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Puerto Princesa 2016: The PalaEWAN Trip
4:40:00 AM
This year, God gave us a wonderful blessing. Mom and Dad bought a land and built a house on a hill in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The view of the house is overlooking a magnificent, painting-like view of a bay. Underneath the blue skies and enormous clouds, yachts are floating in the sea in alternating motions. It is definitely a beauty to behold. It is God's gift to Mom.
On the night of our arrival from Manila, we were supposed to go home to eat and rest a bit. Then we would ride a rented van to El Nido. However, the passing "hanging habagat" stopped us from pursuing our plans. So we just decided to spend our days in Puerto Princesa and look for alternatives.
Actually, the whole trip was PalaEWAN for three reasons. EWAN as in ''hindi ko alam'' talaga. I meant this not in a negative way, okay? Uncertainty is good. ((:
1) The house was a surprise.
Mom already showed us some pictures of the house before. But it was beyond my imagination. The house was a confirmation that she was indeed a frustrated architect, carpenter, and engineer. I'm not kidding. She really did a good job. Though the house was clearly not finished yet and there were still some tweakings to be done, I am assured that the outcome would be beautiful. It was a beautiful work in progress. It blends in Palawan.
Most of our time were spent inside the home. But we were more relaxed and comfortable. We cooked and ate in our eco-house. Food was very delicious in Palawan. Fresh sea food is the best! Though it costs more, it can be bought alive and delivered straight to your home. Or you can also buy it in the city market.
We dined out a few times in locally-based restaurants, Ka Inato, Pho Saigon, and Ling Nam.
We celebrated God's faithfulness in Mom's life in Palawan at Ka Inato. The menu was purely Filipino. We dined in the National Road branch. Some of the employees were deaf. I was able to review my international sign language and use it to communicate to a deaf waitresss. I really admire this company for employing people with special needs.
In Pho Saigon, I learned that Vietnamese refugees settled in Palawan to escape from the war during the 1970s. Some Vietnamese were still living in Viet Ville.
Ling Nam was obviously a Chinese restaurant. We dined with the people who sold the land to my parents. Both parties were thankful for the gathering and for the blessed conversations.
We did not go around Puerto Princesa anymore because we already had a city tour before. We ate at the famous Kinabuch's and Ka Lui back then too. So we just focused on fixing and organizing our home. We also played with our pets Shi Jin (the dog fresh from Manila!) and Rabbi, the rabbit.
Mom and I also swam in the pool of the resort nearby. The resort was 20 years old already. Renovations were ongoing because it was not peak season anymore. We were the only ones in the pool except for some strange women who came an hour after. We left after a few minutes.
We also attended the Sunday service at Victory Puerto Princesa where we met wonderful people. I'm praying that God will bring more people to this church.
3) We had no idea what God has in store for us.
Our family bonded well together. There were definitely hard times like the traffic jam at EDSA on the way to the airport and on the way home. What's new?! Actually, most of the mishaps happened during check-in.
On our way to Palawan, we almost missed the Cebu Pacific cargo service for Shi Jin. I kept praying throughout the car ride. We were supposed to arrive there 3 hours before our flight. When we got there at around 2 PM, it was amazing. There was a ban for cargo until 4 PM that day. But it was lifted at 3 PM. They accepted cargo at 3 PM onwards. Wow.
On our way back home, the bicycle became our problem. Instead of availing the cargo service, we just needed to check the bicycle in with us on the plane. The bicycle would not board the same plane anymore if we availed of the cargo. It should have been exactly 3 hours before. So even though it costed more, we checked it in along with two bags that could not be carried on. My Dad and I even got into some drama because of this. Lol. But I learned my lesson to check, double-check, and communicate. ;)
Despite of the uncertainty, we just allowed God to move on our behalf. It really feels good to travel without an itinerary sometimes. Let loose. Let your mind take a break and don't stress yourself out. Beautiful things will unfold.
Next time, let's go to El Nido! ;)
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