Paradiso Palawan: Palawan Wildlife and Conservation Center

More photos from Palawan Crocodile Farm! J

Baby Crocodiles :)

Smile for the camera..hehe

GO VAN!!!

I'm good with just this hehe..

The Palawan Bearcat or Binturong

Palawan Mynah

Paradiso Palawan: Day 7 - More of Puerto Princesa City

 For our last full day in Puerto Princesa, we did a DIY Tour and again hired Tatay Rey to be our driver/ service for the day. He fetched us early and our first stop is the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm.

So what is it about this prison that makes it unique? Well Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm has a successful program that lets their inmates be"free" and work at the rice fields. Upon entering, you will see hectares of land planted with rice and other vegetables. Crops and produce that they harvest are used for their sustainability and they also sell them to visitors of the farm.

Iwahig Prison also has souvenir shop which also serves as a livelihood program for the inmates. Displayed here are handicrafts, artworks, souvenirs and other items that the inmates made themselves. Items here can be a bit pricey from the regular souvenir shop, but a portion of the sales enables the inmates to send money to their families or buy personal effects.

A very talented inmate who draws pictures on wood using a soldering rod.

After Iwahig Prison, our next stop is the Palawan Wildlife and Conservation Center or commonly known as Crocodile Farm. Although both Arby and I are not a fan of crocs, we hope to see them in action.

Crocodile Farm is open daily from 8:30 - 11:30AM and 1:00 - 4:30PM. Entrance is fee is Php 40.00, Php 30.00 and Php 20.00 for Adults, Senior Citizen and Children respectively. A tour guide is available and will explain to you the life and habitat of crocodiles.

Honestly, this is not my first time in a crocodile farm. I've been visiting one in Davao since I was a kid. Somehow I already have an idea on what to expect but still as we walk on the makeshift bridge, just above the crocodiles, I can't help but feel really scared.

I'm good with this :)

Next in our itinerary is the Butterfly Garden and Tribal Village.

Aside from the pretty butterflies, the place also houses a Palawan bearcat, some crocodiles, birds and other insects. A tour guide is also available and explains the qualities of each creature.

It was a nice surprise that this place also has another attraction which is the Tribal Village. Here they explain the daily life of the indigenous tribe Palaw'an; showcase their skills in handcraft making as well as in hunting.

Some members of the Palaw'an Tribe.

Across the road from the Butterfly Garden and Tribal Village is the road going to Mitras Ranch and Baker's Hill.

As the name suggests, Baker's Hill is famous for their baked goods. Entrance is totally free but food from outside is not allowed. There are few establishments inside the "park" which serve different food choices; from pizza and shakes to meriendas like turon (deep fried banana in spring roll) and pansit palabok.

The Unofficial Prenup Shoot of Arby and Van!

The Official Photographer and "Third Wheel" hehe J

We stayed a bit more in Baker's Hill. Took many many pictures because the place was beautifully landscaped and bought as many goodies as we can! 

So that's it for our last day in Puerto Princesa! I had such a blast from our whole stay in Palawan that I was feeling that kambak-kambak (come back, come back) they're talking about! But hey, no need to be sad because I am definitely coming back!

Paradiso Palawan: Day 6 - City Tour and Iwahig Firefly Watching

Because of the fun dinner the night before, we woke up late the following day. It was past lunch time already and we opted to have lunch at Bona's Chaolong. This place is popular for their affordable Vietnamese food. Although there are a lots of chaolongan in Puerto, this one is the closest to our home.

Beef Stew Noodles (Php 65.00) and Longganisa French Bread (Php 40.00)

I ordered their Special Beef Stew and paired it with Longganisa French Bread. Bona's is pay as you order and self-service; the place is also not air-conditioned so you might feel uncomfortable. This is my first time to eat Vietnamese food so I can't vouch for its authenticity.

Our schedule for the Iwahig Firefly Watching Tour was 7PM that evening, so to kill the time we decided to do a mini city tour. We went to visit the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral and Plaza Cuartel which are just opposite each other.

Inside Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral.

Plaza Cuartel was a garrison where American prisoners were burned alive by the Japanese soldiers way back around the 1800s. Despite the sad history of the place, the plaza is a popular hang out spot as it has a nice view of the ocean.

Lovers at the plaza hehe..

We got hungry from taking pictures and pagtambay at the plaza so we replenished our energy with some coffee and sweets at Itoy's Coffee Haus.

Coffee!!! Hurray!!!

Going to Iwahig, we hired a tricycle for Php700.00 (for all three of us) to take us there and back to Puerto Princesa. We left Itoy's around 6PM hoping to get there before 7PM. Travel time was supposed to be 40-45 minutes only. However, we didn't make it on time due to traffic (sigh).

The boat ride costs Php 600.00 (good for 3 pax.). Strictly no more than 3 passengers per boat. Children are allowed but there is a height requirement. No diving and no night swimming. 

It was a very interesting tour; our boatman was very knowledgeable, telling us trivia's about the fireflies here and there. And even though I don't see his face, he has a very nice voice (pwedeng singer!). He even told us not to hesitate if we have questions.

So you might be asking if I have pictures of the fireflies or of the tour? Well, sadly I don't. Flash from cameras are highly discouraged. According to our boatman, its because fireflies determine the alpha through the light they omit. And because the flash "outshines" them, there is a tendency that they will leave the area. With that, I just relished the experience of watching and observing the fireflies. Besides, seeing them in IRL is definitely worth it!

 After the nakakabitin 40 minute boat ride tour, we asked Tatay Rey (our tricyle driver) to head us back to the town. He dropped us at Kinabuch where we had our dinner and capped the night with some beer J