The Great Palawan Escape : Tamlangon Island
(28 March 2010)
Tamlangon Island
If you ever find yourself in Quezon Town, Palawan, please do allot a whole day or two for island hopping because there are so many beautiful islands to see, each with their own unique characteristics coupled with some interesting history. This is not Coron but it has its own charm. The fact that its part of the road less traveled makes the experience a little more interesting and a little more special.
Off we were on that bright and beautiful Sunday morning. The wind was strong and the sea was quite choppy that day. The South China Sea waves were high and wide, big enough for us to feel the “roller-coaster-in-my-tummy” sensation from time to time as we went up and down the waves. There were times when we feared for the boat but for the most part, being the daring family that we are, we were enjoying the adventure.
The original plan that day was to first make a stop over at “Mansirik Island” – a small but beautiful sand bar approx 30 mins from Quezon Town by pump boat (I’m really sure how long the ride was as I lost track of time).
Here’s a little story about the place. I was told that back in the 70’s (if I’m not mistaken), Mansirik Island was the spot where a German nudist colony which settled in Palawan, would go and, well, bask naked under the sun. They probably picked Mansirik Island because it was quite far from the town and provided the privacy that the group needed.
I saw the island from a far, I observed that there were hardly any trees save for two palms sticking out from one spot and large rocks that protruded from the sand. Not much privacy if you ask me. I guess the distance from the town was significant enough.
I was looking forward to go on Mansirik. I wanted to see and feel the place. Unfortunately though, the sea was too choppy for us to dock. The waves surrounding the island were coming from all directions and were furiously slamming against each other. It would be almost impossible to get on the island without capsizing. Too dangerous. It was disappointing but the boatman said he knew of a better island which we could go to… and that’s Tamlangon Island.
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Tamlangon Island was about 10-15 mins away from Mansirik, probably even longer as the waves slowed us down. At that point, the waves of the open sea have gotten quite big that they significantly dwarfed the pump boat. I have to hand it to our boatman who skilfully maneuvered the boat across the waves.
As we approached the island… we couldn’t help but hold our breath in anticipation. It looked absolutely beautiful! It seemed so virginal, unadulterated, untouched…and so far away from everything. To make things even better, there was no one on the island except for a few transient fishermen who lived in a hut in a little corner of the island.
Approaching Tamlangon Island
It was paradise and it was all ours! Just imagine, nice fine light flesh sand, a nice long beach, some greenery for you to explore, coconuts ready to be opened, wind blowing on your face, the smell of the sea, no other travellers to share it with… it couldn’t be more perfect.
Tamlangon Island
When we got to the beach my parents went to talk to the transient fishermen while my siblings and I just let loose and went…crazy. We ran along the beach, rolled on the sand, splashed in the water, took jump shots, and acted like we’ve never seen the beach before! THIS. This was the experience I was hoping for – being away from the comforts of civilization. Being there, disconnected from the frazzling urban life, I felt so… connected to the world.
.
Going coconuts
Sammy plays with the Sand
Vicente Skim Boards
There’s an interesting story told to us about Tamlangon. A German man once lived on this little island. He found this place while island hopping and fell in love with it. He decided that he wanted to stay there; to live the simple island life in isolation. …Then again, I wouldn’t bet on the isolation. No man is an island. I’m sure he had some ‘company’ from time to time. I don’t really know much about how he lived and how long he lived there but according to the story, one day, his dead body was found floating near the island. As to why he died, people could only speculate. According to the story I heard, he got drunk, went swimming, and drowned while out at sea. How people would’ve known that is beyond. Quite odd, don’t you think? Whether it’s true or not, it sure does add an interesting little twist to the history of the island.
