Palawan with a Kid: Summary and Expenses

ITINERARY 

DAY 1
6:00- Arrival at Puerto Princesa airport
6:15- Airport-Inn (Tricycle, P10/pax, 10-minutes)
6:30- Check-in at Casa Linda Inn, quick bath
7:30- Breakfast
8:00- City tour:
             Crocodile Farm
             Mitra Farm
             Baker’s Hill (plenty of snacks sold here)
             Butterfly Garden w/ a quick visit to the Palaw'an tribe
            Cathedral and Plaza Cuartel
             Baywalk
14:00- Robinson's Mall for some quick shopping (toiletries, undies, etc)
15:00- Bought tickets and permits for the Puerto Princesa Underground tour the next day
17:00- Dinner at Ka Lui's ( paid P600+ for a suptous meal for 3)
18:00- Visiting shops
19:00- Sleep

DAY 2
6:00- Prepare extra clothes, snacks, mosquito repellent for the tour
6:30- Quick breakfast
7:00- Van pick-up in Casa Linda. Travel to Sabang Beach.
9:00- Arrival at Sabang and registration. Waited for our boat.
9:20- Boat ride to the Underground River (10 minutes)
9:30- arrival at Puerto Princesa Underground River. Waited for 15 minutes for our turn.
9:45- Start of the Underground River "cruise"
12:30- Back in Sabang Beach. Lunchtime.
14:00- Travel back to Puerto Princesa city
16:30- Back in Casa Linda Inn. Rest.
19:00- Dinner at Rene's Saigon (Vietnamese food)
20:00- Beer and chips at Casa Linda's gazebo while the kid is trying to sleep in the room.
21:30- the kid joined us.
22:30- Sleeping time.

DAY 3
8:00- breakfast at Casa Linda Inn
9:30- Palawan Special Battalion WW-II Memorial Museum
10:30- Souvenirs
11:30- Lunch at Badjao Seafront Restaurant  (crabs, clams, shrimps, squid, talakitok,etc etc)
3:00- Flight back to Manila

_____________________________________________________

EXPENSES

Airfare for 3 (Zestair)- P 3,500
Taxi Fare to from airport- P1,000
Casa Linda Inn (2 nights)- P 1,800
Underground River Tour- P3,500
City Tour- P600 (including fees)
Food- P 2,500 (Ka Lui, Badjao Seafront, Rene Saigon, home-made food at the Sabang huts,etc)
Pasalubong- P1,000
Beer and snacks- P500

TOTAL ESTIMATE: 13,400

* If you already booked your tickets, P3,500/pax is a safe amount to bring for a 3D2N stay in Puerto Princesa Palawan.
______________________________________________________

SAFETY

If you want a worry-free travel in Puerto Princesa, follow these tips:
1. Travel during the dry season (Nov- May).
2. Don't go to remote barangays especially those with dense forest areas, swamps, and slow-moving water.
3. Apply anti-mosquito lotions, use DEET stickers, sleep in air-conditioned rooms or use a mosquito net.
4. Don't take medicines. The probability of you and your kids getting side effects is much higher compared to you getting bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Palawan with a Kid: The Casa Linda Experience

Casa Linda Inn is one of the coziest and probably the most affordable inns in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. We were so happy we picked this place over the other "commercial" hotels. In the two nights that we stayed there, we kept saying "It's a good thing we chose this place", "Yeah, it's so sulit" and so on and so forth. The accomodation is definitely one of the main reasons why we really loved our trip.

We wanted to book a hostel/inn because who wants to stay in a typical hotel when you're in Palawan? My top considerations when choosing a place to stay are as follows: the room should have a veranda for drinking and smoking (so that when the kid's asleep we can have our date), it should be close to the heart of the city, it should be squeaky clean, it should serve good food. And voila! Casa Linda has it all plus really friendly staff that would greet you with warm smiles no matter what time of the day.

The casa only has very few rooms (I think fifteen?) and some would stay there for weeks and months, mostly foreigners doing projects/ missions.  It's just a 10-minute ride from the airport and it's just a few steps away (no exaggeration here. It really is just steps away) from the best restaurants of Puerto Princesa like Kinabuch's and Ka Lui.

The entrance

The moment you step inside the door, you can take off your shoes and walk barefoot.

The lobby

We arrived around 7am and after paying at the counter, the staff ushered us to our room. I was pleased by what I saw- the garden, the wooden floors and Sput's silly dancing in the bamboo hallway. We passed by their little cafe and saw a blonde girl inside the kitchen, putting her groceries in the fridge. When we asked the staff if they have a foreigner chef, she said no and explained that guests are allowed to cook in the kitchen for a minimum charge and the fridge is free for everyone to use.

Casa Linda cafe

The cafe has a good menu. We only tried their breakfast which we ate at the gazebo. So delish. We felt so English with our special breads and sausages.

The garden with a gazebo 

On our second night, we wanted to have our date so we bought beer at the nearby convenience store (again, just a few steps away), and put the cans in the communal fridge. We waited and waited for Sput to sleep but she seemed to be enjoying the place so much she can't sleep. She told me " Mommy, I'm alright. You have a date with Daddy". I was so touched by her sweetness. So Hugo and I had our date at the gazebo (no one else was there, it's so silent at night) while we continue to check on her until finally, she joined us. Well...that's life...with a kid.

