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Discover The Filipino Soul While Touring The Philippines continued . . . DAY 8
  - Breakfast at the hotel. - Transfer-out to airport for flight to Puerto Princesa. - 1950H Depart for PPS on Air Philippines 2P531 Palawan, the Philippines' last frontier, is a long, narrow island pointing to Borneo. Palawan is an hour from Manila by plane. Puerto Princesa is the provincial capital of Palawan. It is situated at the mid-section of the island and has a total land area of 210,670 hectares and is presently acclaimed as the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines. 1100H Arrive Puerto Princesa. - Before checking-in at the resort, guests will take short tours around Puerto Princesa: CROCODILE FARMING INSTITUTE about ½ hr south of Puerto, you may see crocodiles that are being bred for conservation purpose. IWAHIG PENAL COLONY is the largest free institution of its nature in the world. It is the oldest prison without bars and is a rehabilitation farm where the "inmates", as the prisioners are called, live and work like free men in the field of farming, handicraft and woodcraft. The colony is entirely self-supporting and inmates produce handicrafts to earn a little extra money. The handicrafts include some fairly good-sized knives and beautifully inlaid sheaths, woven basketry, walking sticks, etc. and it is sometimes possible to buy delicious wild honey at the camp. Many inmates who have served their sentences choose not to return to their former places and are given instead a small homestead to farm. It is approximately 45 minutes from the center of the city. PALAWAN MUSEUM, an institution that showcases the history, culture, music, arts and crafts of Palawan. - Lunch will be in city restaurant overlooking Puerto Princesa Bay. - After lunch, check in at DOS PALMAS RESORT. Situated in the 20-hectared Arreceffi Island, at the north eastern corner of Honda Bay and an hour's boat ride from Sta. Lourdes Wharf, Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort has ten (10) water cottages and twenty (20) rooms in ten duplex garden cottages. Each garden cottage room has a loft/attic with two more beds. The water cottages on stilts are built alongside the Pagoda receiving area, while the garden cottages uniquely blend with the coconut trees, mangrove forest and manicured lawns. Its natural green environment is characterized by a community of coral reefs, beachfronts, and sea grass beds. All rooms at Dos Palmas have a verandah, are air-conditioned, with hot-cold showers and private facilities. - Dinner/overnight at the resort. DAY 9
  - Breakfast at resort. - Full day underground river with lunch. St. Paul's Underground River is Palawan's best known attraction. Known as one of the wonders, it is a river inside the cave running 8 kilometers in length. Outside the river's mouth is a beautiful lagoon that teem with fish. Located in the westcoast of Palalwan (Puerto Princesa), it is 81 kims away from the city proper and can be reached within 3 hours by land., then 10-15 minutes pumpboat ride to the underground river. - Back to the resort in the afternoon. - Dinner/overnight at Dos Palmas.
DAY 10 - Breakfast at resort. - Check-out at resort.
