Of course, after coffee we went to Curves and then to QT. Onward we go to Sun Valley Fabrics to buy some material for the last border on the quilt.
Where we did not go today.....but the Amsterdam did!
Puerto Princesa, Philippines
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Here are the rest of the photos from our magnificent day exploring Puerto Princesa and the Underground River…. What a day!!!!
Postcards from Paradise!
Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines March 7, 2013 Thursday
Our port of call for today, Puerto Princesa, is the capital of the island province of Palawan. Palawan is one of many islands that comprise the country of the Philippines. Once the site of a penal colony during the Spanish regime, Puerto Princesa is the center of a large fishing operation as well as some scattered sawmills.
There are two big draws to visiting this island. One is the fact that it is surrounded with coral reefs and beaches full of resorts and hotels. The second is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. This famous landmark has an underground river that winds through eerie caves for six miles before emptying out into the South China Sea. Normally, we would have taken the tour to see these sites, but most all of us were scard away with the shore excursion's warnings about possible poor tourist infrastructure here. Well, Martha took the tour, and was not disappointed, as everything went off as scheduled. So, if we ever comeback here, we shall take the chance and do it.
Anyway, we did get off the ship by 10am, too late to get the complimentary seashell necklace given to the early disembarkers. Following the ship's map, we found our way uphill to the main street and the major sites of the town. We ran right into a slew of locals with motorbikes with cabs to taxi us to wherever we wished to go. Since we desperately needed the exercise we nicely said no thanks, and they went right to the next customer. No pressure.
The town was bustling with the local people shopping, mostly for food. Locating the marketplace, we entered this maze of food stalls that included fresh fruits and veggies, recently butchered chicken, pork, and fish, and grains of all types. Eggs were sold in abundance....some of them colored a deep pink, which at first we thought was for Easter, but learned they were salted. This market was very crowded, dark, and damp (the floors were concrete and wet with water and whatever). We strolled through there rather quickly, and cannot complain about the smell, since there was no bad odors. Nothing was wrapped, not even the meats. We suspect that everything we saw here today will be sold.
On the way back, we stopped at the cathedral to take better photos of the inside. Outside one of the side entrances was signage describing proper and improper dress for going into the church. A few ladies did reach into their purses and pull out a wrap of some kind. But for the most part, tourists improperly dressed read the warning, and went inside anyway. There were two guards posted at the main entrance, but they said nothing, only stared. A group of Catholic school kids were being escorted into the church continuously all morning. When passing some of these kids, they pulled out their report cards to show us their excellent grades. It surprised us that the card were printed in English. In fact the kids spoke good English to us, then posed for as many photos we could take of them. Sweet.
At the Plaza Cuartel, we witnessed the monument to the American soldiers that died inside a tunnel in this area during WW11. It was the only respite in this hot and humid city that had an abundance of large shade trees, gardens, and fountains. The best part was that there were benches and planters where you could sit and relax, while watching the only small birds we saw in this city.
There was absolutely no place suitable for lunch or even to buy a few beers. We went back to the pier where we combed through the several souvenier stalls for treasures. We did find a unique purse, a t-shirt, and a hunky piece of shocking pink shell jewelry. The vendors were perfectly happy taking the US dollars instead of their pesos. Guess we will spend the rest of the pesos we got onboard when we go to Manila in a few days from now.
After cooling off for an hour onboard, we went out for another shorter walk, turning left inside of going straight. We ran into another church, but it was locked up tight. We did spot Leta and Bill, who had just come out of a hair salon with $5.00 haircuts. They both looked great, and were happy not to have had to spend $30 and $50 for haircuts onboard the ship. Bet they would have come out looking the same. Other guests told us they searched out nail salons for manicures and pedicures, and also places for massages.
Lunch from the sandwich-maker was perfect, and so was the pool water on the aft deck. By 4:30pm, we were ready for the sailaway party, which began with lots of horn tooting. Perhaps there were some locals in their boats too close to us while we were leaving. Must drive the Captain nuts because he cannot dodge these risk-takers. While we were all hanging over the aft railing, we noticed some wasps flying up from the lower decks. Sometimes in these tropical ports, these nasty bugs will be attracted to the whiteness of the ship, but they usually leave quickly. Not so today. The wasps increased in numbers so fast, that it sent all of us running inside. Knowing that their stings can be quite painful, we packed up our stuff, noticing that even the pool was filling up with the writhing bodies. Even the decking was covered with them. Now we wonder if they were being sprayed from down below, making them go crazy.
At dinnertime, we had guests once again, thanks to Martha, who had invited the speaker Aileen and her husband for another meal with our group. Luckily Martha sat next to Aileen, because we worried about conversing with a lady who has been in the company of many famous people, such as the Dali Lhama from Tibet. Unless you have done a lot of traveling in exotic places or have read scores of books on the subject, one feels at odds with casual conversations, or heaven forbid, go into any details on politics. Very difficult to walk that fine line.
