September 17 (Day Two)
Our main activity on our second day in Puerto Princesa is the Honda Bay tour. Our van from our tour agency, New Horizon Travel and Tours (048-7230177), picked us up, and it took us around 30 minutes or so to reach Sta. Lourdes Tagbanua port. Surprisingly, there were significantly less people enlisted for Honday Bay tour compared with the Underground River tour that we had the day before. The tour guide assigned to us by the agency facilitated our registration, and in no time, we were already boarding our assigned boat.
Tip 1: Hotels and travel agencies usually have travel packages for Honday Bay tour. It is better if you contact them early, and get reservations from them so that you won't be hassled by facilitating the registration process, etc. on your own. However, being in a tour group can also mean that time in each destination you will be visiting is controlled by the whole group.
Tip 2: Bring snorkeling gear if you must. They have items for rent, though, at a certain price. And don't forget your underwater camera as well.
PAMBATO REEF
Our first stop is at Pambato Reef, which is purely a snorkeling area. I initially thought that we will see marine turtles or pawikans being sheltered here since the top cover of the platform resembles a marine turtle. Anyway, there were a lot of lifeguards in the area so to a non-swimmer like me, I totally felt safe here. A short briefing was conducted to arriving tourists so safety was definitely the priority of the management.
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STARFISH ISLAND
While it was scorching hot when we were at the terminal and at Pambato Reef, the waves actually gone crazy while we were on our way to our second destination: Starfish Island. We were very near the island when strong waves made our boat (thankfully, only the bamboo on the right part) crash to what appeared to be the remains of a stilted cottage or house in the shoreline. It was drizzling at that time, and wind was quite frighteningly strong. Boatmen who was then resting in the island helped us by pushing our boat back towards the open sea. That way, our boatman was able to transfer our boat to a much safer docking area.
Safe but wet, the drizzle, mighty wind, and strong current calmed down a few minutes after we settled ourselves in one of the cottages in Starfish Island. We just laughed at ourselves as we recall the fear in our faces while we were holding on (literally!) for our dear lives in our rocky boat.
We had a hearty lunch in the island slash sandbar. Lots of funny pictures were taken as props were available there [Hawaiian dress (hula) and Hawaiian necklace or garland (lei)]. Amusingly, a large picture frame was set up in the middle of the island. There was also a raft or balsa in the area where mangroves abound.
Amidst the strong current and wind, and with a small part of our boat destroyed, we were glad we survived. God is good!
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I didn't see a single starfish in Starfish island, but the beautiful sandbar made up for it.
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Dreamy photography.
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The group enjoyed taking pictures at the life-sized photo frame. Patok din ang mga Hawaiian costumes.
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Left: broom used for that wicked jump shot!
Right: broom originally intended for sweeping.
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PANDAN ISLAND
This is the most developed among the islands that we visited in our Honda Bay tour. There were a lot of cottages for rent, and there is even a counter for foods and drinks. We just placed our belongings in one of the benches there (with our dear tour guide looking after them), and then we proceeded to the designated area for swimming and snorkeling. While the sand is powdery white (a big pogi factor of the island), we saw only a few fishes in the snorkeling sites, which is quite a dismay.
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On our way back to the port, the tour guide mentioned about three other islands (Snake Island, Cowrie Island, and LuLi Island), which unfortunately was then being under renovation (wow, islands being renovated. Hehehe!). Well, I can only imagine that maybe several structures were being built there to accommodate the growing number of Puerto Princesa tourists. Until next time, Honda Bay!
