The Adventures of the Queen: Underground River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

One of the places I’ve always wanted to visit in the Philippines was Palawan, and I was lucky that last July 2013, I got to be part of the first Palawan Open tournament held in Puerto Princesa. It was a two-day tournament where four teams participated. The first day, the round robin was held and the following day, the quarters, semis and finals. My team bagged first place, all thanks to my very talented and competitive teammates, and I was really giddy that I was awarded Tournament MVP.

From the airport, I rode my friend’s scooter going to his house!

On the third day of our stay, we decided to visit the Underground River. From our teammate’s house where we stayed in Puerto Princesa, it was almost a two-hour ride going to the port. And from there, we had to ride a boat that brought us to the area of the Underground River.

Walking there from the boat, we encountered monitor lizards and naughty monkeys. Since the monkeys are so used to tourists passing by, they automatically think that backpacks and plastic bags have food inside. So when you’re not looking, they sneakily try to open it. One of my friends almost got attacked for playfully mocking one of the monkeys! Another friend left his backpack for a minute and when we looked again, a monkey was trying to open it.

When we got to the area of the Underground River, we waited a while for our boat that would take us inside. The wait isn’t too long as there are always boats going in and coming out. The ride itself takes about thirty minutes to an hour, and I was very fascinated by all the things I saw inside. There are markings, shapes and figures that resemble real people and things. My favorite is the form of the Holy Family on one of the stones.

Underground River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Even though my trip to Palawan was quick and we had no time to go to the beach, it was very memorable. I’m hoping that I can visit Coron, Palawan soon.