The Underground River

I just recently returned back from my third encounter with the Phili- ppines. My first take on the country was in Legazpi, where I swam with whale sharks, camped on one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes and explored the black sand beaches of Santo Domingo. My second trip took me to the ancient rice terraces of Banaue where I was offered a rare glimpse into traditional Filipino life, with some villages only accessible by a two hour hike in the jungle. My third and most recent journey took me to Palawan, an island in the southwest part of the Philipines, which contains a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Subterranean River. Quite simply it is an 8.2 kilometer long river that runs underground and empties into the ocean. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I arrived early in the morning in Manilla- 3.00am to be precise. By the time I got through customs and raced through Manilla in my taxi (Manila after 3.00am is a very interesting place to be), it was already almost 5am before I plopped down in my hotel. It was a late start the next day, but I got through my work and before long, evening had arrived and I had a date with a friend.

I took a taxi over to Burgos Street where I met a friend of mine. She is the girlfriend of my friend here in Taiwan, but she is currently living in Manila. We had a few drinks at this nice little open air bar before we had some tasty Filipino barbecue. Afterward, she took me to a bar recommended by our mutual friends in Taipei, and offered me this warning- don't buy any of the girls drinks. Fair warning, I thought, but why was it necessary? Necessary, because she took me to a go-go bar where half naked women dance on a stage and, if the price is right, you can take bar fine her for the evening. I required my friend to stay by my side for the entire evening to keep up appearances that she was "with" me to prevent any of the girls coming over to ask for a drink commission. What can I say, I'm a shy guy. The plan worked and despite the seedy environment, it was actually a really fun night of bar hopping and catching up.


The next day, I took the afternoon off and spent some time around the old Spanish fort in downtown Manila. I have to say- this quarter of the city has completely refurbished my impression of Manila. I began by exploring the fort which is the original part of Manila. From here you could see where the city developed its roots.

The fort itself is a unique antiquity, an anachronistic Spanish citadel in a modern Southeast Asian city. The fort came complete with large, blasting cannons, dungeons, historical buildings, and a modern golf course. That's right, should you fancy the back nine after some historical touring, you can hit up the golf course which winds its way through the moats and barracks of living history.


One of the most interesting components of this of this area was the vantage point it provided of surrounding Manila. Manila is a city of extremes with the amazingly rich and the destitute living side by side. From here, I could see the skyscrapers of the wealthy nestled within the slums of Manila.


After the fort, I shot over to one of the more famous Cathedrals in Manila called San Augustin Church. The artwork in this monastery-now-museum and the religious relics preserved here rival any of the artwork I have seen lavishly displayed in Europe. The craftsmanship of the pieces, the architecture of the church and the overall design of the grounds were truly inspiring.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much more than 30 minutes to linger as I had a plane to catch and this was one flight I was not intending to miss. You see, this flight would result in the final destination I had wanted to visit since first planning my trip to the Philippines three years ago.


My flight, after a 30 minute delay, arrived in Peurto Princesa, Palawan- a long sliver of an island located in the southwest hemisphere of The Philippines. Coming out of the airport, I took a tricycle to my hotel, and then off to dinner at a surprisingly fancy restaurant by suggestion of my driver. However, I am glad I did as this place is actually constructed out on the ocean and connected to land by a long gangplank. The menu served up fine Filipino and western meals and you could top it all down with buko- a young coconut with a hole cut through the top and a straw inserted so you could get at the sweet waters inside.


The following morning was an early one for me. After my complimentary Filipino breakfast of sweet pork, I made my way to the bus station. Today, Palawan is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination and so the most popular method of getting to the underground river is by planned guide. I think this takes the fun out of the adventure and I had no intention of taking a guided tour. Once at the bus station (actually, more like a field in a jungle) I found out that the next jeepney to the Underground River was departing at noon. Seeing it was 8.30am, and a bus was leaving at 9am, I figured that was the best way to go.

When the bus arrived, surprisingly on time, I had two options- I could ride on the roof with the cargo or be seated inside the bus on one of the hard wooden benches. Seeing as I didn't have any sun screen with me, I optioned for the inside. I plopped down next to a window, ensuring a breeze would come my way, and waited patiently for the bus driver to take off.


At about 9.45, we finally pulled out of the station to a restaurant across the street. The bus driver and crew all got off the bus, loaded cold drinks onto the bus, enjoyed a beer themselves, and then hopped back on. Only again to drive across the street and into the gas station to fill up. It was starting to get ridiculous. But the Filipinos on board were patient enough. In fact, there I was stashed into this bus complete with all sorts of locals. Families traveling back from the "city", children taking live chickens back to the farm, all walks of life.


