to drop the buns she was carrying. Score one for the wild side.

At the National Park that encompasses the Underground River, there are monitor lizards. These are large reptiles with a snake-like tongue that lumber over the ground and mostly ignore people. Hard to do when so many tourists were sticking cameras in front of them.  Including us.

Since the naming of the Underground River as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World, the Philippines have done a smart thing. They have limited the number of visitors and how far into the cave these visitors can travel. Out of an 8 kilometer stretch of river, we were only allowed to see the first kilometer and a half. There is still plenty to see, as the cave is long and winding and has all the best cave features, like stalactites and tall ceilings and bats. They have tried to keep it all natural, so there are no lights attached inside the cave; only a battery powered one on the boat. Still, it is hard to get that feeling of isolation when your boat is only one of a half dozen paddling through the darkness. Yes, they have put a cap on tourists: only 900 can visit in a day. Sounds like a lot, but there is so much demand that it is fully booked usually 3 or 4 days in advance. And then you also have to add in the "politically approved" permits.

  

We didn’t mind the delay in getting there. It gave us another opportunity to snorkel and island hop. I think this could be addictive.

W