In order to get from Puerto Galera to Puerto Princessa we had to spend the entire day traveling. We took a minivan, ferry, bus, taxi, plane and then a tricycle (see the photos) to finally arrive at the lovely Puerto Pension in Puerto Princessa, Palawan.

Here’s a pic of the tricycles that motor along the roads

The most famous thing to do is visit the Underground River, which was voted in 2011 to be included on the New7Wonders of Nature list.

We haven’t done this yet and decided to rent motorbikes to explore the countryside of Puerto Princessa. We woke up and had a delicious breakfast on Puerto Pension’s rooftop restaurant.

Found some motorbikes to rent and we were off. The city center is a little crowded, but a quick drive out leads to deserted roads

We made our way to Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, which is a prison where the prisoners do work as part of their punishment. It’s minimal security for non-violent prisoners. We showed up in the middle of the day (siesta time for Filipinos) and the place was pretty deserted.

Here’s a view of the countryside on the ride out

There was a swimming area nearby so we took our motorbikes there

The cool water was a nice respite from the intense tropical heat. Even though it’s February, temperatures hover around the 90’s in the Philippines’ islands. We took our bikes back into town and ate some food at Kinabuchs – a sprawling restaurant with very good food.

Back at Puerto Pension, we relaxed with some Tanduay in the hot tub