We went to Palawan last week, taking advantage the new route of Philippine Airlines from Clark to San Vicente. After two nights in El Nido, we returned to San Vicente to spend our last night in Palawan.
If Palawan has three children, San Vicente would be the middle child. Geographically, it is between its well-known sisters, Puerto Princesa and El Nido. Tourists unconsciously just passed by (or did not notice) this hidden gem for so long. While her famous sisters receive local and international attention, San Vicente silently but consistently bloomed as the next big thing. With its pristine beaches and serene islands now coming to light, its rise to stardom definitely has begun.
We used the same van service to go back to the town. As the people of Palawan are innately kind, the van driver and conductor went out of their way, literally and figuratively, to bring us to our hotel safely. Yeah, with no extra charge.
We booked our one night stay in Victoria Beach House. It is located in Barangay Alimanguan along the famed white Long Beach. After a quick freshen-up and change to swim wear, we hopped into an e-tricycle. It took around 15 minutes for us to get to the port. It was already noon and our rental boat has been waiting for us since morning. The tourism staff recommended the Island Hopping Tour A so that we could still see the highlights of Port Barton despite our limited time.
We were welcomed by a lane of teal-colored boats. The boats are smaller compared to that in El Nido but just as comfortable and safe. The captain and a crew member manned the boat.
Our first stop was Exotic Island where we would have our late lunch. While the boat men cooked our food, we took pictures with contrasts of turquoise water and rock formations behind us. We also did some swimming and people watching with the foreigners from the casual cruise ship playing volleyball nearby as our view. After losing track of their game, we focused on the sumptuous meal served before us.
We then continued our island hopping to the turtle sanctuary. We were able to spot a turtle or two. But we did not get to swim with them in a closer distance as they scurried away due to some foreign tourists touching them.
The boat also stopped in the middle of the sea where we could do some snorkeling before heading out to Barangay Port Barton for the easy hike to Bigaho Falls. This was where I tasted one of the yummiest pancakes that compensated the overpriced buko juice.
Bigaho falls has this subtle beauty that makes you fall in love with it more as the water elegantly flows to its almost straight slope. Of course we braved the cold water to have a ninja/monk moment in one of the stones under the falls.
To cap off our day, a stunning sunset in different shades of orange was revealed to us on our way back to the mainland.
And our visit would not be complete without an unforgettable misadventure of our boat getting stuck on a seaweed farm, unintentionally dragging some seaweed with us.