1140H Depart for Manila on 2P532. - Transfer-in Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort. - Evening: Barrio Fiesta at Alegrado Island This native party promises a cultural feast with patoral-inspired entertainment. It features a town or barrio celebration recaptured in lively music and dance, costumes and an array of native food served in traditional Filipino fiesta style. Venue for this gala event is the Alegrado Island. At the island, girls in Filipino costumes greet the guest with warmth that could only be Filipino. Each guest is offered a flower lei and refreshing welcome "buco" or coconut juice. As they walk along, they find various handicrafts, attractions which Cebu is known for such as shells, rattan, guitar, and other local products wherein guests can purchase souvenir items. Other props include nipa hut façade, bamboo fence, colorful buntings and ballons, lanterns and tropical fruits and flowers. Towards dessert time, a group of dancers perform the ethic dances form Luzon, traditional folkdances from the Visayas and exotic and colorful dances from Mindanao. Guests are encouraged to dance with the group and sing with the guitarists. - Overnight Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort. DAY 11 - Early breakfast at the resort. - Chocolate Hills Tour with River Cruise 0700H after breakfast, guests will board air-conditioned coaches that will transfer them to the pier where they will take 1 1/2 hr ferry ride to Tagbilaran. - 1951H On arrival at Tagbilaran, guests will be met at the terminal and transferred to air-conditioned coaches that will take them to rice farm for "almusal". Enjoy a savory Filipino breakfast in a typical rural setting. You will be treated to a special blend of "tsokolate" (chocolate). During breakfast, a cooking demonstration of an "almusal" will be shown. - After breafast, drive leisurely through scenic countryside of thick nipa palms, coconut plantations and mahogany forest going to the town of Carmen. Visit the Bohol Museum in Tagbilaran, the Baclayon Church and the marker commemorating Sikatuna and Legaspi's blood compact. You will have a change to see the tarsier, the world's smallest monkey. Go up to the highest point to view the Chocolate Hills, consisting of 1,268 haycock hills with heights ranging from 40-120 meters. During the summer, the dome-shape grass-covered limestone hills dry up and turn brown transforming the area in to rows and rows of chocolate "kisses." Continue on to Loboc to board your riverboat for an enchanting river tour. Travel through the seaside towns of Loboc, Laoay and Bilar. On board, partake of a typical Filipino lunch on a bed of banana leaves. - 1630H Return to Cebu by ferry. - 1800H Arrive Cebu. Board your air-conditioned coach and proceed to Lighthouse for dinner. - Enjoy a sumptuous dinner at the Lighthouse, a popular Filipino Restaurant in Cebu featuring blind musicians. - Overnight Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort. DAY 12 - Breakfast at resort. - Transfer-out to airport for flight CEBU/GENERAL SANTOS 2P853, 1110/1210H
1110H Depart Cebu - Transfer-in East Asia Royal Hotel - P.M. Visit Dole Plantation and fish ports. Dole Cannery (Polomok). A 10,000-hectare pineapple plantation and cannery with a view of Mt. Matutum partly dominating the landscape. It has a housing village for employees and hospital, as well as golf course for executives. - Dinner and overnight East Asia Royal Hotel DAY 13 - Breakfast at the hotel. - Lake Sebu Tour with Lunch Lake Sebu (Suralla, about 20 minutes ride from Marbel). A 365-hectare lake surrounded by rolling hill sand mountains, some reaching 900 feet above sea level, home tot he T'boli, a highland tribe that has its roots in South Cotabato. Lunch will be one of the small guesthouses around the lake that serve food, mainly fried fish and duck eggs. If you want more exploration, head back down the road to Surallah to Seven Falls High School where a trail branches away from the road. Less than an hour's walk down this trail, you will star to hear the thunder of waterfalls. There are seven waterfalls around here, ranging from dramatic 80m plunges through jagged notches to spraying curtains of water wider than they are high. If your visit happens to be on a Saturday, make sure you head for the market and see the T'bolis come riding in form the uplands on horseback, brass bells jingling, to sell their distinctive handicrafts and agricultural produce. - Dinner and overnight at East Asia Royal Hotel. DAY 14
  - Breakfast at the hotel. - Immediately after breakfast, travel by land approximately 3 hours from General Santos to Davao. On arrival at the pier, you will be met by the Mayor. - From the pier, 1 hour boat transfer to Samal Pearl Farm. The Pearl Farm Resort lies in a secluded cove on Samal Island off the coast of Davao City. This 11-hectare spread was once a pearl farm, where thousands o white-lipped oysters, transported form the Sulu Sea, were cultivated for their pink, white and gold pearls. The resort blends modern and ethnic styles. From the dining area, the pool appears to fold into the sea. - Lunch at Pearl Farm. - After lunch, visit the small villages. - Dinner and overnight at Pearl Farm. DAY 15 - Breakfast at the resort. - At leisure till you flight to Manila.
1400H Depart for Manila on PR812 - direct transfer to NAIA for international flight. [ back ] |
