Yes, it was a holiday

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Frank Norman

I have already made a few posts about my visit to the Philippines. I see that everyone else is putting up there holiday photos, so I might as well join in.

Can’t think why I wanted to visit this place.
It is Sabang, in Palawan, Philippines. Palawan is renowned as an environmental paradise. It is rather pleasant.

Strange creature on the beach

Coconuts and fishing – very tasty

Wouldn’t like to meet this one alive

This seaweed – Lato – is quite delicious
I never thought that seaweed could be so delicious. The variety of wonderful fresh fish is stupendous. The market in Puerto Princessa is great, even at 7 in the morning.

The entrance to the underground river – the “eighth wonder of the world”. Near Sabang.
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Inside the underground river.
It’s really just a big cave with weird-shaped stalagmites and stalactites. I don’t know if it’s bigger or more interesting than other similar formations but it is worth a visit. Water drips on you as you traverse the river by boat. The guides tell you if the water is warm then it is from a bat …

This was outside a pharmacy in Puerto Princessa, Palawan.
For some reason this made me guffaw.

A beautiful window in Santa Ana church, Manila

The Taal volcano in Tagaytay, Luzon
This is a volcano in a lake.

Trees in Sagada, northern Luzon, Philippines
Up north, in the mountains, it does get quite cold. Hence these conifers.

Rice terraces near Banaue, Cordillera province, Philippines. Another eighth wonder of the world.
These terraces date back 2000 years. They really are amazing as a feat of human engineering as well as looking fantastic. They all have elaborate irrigation and drainage systems too. Sadly many terraces are in disrepair as subsistence farming is less appealing to the younger generation.

You just have to keep photographing these terraces

They are irresistible

I’m not sure how this fits in with local building regulations. A bit scary.
Just in case you might have been thinking that this is a Mickey Mouse blog post … you are quite right.

Me with Mickey and Minnie, in Hong Kong Disneyland

About Frank Norman

I am a retired librarian. I spent 40 years working in biomedical research libraries.
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5 Responses to Yes, it was a holiday

  1. Ralph Lasala says:
    March 13, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    cool pics … that cliffhanger house defies all known building regulations

  2. Frank Norman says:
    March 13, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    When you get close to it it actually looks to have quite solid foundations, but I still wasn’t tempted to jump up and down inside it.

  3. Linda Lin says:
    March 16, 2009 at 8:11 am

    nice photos!
    I really enjoyed the Jesus Heals sign, and that red fish is a delicacy in hong kong, glad to see u made friends there too.

  4. Frank Norman says:
    March 16, 2009 at 9:02 am

    Linda – Yes, I thought that pharmacy sign was a hoot. I laughed out loud when we drove past it and just had to go back and take a picture.
    I was a bit lazy posting the pictures. I did mean to go on a bit more about the ecological treasures of Palawan and the astonishing rice terraces and their elaborate drainage all constructed 2000 years ago. The fascinating anthropology of the Cordillera region also merits a mention. I guess I don’t have enough geek in me.

  5. Sharlene Chiu says:
    March 16, 2009 at 1:20 pm

    I’ve been to Cebu, Philippines and seen those exact same homes on the cliffs. They are pretty amazing architectural feats.

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