Thank goodness tomorrow will be a sea day before arriving to the "Pearl of the Orient", Manila.
Mary Ann & Bill
Our port of call for today, Puerto Princesa, is the capital of the island province of Palawan. Palawan is one of many islands that comprise the country of the Philippines. Once the site of a penal colony during the Spanish regime, Puerto Princesa is the center of a large fishing operation as well as some scattered sawmills.
There are two big draws to visiting this island. One is the fact that it is surrounded with coral reefs and beaches full of resorts and hotels. The second is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. This famous landmark has an underground river that winds through eerie caves for six miles before emptying out into the South China Sea. Normally, we would have taken the tour to see these sites, but most all of us were scard away with the shore excursion's warnings about possible poor tourist infrastructure here. Well, Martha took the tour, and was not disappointed, as everything went off as scheduled. So, if we ever comeback here, we shall take the chance and do it.
Anyway, we did get off the ship by 10am, too late to get the complimentary seashell necklace given to the early disembarkers. Following the ship's map, we found our way uphill to the main street and the major sites of the town. We ran right into a slew of locals with motorbikes with cabs to taxi us to wherever we wished to go. Since we desperately needed the exercise we nicely said no thanks, and they went right to the next customer. No pressure.
The town was bustling with the local people shopping, mostly for food. Locating the marketplace, we entered this maze of food stalls that included fresh fruits and veggies, recently butchered chicken, pork, and fish, and grains of all types. Eggs were sold in abundance....some of them colored a deep pink, which at first we thought was for Easter, but learned they were salted. This market was very crowded, dark, and damp (the floors were concrete and wet with water and whatever). We strolled through there rather quickly, and cannot complain about the smell, since there was no bad odors. Nothing was wrapped, not even the meats. We suspect that everything we saw here today will be sold.
On the way back, we stopped at the cathedral to take better photos of the inside. Outside one of the side entrances was signage describing proper and improper dress for going into the church. A few ladies did reach into their purses and pull out a wrap of some kind. But for the most part, tourists improperly dressed read the warning, and went inside anyway. There were two guards posted at the main entrance, but they said nothing, only stared. A group of Catholic school kids were being escorted into the church continuously all morning. When passing some of these kids, they pulled out their report cards to show us their excellent grades. It surprised us that the card were printed in English. In fact the kids spoke good English to us, then posed for as many photos we could take of them. Sweet.
At the Plaza Cuartel, we witnessed the monument to the American soldiers that died inside a tunnel in this area during WW11. It was the only respite in this hot and humid city that had an abundance of large shade trees, gardens, and fountains. The best part was that there were benches and planters where you could sit and relax, while watching the only small birds we saw in this city.
There was absolutely no place suitable for lunch or even to buy a few beers. We went back to the pier where we combed through the several souvenier stalls for treasures. We did find a unique purse, a t-shirt, and a hunky piece of shocking pink shell jewelry. The vendors were perfectly happy taking the US dollars instead of their pesos. Guess we will spend the rest of the pesos we got onboard when we go to Manila in a few days from now.
After cooling off for an hour onboard, we went out for another shorter walk, turning left inside of going straight. We ran into another church, but it was locked up tight. We did spot Leta and Bill, who had just come out of a hair salon with $5.00 haircuts. They both looked great, and were happy not to have had to spend $30 and $50 for haircuts onboard the ship. Bet they would have come out looking the same. Other guests told us they searched out nail salons for manicures and pedicures, and also places for massages.
Lunch from the sandwich-maker was perfect, and so was the pool water on the aft deck. By 4:30pm, we were ready for the sailaway party, which began with lots of horn tooting. Perhaps there were some locals in their boats too close to us while we were leaving. Must drive the Captain nuts because he cannot dodge these risk-takers. While we were all hanging over the aft railing, we noticed some wasps flying up from the lower decks. Sometimes in these tropical ports, these nasty bugs will be attracted to the whiteness of the ship, but they usually leave quickly. Not so today. The wasps increased in numbers so fast, that it sent all of us running inside. Knowing that their stings can be quite painful, we packed up our stuff, noticing that even the pool was filling up with the writhing bodies. Even the decking was covered with them. Now we wonder if they were being sprayed from down below, making them go crazy.
At dinnertime, we had guests once again, thanks to Martha, who had invited the speaker Aileen and her husband for another meal with our group. Luckily Martha sat next to Aileen, because we worried about conversing with a lady who has been in the company of many famous people, such as the Dali Lhama from Tibet. Unless you have done a lot of traveling in exotic places or have read scores of books on the subject, one feels at odds with casual conversations, or heaven forbid, go into any details on politics. Very difficult to walk that fine line.