So there we were playing on the beach. We were so busy having fun that we didn’t realize it was lunch time. We didn’t bring any food with us but there was nothing to worry about because food was abundant on the island. What was for lunch? Freshly caught fish and squid grilled over wood and stone plus freshly opened coconut. (Very Robinson Crusoe). We bought the fish from the transient fishermen living there. We didn’t have any utensils or plates so we had to eat “island style” – leaves, hands, and coconut husks. I gotta say – squid, fish and coconuts never tasted so good. The squid and fish were so fresh and the coconuts were really sweet (Fact: Coconut trees which grow by the sea produce sweeter coconuts than trees found inland)
opening the coconuts
Eating freshly opened coconuts on Tamlangon island
My bro eating coconuts
Island style dining
I know they say you shouldn’t play with your food but if food was this fun. Why not? My sister Joanna ate squid and got the ink all over her hands. Instead of washing it off, she decided to play with it.
Playing around with squid Ink
We couldn’t resist ….
Yah, we’re a little crazy. It runs in the blood.
After lunch and goofing around, we would’ve loved to stay longer although the boatman was getting agitated as the sea was getting rougher. We had no choice but to go. I must say though, it was a great way to really start the trip. I really enjoyed my time in Tamlangon Island. It is one of my favourites.
This is the beauty of taking the road less travelled. You find these little known places…the hidden gems of a destination.. and you have the satisfaction of discovering something new, something wonderful, something different, something not everyone knows about. It’s not every day you get unadulterated enjoyment of the place all to yourself, just like our trip to this island. I bet, as Palawan gains popularity, more and more people will find their way to Quezon Town and more and more people will “find” this little semi-secret island. I guess that’s inevitable but at least we know it was ours for a few hours.
Ok. Next stop… Tabon Caves.
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To see previous Palawan posts, please following links:
1) The Great Palawan Escape (Introductory Post)
2) Arriving in Palawan and Quezon Town
Dear blog of mine and dear friends
Dear friends and family who have been waiting for the other Palawan posts,
Yes yes… I’m so sorry. I know you have been nagging me to continue and I will. Better late than never right? Palawan will still be there, my experiences are, thankfully, noted down (yay for mini notebooks for those random notes to help refresh my memory later)….
More to come. Thanks for prodding me and telling me that you liked the first few Palawan posts!
Beyond the Palawan posts, it inspires me to write more. I wish I could dedicate at least one half day a week of unadulterated, undisturbed time to write. A time when I don’t have to think about other responsibilities, other things on the “to-do” list, other people asking/request me to do this or that, and the hulabaloo and what not’s of daily life.
But well, that’s why we gotta learn to balance it all right?
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Dear blog,
I’m so sorry for not updating you. I have a backlog of content waiting to be written and drafts of the long long over due Palawan trip to be completed. Inspiration comes in the worst of times… when I am in the middle of working. At the end of the day, sometimes I’m just too brain dead to type. That is why I’ve begun meditation to keep me going and to help me focus so that I can do what needs to be done (work) and I still have enough energy to do what I want to do (dance, blog, and what not).
Stay with me, yah hear?
Read MoreArriving in Palawan and Quezon Town
Arriving in Palawan
We arrived at Puerto Princess airport 27 March, Saturday, late afternoon. Joel, our driver and our ad hoc tourist guide/Mr. Popular Palawan (he had friends everywhere!) was was already there waiting for us with the van which we used for the rest of the trip. Before setting off for Quezon, we passed by the grocery and bought mosquito nets, mattresses, candy for the kids we’ll be encountering in Kalatagbak, and some supplies for the first part of the trip. It’s a wonder how we were able to squeeze in the groceries and those mattresses considering the whole family of 7 kids, my parents, ate Lina (a native of Kalatagbak) plus all of our bags already stuffed the vehicle. We managed somehow.
From there, we set off for Quezon town. Because of all the baggage, I was forced to cram into a little corner in the back row. It was an uncomfortable 3 1/2 hour night drive, especially when we passed portions of bumpy dirt roads. Despite the discomfort, there was something about that ride which I liked – the darkness. We drove through long unlit roads. It was a if Palawan’s sights was a surprise and the darkness the gift wrapper. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a place where the only thing illuminating my surroundings is moonlight and where the next street lamp is kilometres away. When I looked up out the window, I saw a deep dark blue-black sky dotted with stars, and when I looked back, I saw nothing but the dust stirred by us driving by, illuminated by nothing but the van’s hind lights. Trailing behind the dust was total darkness that was sometimes broken by the headlights of an occasional vehicle. It was exciting, especially when I opened my window at one point and heard the waves crashing along the shore parallel to the road we were travelling on.
