Trip to the Philippines – Palawan

In the middle of our trip my dad took us to Palawan for 4 days. It was amazing! Humid, but amazing! 😆
 
It was cloudy and raining most of our time there but we didn’t let that get us down. We stayed at this hotel called Balay Tuko and loved the homey feel of the place. They served us breakfast every morning with a pitcher of calamansi juice and it was delicious!
Main Entrance of Hotel
Main Entrance of Hotel

 

tunnel
Walking through gorgeous pathway to front desk
 
On our first day there we decided to do a city tour and it was great to see different parts of Puerto Princesa. We stopped at many historic sites including a park that was part of World War 2 history, a gorgeous home owned by a governor that overlooked the island, a butterfly sanctuary, and a crocodile farm. The last 2 were really scary for me lol. Make fun of me, go ahead! 😅
 
gov-mitra-house port
 
Our second day we decided to go on the underground river tour. It was absolute pouring rain that day but luckily the Coast Guard said it was still safe to go. I was blown away! But the bats, not so much. They’re just like birds with all their flapping so we don’t like each other lol. Despite the bats, the caves were a sight to see. God’s hand in our Earth was definitely evident in that place, it reminded me of how wonderous nature can be.
 
elephant-mountain
 
Our last full day we decided to go island hopping in Honda Bay. I was looking forward to this part of our trip because of all the things my relatives were telling me about Pandan Island. We almost didn’t get to go because the Coast Guard said it was too choppy to go out that far, but our captain said it wasn’t bad so he risked it and I’m so glad he did! It was so worth it! The beach was beautiful, the water was crystal clear, and the seafood was so fresh and delicious!
 
pandan-island1 pandan-island2 pandan-island3 pandan-island4
 
 
 
Just in our trip to Palawan I took over 350 pictures and videos! I hope these photos entice you to visit this beautiful place. The Philippines has a lot to offer!

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Hello from Palawan!

Hello from the beautiful islands of the Philippines! We arrived in Palawan this morning and just got back from a city tour. We’re planning on visiting Honda Bay, taking a ride through the Underground River, and (of course) eating all the seafood!!! 😀

It’s cloudy and humid here, but still absolutely gorgeous. Check out this view from one of our stops from the city tour – Mitra’s Ranch, a home situated on a mountain. It wasn’t a clear day but you can still see to the ocean and the neighboring islands across the way. Takes my breath away. 

View from Mitra’s Ranch – Puerto Princesa, Palawan

I’ll be posting a couple recaps of the trip when I get back to LA, but if you’re interested in seeing what I’m up to during my travels follow me on instagram – @justkissa.

Til next time!

Xoxo,

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Top 5 Things I Want to Do in the Philippines

I’ve been to the Philippines a few times, but mostly as a young child. The last time I was there was in 2008 and was only there for 1 week. Not nearly long enough to do much except spend time with family, eat as much food as I can, and do 1 touristy trip.

My dad moved back to the Philippines in April of this year, but even before that Charlie and I have been planning a trip back to the motherland for over 2 years. There have been a couple times when Charlie and I were going to go because my mom was having surgeries or cancer treatments there, but she didn’t want us to. She said she wanted to go “next year” when she would be done with treatments and we can enjoy a vacation together. Even though we never got to take that trip I know we’ll be taking this vacation together. It’ll make my mom so happy that we’re going.

Charlie and I are leaving on Dec. 31 (technically our flight is Jan. 1st at midnight) until January 22nd. The main thing I want to do there is spend time with my dad and my Lola (grandma). But of course, my dad has some things planned for us while we’re there. I don’t have much of an itinerary while we’re there mainly because I’m so busy with work and would rather let my dad take care of all the planning lol. We’ll be doing a little bit of business and pleasure as we have some meetings for Ninong’s while we’re in the country. Though I’m going to let my dad plan our itinerary I have a few things that I’m personally looking forward to.
Here are my top 5 things I want to do while in the Philippines:

1. Eat good food! Charlie and I experience different places we travel through their local cuisine and I’m so excited to eat the food there but most importantly my Lola’s cooking. YUMMMMM. Some of the dishes I remember from my childhood that I’m looking forward to eating are: my grandma’s alimango (crab), green mango shake, laing (taro leaves with coconut milk), and lots and lots of seafood! Not just that but more lol!!! The other awesome thing about Filipinos is that we make really good desserts. Hence, Ninong’s passion for pastry. I’m excited to try all the new desserts that they have come up with. It’s so inspirational to see their creativity and I know will inspire us to create new items of our own.

2. Visit the malls. I don’t plan on doing much shopping except to bring back gifts for friends and family, but you can’t go to the Philippines without going to their malls. Their shopping centers are huge! What better way to burn off all the food we eat than walking around a 5 story mall? 🙂

3. Go to a spa. I want to get a nice mani/pedi and a massage. Every girl needs a little bit of pampering once in a while right? In the Philippines spa services are much more affordable so I’m definitely going to take advantage!

4. Do a little bit of sight seeing. Like I said, I haven’t really been to the Philippines since I was young. I have pictures of my cute younger self (I have no idea what happened lol) with a volcano in the background, in front of a waterfall, and fishing on a beach but I barely remember any of those things. Charlie also hasn’t been since he was 2 years old so it would be great for him to see the Philippines and how beautiful it is!

5. Go to Palawan. Everyone talks about Palawan and Boracay being the main attractions when visiting the Philippines. Conde Nast Traveler named Palawan as the Number 2 best island in the world (Number 1 being Boracay). The country has so many islands which means so many beautiful beaches. I’m so excited to go since I heard the beach is beautiful, the beer is cheap, and the seafood is plentiful! Check out those crystal clear waters!

Stay tuned as I’ll be blogging here and there during our vacation with all the happs on where we eat, what we do, and places we visit!

Xoxo,

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