throwback august 2o1o: puerto princesa city tour

Let's finish my Puerto Princesa series, shall we? From the Underground River, to our Honda Bay Tour and now we're down to our last day - our City Tour.

It was a pretty long day before we finally headed back to Manila. Our first stop was Immaculate Conception Cathedral. I can't remember if we went inside or we simply took photos outside. Memory gap! Bawal ang pork, bawal ang beans.. Hehehe.

At the other side of the street is Plaza Cuartel. Wikipedia said "Plaza Cuartel is the restored ruins of an old garrison where Japanese soldiers burned 143 American prisoners of war inside a tunnel and stands as a grim reminder of World War II." Whatever you say, Wikipedia. But come to think of it, the place is indeed historic having witnessed such tragic event from the past. The good though is that they were able to transform it into an informative city park. Check this blog out. Click! Click!

Next stop was Puerto Princesa's own version of Baywalk. Perfect tambayan if we only had the luxury of time. I bet local teenagers flock the place during night time. :P

The highlight of the day was our visit to Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center. It was formerly known as Crocodile Farming Institute dahil hellooo, aside from the mini zoo, crocodiles na everywhere.

We checked out the hatchling house first. There were lots of baby crocodiles separated in different basins depending on their maturity. May mature, may immature. Parang sa tao lang. Choooss!! (para sa pinaghuhugatan ng joke na ito, click here. :P) Hahaha! And by the way, guests are advised to keep a good distance from the basins because some immature baby crocs may snap and leap from their containers. Ouch!

Then we transferred to the older crocodile's den. There is a steel path walk just above the den for the visitors. Silip silip lang from above ang peg. We also watched as the other group fed a crocodile. Tied to a rope was raw chicken; they teased the crocodile with it and eventually let the poor creature have his meal. I took a video and kept shouting as the crocodile snaps. And guess what, I won't let you hear my annoying voice in that video.

Update 07.25.2013

Okay, I give in! Here are the videos. The second one's more entertaining. You're welcome. :)

Next we roamed around the mini zoo. They had ostriches, bear cats, porcupines, different bird species, among others.

Lastly, we had photo ops with a baby croc. If you think about it, this activity doesn't support the welfare of the animal in use. Aside from the fact that the croc's snout is tied with rubber bands, I also saw an incident where the guest dropped the baby croc. But looking at the bigger picture, the funds they get from this activity support, or at least help, in the operation of the entire conservation center. It's really up to the visitors' judgement.

After the long hours spent at the conservation center, we went to Baker's Hill. Tinapay galore. Added bonus was the beautiful place. It's a mix of themed-park vibes and vintagey feel - themed-park vibes due to the looney tunes characters and vintagey feel due to the house, the ornaments and the kalesa. I just had to explain that. Haha!

Last stop before lunch was Mitra's Ranch. Yes, it's owned by the late senator Ramon Mitra. There's a view deck where you can enjoy the beauty that is Puerto Princesa. The place is perfect for just hanging loose, I guess most especially at night. I wouldn't mind lying on the grass while stargazing.

Then we had lunch at Haim Chicken Inato. Ohai there, Mang Inasal. Haha! I'd say it's good but I really cannot tell if it's better than our very own Mang Inasal 'cause I'm no foodie. And oh, they serve inafish too. Funny, eh?

Of course, we dropped by the local tiangges too for pasalubong. Back in those days, since we're still giddy travelers, OA kame magpasalubong. We learned to mellow in time. Sorry parents, sibs, friends and officemates. :P

And then we had to hit the airport wearing our Palawan shirts and matching ethnic necklaces. Excited young girls.