The excitement lingered for a while until my behind began hurt. My legs were beginning to feel stiff and my body needed space to stretch. To make it worse, Sammy, my youngest sister let our her first, “Are the there yet?” line. I was beginning to get really restless. I only relaxed when Joel announced that we were close. “Thank god”, i thought to myself.”
Arriving in Quezon Town
We finally arrived at Quezon around 9pm past and checked in at Joavech Pensionne (scroll below for details on the Pensionne) where we were warmly greeted by Julie, the accommodating and cheerful manager of the pensionne.
Joavech is nice and quaint little place which has everything you need. Don’t expect it be fance but you can sure its affordable, the rooms and bathrooms are very clean, the beds are comfy, and they have air conditioning. For meals, local Palawan fare is served. Lodgers have to talk to Julie in advance regarding the meals as they don’t have a set menu. You may tell her what your meal preferences are and what your budget is and she’ll work around it. What can be cooked depends on what is available in market. They serve pork, beef, chicken, and seafood but I would suggest you go for the seafood. Quezon town is right by the sea therefore, the fish you get is really fresh…and Julie, together with the ‘chef’, cook great simple seafood meals.
Joavech Pensionne, Quezon Town, Palawan
Joavech Rooms are just right if you are not fussy.
Speaking of food, she had prepared for us scrumptious dinner of nice hot Seafood Sinigang and some vegetables (I was too tired to take a picture). It was perfect after a long trip. We were exhausted from all the travelling but excited nonetheless excited since the next day, we were set to go off exploring islets and the Tabon Cave.
28 March 2010, a Quezon Town Sunday Morning
It was nice to wake up to a charming scene after a 3 hour night drive– the orange-y hue of sun rise, little blooming yellow flowers scattered across the lawn…and I was breathing fresh air. I thought to myself, “Hello Quezon, it feels so good being away from Manila!
yellow flowers (I forget the name of this flower)
Quezon town is little town located 155 km South from Puerto Princessa. As the jump off point to the Tabon Caves, it was given the title “Cradle of Ancient Philippine Civilization when archaeologist Dr. Robert Fox discovered the Tabon Man, skeletal remains carbon dated to be 22,000-24,000 years old, in the Tabon Cave Complex. The town is also the access point to some lesser known spots around the area such as Sidanao Island, Double Island, and Tumarbong Falls.
We got up early, shook off the drowsiness, got ready for Sunday Mass, and headed off to the town church to hear Mass. It was Palm Sunday that day, the beginning of Holy Week. We went to buy our own Palms and entered the church. When we arrived, it was almost full. It seem like everyone in this little town was up early this Sunday.
Its always interesting to witness Holy Week in different parts of the Philippines, especially in the provinces. The main rituals remain constant but it seemsevery province injects its own unique way of carrying out this Catholic practice. In Quezon town, they anointed twelve representatives (twelve apostles) tasked to carry out a task for the Church, all throughout Holy Week. I forget what task it was (I think it was to collect donations in different parts of the town).
The Twelve Apostles of Quezon Town
Waiting for the palms to be blessed
After the Mass, we headed back to the pensionne. Waiting for us there was a breakfast of Lamayo (tuyo or dried fish) egg, rice, fruits and instant coffee (no brewer yet ). I noticed that the dried fish in Palawan is different. It’s not as salty and the dried fish that we get in the city and doesn’t have that fishy smell. Even their vinegar is different. It was less acidic and had a nice flavour.
The breakfast
It was a pretty leisurely breakfast. There was a lot of excited chatter about what we were going to do that day. After breakfast, we got ready, boarded the van, and Joel drove us to the Quezon wharf where were supposed to board our pump boat. On the way there, we stopped by the local market to buy some water and food supplies as we were going to be out the whole day. Sometimes, I wonder how alcohol companies come up with brands for their cheap alcohol because while buying water, I saw this…
Yah man, the elixir for vigor.
My sister who was there as well, started joking around with the owner of the store…
Joanna: Sino po umiinom niyan? (who drinks that?)
