We left El Nido after breakfast, and arrived in Puerto Princesa at around 3:00 pm. Charisse of La Tiara Tours had reserved a room for us at the Airportview Pensionne, a new inn that is literally 156 steps to and from the airport, thus the name.
The rooms are very basic. We got a family room for Php 1,200 (discounted rate. regular price is Php 1,400) so this means everyone in the group had to share Php 300. A steal, I must say! There are two double beds in the air-conditioned room, a TV and a clean private bathroom. Not bad!
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| The hallway in Airportview Pensionne |
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| Family room at Airportview Pensionne |
From Airportview Pensionne, we walked along the highway to look for something to eat. Just a few meters away from the inn, we saw the Lou Chaolong Haus, a hole-in-the-wall eatery serving Vietnamese fare. In Puerto Princesa, you will encounter several “chaolongan” or Vietnamese noodle houses due to the fact that the city had been host to many Vietnamese refugees in the past. If you will review the Southeast Asian map, you will see that Vietnam is just across Palawan, with the West Philippine Sea in between.
The interiors are made of local materials and has a Filipino vibe.
The menu offers a variety of Vietnamese noodle soups like the famous beef stew, and freshly-made baguettes with different fillings.
You may check the menu here: http://louchaolong.wordpress.com/menu/
Hubby ordered garlic baguette and pork noodle soup, while I got beef stew. The broth is warm and rich in spices. The rice noodles are perfectly-cooked. The baguette however is kinda tough. For the price, it’s actually worth it.
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| Baguettes |
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| Pork Noodle Special |
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| Beef Stew Special |
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| Vietnames Chili Sauce |
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| Bean sprouts as condiments |
After eating chaolong at Lou’s, we went pasalubong-shopping. We opted not to go to Tiangge (a popular souvenir shop in Puerto Princesa), as we find the items there too touristy-expensive. Instead, we went to the public market.
At the public market, we found a lot of stalls selling dried fish, as well as lamayo (marinated danggit). I grabbed some lamayo since it isn’t available in supermarkets in Manila, unlike its dried counterpart that you can buy even in SM.
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| Lamayo |
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| A variety of dried fish to choose from |
Palawan is also known for cashew nuts, so we also bought a few packs to bring home.
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| Cashew Nuts |
Shirts, scarfs, pearls, and accessories are also available in the public market at a lower price compared to the ones in Tiangge.
Ref magnets are also available!
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| Palawan Ref Magnets |
My husband bought these cute little rainmakers (Php 10 each), another iconic souvenir item from Palawan.
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| Rainmakers |
After shopping, we went back to the inn to freshen up for our send-off dinner at Tiki Restaurant and Bar. The place is nice but a little too loud for my liking. The food is so-so.
‘Til next year Puerto Princesa!
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La Tiara Tours
c/o Charisse Sanchez
76B Abad Santos St., Lacao ext., Brgy. Maunlad
5300 Puerto Princesa City, Philippines
0917 809 4509
(048) 4342240
latiaratours@yahoo.com
Travelogues by Matet Garcia-Reyes 