Row,row,row your boat gently down the river, slowly, slowly, slowly please or it will capsize. Boy do I make lame versions of Nursery Rhymes.
But that's pretty much how it was like for an edgy mom to be exploring the Underground River with a hyper 4-year-old tot. That's because one slight movement in the boat and you'll be rocking it. From the dock to the cave, I was an annoying mom, well...more annoying than usual: " Sput, sit down! Please!", "Sput, don't lean!", "Sput, don't keep moving!" while Hugo was just being his usual self, taking pictures and stuff. Geez, what a cool mom, eh? Sure, we had life jackets and hard hats but it's just that I don't want to get wet especially because the water is brown and I did not bring extra clothes.
When we were finally inside the cave, I was amazed by its grandness (and maybe paranoid with other things like the darkness and bat poo) that I forgot about my fear of the boat capsizing. There was a section in the cave that looks like it's straight out from a National Geographic magazine. I'm not exaggerating. I had to blink a few times because it looked like a 3D rock with the milky way as the backdrop. It took my breath away even though I'm not really into rocks.
Sput didn't enjoy it as much as I expected, though. I expected she's get a Dora kind of high. She was more concerned of finding spiders inside the cave instead of finding rock formations. What she found entertaining were the silly monkeys we met on our way back to the beach. She also enjoyed playing with new-found-friends at Sabang Beach. So my tip is, don't be like me. Don't be too paranoid while you're exploring the Palawan Underground River because, trust me, the boat won't capsize. If you're thinking of leaving the kids at home and just enjoy Palawan with the hubs, you will regret it because Puerto Prinsesa is one of the kid-friendliest cities in the Philippines. Sure, the Underground River experience might make you nervous but that's just one of the many things to do in Palawan. And if you learn to control your paranoia, then trip would score ten out of ten.
Puerto Princesa Underground River Summary and Tips:
HOW TO GET THERE:
BUDGET:
TIPS:
* Don't go near monkeys. They will bite you.
* Apply Mosquito Repellent every two hours. Let your kids wear those repellent stickers. Palawan is a paradise but it is known for Malaria. Make sure you're protected.
*Go DIY so you can have your own schedule and pick the resto you want. Details below.
* Let your kids play with the beach kids. That's the kind of experience that will make them grow and it's free.
* Bring a shawl. The sun could get really intense by noontime so make sure your skin is protected. There are batik sarongs sold at P150 in Sabang bu t if you'd rather use that money on something else- like a fresh buko shake- then you know what to do.
*Set one whole day for this. Don't try to squeeze in so many activities in your trip or else you would not enjoy Palawan as much. We left for the Underground River bright and early and we got home to our hostel just before sunset.
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