Monday, March 24, 2008

Feedback

After two full weeks of rest and relaxation, I had to literally drag myself to work this morning.

Man, was it a struggle.

Memories of Palawan still linger. I had a blast down there. I have always been a Boracay baby but my Puerto Princesa adventures were really something else.

Instead of telling you the cool places in Palawan, I would rather warn you where not to go and who to avoid.

Ready?

1. Royal Oberoi Resort & Hotel - The pictures from its website were taken more than five years ago. So imagine our surprise when we first set foot on the hotel. Talk about false advertisement. Plus, they charged us for an extra night. We were there from 12-17March. Probably, they are not aware of the legal principle: In computing a period, the first day shall be excluded, and the last day included (Civil Code of the Philippines, Art. 13.3).

2. Pares Plaza –They have the most stomach turning goto (rice porridge) I have ever tasted. Not only was it totally bland, their goto was made of what I can only describe as extra sticky rice. In fact, it even stays glued to your spoon. Enough said.

3. Tricycle Drivers – The tricycle is Puerto Princesa’s most common mode of public transportation. Sadly, trike drivers tend to abuse tourists. They have a keen eye on separating the tourists from the local herd. When night time hits, expect their rates to triple. Avoid them like a plague. It would be wiser to rent a scooter.

4. Starfish Island – Most of the islands of Palawan are pure bliss. But this one in particular was a disappointment. Although Starfish Island is privately owned, it appears to have been neglected. Whatta pity.

5. Mosquitoes - Came back to Manila with several huge red spots all over my arms and legs. They itch like crazy and no amount of mosquito repellent has prevented these hellish buggers from attacking.

There you have it. You are now set for Palawan. Enjoy!

33 comments:

pixie27 said...

Ngek ayaw ko ng lamok!!! Gusto ko pa naman pumunta dyan pag uwi namin pinas pero kung lalamukin lang din mga anak ko wag nalang hahaha...Allergy pa naman ako dyan sa mga lamok na yan...Parang ang hirap naman magbakasyon dyan parang di ganun ka-convenient? Tapos kelangan tricycle lang ang transpo?

Raft3r said...

pixie27, Kahit malamok at nakaka-bad trip ang mga tricycle drivers, sulit pa din ang pagpunta sa Palawan!!! Guaranteed panalo ang bakasyon dito!!! Plus, mura food!!!

Payperbiz said...

I thought I could use your story for the Tourism page of our paper's next issue, di pala:( How can Philippine Tourism be promoted kung ganyan?

Raft3r said...

sonnet's, Without any sarcasm, astig sa Palawan! Babalik ako don. =)

Payperbiz said...

siguro if our tourism editor didn't resign, kakampi syo yun kasi she travels a lot, too:) any better suggestions for the tourism page, den?:)

Raft3r said...

sonnet's, You're asking me for suggestions? Naks. Text me your website. Bisitahin ko. Thanks, ha.

Anonymous said...

haven't been to palawan yet, but i hope i can go there with my family. i've heard so much of it.

take care bro!

Raft3r said...

simple life, Punta na kayo. Vacation well spent yan. Take it from me. Ingat lang sa mga lamok. Hehe

malatemail said...

i need to go to an island soon!!!! p.s. i've added your link to my blog. =) - di

coolingstar9 said...

Palawan is a nice place, thanks for your information and advices not supposed to go.
Have a nice day.

Anonymous said...

sa susunod na pupunta ka palawan sama mo nalang ako!!! hehe!

Payperbiz said...

http://sonnetshaven.blogs.friendster.com
This was created through inspiration from an angel named sonnet:) promise to feed me suggestions for the travel page? Our deadline's next week wala pa siyang laman kasi wala siyang editor:(

Raft3r said...

malatemail, Punta tayo!!! Thanks 4 the link.

coolingstar9, Visit Palawan. It will be one heck of an adventure!

romina reyes, Ngayon dumalaw ka na d2. May pasalubong ka na! Hehe

sonnet's, Will visit it tonight! Thanks. =)

Anonymous said...

false advertising, stomach-turning food, abusive tricycle drivers, neglected islands, 'skeeters - just the sort of peeves that can shoo away any unsuspecting tourist. let's see if these can deter me:

false advertising = i hate these instances. but i guess it helps to have "low expectations", even if it is a destination like Palawan. (0 turn-off points)

stomach-turning food = as long as it isn't made from insects, poisoned, spoiled and could *really* ruin my bowels, i think i could live with it. (0 turn-off points)

abusive tricycle drivers = the very reason i bike (mountainbike, specifically). keeps you fit, tipid pa sa pamasahe. (0 turn-off points)

neglected islands = maybe some people don't really know the value of what they have, or maybe they just don't have the financial funds/savvy to invest on a spanking renovation project. (0.5 turn-off points)

'skeeters = where i live (montalban, rizal), they're bigger than houseflies. i don't like 'em (who does?!) especially when they hover so close to my eyes, ears, mouth & nostrils. (1 turn off point)

result: 1.5 turn-off points (out of 5). Yey!!! I can survive this trip!!!

thanks, raft3r! ;-)

Raft3r said...

plankton_dash, Welcome to the Deadbeat Club! Thanks 4 your very interesting insight. ;)

Anonymous said...

mabuti na lang payat ka sa pics :)
(jcp)

Raft3r said...

ebtgbwtt, Nyahaha. Payat naman talaga ako, e. Hehe =P

Anonymous said...

