Glutton At Large In Palawan

Virtually, everything that I experienced - the plane ride, the zip line, the rock climbing, the snorkeling, everything in and about Palawan - in our trip was a first for me. And all firsts surely stick in our memories, don't they? These things are gonna for sho. More so, some of the foods that I've tasted in Palawan for the first time would definitely make it to the list of "Most Memorable's" in my life.

Nikki did a great job in doing her homework. Oh, not my daughter Nikki. My friend-slash-officemate Nikki who planned our Palawan trip. She did great on the research especially the must-taste foods there. In-avail namin lahat 'yun. So among the many firsts I've experienced on this trip is the chance to try these foods for the first ime.

1. Tamilok or Shipworm. I think this deserves to be in the number one spot. I wasn't totally engrossed by this food. I just thought of it like the street food isaw sans the food color and the stick. I honestly couldn't figure what it tasted like. My friends were saying it tasted like oyster. Um-agree na lang ako. Isa lang masasabi ko, makunat siya. Nguya-nguyain mo pa ng 100 times then lunok.

Recommended Store Of Dried Everything For Pasalubong In Puerto Princesa

Nikki and Niño found this store that sold dried everything - fish, pusit, dilis - and other pasalubong items like cashew nuts, banana chips, barquiron. Its owner, Kuya Albert, had been so nice (and honest) to us.

By the way, the best-selling pasalubong was the lamayo daing. That's what was served to us for breakfast in the hotel. Ang sarap, in fair! Unfortunately, I didn't brought (Wrong grammar akish!) bring home just even one pack. Frozen kasi siya. Hindi ko betch magdala on the way back home ng something that would be dripping. Even Vian didn't. Sister ko talaga siya. Hindi din niya betch! Sayang, because Nikki said masarap daw talaga.
 

See? Parang dabarkads lang!

Their price compared to Baguio price, less inexpensive.

Let's Get Lost: Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Did you think I was done writing about our recent Palawan adventure? I did too. I thought wrong, hindi pa pala! ^_^

Whenever I browse our 1000+ photos (I'm serious, we have that many), I feel like I want to upload all of them. But I only have free Flickr account so I can't do that. Unless, of course, I upgrade my Flickr which I don't feel like doing at the moment. I picked some photos na lang and added a little (close to nothing) of my creativity. I would like to share them to you that's why I'm still writing about it. I know, it's been over a week already. Kahit na, blog ko naman 'toh! ^_^

Day 1, 9.3.2012: Touched Down Palawan; KaLui In The Evening

 

I Just Realized, It's A Case Of Bullying

Image Source

Elmer and I noticed, Nikki was, although not intensely, being bullied in school by one girl classmate. This never happened last year when she was in Grade 2. That was her first year in that school and she was never with this girl in the same class.

This classmate's name always comes up during my conversation Nikki on how her day at school went. Sometimes, especially when school year was just starting, her stories were not as pleasant as I would like them to be. There was one time daw during lunch, 'yung mga ayaw na food ng classmate niya na 'to who likes to boss her around too, nilalagay sa baunan niya. That's while she was still eating her lunch. Foul 'yan sa akin. Pero sabi ko, sana sinabihan niya ang classmate niya na 'wag gawin 'yun. Oo daw. There was another time when this same classmate had colds and used tissue paper to clean her nose. When all her used tissue already piled up on her desk, inuutusan daw sila (her and her other classmates) to clean her desk up. Foul sa akin 'yan. I asked her if ginawa ba niya. Hindi naman daw. 

But Nikki admitted, sometimes, she would give in as a way para makisama with that classmate. Otherwise, that classmate would ask their other classmates to not talk to or play with her. Ang bad! Naawa ako kay Nikki nun. Sabi ko, if she doesn't stand up, susugurin ko ang classmate niya! Siyempre joke lang 'yun, at alam niya 'yun. I encouraged her to fight (not physically) or answer back if she knows tama siya.

Say What?!

