{"id":581,"date":"2013-10-09T14:04:18","date_gmt":"2013-10-09T14:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/?p=581"},"modified":"2025-04-10T17:15:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T17:15:31","slug":"part-ii-the-best-of-palawan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/part-ii-the-best-of-palawan\/","title":{"rendered":"Part II. The best of Palawan"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple of days ago, I started listing my 20 favourite things about Palawan, the Philippines<\/strong>. Today, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m finishing off the list (Missed<\/strong> part I? Read it here<\/span><\/a>)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In no particular order,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What else makes Palawan so great?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

11. Motorcycling through the country side<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0Rent a motorcycle or scooter in El Nido or Coron and ride off into the horizon. Feel the wind in your hair as you take in sweeping landscapes and sleepy villages.
<\/span>Kids on the roadside shout \u00e2\u20ac\u0153HELLOOO!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or hold out their hands for a full-speed high-five. The bike gives you the freedom to stop wherever you want\u00e2\u20ac\u201dmaybe an unexpected mangrove river or a little-visited kingfisher park.
<\/span>Just watch out for half-finished roads full of potholes, especially after heavy rains. If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t drive, you could try your luck by batting your eyes at someone who does and score a ride\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyes, even guys might get lucky! Do whatever it takes\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthis ride is <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> to be missed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"red<\/a>
red dirt roads<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"mangrove<\/a>
mangrove river<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"driving<\/a>
a minimum driving skills needed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

12. The seafood curry at “Squido\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s”, El Nido town<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s huge. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s messy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dirt cheap. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s absolutely delicious. The curry paste comes straight from Madras, and the seafood is as fresh as can be. <\/span>Squido\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s is a French\u00e2\u20ac\u201cFilipino fusion spot, so naturally, the curry is served with\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 mashed potatoes. A surprising combo that totally works. One bite and you’ll be hooked. Just check out this portion for two!<\/span><\/p>\n

\""fruits<\/a>
“fruits de mer curry”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

13. The warm smiles<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0Smiles in Palawan aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tossed around constantly like in some other parts of Asia\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut when they come, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re wide, warm, and genuine.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the perfect place for portrait photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201despecially since people <\/span>love<\/span><\/i> to strike a pose!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>
a child’s smile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"kids,<\/a>
photo as requested by these girls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

14. Sleeping and working in beach shacks<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0Personally? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m obsessed with beach shacks. To me, they <\/span>define<\/span><\/i> the beach life experience. Sleeping on the beach is dreamy\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut working with the sound of waves and rustling palms in the background? Even better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wi-Fi isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly blazing fast on Palawan, but if you can unplug a little, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the ideal place to catch up on some work\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor draft a few thesis chapters in peace.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"getting<\/a>
getting some work done…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

15. Waterfalls and hot springs<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

Two of my ultimate travel weaknesses. The moment I hear those words, I perk up and start planning the route.
<\/span>Palawan has both\u00e2\u20ac\u201dscattered across the island in low-key, little-visited spots. Tranquil, unspoiled, and often just for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"low<\/a>
low key waterfalls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"waterfall,<\/a>
no pushy tourists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

16. It’s Jurassic Park, minus the dinosaurs<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

JP is real\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in Palawan! OK, technically it was filmed in Hawaii, but still…<\/span><\/p>\n

There were moments I looked around and felt like I was standing in a scene straight out of Jurassic Park. And that kind of wild, dramatic beauty is just so exciting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"real<\/a>
approaching jurassic park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Palawan,<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/h4>\n

17. Finding paradise around every corner<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re walking and suddenly…<\/span>
<\/span> You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re biking and suddenly…<\/span>
<\/span> You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re paddling your kayak and suddenly…<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6a little hidden paradise appears. Quiet, welcoming, and utterly perfect. Just for you to pause, breathe, and take it all in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Palawan,<\/a>
surprise!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

18. The\u00c2\u00a0snorkelling<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

No dive license? No problem. Snorkeling in Palawan is just as mind-blowing. The coral is in great shape, the water is crystal clear, and tropical fish dart around like confetti. Sometimes, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even need to get in the water\u00e2\u20ac\u201djust peer over the boat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s edge and watch the underwater world come to life. And as I mentioned in my previous post<\/a>,<\/span> a few shallow shipwrecks are totally snorkelable, too.<\/p>\n

\"wreck<\/a>
wreck ready to be snorkelled<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"snorkel,<\/a>
if you don’t feel like hitting the water, just look out of the boat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

19. Having a cool beer on a deserted beach<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

Even if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in the middle of nowhere, chances are there’s a tiny house or shack nearby, and its owner has a fridge filled with cold beer. For a few pesos, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got yourself a frosty drink on an empty beach. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re lucky, they might even toss in a handful of salted peanuts.<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
cold San Miguel on the beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

20. The insane sunsets<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

I still can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get over how intense<\/em> these sunsets were. Fiery, cinematic, totally unreal. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d return to Palawan just<\/em> for the sunsets. No filter, no Photoshop\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthis is the real deal.<\/p>\n

\"sunset,<\/a>
sunset over El Nido<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

So there you have it, 20 of the best things about Palawan.<\/strong>
Why haven’t you booked your ticket yet?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which travel destination has blown your mind?<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0The post “Part II. The best of Palawan<\/a>” first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A couple of days ago, I started listing my 20 favourite things about Palawan, the Philippines. Today, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m finishing off the list (Missed part I? Read it here) In no particular order, \u00c2\u00a0 What else makes Palawan so great? \u00c2\u00a0 11. Motorcycling through the country side \u00c2\u00a0Rent a motorcycle or scooter in El Nido or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,119],"tags":[5,40,39,44],"country":[220],"class_list":["post-581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-destinations","category-the-philippines","tag-asia","tag-palawan","tag-the-philippines","tag-top-things","post_format-post-format-image","country-the-philippines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4365,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions\/4365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}