The pathway towards the room from the gazebo

Lovin' the sawali walls plus the cozy lamp and good airconditioning. Perfect combo for snuggling.

_______________________________________________

PRICE: P900 for a queen-sized bed for three

WHY WE LOVE IT: Cozy, close to the airport, very close to Kinabuch's and Ka Lui, affordable.

WHY WE HATE IT: We don't. 

WIFI: Signal's only in the lobby

KID-FRIENDLINESS: 5/5

CLEANLINESS: 4/5

STAFF: 5/5

OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5

_________________________________________________

CONTACT NUMBER: 048-433-2606

WEBSITE: Casalindainnpalawan

ADDRESS:  Trinidad Road Corner Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City (beside Kinabuch's)

Exploring Tanay with a Kid: Why it's Waaaaay Better Than Malling

We just got back from our quick trip to Tanay, Rizal and once again I was reminded that we don't have to spend a lot in order to have fun. 

Sput's first spelunking adventure- Calinawan Cave, Tanay, Rizal

We explored a cave, had lunch beside a waterfall, climbed up a grotto, and went to Laguna Lake to witness fishermen unload their catch. And how much did we spend? A teeny-weeny super-meager amount of P 850! I'm notalayer. That's cheaper than a Pizza Hut meal for four...or a pair of Forever 21 shorts...or hey, that's cheaper than a regular trip to the mall!

Let's compare.

Trip to the Mall with a kid:

Fare/Gas- P300

Food- P 500

Movie/Timezone/Play Station tickets- P 300

TOTAL: P 1,100

Trip to Tanay with a kid:

FX Fare- P 250

Tricycle Fare (Package which includes all the destinations)- P350

Food- P100 (just bring a canned Tuna and rice)

Cave guide fees- P100 (or any amount you're willing to donate)

Daranak falls entrance- P55 

TOTAL: P 855

___________________________________________

Is a trip to Tanay sulit or whut?! To make it more obvious, let's compare the "value" of these two.

What do you get from a mall trip? 

Sore feet, entertainment, maybe a full stomach, some things (important or not), more credit card debt, maybe some happiness.

What do you get from a spelunking/hiking/camping adventure?

Sore feet, realizing that you are very small and the world is so big, realizing that material things do not matter a lot, good memories, knowledge. For kids: Seeing, smelling, touching real flowers, trees, fishes, rocks. 

What does a trip to the mall teach your child? 

Hmmm...that it's nice to have things, basically. If you're a good parent, the best lesson you can teach them from a trip to the mall is the difference between wants from needs, the importance of hard work (so they can buy the stuff they want). 

What does a spelunking/hiking/camping adventure teach your child?

OMG. 1001 things- life rules like exploring without being reckless to science stuff like why fishes jump and squirm when they're out of the water.

Who gets a little richer every time you visit a mall?

The Sys and the Ayalas and the advertisers and the big brands. 

Who gets a little richer everytime you have a nature trip?

The locals- tricycle drivers, tour guides, small stores, carenderias. And YOU.

Anawangin with a Kid: Summary

We were supposed to spend the holidays in Leyte with my family but when we checked the airline tickets, the cheapest ones cost around P6,000. If we book for three, that's P32,000. Wow! That's not very practical, is it? I hated myself for not booking early but well...all that's done is done (or not done is not done). One of the main reason why I wanted to go home to Leyte is because I promised Sput I'll take her to the beach. "If you feel guilty for it, you should feel guilty for your savings, too.", I thought. So we decided to just go to a beach in Luzon for the holidays and go to Leyte during summer instead (this time we should book months in advance!).  We only spent ~ P6,000 for our 3D 2N stay in Anawangin Cove. Come to think of it, that's just a one-way ticket to Leyte for one person.

_________________________________________________________
THE 4-HOUR COMMUTE

From the Cubao Victory Liner terminal, it took us 3 hours to arrive in Olongapo. We waited 1.5 hours for the next bus bound for San Antonio, then it took us one hour from Olongapo to San Antonio.

I should say this is the hardest part of our trip. It's our first time to commute with our 4-year-old kid...and, for some stupid reason, we decided to do it at night. What was I thinking??? Okay, in my defense, I wanted to have a smooth-sailing boat ride and I heard the sea is calm in the morning, and I thought we could just minimize our expenses by "sleeping" on the bus. We ended up renting a room at 2 am because we all needed some sleep. Lesson learned: Sleep is a very big factor when traveling with kids ( Duh? But it's our first time!). Here's a detailed story of our 4-hour commute to Pundaquit:

Anawangin with a Kid: The 4-hour Commute to Pundaquit

Tip: If you plan to commute with your kids, do it in the afternoon. Have a relaxing night in San Antonio. Big Foot Hostel is cheap but it's decent enough if you have kids. Then wake up bright and early. I think this is the best way to do it.
_________________________________________________________
SAFETY

