Lori and I had an 11:30am flight to Puerto Princessa that morning. We woke up around 7 and got our morning dose of caffeine at Coffee Bean. I left Lori briefly to head over to the post office to mail some postcards, and hit the ATM. Meanwhile, Lori updated the blog and sent some emails checking in with family and friends. We took a shuttle van that the Pension has available to the airport, after checking our backpacks we boarded the plane for our 1 1/2 hour flight to Puerto Princessa on Cebu Pacific.
We landed in Puerto Princessa (Puerto for short) around 2pm. After exiting the airport we were accosted by multiple tricycle drivers for a lift to anywhere. I said that we were walking and didn't need a ride. As we walked onto Rizal Ave. (the main street) there was a tricycle driver by the name of Chris who was more tenacious than the others. He wanted 100P to give us a ride, and the further we walked from the airport, the cheaper the price got. We agreed on 60P and got in.
We had researched places to stay before landing in Puerto and decided on a hostel called Chilli's Backpacker Hostel which had a double for 600P (300P per person) which seemed to keep us on budget and sounded like a cool place. Chris had not heard of it before, however, and was having trouble helping us locate the place. Not that he didn't try. He asked many other tricycle drivers and we could see how hard it was for him and the other drivers to pronounce Chilli's Backpackers. Instead it was seemingly struggled an sounded like Shilly's Bockpocker.
After riding around for a while, we had him drop us off at a hotel. The prices there were a little too high for us, but we decided to have lunch there anyway and use their free internet to find out exactly where Chilli's was located. We definitely lucked out in missing the ensuing downpour and enjoyed the views. We went ahead and made a reservation online at hostelworld.com for the following two nights at Chilli's but it wouldn't let us make one for tonight. We believed that was just a quirk of the website and were determined to find the place and get it tonight too. This is flying by the seat of your pants traveling, keeping your options open as long as you can.
After we ate and were getting ready to leave, Chris came back to our surprise and asked if we needed a ride anywhere else. We found out where the hostel was and tried to call but there was no answer. He recommended a place to stay for 800P a night. We got in and headed over to another hotel. The prices were more than he was expecting at 1200P a night, but they were willing to charge 800P if we didn't get breakfast which was included in the price. We declined the offer. While we were there we finally got through to Chilli's Backpacker on the phone and received some more detailed directions. So we got back in the tricycle and and headed over.
On the way we stopped at a beach and snapped off some shots. Lori went off in search of a comfort room of some sort. A comfort room or CR is how they refer to the bathroom. She asked a German couple sitting at a covered table and wound up talking for 10 minutes. Eventually I went and hunted her down. They were taking the opposite route through the Phillippines and heading up to Luzon the next day after hanging around Palawan.
While riding around talking with Chris, we wound up deciding to take a city tour with him the next day for 500P. After the beach we continued on and found the main road. Heading east past the airport on Rizal Avenue Extension watch closely for the left turn onto the gravel road into the VRC Camp and the small sign for Chilli's Backpacker on a post. Then it's the two blue roofs with the blue gate just a little way down the gravel road on your left. There is also a large sign on their compound wall.
We were welcomed by Ben and Vic who ran the hostel. Ben is from the UK and relocated to Puerto after meeting his Filippine wife Vic. They opened the hostel back in September and have made it a welcoming place to stay with 2 dorm rooms, and a private room with a double bed, all sharing the same bathroom. The hostel has a bar, laundry service, and will organize excursions for people who want to explore the surrounding area.
After settling in we walked up to the bar for a beer. We talked with Ben and Graham (also from the UK) for a couple hours sipping on San Miguel and Tanduay Rum. Graham is a writer/musician who moved to Puerto for 6 months to finish writing his book. It was funny listening to them talk about the differences between Brits from the north (where Ben is from), and Brits from the south (where Graham is from). Then they were asking me questions like,"What do twinkies taste like?" and, "Which Hip Hop is actually better? West coast, or east coast?".
Sidenote: When we returned from the Philippines we were surprised and saddened to hear that there would no longer be any more Hostess Twinkies ever!
Sidenote: When we returned from the Philippines we were surprised and saddened to hear that there would no longer be any more Hostess Twinkies ever!
We were getting hungry, so Ben suggested we head to Rene's Saigon where they serve up really good Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup or Pho as we call it. If you haven't tried Pho, do yourself a favor and get yourself a bowl right now! The restaurant was 1/4 mile down the road on Rizal Ave Ext and it was amazing after another long day. It wasn't the last time we were going to fill our bellies there either.
Just as we left to walk back to the hostel, the rain started to fall. It was a downpour and within 2 minutes, Lori and I were soaked to the bone. It was actually nice being caught up in a tropical downpour. The water felt cool and the air was still warm. We soaked it up literally and spiritually. Dancing in the rain. On our wedding day in Los Angeles, our wedding procession was actually stopped in its tracks just as it started by a sudden downpour of rain and hail and everyone scattered. In which case, everyone came back out when the coast was clear and we had a take two! Like in the movies. Our friends and family were very positive about the experience. They said it was like a fresh cleansing, washing away the old and bringing in the new.
Back at the hostel, we changed into some dry clothes and sat inside behind the bar counter, which was the driest place to be outside, and had a few more beers with Ben and Graham.
Back at the hostel, we changed into some dry clothes and sat inside behind the bar counter, which was the driest place to be outside, and had a few more beers with Ben and Graham.
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