Lewis Kalmbach: Don’t pass up Palawan

After four days in the sprawling, stifling metropolis of Manila, I needed a beach break. Looking to do some trendy eco-tourism, I chose the northern coast of Palawan. Here in the Sulu Sea lies a large island and many islets more kin to Borneo, Indonesia, than the rest of the Philippines. It is considered one of the last pristine areas of Southeast Asia because it is relatively hard to maneuver due to poor road conditions and ever-changing terrain.

The chartered flight over to El Nido town (population about 10,000 and some cows) was quite easy with only a few bumps as the ancient puddle-jumper dove into cumulus clouds. The approaching runway was a pockmarked dirt road with a couple of stay goats and large statue of the Virgin Mary. Once on the ground, I immediately looked for Ricardo Montalban as there was a “Fantasy Island” feel about the place.

An interesting 45-minute ride in a wooden outrigger brought me to the El Nido Lagen Island Resort, a privately owned lodge and recreation area sanctioned by the Philippine government. Here on its biscuit-colored beach, I knew I would be able to relax.

Relaxing for me, though, is not a fruity cocktail under a palm tree. It is a day of nonstop, get-your-money’s-worth activities. I had to do it all to understand the culture of these island people.

The resort dive was nothing special because during the rainy season (think low season rates) the water is not as transparent. Still the visibility was decent and I had unobstructed views of tropical fish, anemone, starfish and crustaceans. I wondered, however, why so much of the coral was white and lifeless in places. The inconvenient truth is that due to global warming over the last 10 years, the sea temperature has risen 13 degrees. This dramatic change is killing off the life-giving corals at an alarming rate. Pity that the wrath of industrialized societies is taking a devastating toll on the life and livelihood of the innocents in remote Palawan.

The Bacuit Archipelago, including the islands of Lagen and Minoloc, is a series of jagged limestone formations leaping skyward from sapphire waters. The area is affectionately called El Nido, meaning “the nest” in Spanish. It is in caves of this area that the tiny swiftlets make their nests using only their saliva. Locals scale the cave walls and collect these nests during the dry season. They are then sold to the Chinese who make a soup said to promote longevity. A guide told me they just taste nasty.

El Nido is a protected area, meaning you should take only pictures and leave only footprints. This became quite a problem for me as I am an avid shell collector. This addiction started when I was a child roaming the Florida Panhandle with my mother and dip net, an activity we do to this day. But here I could only collect, respect and cast back the perfectly shaped whelks, cones, periwinkles, conchs and endangered giant clams.

The people of Palawan, while Catholic, also believe in the spirits that inhabit their forests, lagoons and caves. This is not hard to imagine when exploring the eerie, bat-filled caverns or trekking along jungle trails with the sounds of orange monkeys and hornbills overhead. To these simple, engaging people, religion and nature go hand in hand.

Of course, the archipelago was not without its conflicts. The islands were a perfect hideout for Japanese war ships during World War II. The only remnants left of these unwelcome trespassers can be found on the sea floor and have become popular as diving and fishing hot spots.

Palawan boasts the full gamut of old island life without all the mechanized mayhem of jet skis, booze cruises and parachute rides that seem to dominate most beach resorts.

Who needs all that when with a snorkel and a pair of sandals you can create your own excitement in one of Asia’s lushest, last frontiers?

Shreveport native Lewis Kalmbach of San Francisco is filing a weekly travel journal from his trip to Southeast Asia and South America.
source: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/LIVING/607280357/1004