I’m going back to Puerto Princesa because… …I must experience the Puerto Princesa Underground River.

There was a tug in my heart when I found out that a visit to the city’s famed underground river had to wait until another time. Only about 1,000 visitors are allowed to go to this World Heritage Site and a member of the New 7 Wonders of Nature — and my best friend Christine Dayrit and I couldn’t be accommodated when we decided to fly to Palawan’s capital city for only three days of R&R.

My intrepid spirit couldn’t be cowed — I still went “underground” in Puerto Princesa.

In a quiet barangay called Tagabinet, some 55 minutes away from the city proper, can be found the Ugong Rock Adventures Park. We crawled inside Taraw Cave. (“Taraw” means limestone cliff.) My daredevil disposition, like always, was ready for extreme sports and spelunking was presented at that moment.

The cave, according to our knowledgeable tour guide Val Pillerva, is 23 million years old. Inside it was peace and quiet that was momentarily pierced by bats flying here and there. The pitch darkness was no match for the heavy-duty flashlight of the cave guide. Stalagmites and stalactites had their own life, moving and mesmerizing in their still and silent presence.

Moments of introspection came easily while navigating the cave — of course with due caution as one wrong turn could be dangerous. But what is danger in the presence of pristine nature? With helmet on my head, gloves on my hands and prayers of gratitude in my heart, I felt fine, I felt secure, I felt protected.

When we needed to go past a hole that I thought only a small animal could fit in, I told myself: this can be done. I did it. Trusting the self is important. Believing the capacity of the self is paramount in achieving goals. What appears to be impossible becomes possible to a spirit that wants to conquer its fears. The hole gave way to a cave wall designed with images of dinosaurs and dolphins as only nature could create with stalactite and stalagmite formations. That moment was cathartic.

When the feet couldn’t be used anymore to climb a crevice, a harness came along. It was at that moment that we discovered why the place was named as such. A serrated stalactite beside the path of spelunking produces “ugong,” a hollow sound, when tapped. But the experience was not hollow at all. It was filled with resounding grit and determination as the hands held tightly to the knots of the rope while the feet found every crack in the cave their literal stepping stone.

Adrenaline rush was my friend as I enjoyed the thrill of ascending the 75-meter summit of Ugong Rock. And what would welcome me at the end of it all? The splendid views of Karst mountains and paddy fields surrounding barangay Tagabinet. Even if the day was veiled in mist, as it was raining when I ventured into spelunking, the place still commanded a paradisiacal feel. Puerto Princesa, said Val, is still 73-percent forested.

How did I go down the summit after an hour of spelunking? From the top, I took an exhilarating plunge down a 34-second zipline ride for the complete picture of extreme adventure. There to welcome me at the drop-off zipline pad was Christine, giving me a thumbs-up for surviving the climb, with pako (fern) twigs that would be our salad for dinner.

From the mountain to the sea

A restful night in our suite in Hue Hotel gave us the excitement to venture into island hopping in Puerto Princesa.

“The name Puerto Princesa, according to a legend, is attributed to a princess-like maiden who roamed around the place on certain nights,” said the city mayor Lucilo Bayron.

Mayor Bayron, who loves the city “100 percent because I grew up here since I was six years old,” said there are five bays in Puerto Princesa: “In the east coast are Binosolian Bay, Puerto Princesa Bay and Honda Bay. In the west coast are Ulugan Bay and Oyster Bay. In all these bays are nature at its finest.”

The mayor is excited to show these natural wonders of Puerto Princesa to the 1,200 confirmed participants in the Ironman event in the city this November. The participants will be coming from many parts of the world. This early, the city that did not see visitors during the two years of the pandemic is more than ready for a showcase of what it can offer its guests. (He’s even excited to show visitors the thriving agricultural tourism of the city — from vegetable farming to dairy production. He’s likewise excited to invite domestic and foreign travelers to experience Balayong Festival when the balayong trees around the city bloom like Japan’s cherry blossoms between the months of March and April.)

In Honda Bay alone, the bay we visited when we were there, there are 11 islands visitors can choose from. For Christine and me, we hopped into the islands of Starfish, Luli and Cowrie.

In Starfish Island, we had a gustatory excursion when we feasted on sea urchins, lobsters, crabs and lato — for breakfast!

Luli Island saw me recording poetry by the beach for my Tiktok account called padyak_at_tula, with Christine as my patient cameraman.

We had sumptuous seafood lunch at Cowrie Island. The balmy breeze lulled us to take a siesta by our cottage fronting a Talisay tree submerged in the waters.

Life is bliss in the islands. I almost forgot that I did not see the Puerto Princesa Underground River. I vow to return. *