Thank goodness tomorrow will be a sea day before arriving to the "Pearl of the Orient", Manila.
Mary Ann & Bill
Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines March 7, 2013 Thursday
Our port of call for today, Puerto Princesa, is the capital of the island province of Palawan. Palawan is one of many islands that comprise the country of the Philippines. Once the site of a penal colony during the Spanish regime, Puerto Princesa is the center of a large fishing operation as well as some scattered sawmills.
There are two big draws to visiting this island. One is the fact that it is surrounded with coral reefs and beaches full of resorts and hotels. The second is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. This famous landmark has an underground river that winds through eerie caves for six miles before emptying out into the South China Sea. Normally, we would have taken the tour to see these sites, but most all of us were scard away with the shore excursion's warnings about possible poor tourist infrastructure here. Well, Martha took the tour, and was not disappointed, as everything went off as scheduled. So, if we ever comeback here, we shall take the chance and do it.
Anyway, we did get off the ship by 10am, too late to get the complimentary seashell necklace given to the early disembarkers. Following the ship's map, we found our way uphill to the main street and the major sites of the town. We ran right into a slew of locals with motorbikes with cabs to taxi us to wherever we wished to go. Since we desperately needed the exercise we nicely said no thanks, and they went right to the next customer. No pressure.
The town was bustling with the local people shopping, mostly for food. Locating the marketplace, we entered this maze of food stalls that included fresh fruits and veggies, recently butchered chicken, pork, and fish, and grains of all types. Eggs were sold in abundance....some of them colored a deep pink, which at first we thought was for Easter, but learned they were salted. This market was very crowded, dark, and damp (the floors were concrete and wet with water and whatever). We strolled through there rather quickly, and cannot complain about the smell, since there was no bad odors. Nothing was wrapped, not even the meats. We suspect that everything we saw here today will be sold.
On the way back, we stopped at the cathedral to take better photos of the inside. Outside one of the side entrances was signage describing proper and improper dress for going into the church. A few ladies did reach into their purses and pull out a wrap of some kind. But for the most part, tourists improperly dressed read the warning, and went inside anyway. There were two guards posted at the main entrance, but they said nothing, only stared. A group of Catholic school kids were being escorted into the church continuously all morning. When passing some of these kids, they pulled out their report cards to show us their excellent grades. It surprised us that the card were printed in English. In fact the kids spoke good English to us, then posed for as many photos we could take of them. Sweet.
At the Plaza Cuartel, we witnessed the monument to the American soldiers that died inside a tunnel in this area during WW11. It was the only respite in this hot and humid city that had an abundance of large shade trees, gardens, and fountains. The best part was that there were benches and planters where you could sit and relax, while watching the only small birds we saw in this city.
There was absolutely no place suitable for lunch or even to buy a few beers. We went back to the pier where we combed through the several souvenier stalls for treasures. We did find a unique purse, a t-shirt, and a hunky piece of shocking pink shell jewelry. The vendors were perfectly happy taking the US dollars instead of their pesos. Guess we will spend the rest of the pesos we got onboard when we go to Manila in a few days from now.
After cooling off for an hour onboard, we went out for another shorter walk, turning left inside of going straight. We ran into another church, but it was locked up tight. We did spot Leta and Bill, who had just come out of a hair salon with $5.00 haircuts. They both looked great, and were happy not to have had to spend $30 and $50 for haircuts onboard the ship. Bet they would have come out looking the same. Other guests told us they searched out nail salons for manicures and pedicures, and also places for massages.
Lunch from the sandwich-maker was perfect, and so was the pool water on the aft deck. By 4:30pm, we were ready for the sailaway party, which began with lots of horn tooting. Perhaps there were some locals in their boats too close to us while we were leaving. Must drive the Captain nuts because he cannot dodge these risk-takers. While we were all hanging over the aft railing, we noticed some wasps flying up from the lower decks. Sometimes in these tropical ports, these nasty bugs will be attracted to the whiteness of the ship, but they usually leave quickly. Not so today. The wasps increased in numbers so fast, that it sent all of us running inside. Knowing that their stings can be quite painful, we packed up our stuff, noticing that even the pool was filling up with the writhing bodies. Even the decking was covered with them. Now we wonder if they were being sprayed from down below, making them go crazy.
At dinnertime, we had guests once again, thanks to Martha, who had invited the speaker Aileen and her husband for another meal with our group. Luckily Martha sat next to Aileen, because we worried about conversing with a lady who has been in the company of many famous people, such as the Dali Lhama from Tibet. Unless you have done a lot of traveling in exotic places or have read scores of books on the subject, one feels at odds with casual conversations, or heaven forbid, go into any details on politics. Very difficult to walk that fine line.
