all things considered, the puerto princesa underground river tour was pretty organized. not because we booked our tour through a travel agency who took care of the major stuff that all we had to do was to show up (admittedly, that was a factor too but not so much). i say it was organized because the government laid out specific steps and procedures for tourists and guides to follow, which i think is a very good practice. it’s less stressful that way. less chaotic. eager beavers are forced to get in line and wait.

on this saturday, you could say we were very lucky to have the palawan sun beaming warmly on us. the last two days, tours were cancelled due to bad weather. considering the fierceness of the waves, there was no way visitors could enter the cave, let alone cross the body of water to get to the island safely.

however, i wouldn’t exactly call the boat ride to the underground river a smooth one. granted that it was a sunny day and all, the waves were still pretty crazy! i don’t know if it was because we were on an open sea or if it was because we were sailing against the current or if it was because we were sailing against the current on an open sea.

anyhow, travel time to get to this little island took about 15 minutes. the limestone formation by the shore immediately brought to mind memories of el nido, as well as the excitement of visiting the town again the next day. (another belated post, like all these belated posts.)

so there we were posing against the already-famous signage with its rough and rustic effect. it’s probably the same sign they had for years, way before it became an international hotshot and all. i actually like that sign better than the newly erected concrete one beside it proclaiming its fame as one of the seven wonders of the world. same way i like old houses that has stood the test of time.

my favorite thing about the park would have to be these wooden planks. i felt like i was on an exciting trail through a forest, not knowing where or how it ends. just that it led to somewhere nice. i took my sweet time walking on that boardwalk, savoring the smell and sight of nature with the soft rays of the afternoon sun seeping through a canopy of leaves to steal a kiss from the tiny creatures crawling along the moist ground.

the end of the boardwalk was the start of the actual underground river cruise. the mouth of the cave was visible from where i was standing. of course i couldn’t wait to go! but this eager beaver had no choice but to wait. visitors were assigned to boats on a first-come, first-served basis. the best thing i could do to calm the sudden ADHD in me was to stay put and take pictures of the people and the place instead.

as well as that of my toes polished with OPI blue shatter over a regular black one, the former a gift from girly when she came home last july which got me all psyched because it was my first bottle of OPI ever! this blue one is definitely one of my all-time favorites! but, of course, this isn’t a fashion blog. or a nail blog. so, yeah, aside from the color of my toenails, meet my ipanema travel flip-flops. these babies are already 3 years old and ready to retire but boy, had they been with me practically everywhere! if these flip-flops could talk, they’d be blabbing nonstop about our adventures together when they’re not complaining about the abuse.