I can’t believe this is already my 4th trip of the year! Honestly, I’m just so happy and grateful that I get to explore more of the Philippines one trip at a time. The old me would never have imagined having this kind of privilege.

This time, I’m joined by my travel buddies: Sadae, Muy, and Xander. Originally, there were six of us (Yssa and Juswa were supposed to come too), but life happened and they had urgent matters to attend to.

The day of the flight, I was coming from a shift and would be bringing my laptop with me. 

I barely had any sleep, but my friend hit me with "strike a pose imma take a pic" 

so here's me posing while boarding.

After just an hour, we landed in Puerto Princesa and headed to our hotel — Acacia Tree Garden. 

Since we were too early for check-in, our driver suggested we grab lunch at Balinsasayaw Restaurant. The vibe was relaxing until the rain poured, turning the whole sky grey. We ordered sisig, pakbet, daing, and pancit — the ultimate “lutong bahay” spread.

first groupfie in PPS!

Back at the hotel, I squeezed in some rest before logging in for work at night. We ended up skipping dinner but discovered their local delivery app called Happy App, where we ordered chicken wings at midnight. And let me tell you… those wings were worth the calories.

I finished working in the morning and had breakfast at the hotel. Today's agenda was one of the 7 wonders of nature—the Underground River. We booked this joiner's tour through Klook. 

The journey itself was an adventure: winding mountain roads, a quick stop at Buena Vista View Deck, and a 20-minute boat ride to the island.

got some keychains here too!

this was the port

Before entering, we were warned about the monkeys (a.k.a. professional snatchers of sunglasses and snacks). I only spotted one, thankfully.

We were then ushered to the other side to get on a paddleboat. The bats there hated the noise so we were given a device to hear the recorded audio. about the whole tour, in sync with our tour guide.

Entering the cave was surreal — almost eerie. Darkness, dripping water, and bat sounds echoing all around.

Inside, nature flexed its artistry: rock formations shaped like veggies, fruits, even the “Sexy Back” of a woman. There was one that looked so much like Papa Jesus’ face — uncanny resemblance!

 But the one that gave me goosebumps was The Cathedral: a high-ceiling chamber with a stone candle, a Last Supper look-alike, and an altar-like setup. Chills.

At the end of the tour, the guide briefly switched off the flashlight to let us experience how completely dark and silent it is inside. I'm not gonna lie, for someone who fears darkness, that was a nightmare. 

But here we were rowing outside.

Hello, outside world!

.

The whole tour lasted about 45 minutes, followed by a hearty buffet lunch at the port. First time trying lumpiang fish — and I liked it! 

Afterward, we chilled at the hotel pool before heading out for dinner at McCoy’s Pizza House, owned by the family of a TikTok influencer I follow. I ordered their Sizzling Pesto Chicken (with rice of course), plus pizza and carbonara to share. Zero regrets.

it doesn't look super appetizing but trust me this was good!

The next day, we kicked off the day with breakfast, then off we went to Honda Bay for island hopping!

Pambato Reef – Tried snorkeling but freaked out when I realized how deep the waters were. Still managed to feed the fish some bread. Swimming with a life jacket felt like cardio in disguise.

Luli Island – Had lunch here, but not before doing my most daring stunt yet: jumping off a diving board into 10–12 ft water with no life jacket! I was terrified but damn, it felt amazing. (I'm afraid of big open waters, so yes THIS IS A BIG STEP FOR MEEE!!)

Cowrie Island – By then, I was too tired to swim more. Ang tita nyo pagod na kakatalon lol So instead, I cleaned up, ordered a cocktail, and enjoyed the vibe.

I'm so happy they have a bar!

got their Cowrie cocktail

shuta talaga

After the whole thing, we were dropped off at our hotel and I was legit tired this time! 

My age juskooooo 

Later in the evening, we rented a car for a mini city tour and had dinner at Badjao Seafood Restaurant. The place was in a mangrove area, and walking on the narrow wooden path at night was creepy AF.

We capped off the night at Itoy’s Coffee Haus for dessert. Bought a slice of cake since it was almost Xander’s birthday and tried their Biscoff drink (forgot the exact name, lol).

The next morning, everyone planned a group run but backed out when it drizzled. I still went. The roads were wet and muddy, but I wanted to keep up my tradition of running in every new place I visit. What was supposed to be a quick 5k turned into an accidental 10k — because I had no coins for fare, I had to walk/jog all the way back. Grabe kapoyyy

I'm going to try Catalina's on my next visit!

After freshening up, we had breakfast at Hibiscus Garden Resort (their hash browns = chef’s kiss),

 then dropped by Baker’s Hill for pasalubong and cute IG-worthy photo spots.

We returned to the hotel to pack our stuff. 

Sadly, it's uwian time na :(

Just when we thought the trip ended smoothly, PAL said, “Not so fast.” We boarded the plane but had to return to the ramp twice. Eventually, they made us deplane due to “technical issues.” Hours of waiting, confusion, and frustration later, our 2 PM flight was officially canceled at 7 PM. 

Finally, we were able to secure new boarding passes - thanks to Muy's mabusising pangungulit and following up jobs with the ground crews. We didn't have to wait 2 hours in line. Also got some complimentary dinner. (grabe ang gutom ko neto!)

I got home at around midnight na

So tired but thankfully, everybody was safe :)

Palawan was such a sweet escape — quiet, slow-paced, and budget-friendlier than I expected. I’ve only scratched the surface with Puerto Princesa, so El Nido and Coron are definitely on my list for the coming years.

More than the sights, I’m just grateful to God and the universe for keeping us safe and for blessing me with these experiences. 2025 has been filled with nothing but happiness and travels — something I never thought I’d say after everything that happened last year.

Here’s to more gala, more memories, and more safe adventures ahead. ♥