Thank goodness tomorrow will be a sea day before arriving to the "Pearl of the Orient", Manila.
Mary Ann & Bill
Our port of call for today, Puerto Princesa, is the capital of the island province of Palawan. Palawan is one of many islands that comprise the country of the Philippines. Once the site of a penal colony during the Spanish regime, Puerto Princesa is the center of a large fishing operation as well as some scattered sawmills.
There are two big draws to visiting this island. One is the fact that it is surrounded with coral reefs and beaches full of resorts and hotels. The second is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. This famous landmark has an underground river that winds through eerie caves for six miles before emptying out into the South China Sea. Normally, we would have taken the tour to see these sites, but most all of us were scard away with the shore excursion's warnings about possible poor tourist infrastructure here. Well, Martha took the tour, and was not disappointed, as everything went off as scheduled. So, if we ever comeback here, we shall take the chance and do it.
Anyway, we did get off the ship by 10am, too late to get the complimentary seashell necklace given to the early disembarkers. Following the ship's map, we found our way uphill to the main street and the major sites of the town. We ran right into a slew of locals with motorbikes with cabs to taxi us to wherever we wished to go. Since we desperately needed the exercise we nicely said no thanks, and they went right to the next customer. No pressure.
The town was bustling with the local people shopping, mostly for food. Locating the marketplace, we entered this maze of food stalls that included fresh fruits and veggies, recently butchered chicken, pork, and fish, and grains of all types. Eggs were sold in abundance....some of them colored a deep pink, which at first we thought was for Easter, but learned they were salted. This market was very crowded, dark, and damp (the floors were concrete and wet with water and whatever). We strolled through there rather quickly, and cannot complain about the smell, since there was no bad odors. Nothing was wrapped, not even the meats. We suspect that everything we saw here today will be sold.
On the way back, we stopped at the cathedral to take better photos of the inside. Outside one of the side entrances was signage describing proper and improper dress for going into the church. A few ladies did reach into their purses and pull out a wrap of some kind. But for the most part, tourists improperly dressed read the warning, and went inside anyway. There were two guards posted at the main entrance, but they said nothing, only stared. A group of Catholic school kids were being escorted into the church continuously all morning. When passing some of these kids, they pulled out their report cards to show us their excellent grades. It surprised us that the card were printed in English. In fact the kids spoke good English to us, then posed for as many photos we could take of them. Sweet.
At the Plaza Cuartel, we witnessed the monument to the American soldiers that died inside a tunnel in this area during WW11. It was the only respite in this hot and humid city that had an abundance of large shade trees, gardens, and fountains. The best part was that there were benches and planters where you could sit and relax, while watching the only small birds we saw in this city.
There was absolutely no place suitable for lunch or even to buy a few beers. We went back to the pier where we combed through the several souvenier stalls for treasures. We did find a unique purse, a t-shirt, and a hunky piece of shocking pink shell jewelry. The vendors were perfectly happy taking the US dollars instead of their pesos. Guess we will spend the rest of the pesos we got onboard when we go to Manila in a few days from now.
After cooling off for an hour onboard, we went out for another shorter walk, turning left inside of going straight. We ran into another church, but it was locked up tight. We did spot Leta and Bill, who had just come out of a hair salon with $5.00 haircuts. They both looked great, and were happy not to have had to spend $30 and $50 for haircuts onboard the ship. Bet they would have come out looking the same. Other guests told us they searched out nail salons for manicures and pedicures, and also places for massages.
Lunch from the sandwich-maker was perfect, and so was the pool water on the aft deck. By 4:30pm, we were ready for the sailaway party, which began with lots of horn tooting. Perhaps there were some locals in their boats too close to us while we were leaving. Must drive the Captain nuts because he cannot dodge these risk-takers. While we were all hanging over the aft railing, we noticed some wasps flying up from the lower decks. Sometimes in these tropical ports, these nasty bugs will be attracted to the whiteness of the ship, but they usually leave quickly. Not so today. The wasps increased in numbers so fast, that it sent all of us running inside. Knowing that their stings can be quite painful, we packed up our stuff, noticing that even the pool was filling up with the writhing bodies. Even the decking was covered with them. Now we wonder if they were being sprayed from down below, making them go crazy.
At dinnertime, we had guests once again, thanks to Martha, who had invited the speaker Aileen and her husband for another meal with our group. Luckily Martha sat next to Aileen, because we worried about conversing with a lady who has been in the company of many famous people, such as the Dali Lhama from Tibet. Unless you have done a lot of traveling in exotic places or have read scores of books on the subject, one feels at odds with casual conversations, or heaven forbid, go into any details on politics. Very difficult to walk that fine line.
Thank goodness tomorrow will be a sea day before arriving to the "Pearl of the Orient", Manila.
Mary Ann & Bill
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