How are you guys? I have been feeling sick since I came back from the trip. On Tuesday, I was having flu-like symptoms. Good thing that was my last shift for the week. Yesterday, I stayed in the house all day because I had to look after Calli. Pinky took a day off. It would have been best for me to stay in bed and rest but Calli seemed to be loving the perfect weather these days to stay outdoor. Walang humpay sa pagtakbo at pagba-bike sa labas. I would just watch her from our living room while I looked at our Palawan photos at the same time. They're so many I couldn't decide which ones to upload. So I chose the best ones and make collages na lang. That's what I had been busy with yesterday. It was warm outside but I was feeling so cold. Because I wasn't feeling well, I skipped taking a shower. Hihi!

Today, I had a couple of errands to run so I had to be better. I think the fact that it's payday today helped me feel so much better. Immediately after Nikki has left for school, I felt like I wanted to take a shower. Feeling ko ang dumi-dumi ko dahil hindi ako naligo kahapon. Ang dumi-dumi koooo! (Arte lang?) But something like that. To have some fun, I decided that Calli and I take a shower together. I was a little hesitant at first because she's not used to taking her shower that early. Maginaw pa at 7:30AM. She usually takes a shower past 10AM. Anyway. Nikki and I used to do this when she was younger. I thought, I'd do the same with Calli. It's a good chance for a bonding moment and teach (or more like a review) her more of the body parts. 

Before, she would just call her entire lower extremities as paa and her entire upper extremeties as kamay. It's time I showed her which her hita, binti and braso were. She already knew which her tuhod was. Then after --

KaLui Restaurant In Puerto Princesa

I learned from Nikki that KaLui (some would write it as "Ka Lui" but I prefer it written this way just like in its website) Restaurant is a popular, the most famous as a matter of fact, restaurant in Palawan, and that a Palawan trip is not complete without having tried dining at this restaurant. It is a must-visit place in Palawan. Ka Louie (just like saying it as Mang Lui, I guess) is the owner of KaLui Restaurant.

Originally, we planned and had a reservation for us to dine at KaLui on Day 2. But because there was nothing planned to do in the evening of our Day 1, after checking in the hotel and buying little grocery items in the nearby Robinsons Mall, we changed plans. In the afternoon of Day 1, we asked the hotel receptionist to make a reservation for us that evening. Luckily, there was an available table for six in KaLui at 6:15PM. After settling our things in our own rooms and taking quick shower, we had a tricycle ride from Go Hotels Puerto Princesa to KaLui Restaurant.

There was one mistake that we committed. We stopped tricycles from the hotel lobby. Wrong. We were charged P150 per tricycle and one tricycle was only allowed to load three persons. So we had to take two tricycles for the six of us. Tumataginting na P300. We later found out that one tricycle could load more than three persons and per person fare was only P8. Sweet!

Go Hotels Puerto Princesa

My friend-slash-officemate Nikki was the master planner of this Palawan trip all. She wanted a budget-friendly yet super sulit, super enjoyable and super memorable trip (super daming super!),  to which the rest of us who were going agreed. Imagine, five thousand pesos for a four-day stay in Palawan. All-in. Yes, as in, including airfare, hotel accommodation, food, bus fare, van rental, boat rental, UR permit, island fees and every basic need. Cheap, right? Kaya bet na bet kong sumama. Like I always say here in my blog, I am cheap. But due to a change in AirAsia's flight itinerary, na-extend kami ng one day kaya we have to stay there for five days. That means, we have to book for another day of hotel accommodation. So that's an additional expense on us. But not as big as you may think. Mga less than one thousand pesos lang. I'll see if I can make a post later with a detailed list of our expenses for five days.