Sales lady : Ah! babae, lalaki, matatanda. (oh! Women, men, older people)
Joanna : Anong ginagawa nila pagkatapos? (What do they do after??)
Papa: Natutulog! (THEY SLEEP!!)
Sales lady : *tries very not to laugh*
I, on the other hand, could not stop myself from laughing! If you knew my sister, you’d know how she would’ve looked and sounded while asking the question – with that mischievous but clueless look and almost monotone nonchalant tone of voice. Crazy, crazy girl.
We got what we needed we went straight for the warf where the reserved pump boat was waiting. If you stay at Joavech’s, Julie and the staff can help you book a boat for your trip to the Tabon Caves and the surrounding islands. Julie was able to reserve the municipal boat for us. The municipal boat looked slightly bigger and better maintained than the other pump boats. I would think that they reserve the use of that boat for some important people and politicians therefore my family and I felt very V.I.P.(either that or Julie is just really good and goes the extra mile for her lodgers!)
We excitedly boarded the boat and got ready for our destinations – The Tabon Caves and the “Secret Island I refuse to name”.
Travel Tips and Tidbits:
Joavech’s Pensionne
Manager: Julie Abiog-Respicio
Mobile number : +63-9194040054
Postal address: Joavech Cafe & Pensionne, Poblacion, Quezon
Email : vjmarespi@yahoo.com
Room rate : approx Php 600/night
Meals : Php 90-150/meal
Boat : approx 2000/whole day
How to get to Quezon town:
(Travel time: estimated 3-4 hours)
1) Rented Van (contact me/leave a message if you want to get Joel’s contact #)
2) Bus – find them on Malvar St. near Puerto Princessa City Public Market.
For more info you may call:
Municipal Tourism Office of Quezon : 09182390296
The Great Palawan Escape
Welcome to Palawan (taken at the Tabon Caves)
Seven Days in Palawan…
…was not enough to really experience everything that this beautiful island has to offer. One will need to stay about a month and a half or two. There is a whole myriad of things to see and experience – rich forests (some remain unexplored), high mountains, clean flowing rivers and waterfalls, placid lakes, enormous caves, endangered wildlife conservation, bursting marine life, and of course, absolutely beautiful beaches whatever part of Palawan you’re in. If want to go nature tripping, adventure seeking, get a taste of some geological history, and have an out-of-the-box experience…go to Palawan.
“The Great Palawan Escape”, that’s what I call it because it really felt like one. We were away from the city, sometimes without cellphone signal, sometimes without electricity, practically no internet during the whole stay and only a few people knew where I was going off to (I liked the idea of “disappearing” for a while). For seven days my family and I went on an adventure and travelled to different points in Palawan. Being lovers of the road less-travelled, we decided not to go to two of most popular destinations in Palawan - El Nido and Coron. Both are undoubtly very beautiful places and are definitely on my list of spots to travel to, but on this trip, we went elsewhere..(be jealous). Along the way, we made some awesome discoveries, had some cool out-of-the-box experiences and met people with interesting stories to tell about how Palawan is evolving into a place where people are very keen on Sustainable Development (I loved this very much but we’ll talk about that some other time).
Our itinerary was not for the dainty or fussy. My mom, the one behind it all, made sure it would unforgettable for the whole family. When she said, “Make sure your bags are easy to carry around. I prefer you use a backpack if you have one. Bring comfy clothes and rubber shoes”, and wouldn’t tell us the exact itinerary, I knew we were in for something. And “SOMETHING” it was – 7 beaches, 6 islands, 2 (well.. more than) caves, 2 rivers, 1 waterfall, sleeping in a run-down three walled bahay kubo, turbulent seas, mountains, forests, rocky unpaved dirt roads, boat rides.. we hopped from the east side to the west side… in seven days. She kept us constantly wondering about what was coming next.
