The first stop was the city market where we discovered stores selling cultured pearls at very affordable prices. We also bought the No. 1 pasalubong from Palawan. Cashew nuts!
As per the advice of our host, we visited Baker's Hill to buy their famous hopia. We also enjoyed picture-perfect moments with the different "figures" in the garden. Snow White and the seven dwarves, Marilyn Monroe, etc.
Of course, a visit to Palawan is not complete without seeing the underground river, one of UNESCO's world heritage sites. Only a short portion of the 8.2-km underground river is navigable and open to tourists. It may be kind of claustrophobic to some, but I enjoyed the stories of the boatman as he guided us through the river while we were viewing the different shapes of stalagmites and stalactites.
After the boat ride, we trooped to the monkey trail. Though some of our fellow hikers gave up as we got far up the mountain, we were challenged to go on until we saw some of the monkeys resting on the tree branches. I was almost breathless, heavily perspiring and my heart was beating too fast but the adventure and the site were all worth it.
