We didn't do much on this last day. We only had a few hours in the morning before heading to the airport.
If you are in Palawan, the best items to bring home, aside from pearls, are the fish and the cashews. These we got from the wet market.
As soon as we arrived in the market, a man approached my mother to offer his services as kargador and packer. He followed us around while we bought fish and other pasalubong items. My mother bought the fish as I don't know how to choose the right one. I went off to get dried fish and roasted cashews. When we finished, he weighed all the items for packaging.
We had two options, an ordinary box or a Styrofoam box. For 12 kilos of fish, a styro box with ice will set us back more or less, P500. For the ordinary box, it cost us half as much as the styro. The Packer assured us that the fish will arrive fresh because of the salt, even if there is no ice.
It was packed nice and tight.
After the wet market experience, we made our way to the Tiangge. This was the place we visited on the first night while every one was at the wedding rehearsal. It had lots of souvenir items like food, Palawan shirts, various pearls and other accessories. If you really want to buy perfect pearls or South Sea Pearls (the deep sea pearls that aren't cultured), this is the place to go. You could haggle as much as you'd like. I was able to ask for P2000 discount until I found out that it is cheaper next door. I later found out that it doesn't affect the price whether you are just getting the pearls or the pearls set into jewelry already.
Beware because tricycle drivers will lure tourists to the air-conditioned building. It seems that they'll be given a commission for every sale in that establishment. There's really nothing wrong with that except that it is cheaper on the side, where the air is fresh and there are no security guards. Besides, the nearby stalls also house nice handicrafts made of wood.
Once again, we rode the tricycle back to the hotel.
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The Puerto Princesa Airport is located near the residential area. Though it is considered as an international airport, most of the facilities are similar to most domestic airports.
The arrival area has only one baggage conveyor. So, when flights arrive at the same time, it could get crowded and chaotic. The rest room is kept clean and toilet paper is provided. However, the shiny black tiles are too clean to reflect what's happening inside the cubicle. It's enough if you could hear it. I don't need to see it.
The departure area opens only at certain times. Passengers would have to fall in line outside, in the sun, until the door opens. Once it opens, checking in is a breeze.
What lacks in the airport is a decent place to get food. There are food and souvenir stalls inside the pre-departure area, but the selection is limited to drinks and sandwiches. There are several small restaurants outside the terminal but they are so small that they always don't have what you'd like to order. Since our flight was delayed, I was so tempted to go back to Ka Inato for a late lunch.
What's nice about the place is the massage corner where you can relax while you wait for your flight. If your flight gets delayed for more than an hour, you'd have a hard time amusing yourself. Fortunately, the city is just a few minutes away.
If you are in Palawan, the best items to bring home, aside from pearls, are the fish and the cashews. These we got from the wet market.
As soon as we arrived in the market, a man approached my mother to offer his services as kargador and packer. He followed us around while we bought fish and other pasalubong items. My mother bought the fish as I don't know how to choose the right one. I went off to get dried fish and roasted cashews. When we finished, he weighed all the items for packaging.
We had two options, an ordinary box or a Styrofoam box. For 12 kilos of fish, a styro box with ice will set us back more or less, P500. For the ordinary box, it cost us half as much as the styro. The Packer assured us that the fish will arrive fresh because of the salt, even if there is no ice.
It was packed nice and tight.
After the wet market experience, we made our way to the Tiangge. This was the place we visited on the first night while every one was at the wedding rehearsal. It had lots of souvenir items like food, Palawan shirts, various pearls and other accessories. If you really want to buy perfect pearls or South Sea Pearls (the deep sea pearls that aren't cultured), this is the place to go. You could haggle as much as you'd like. I was able to ask for P2000 discount until I found out that it is cheaper next door. I later found out that it doesn't affect the price whether you are just getting the pearls or the pearls set into jewelry already.
Beware because tricycle drivers will lure tourists to the air-conditioned building. It seems that they'll be given a commission for every sale in that establishment. There's really nothing wrong with that except that it is cheaper on the side, where the air is fresh and there are no security guards. Besides, the nearby stalls also house nice handicrafts made of wood.
Once again, we rode the tricycle back to the hotel.
----------------
The Puerto Princesa Airport is located near the residential area. Though it is considered as an international airport, most of the facilities are similar to most domestic airports.
The arrival area has only one baggage conveyor. So, when flights arrive at the same time, it could get crowded and chaotic. The rest room is kept clean and toilet paper is provided. However, the shiny black tiles are too clean to reflect what's happening inside the cubicle. It's enough if you could hear it. I don't need to see it.
The departure area opens only at certain times. Passengers would have to fall in line outside, in the sun, until the door opens. Once it opens, checking in is a breeze.
What lacks in the airport is a decent place to get food. There are food and souvenir stalls inside the pre-departure area, but the selection is limited to drinks and sandwiches. There are several small restaurants outside the terminal but they are so small that they always don't have what you'd like to order. Since our flight was delayed, I was so tempted to go back to Ka Inato for a late lunch.
What's nice about the place is the massage corner where you can relax while you wait for your flight. If your flight gets delayed for more than an hour, you'd have a hard time amusing yourself. Fortunately, the city is just a few minutes away.
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