It was time to bid farewell to Siquijor and my new friends. What was unexpected was staying up the entire night with them! I had an early ferry to catch followed by a flight to Palawan, so decided to power through after getting a lift home with a random bunch of locals who wanted no payment in return.
I boarded the boat with a big smile and recalled two compliments that I received that night. A trans woman called me “cozy” which she said meant that she was comfortable confiding in me about her story. A young German who I taught how to dance Galen-style, said I have hearts in my eyes. Bless them.
Summer had hit in full force and I was sweating like a flipping trucker! Some sweat-soaked clothes which didn’t have time to dry were in my waterproof laundry bag and made my luggage overweight at the airport, but the lady was kind enough to let me through after I removed a few things and stuffed them into a carry-on bag.
Palawan First Impressions
The only thing I really knew about Palawan, is that it’s popular among tourists. What I did not expect was how under-developed it is, especially the roads. Taxi apps aren’t in use, so the only option is to negotiate tuk-tuk/tricycle fares. As a somewhat skilled haggler, it was still not cheap or easy to get around on bumpy, back-pounding roads.
Nonetheless, Palawan is extremely lush and mountainous. I checked into a bamboo cabin on a quieter part of the island which was hosted by the most wonderful local family! A friend living in Taiwan, who I had not seen in at least a century and a half, had joined me at this point. We had such a lekker time there.
The one evening we walked through the local fishing village towards what sounded like karaoke. The singing was actually coming from a little chapel. We took seats inside, but at that point the singing had ceased and a very passionate man was giving a ceremonious speech in the local language. The chapel was mostly occupied by bored-looking children. One was fast asleep.
Other days were filled with pure relaxation – mostly on the beaches. At one point a little girl in a coconut tree jumped down and asked my long-haired male friend if he was a girl. This was followed by, “would you like to come have dinner at my house?” On my day of departure, the family who I had lived amongst was trying hard to get a fan to work as they kindly set it up near my sweaty face.
Palawan Snorkeling
My friend had very kindly organised a full-day island hopping slash snorkeling tour in advance, which was fantastic! This set off from the top-most part of El Nido and included 5 stops plus an amazing buffet lunch on the beach. We were a group of 30 people of mixed nationalities, including a group from Manila. It’s wonderful to see locals enjoying their own country by vacationing on the neighbouring islands.
A real highlight was a snorkeling stop at a sunken oil rig, which has been specifically moved in order to create an artificial reef! It was quite spooky looking down at the sunken structure with no base in sight. How they knew where to deploy it so that only the top bit stuck out above the deep water, is quite impressive. Every inch was covered in life. Seeing a baby turtle and a cuttlefish was a highlight.
It was time to head to the northern island of Coron, which involved backpacking across the beach and bouncing across a patched-up wooden hanging bridge. It had been a wonderful time living among the locals. On my final night, a group of youths saw me sitting alone on the beach and insisted that I join them. Only two of them could speak English, but it was all very pleasant company and a hospitable end.
That’s the Filipinos for you.
Next: Philippines #9: El Nido & Coron
Previously: Philippines #7: Pray the Gay Away
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