It was a really awesome trip. There was a lot that we saw, experienced, and definitely a lot learned (not to mention, we had SO MUCH FUN). I shall tell the stories little by little, by destination. For now, I’ll share with you the itinerary…
The Palawan Itinerary
The Itinerary
(Please stay “tuned” for the upcoming posts)
1) Quezon Town : 27 March – 29 March
Highlights : Tabon Cave, Tamlangon Island
2) Kalatagbak : 29 March – 30 March
Highlights : A beautiful spot on the top of the mountains called Balugo, Bagong Pag-asa Foundation, The Bristol family
3) Narra : 30 March – 31 March
Highlights : Crystal Paradise, Rasa Island
*Road to Sabang – 31 March
Highlight : Estrella Falls
4) Sabang : 31 March – 1 April
The Underground River, The Mangrove Forest, Taraw Resort
5) WWF Boat : 1 April – 3 April
Honda Bay, Snake Island, Starfish Island, Pandan Island (we wanted to go to Turtle Bay the seas would not permit).
If you want to go trip like this, don’t forget…
- Bring lots of Sunblock
- (!) Citronella Oil to ward off the mosquitoes and prevent Malaria.
(You can choose to use Off lotion or drink Malaria Prophilaxis, both of which I don’t prefer)
- Acapulco ointment (for insect bites, particularly Nik Nik a.k.a. sand mites)
You’ll need : a trusty driver and rent a van service.
We hired Kuya Joel. He’s a really fun, cool, and quirky guy who loves cracking jokes, telling stories, and joining in on the adventures. Beyond merely knowing how to get to one place to the other, he knows a lot about Palawan…Not to mention he has friends almost everywhere we went (very helpful when you need little extra help from other people)
Name : Joel Danelles
Number: Please contact me if you want to get it.
Facing the Fear
So far, this is the best Hainanese Chicken Rice in Manila
more food photography at foodiemanila.com
*some photos courtesy of Carlos Palma and Maki Eduardo
Anyone whose been to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur will tell you that the food is one of the best things they love about those two places (I have yet to hear otherwise). I’ve been to both and I regularly find myself craving for their local fare. The smells, the flavours, the spices.. oh I miss it. Unfortunately, unlike Singapore or KL, we don’t have hawker centers or mamak stores (Malaysian carinderia) in the Philippines.
One of the dishes I miss the most? Hainanese Chicken Rice (or just Chicken Rice).
For some time now, I’ve been on the hunt for really good chicken rice here in Manila. I’ve come a across some restos and food establishments that serve Singaporean and/or Malaysian fare but they just don’t seem to hit that spot. At the end of the meals, I was often left wanting and only half satisfied.
One day, I came across a post by a popular food blogger praising a dish to high heavens. And I quote: “I’m trying to remember when I last ate something so good I cursed every bite.” She was talking about Stevie’s Hainanese Chicken Rice. Chicken rice that good in Manila? If it is so, I HAVE to try it.
So for our Friday treat, my colleagues and I decided to place our order. We called Stevie on a Thursday to place in our order to be sure its ready the next day. Orders must be made a day before so that they can prepare it fresh. Friday, went to pick it up at 11am so by the time we get back to the office, we’re just in time for lunch.
My colleagues – Carlos and Maki – and I were lucky enough to meet Stevie Villacin himself. When we got there, he was busy in the kitchen but was nice enough to come out to talk to us. We were greeted with a smile by this jovial fellow. He seemed like a really nice person – very warm and sunny. You know what they say about happy chefs… happy chef = happy food = happy eating!
Stevie Villacin
I would’ve wanted to stay longer and find out more about Stevie but he had to go back into the Kitchen (busy day perhaps?). There’ll be a next time for sure. Besides, we were dying to eat.
When we got to the office, we rushed to pantry and took some pictures of the food. Carlos did some food styling while I couldn’t care less about composing my picture as the smell was just beckoning. I took a snap shot and dug in.
Who can give a damn about photo composition when the smell is just beckoning..
As I went to get my share, all poise flew out the window. Shovel chicken into plate. Scoop rice into plate. Dabble sauce on chicken and rice… rush to spoon food in and…oh..my…god. It was damn good. I’d say Stevie can make it better than the Singaporeans/Malaysians (I’m kidding)…if only the chilli was spicier. Stevie had to tone it down for the Filipino palette.