In March, after booking the flight, for five months, Nikki searched all over the internet - all sorts of blogs, forums and all - for the cheapest everything - hotels, restaurants, van rental service, etc. - in Palawan. It was a perfect timing because Go Hotels Puerto Princesa was on a sale. For P388 per room per night for two persons, we had nothing fancy but a cozy, aiconditioned room that opens and turns power using an electronic key card and that has a super comfy Windsor bed, hot and cold (rain) shower, LCD cable TV, safety vault and the most important free WiFi. P388 lang per night for two persons. Oo, alam ko na nasabi ko na 'yan. Gusto ko lang naman i-emphasize na ang mura talaga niya. Pero siyempre, wala ng free meal 'yun. Abuso naman na, P388 na nga lang. ^_^

Reception Area

The Flight

Forgive me if even this one I still have to write about. Pagbigyan niyo na 'ne? First time ko e. I wanted something to remind me how it felt like the first time I flew. 

☻☺☻☺☻

Despite Dr. Dominguez' don't-worry-about-it-you'll-be-fine advice, I couldn't stop thinking of possible things, embarrassing things, that could happen to me inside the plane. From the time while in the bus on the way to Clark, on the way to DMIA and waiting for the gate to open for boarding, I was really feeling more frightened than excited. Halo-halo na din siguro. But I was good in hiding it. Cool lang. Picture-picture lang with friends.
 

Bus ride from Baguio

Coffee break in Sison bus stop

Sinus Problem And Flying Do Not Go Well Together, True?

After twenty nine years, I finally flew. Yes, I started late. ^_^

Before that happened, I was in a serious dilemma. Read on. (Please?)

So far, I have never been diagnosed of sinusitis. When consulting a doctor, it's always been allergic rhinitis. I didn't lack research about sinusitis. Almost all the symptoms my body show were that of it. That's why I would like to believe that it was sinusitis. After extensive research about this topic, I came to know this: flying with a sinus problem or even with just a bad cold is a bad idea. I totally forgot about this little piece of information until two days before our flight to Palawan.

So I started googling about "sinus problem and flying" and found a number of sites saying things like these:

• "avoid flying with a sinus infection"
• "serious pain and potential complications"
• "rupture of the tympanic membrane in severe cases"
• "excruciating pain about my left eye as the plane starts to land"
• "head feels like it was going to explode" 

I already felt my "head like it was going to explode". That happened, on two separate occasions, when on a bus going down from Baguio to Nueva Ecija. I had a bad cold during that time. I slept all the way from Baguio to Pugo, La Union. When I woke up, it felt like there was something going on from my eyes to my nose to the back of my ears and above my nape. It was like something got trapped inside my head that could not get out. Excruciating really was the perfect word to describe the pain.

Taste Buds At Work: Puno's Cheese Cashew Macapuno Ice Cream And Langka Cheese Cashew Ice Cream

I don't remember exactly when I first learned about this Puno's Ice Cream. I think it was about a year ago from my Sisterful Vian when I was visiting. She mentioned to me how sarap daw talaga this ice cream. That it was incomparable to some commercially known ice cream brands. Of course whose curiosity naman wouldn't be tickled upon hearing that, davah?

But at that time, Mr. (or Mrs. maybe) Puno still had to put up an outlet in Guimba. Closest outlet from Guimba that Vian could think of was in Talavera - two towns and maybe around 30-minute drive away from ours. We dismissed the idea.

Whenever there was a party in the house, we always ordered dirty ice cream from someone who was Muder's suki and family friend. The last time we visited Guimba for Muder's birthday, I couldn't be happier because there's already a Puno's Ice Cream outlet there. Yay!!! So this time, we had Puno's Ice Cream for a change.

I sent Vian and Jerico to buy "enough" ice cream so bahala na sila kung gaano karami. She told me that its price was much cheaper than usual ice cream brands so I handed her P1,000. Sorry guys if I cannot tell you the exact price or even just an estimate price for each because when they arrived from the store, we became too busy with the preparation for the party that afternoon and I forgot about my change na. Surely, I'd spent P1,000 for a 1.9L, a 3.8L, an 80mL ice cream plus Vian's service fee. Haha!

This is how the container looks like.

Puno's Langka Cheese Cashew Ice Cream

I thought it tasted like something really, really familiar to me. After so many scoops of it, that's when I finally figured out what it was. It tasted like halo-halo maybe because of the langka in it. Hansarap!