The bus is known as a Christmas Tree Bus because of all the things that are packed on top of it, resembling a Christmas Tree. During the ride, "ornaments" from the xmas tree kept falling off and the bus would have to stop, pick it up, pack it up, and continue on. I was dreading this bus ride a bit because were taking what was known as the "abortion road"- a road so bumpy and unpaved that it was nicknamed as such for the free abortions it resulted in. I always thought this was a funny name considering The Philippines is so intensely Catholic. I was relieved to discover that this road was recently paved, making what should have only been a 9o minute drive into a four hour tour with my new family.


I arrive at around 1pm in Sabang- the harbouring port and jumping off point for the Underground River. I spent a few minutes lounging on the white sand beaches watching the waves roll in, sipping on my coconut juice straight from a coconut itself. It wasn't long before I got my permit and took off for the river. There are two ways to get there- you can either hire a boat or hike over there. Seeing as I was in no hurry, despite the very long bus ride there, I opted for the hike instead. It was a little bit difficult finding the trail head and at one point, I had to recruit a local family to paddle me through the mangroves to the start of the trail.


I finally made it to the Jungle Trail route and began my final leg to this promised destination. It was a two hour hike along the ocean side, through the jungle and up mountanious terrain. But the greatest part was the end when you had to traverse this rickety old platform through this maze of sharp, jagged rock. At the bottom, it let out to the mouth of the cave where I waited for a boat to come.


I joined a group of Filipinos who quickly became my good friends! We got into the boat and our tour guide paddled us into the cave. We went in about 2 kilometers and experienced the most amazing underground river in Asia. This cave was home to bats, stalagmites and stalagtites in the shape of religious personage, and some of the most awe-inspiring cavernous areas I have ever seen. I was really surprised at how large it was inside, and how wide the river was. It took me some time to realize that I was on a boat, underground!

We came out of the cave thus finishing our tour. I got the contact information of my new friends and we still keep in touch about our journey to the Underground River. But we soon parted ways and before we knew it, I was stuck two hours away from the pier, bloody tired and in no mood to hike back. I paid a longboatman 200 pesos to stow me away on one of his ferries back, which he did and I met some more very nice people. In fact, I met one nice guy that was a talent manager in the Philippines. I think he gave my contact information to one of his friends because I got an e-mail a few days later saying hello!

When I got back to Sabang, I found out that there were no more busses or jeepneys back to Puerto Princesa leaving me stranded in Sabang. Obviously, this was not good! Fortunately, there were lots of tour groups hanging around and after some begging, I was able to hitch a ride back with one, again meeting some really great people along the way. One common sentiment all my new friends that day shared was- they couldn't believe I was traveling alone. But I enjoy traveling alone as it really allows you to engage in conversation with lot's of people- meet the locals so to speak. Had I not gone alone that day, I would not have made such excellent friends!

Back in Puerto Princesa, I went out to eat at a local canteen called Kinabuch's. This restaurant has a lot of local and foreign specialies, but there were two things that caught my eyes! The first was a pint of draft San Miguel beer was only 35 pesos, or the equivalent of 75 cents! The second was their specialty- Ceviche Woodworm Mollusk. Essentially, this is a plate of long, raw woodworms served with a dish of vinegar.


With a strong stomach, I twirled one of the worms around my fork like past and dipped it into the vinegar. In doing so, it came unravelled and when I pulled it out, it was dangling down. I lifted it high above my head and tail end first, I lowered it into my mouth. It was terrible. It tasted like I was eating oolong noodles prepared with dirt. I washed down the worm with my cheap and necessary beer and then called it a night.


The following day I decided to do some island hopping. I got on the tour this time as tours were absolutely needed for the island hopping. We did some excellent snorkeling along a stunning coral reef, laid in the sand on white sand beaches, took up sun, swimming, bbqing and really just unwound as the sun and splash made for one of the nicest, most relaxing days I have had in a long time.


The prepared food was to die for, which is odd for the Filipino cuisine. There were green mangos, pork, fresh fish, plantanes, roasted eggplants- all served along the ocean front. Here you can see the food being prepared.


And here is the presentation!


Getting back to Peurto Princessa, I went to the local market where I was sure to purchase my favorite filipino snack- bananaque (fried sweet bananas), then hopped on a plane back to Manila where I caught a connecting flight back to Taipei.


It was a short weekend trip, but it was a great thing for the state of mind. From your river riding spelunker in Palawan, Michael.