I just kept on going. I’m not quite sure how much I ate but if I’m not mistaken, I think I finished three servings. Yes, this petite little thing ate like a football player today.
Its been a while since just one dish satisfied me like this.
Finally, I found the best chicken rice in Manila (and probably the Philippines??). Now can anyone tell me where to find good Asam Laksa?
Some info:
An order consists of one chicken and on the other tray, the rice. With that comes four sauces – garlic ginger, sweet soy, chilli, and some of the sauce the chicken was cooked in. Its good for 3-5 people, depending on how much you can eat. Chin, the Malaysian partner of my boss was able to finish half an order.
Orders must be placed at least a day before and must be picked up at Stevie’s place. Deliveries are done only for large orders which is equivalent to 8 trays of chicken.
Price: Php 950 / order
Stevie Villacin’s number : 09065084155
Read MoreMy First Official Run – Century Superbods 2010
For race results, please go to the Century Superbods Run website
It feels ecstatically great to finish my first race! And when I found out my run time, I thought, not bad at all.
I was up at 4:15am to be sure to arrive at Bonifacio Global City by 5am on a Sunday. It’s insanely early, even for a morning person. Plus, Sundays are for waking up slow. But there I was at BGC at about 5am on a Sunday – me, and 9000+ other people.
It’s quite amazing to see the number of people who came to be part of the Century Superbods run. I know that a lot of people have chosen to put on those running shoes and have started getting into the running lifestyle. But it’s quite a sight to see them – literally thousands of runners converging in one area in preparation of their chosen run distance. Whatever drowsiness I felt faded when I felt the energy radiating from everyone and everything that morning.
I met up with my friend Maki and we made our way to the stage and starting line. The closer we got to the stage, the more crowded it got. The starting line was literally jam packed with people. It was like a rock concert/rave party out there. The music was booming and a warm up was being conducted for us. The 21k runners were gearing up for gun start as they were first off into the race. Next up were those doing 10k (which Maki took) followed by the 5k runners and then lastly those like me doing 3k.
As the countdown began for 3k, people started cheering excitedly and shouting, “Let’s do this!” and started jogging in place. If that doesn’t pump you up, then I don’t know what will.
10…9…8…7…6 Jog in place. Earphones on? Check. Hi energy running music? Check. Jog in place.
5…4…3…2…1 The buzzer goes off at 5:38. The crowd cheers again, moves forward, and I’m off to my first official run.
The air was cool, dawn was close to breaking and the streets of BGC are nice and wide. The terrain for 3k was relatively flat and easy to run as opposed to where I train – a lot of inclines. We had some cars honking in encouragement (or was it irritation? I couldn’t tell). There were runners I over took while there were runners running like the wind, zooming past me like graceful gazelles with the long strides of their long legs. I kept my pace.
There were times when I wanted to stop and walk a bit. There always are. I promised myself I wouldn’t and I didn’t. It’s just 3k. I told myself – If I was able to do it before, then I could do it again. If can do this, then I can do 5k. So I pushed on until finally, the finish line was in sight. When I saw it, I sprinted and finally crossed the finish.
I felt totally awesome. I didn’t feel tired at all…in fact I think I could’ve run a little more. I’m pretty confident I’ll be capable of running 5k soon enough.
The race wasn’t the end of the mornings events. The sponsors had a lot of freebies and little gimmiks for the finishers. But before being part of all that, Maki, Judd and I decided to go chill at Krispy Kreme where we met up with Maki’s photographer friend, Lawrence. Thanks Lawrence for being the man behind the lens when Maki and I decided to camwhore at the event area.
We ended the morning raiding the booths and taking pictures of ourselves.
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Today, they released the Century Superbods Race results and I was happy with what I saw!
Time : 19 mins and 47 secs
Category : FF (I have no idea what that means)
Category Ranking : 4 (Woah!)
Ranking for the 3k womens division : 77 out of 1072 runners (not bad)
Overall Ranking : 229 (I’m not sure what this mean. Overall of all 3k runners?)
I think I’ll continue training and joining more races!
Patty (me) and Maki hyper after the run