GETTING AROUND PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN

Puerto Princesa City has no taxis yet. Most hotels and  pension houses in the city though have their  own shuttle service for ferrying their guests from the airport to the hotel and for bringing them to their travel destinations outside the city and back. For those guests whose pension house don't have transport facilities,  there are plenty of options. For travel around the city on short distances, the tricycle becomes  the vehicle of choice. They are very efficient and mobile, although they can be a little inconvenient during the rainy season. Lately they have implemented some sort of color coding scheme such that the tricycles are colored blue and white, running every other day. The Multicabs, on the other hand, have their fixed routes along the main thoroughfare of the city (Rizal Avenue) and along the national highway and their destinations stretch farther, extending to the suburbs and nearby barangays. Be prepared, though, to wiggle and squeeze your way inside these small roadsters! Entering and exiting  these small vehicles can be a pain especially for the bulky passenger.  For those adventurous travellers who are not afraid to get soiled and get a fair amount sunshine, renting a motorbike for a day might be an option. There are now plenty of units for hire along Rizal Avenue near the airport. And tourists just love them for the freedom and the exhilarating ride around the town and into the suburbs. Just don't forget to wear your helmet!

A tricycle in action along Rizal Avenue near the Puerto Princesa airport.  
Palawan's tricycle design, it seems, is unique to the province.
(Photo by LDocena)

Colorful multicabs wait for passengers at their terminal. 
The multicab is a veritable workhorse in Palawan and elsewhere. (Photo by LDocena)

Motorbikes for rent beside the street, waiting for the adventurous 
traveller to Palawan. 
(Photo by LDocena)

This one must have been a comfy van in its former life. 
Palawan residents really never run out of ideas...
(Photo by LDocena)

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (Photo by LDocena)

The Puerto Princesa Immaculate Conception Cathedral along Rizal Avenue is among the first stops that visitors come to see within the city. It stands on top of a hill overlooking the city pier, the same spot where the first mass in the city was celebrated on March 10, 1872 by a priest who was a member of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects, then Rev. Fr. Exequiel Moreno six days after the Spanish Expedition arrived in Puerto Princesa. Fr. Exequiel Moreno is now a venerated Saint in the Catholic Church. Constructed in 1961 under the leadership of then Bishop Gregorio Espiga, D.D.,  the cathedral has pointed spires and arches and the main altar features wooden panels with sculptures of angels and saints, reportedly done by inmates coming from the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, itself a tourist destination,  outside the city proper. The cathedral has stood all these years as a beacon of Catholicism in Palawan. Every 8th of December the cathedral comes alive with all sorts of adornment as the city celebrates its fiesta in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The cathedral interior showing its wooden roof frames. (Photo by LDocena)

The cathedral altar with its wooden panelings. (Photo by LDocena)

Stained glass window details. (Photo by LDocena)

An angel stands at the entrance of the cathedral. (Photo by LDocena)

  

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN

The city of Puerto Princesa serves as the main gateway to Palawan. It is the nerve center of the province where major commercial, banking, trade and tourism related activities take place. The city enjoys a steady flow of visitors the whole year round from all over as it is now served by most airlines throwing in a flight or two from Manila a day. The city has earned the distinction of being a model city, excelling in the areas of environmental protection, local governance and cleanliness and has won numerous awards in these areas. Upon arrival at the Puerto Princesa International Airport, visitors can't help but notice the litter-free surroundings and the predominantly green environment, thus the title "The City in a Forest". Accompanying some friends who visited Puerto Princesa in 2009, one of them complained after we had roamed the city the whole day, "Bro, guess what, I've been looking for a cigarette butt on the street since this morning  and I found nothing.."

The front facade of the Puerto Princesa International Airport Terminal. I came to the airport to meet some friends vacationing in Palawan.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                      Map of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. For a bigger view, click here               

Puerto Princesa residents is an interesting mix of migrants from all over the country  who chose to  stay behind for good reason. There are Ilonggos, Ilocanos, Warays, Cebuanos, Cuyunons, and a sprinkling of Chinese as well as Caucasians. The common medium of communication is Tagalog, but the colorful Cuyuno, the dialect that originated from Cuyo Island, is predominantly heard especially in the Government offices.

A shady stretch of Rizal Avenue near the Puerto Princesa International Airport. 
The first view that visitors see when flying into Palawan (Photo by LDocena)

There are plenty of hotels and pension houses Puerto Princesa that will suit everybody's budget and itinerary. Dining establishments are plenty too. The succeeding posts will be an attempt to describe them as well as the places of interest in and around the city..