Palawan is paradise!! Care ko sa lamok... babalik talaga ako dyan.. I'm glad you enjoyed it MR. RAFT3R!
-CM

Raft3r said...

cm, next time Coron naman! Yahoo!

Anonymous said...

ganyan talaga.

but I'm sure you had a great time, judging from your pix.

in travel, it's really the good company that makes a difference.

Raft3r said...

best friend, The best ang Palawan!!!

Big Eyed Gal said...

Tsk tsk tsk... kung ako ba naman ang sinama mo (pati si Harold) sa Palawan eh di sana maayos ang iyong paglalakbay dun. LOL!

First off, never ever trust the pictures on the internet. Dapat tumingin ka muna sa lonely planet book sa Powerbooks for tips. But if its cheap naman, has a decent bathroom then go na. Matutulog lang naman kayo dun eh. :-)

A useful tip I got from friends is to eat where there is a long queue. Usually, it means masarap and/or mura ang food don. Baka naman gawaan ng paste yung kinainan nyo? Hahaha!

About the neglected island... wag ka nang magtaka. It's a shame though. Did you go to Lu-Li Island? :-)

Tricycle drivers? Don't get me started with them. Naku! We had this stalker-ish manong tricycle who kept following us. Ask Mishel about this, matatawa yun for sure! Imagine sa sobrang kulit nya pumayag na kami na sya ang transpo namin for 2 days. Ang kulet!!!

Lastly, you should always, ALWAYS bring mosquito repellant whenever you travel. Lalo na dito sa Pinas. Buti na lang di ka na malaria (?) like the son of Ray Langit. Uso pa naman sa ibang parts ng Palawan yun. :-)

Despite everything, I will definitely, definitely go back to Palawan particularly to El Nido! Walang sinabi talaga ang "commercial" na Boracay. :-)

Raft3r said...

big_eyed_girl, I love you talaga! This is probably the longest comment The Deadbeat Club has ever received. Hehe. I wanna go to Coron next time. Mahal El Nido, e. Thanks, ha. You made my day! Had a pretty rough one.

Anonymous said...

Waaah! i had this really long comment, tapos nagka problema with posting! hahaha... anyways, just wanted to ask kung nasaan ung ibang pics :)... thanks for the tips, hope to get to visit palawan rin real soon... I've been hearing about how beautiful it is...In case you're looking for another adventure, i just want to share with you the place we went to nung Holy Week. I don't know if you've heard of it. It's called Anawangin , which is in Zambales... it's a place i just fell in love with.. imagine a beach with pine trees! Kaya lang, honest to goodness camping doon, kasi walang electricity, as in with tents and all. Not sure if that's really your thing though. But you can opt to just take a day trip there and stay at the Punta de Uian resort. One of the resorts there =).. eniweis, just see for yourself nalang... here's the link to my site with the pics >> http://chicoi.multiply.com/photos/album/26/Anawangin_Capones_Punta_de_Uian...

mejo iba iba lang yung quality ng pics kasi it's from 4 different cameras.. hehe, pardon rin the vanity shots, haha! enjoy! ;)

Raft3r said...

mitzi, Hindi pa ba mahaba ang comment mong ito? Hehe. Welcome back! Will visit your multiply site. Mukha ngang maganda. Send ko Palawan pix sa email mo. Vanity shots din. Nyahaha

Big Eyed Gal said...

Hahahaha! Longest comment ba yung akin? Hindi ba yung kay plankton_dash? :-) Ok din daw sa Coron especially if you dive. El Nido is NOT expensive except if you plan on staying in the exclusive resorts. Kami kasi we stayed in El Nido town mismo so the rates are pretty cheap. Even the relatives of Papa M stayed there that time. Neighbors kami! (Stalker-ish na ako. LOL!)
Anyway, hope your days are better now. Miss na kita.

Raft3r said...

big_eyed_gal, In terms of number of words used panalo ka over ke plankton_dash! Hehe. Sana mag-out of town tayo magkakasama uli. Masaya yon. Gaya ng Gallera natin na napagkamalan pa kong rapist ni Suzy! Nyahaha

Big Eyed Gal said...

Bwahahahaha!!! I remember that trip. Nabangag si Suzy when you were turning off the A/C ata. "Koya wag po..." LOL! :-)

Oo nga...Sagada tayo dali!!!

Raft3r said...

big_eyed_gal, Praning talaga si Suzy non! Hehe. Yes, Sagada! Game ako dyan! Kelan? Kelan?

Boracay Hotels said...

Wenks, your right. kung magbabakasyon ka lang, syempre dun na sa satisfied. Yung tipong hindi ka lalamukin, mura nga yung food pero masarap ba? haha.
Kaya mas maganda parin talaga sa boracay.



Tanya Gemarin

Raft3r said...

boracay hotels, Welcome to The Deadbeat Club!

Hoshi said...

good news sa akin at hindi ko naranasan ang mga kabagayan na ito, maliban sa lamok.

anyway, inaasahan na rin naman talagang malamok sa crocodile farm dahil maraming buwaya este halaman.

pero i still like that place.

Raft3r said...

hoshi, Nyahaha. Uso pa naman malaria don.