halfwhiteboy

Today everyone seems to be flocking to see the famed Underground River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, especially after it was named as one of the New 7 Wonders of the Natural World last year. People come in droves! But ten years ago, this wasn't the case at all. This Throwback Thursday post is not about the Underground River, though. Instead, it's about our little journey getting there. Me giving that Robin Padilla stare on one of the beaches we came across with during our trek. I was with a colleague from our local office in Puerto Princesa then, and after a three-hour bumpy jeepney ride ( now the roads are all concrete ), we found ourselves at Sabang Beach, the jump-off point. As to how to actually get to the Underground River, we were faced with two options: first, by a very easy, no-sweat 20-minute boat ride; or second, via an approximately 2-hour arduous trek. Thinking of how pointless our 3-hour trip would be if we just took a boat, we went with the latter option.

This is about my experience a month ago at Sheridan Beach Resort & Spa in Sabang, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, of which I wrote about in length in this blog. It wasn't all bad, to be honest, but after writing an overdue review in TripAdvisor last week, I emailed them to point out some areas they should address and improve on. I wasn't expecting it but they emailed me a letter of apology signed by Mr Edgardo Tongco, their Corporate General Manager, which I'm publishing in full. Thank you to Sheridan's Management for the reply. Now I'm looking forward to have these kinks ironed out because it really is a shame since their resort is really beautiful. I hope this will no longer be the case on my next visit.

Yes, it's been almost ten years since I've first been to Palawan's famed Underground River . Now it's officially been named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature , so I thought it was high time to revisit the place. Besides, My Bibe has never been there before. The Underground River is part of the 22,202-hectare Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP). It also is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Once in Puerto Princesa City, it's an approximately two-hour drive to the village of Sabang , the jump-off to the river. Though 50km away from the city proper, Sabang is still part of Puerto Princesa. Thankfully the zigzagging road is now mostly concrete with just a few rough patches.