What's "safe" for us might not be safe for you. Considering that we do all safety precautions -watching over our kid while they're swimming, not letting them explore the "woods" alone, etc, Anawangin is a pretty safe place for kids. You have nothing to worry about the boat ride especially if you do it in the morning but it is known for its very strong undercurrent so even if you're a really good swimmer, don't swim too far from the shore. The 15-minute climb is so easy even 3-year-olds can climb it without difficulty. There were no snakes but huge flies show up when they smell fresh food (grilled tilapia, etc). Read this to know more about the specific safety stuff you want to know when traveling to Anawangin with Kids:

Anawangin with a Kid: How Safe is it?
____________________________________________________________
THINGS TO DO

Hike to Capones Lighthouse

I recommend this to any parent who wants to introduce their kids to the outdoors. It's a pretty easy hike for beginners.
Level of Difficulty: 2.5/5 if you have school-age kids; 3.5/5 if you have toddlers
Duration: High Tide- 20 minutes back and forth, Low Tide- 45 min-1 hr back and forth
Read: Hike to Capones Lighthouse

Trekking in Anawangin/ Climbing up a hill

On the left side of Anawangin facing the sea, there's a hill that's very easy to climb. It is a favorite of many tourists who are not fans of long treks (like myself) as it only takes 10-15 minutes to summit.

Other things to do:
Explore the "woods" and the dead stream whatchamacallit
Make a bonfire (yes, they allow it)
Read: Anawangin with a Kid: 8 Things to Do While in Anawangin

____________________________________________________
EXPENSES:

This is a rough estimate per person for our 3 days/2 nights stay in Anawangin cove:

P 500- Bus Fare Round Trip
P 200- hostel
P   60- Tricycle fare San Antonio- Pundaquit round trip- P60
P 660- Boat Fare (Big Boat)  the Big boat costs P1,800-2,000 and can accomodate up to 10 people.
P 300- camp food and supplies
P   30- trek guide in Anawangin
P 200- entrance fee for 2 nights (P100/head)
_________________________
~P 1950/ head

Tipid tips:
* If you don't have bags, you can just rent the small boat (P900)
* If you have a very small tot, just let him/her sit on your lap. That's P 500 savings.
* For food, don't have a feast! Flies will just swarm your way. Buy canned tuna, salted egg, eggplants instead.
* Water and cooking supplies is included in your boat rental.


That's it! I hope you'll enjoy camping in Anawangin with your tots, too. Totally worth the 4-hour road trip.

Anawangin with a Kid: 8 Things to Do in Anawangin

I grew up in a coastal town. Maybe that's the reason why I'm not that fascinated with beaches like most urbanites. I'm only interested in beaches that have something else to offer aside from sun,sea and sand. Besides, I have a kid in tow so the destination better be really good para sulit ang byahe.That's why when I saw a picture of Anawangin Cove, I knew right away that it's the kind of beach we should visit.

I was right. We stayed there for three days but no one wanted to leave. Anawangin is definitely not your typical beach. Here are some things you should do while in Anawangin:

Let's start with the obvious...

Swimming

Camping

Watching the sunset

Trekking

Exploring the "Woods" and Stream

Sleeping on the grass like an annoying hippie

Making a Bonfire. Yep, they allow it. Just be responsible and don't make a fire so huge you'd cause a heart attack. You can gather dry twigs and leaves in the "woods" (so safe, don't worry!) or if you're too tired to do this, you can just buy a bundle of them at the store for P100 (omg, right? too pricey!). 

Staring blankly at the pine trees 

About Three Backpacks

Hi! Welcome to Three Backpacks. I am Wena, 27-year-old mom of one, and I will document what it’s like to travel the Philippines with a 4-year-old kid in tow.

Sput's first time to see, touch, hear, and smell a beach. Circa 2010. San Juan Beach, Palompon, Leyte

As our little girl gets older, we noticed that she’s turning into a maarte aka high-maintenance chic (says “ewww” and  “oh, come on” with a twang, thanks to Cartoon Network). Although that’s sooo cute right now, we know it would get on our nerves sooner or later.  So now that she’s four, we decided it’s time that she get her hands (a little)dirty, sleep in (slightly) uncomfortable places, endure(a few) hours of bumpy travel and just experience many crazy things with us while we still look good in pictures.

As for Hugo and me, our domestic life is an adventure in itself- lots of crazy fights and boring moments in between. But if we’re to tell you our story, we’d put you to sleep in a minute.  That’s because it’s not really that inspiring…yet. We both love to travel and we used to talk about it before I got pregnant but BAM! life happened so fast we never got the chance to go anywhere.  Fast-forward four years, and we’ve settled in a domestic routine- groceries, TV, prayers before dinner, general cleaning, PTA meetings, malling, preparing the week's menu, paying the bills.  I’m okay with all of that because well…they’re just part of life but I want something more. At the very least, I want to break away from the routine once in a while.

Since Hugo is a mountaineer and I’m a “planner” (organized bitch), I guess we're ready to go exploring. The only concern now is money. I don’t know how we can keep this up while planning for Marion’s college fund and our retirement and our health insurance and…and…oh crap! I guess we’ll just see. 

Holler if you love traveling with your kids! Let’s swap houses and crazy travel stories.