Inside Undeground River and admitted to never seeing so many in her entire lifetime. It was indeed a fantastic sight, before the city lights cut out natures beauty and we made it back to the lodgings. The next morning was a ride out to Honda Bay in search of a beach for a swim in pristine waters. We only found a pier taking visitors out to various islands and turned back towards the city to find a public beach on the shores of Puerto City itself. We were on our final ride back and it was on our final day in Palawan before we were to board 2GO for our ferry ride back to Manila. Murphy raised his ugly head and we wove into a wobble session for the fifth time! The vulcanizing shop set to work, and our texting resulted in the rental shop owner turning up, giving us his bike, allowing us 5 ‘free’ hours more of rental, and off we went. all the life jackets that had been assigned to each and every bunk for safety- - the sign reading “Your safety is our priority” seemed to be laughing directly at all of us as passengers, and it felt as though we were all being held to ransom in a world without logic. However, Murphy did not visit us as the boat did not sink, and we all made it to port, life jacket naked but safely. We had been hounded by Murphy’s Law on 8 occasions, we had been assisted on each occasion by remarkably friendly locals who helped us to the core of their humanity and we miraculously covered all the ground that we had intended to on our exploration and adventure in the tropical magic that is Palawan Island. The truth is, Palawan is brimming with natural wonders and a haven for divers, boaters, cavers, waterfall lovers, hikers, bikers, natural environmental travellers and has an endless host of magic places to visit. The sign reading “Your safety is our priority” seemed to be laughing directly at all of us as passengers. 38 Alfie saves The Pristine Beach was a gem as we bathed in the waters of the Sulu Sea, and laced ourselves with Rum and cokes. The biking back was a wobble of a different nature, and we returned the bike and Arnold picked us up for our final road trip to the ferry pier. The trip took 36 hours in all, since the boat diverted to go east of Mindoro instead of east, in order to avoid some building swells that were making some passengers anxious. Oh yes, Murphy had also played his part here, because the Depression ‘Mirang’ had caused our departure to be delayed by one day and we finally stepped on land again another day behind our original schedule. The last 3 hours of the ferry ride was into and up the 30 mile length of Manila Bay. Something here had me worried that Murphy might pay us all a visit on board the 2GO ferry, since 3 hours before we docked the crew went around and collected On our journeys we met a host of local and foreign travellers. Everyone with an interesting story to tell: two were from Sheffield University in England on their Asian tour; a Scottish commercial seafarer taking his annual break; a French couple working in Malaysia; another French University student doing his qualifying agricultural trip working on a fish farm in Coron; the Czech Republic couple on their annual adventures. Life goes on enriched by these personal encounters and inspired by the warmth and friendliness of the Filipino people all wrapped up in the endless tropical magic of Palawan. My advice to everyone is, don’t focus on Murphy’s Law, “get on your bike” and visit Palawan, full of a people friendly beyond compare, and full of evidence that it is indeed “More Fun in the Philippines”, since as they say here “Ever Island An Adventure”. Get steeped in that Asian lucky Number ‘8’, and visit at least 8 sites on your trip to at least 8 of the 1,780 islands making up the Last Frontier that is the Palawan Island chain – the only non-volcanic island group in this country of some 300 volcanoes, of which over 25 are active. Cleopatra’s Needle at 1,593 feet is the highest point in Palawan and surrounded by thick luscious green forests running along the mountain range that covers so much of the main island that is home to a host of endemic species including the Palawan Peacock Pheasant (Palawan’s emblem), the Palawan Bearcat, the one-toed otter, the Calamian deer, the Palawan Hornbill and hundreds of other unique species. Go well, Stay well, and enjoy Life’s Journey Get real, Go to Delightful and Friendly Palawan now! *** ** *** Thanks to Murphy, our trip was 8 Days *** ** *** It is definitively More Fun in the Philippines And Murphy’s Fun in Palawan
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