Coron
Posted May 7, 2012 / By Adam and Amanda / 1 Comment
Coron island is off the northern coast of Palawan and it is known for its amazing shipwreck dives. During WWII, a surprise attack led to the sinking of 22 Japanese ships in the area. We had planned our visit to Coron to enjoy this very unique dive site. Our first morning in Coron, I was …
El Nido
Posted April 20, 2012 / By Adam and Amanda / 2 Comments
We had heard some pretty spectacular things about El Nido from our friends Annie and Ronnie, and from other travelers and it definitely did not disappoint. While on the roof of the Jeepney that brought us there, we met a Finnish guy named Dave, who had just finished spending 21 days there. He hadn’t planned …
Sabang and the Underground River
Posted / By Adam and Amanda / 1 Comment
Sabang is the nearest town to the world famous Underground River. It is a small little town along a strip of coastline, that seems like it was relatively untouched by tourism until a few years ago when the popularity of the Underground River exploded after it was named on the list of the Seven Natural …
Puerto Princesa
Posted April 18, 2012 / By Adam and Amanda / 2 Comments
The island of Palawan is known as the last frontier in the Philippines. As a whole, it is still relatively undiscovered and undeveloped. Puerto Princesa served as our gateway to Palawan. We booked a room in a beautiful (and super cheap) hotel called The Royal Oberoi and basically just ate mangoes and went swimming. The …
Family Reunion in Silang
Posted April 12, 2012 / By Adam and Amanda / 1 Comment
For our first visit to the Philippines, I was excited to see some family who had visited the states but also see relatives I had never met. Tito Selit organized a mini-family reunion at the home of one of his sisters, Tita Vicky, in Silang, which is in the province of Cavite, about an hour …
Legaspi
Posted / By Adam and Amanda / 1 Comment
Before we left for Donsol, we had arranged with Tita Chie for her to meet us at the mall in Legazpi. The van driver dropped us off there and we went to meet Tita Chie and her grandson Yacqui. We got a quick bite to eat at the mall, and then I went off to …
Donsol
Posted / By Adam and Amanda / 1 Comment
Donsol is known as the whale shark (butanding) capital of the Philippines (and maybe the world) and that is why we went down there. We had read stories and heard from friends about the possibility of swimming with up to ten of these gentle giants. Ever since I first saw a picture of one, I …
Arrival in Manila and Quezon City
Posted April 5, 2012 / By Adam and Amanda / 4 Comments
After a crazy week of packing and last minute preparations, Adam and I barely make it onto our flight. We are completely exhausted and pretty much sleep the whole way to Taipei. We have a quick layover and fly to Manila. My Tito (meaning “Uncle,” my dad’s cousin) Selit, his daughter Bianca and their driver …