Day 41

We dined on boiled plantain bananas, guayabano and oranges for breakfast. Got our permit to visit the underground river. Walked to the waterfalls, a 45-minute walk through a very rugged beach path due to big rocks along the beach. Had lunch on the beach of curried veggies. We also explored the many shops near the commercial center around the pier and jeepney stop. There are boats to El Nido and Port Barton, also on the western side of Palawan, as well as to the underground river and other nearby islands.

The resort has many visitors today. They have to harvest several “buko” (young coconut) which is a favorite food item for picnics. We watched as a young man expertly climbed the coconut tree to harvest the bukos. The tree is about 50 feet tall and he climbed it in less than 2 minutes securing his ascent (and descent also) on footholds carved along the trunk every 3 feet or so.