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Bus Trip from El Nido
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My journey out of El Nido was an interesting one. The guesthouse that I was staying in tried to make a reservation for the 6am bus the next morning, full they were told. As I had to connect with a jeep heading to my destination of Port barton at about 11am, it was stated that mine was a priority and one of the other passengers would just have to wait. And that was that. Until the next morning! As it turned out the 6am bus was booked by the local college for a field trip to another sister college south of Puerto Princesa, the regional capital of the island. There wasn't enough room for the students on the bus, let alone the extras that the bus company brought along. I was sitting beside one of the teachers who wasn't very impressed with the antics of the bus company. She told me that it was some of the students first time to visit the main city on the island and you could see the excitement in some of them like a pack of wild goats.

Island Hopping in Port Barton
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My journey on that bus ended at 11:30am, hoping to connect with a jeepney (the elongated covered pick-up unique to the Philippines) to bring my to my destination for the day, Port Barton. All worked out transport-wise, except that it started to pour rain. A really beautiful stretch of beach well hidden from civilistaiton, Port Barton is a place that you could spend a while. For me though it was only really the next day. For some reason it struck me that my visa would expire at the weekend and I needed to get to Puerto Princesa to extend it. The next day on Puerto Princesa was another go at island hopping. Without scenery to rival El Nido, the day went very well. The highlight for me was snorkeling and having an eagle ray glide past me and over the drop off into the deep sea. What a spectacle to see the fish that is about 2m long gliding along in the water. I've even robbed a photo off the net so you can see what it looks like!

The formations and caverns really did make it feel like a journey to the center of the earth

Island Hopping in Port Barton
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From Port Barton, I got a boat to Sabang with a German guy that I met along the way. Famed for it's underground river (supposedly the longest underground river in the world), it actually had the best strip of beach that I had come across so far in the Philippines. No boats bobbing in the water, not too many dogs, a nice laid back tone and sea food to die for, there was plenty on offer. Like Port Barton, I hadn't too much time to hang about. The underground river really was a beautiful experience. Paddled by a local into the cave for a couple of km, with a random passenger holding a lamp strapped to a car battery. Inside the formations and caverns really did make it feel like a journey to the center of the earth. Massive stalactites were suspended all over (possibly part of the reason that you have to wear a helmet on the boat!), a different shape at every turn. Of course the boatman had his own interpretations of what everything was supposed to be.

Island Hopping in Port Barton
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I needed to sort out a few things in Puerto Princesa the next day. I was told that the transport left from Sabang at 7am, 9am, 12pm and 2pm. After a few early mornings on the trot I opted out of the 7am. I made it to the departure point for 8:45am and was shown the sign that said that it was actually a 10am departure. 10am came, 'sorry sir, no jeep until noon'. I ended up leaving on a bus just after 2pm, after it was laden down with crates of fish that had just come in off the sea. There was no hope of making the emigration office or the shipping company that I was hoping to leave with the next day. The bus bumped along what was a really spectacular journey. It was everyone out at one stage to let the bus climb a hill, weighed down by the fish on top.

Sunset in Port Barton
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We made it to Puerto, but too late for me to take care of anything. I really was nervous about facing emigration down the next morning looking for an instant extension on my visa. When I got there next morning I was pleasantly surprised. The girl called the immigration officer in the court where she was on duty, 30 minutes later she came in the door like a bull dog, job done (for about Eu30 of course). My last remaining mission was to get a ticket for the ship that was leaving that afternoon for Iloilo, which would bring me a little closer to 'civilisation'. After queueing for an hour, I got my hands on one of the last tickets for the boat, so all worked out well.

Luxury Speetboat in Port Barton
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The island of Palawan really was majestic and a place that I would love to have had more time and transport to explore. Beautiful scenery and great people, the fact that it's difficult to get there and travel around keeps it off the itinerary of many.