Honeymoon in the Philippines

On June 4, the day after our wedding in Kosrae, Stella and I took off for a one-month honeymoon in the Philippines. Our first stop was Manila where we bought wedding rings. As there are no jewelry stores on Kosrae, we were married using steel rings from the gas station. With *real* wedding rings on our fingers, we feel like we’re truly married now.

Getting around in a huge foreign city is always a challenge. The traffic in Manila is horrific. It was often faster to walk than to take a taxi. Sometimes, we rode jeepneys. A jeepney ride across Makati costs about 25 cents. Our favorite city transport was the metro. Although Manila has only three metro lines and the trains don’t go everywhere, they’re fast, clean, spacious and — best of all — air conditioned!

Our 47th floor AirBnB was in the center of town with a fantastic view. June 12 is Philippine Independence Day. From our balcony, we were treated to several evenings of fireworks. In nearby Rizal Park, we joined dance performances by groups from the provinces. The rest of our time, we enjoyed the historic sites and tourist attractions of this exciting city.

While America watched the Celtics beat the Mavericks in the NBA finals, we attended the sixth and final game of the 2024 PBA championships. The Meralco Bolts (the underdog and local team) defeated the San Miguel Beermen in the final seconds. The fans went wild!

Fun facts: Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines. Every neighborhood has a basketball court that’s active day and night. The PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) is the first professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA.

From Manila, we flew to Cebu City, the first capital of the Philippines. At the airport, we were welcomed by charming ladies in traditional costumes. We toured the city’s historic sites like Fort San Pedro, the oldest and smallest fort in the Philippines. With June being the hottest month here, we were thankful to find cold beer everywhere.

In the cool hills above the city is the Temple of Leah, the “Taj Mahal of Cebu.” This extravagant shrine full of fountains, stained glass windows and gilded statues was built in memory of Teodorico Adarna’s wife Leah. Stella was treated like a celebrity here. Families asked her to join their group photos.

From Cebu City, we bussed to southern Cebu to relax in the beach towns of Oslob and Moalboal.

In Oslob, we had a close encounter with a shiver of whale sharks. Despite their large size and shark-shape, whale sharks aren’t dangerous. They’re filter feeders. They have no teeth. They eat phytoplankton, macro algae, krill and sometimes small crustaceans such as crabs and squid. The Oslob tourist bureau manages a daily program where folks can spend 40 minutes snorkeling with these “gentle giants.”

Moalboal is a classic beach town full of dive shops, tourist boats, restaurants and bars baking and sweating in the tropical sun in the daytime, and filled with alcohol, ear-splitting music, pool halls and dancing girls at night. There’s a reef just off shore with sardines and turtles. Crowds gather for sunset at White Beach. Moalboal was a lively place to spend a few days.

Our next destination was Iloilo Island. To get there, we took a public ferry — a welcome change from airplanes and buses.

Iloilo City is known for its Spanish colonial churches, old houses and fine dining. We stayed at a delightful AirBnB overlooking the river.

Next stop, the island of Palawan, is the location of one of the Philippines’ most famous attractions: The Underground River of Puerto Princesa. It’s on on the west coast of Palawan in a region of limestone mountains and Karst topography that create white sand beaches, steep cliffs and deep caves. This subterranean river was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, and voted as a New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2012.

The river is 8.2 km long and flows directly into the Philippine Sea. Every day, a fleet of double-outrigger banca boats ferry 1200 tourists past steep limestone cliffs to the entrance of the cave.  At the cave entrance, we transferred to a canoe for a 45-minute paddle through a passage of sculpted rock and flowstone. The cave is alive with bats chirping as they do their echo-location.

Palawan is the least populated, quietest and most natural of the main Philippine Islands. After our trip to the underground river, we explored limestone caves, took boat rides to nearby islands, and did some fantastic snorkeling. Because the water between islets is quiet and protected and because this area has had little tourist traffic, the west coast of Palawan, especially the west shore of Isla Rita, has the largest giant clams and the most colorful soft corals I’ve ever seen. It’s a pleasure — and a relief — to see that some of the world’s coral reefs are still healthy and intact.

In the nearby town of Puerto Princesa, we were treated to a craft beer served by Malu Lauengco, the proprietress of the Palaweño Brewery. We also found excellent pasta marinara at a restaurant along the wharf.

We want to put in a special plug for our guest house on Palawan: The Ocean Green Eco-Lodge and Restaurant. It’s perched on a ridge overlooking Ulugan Bay, about an hour’s drive from Puerto Princesa and 30 minutes from the underground river. Our bungalow’s porch had spectacular sunset views. The Ocean Green Eco-Lodge ranks as one of my all-time favorite places to stay. Because Palawan is fairly close to Kosrae, Stella and I might come back here again sometime.

Before this trip, the last time I was in the Philippines was in the late 80’s and early 90’s when I was a programmer for a bank in Manila. Back then, I worked 14 hours a day and never had time to be a tourist or to leave Manila. It was wonderful to have a chance to see what this country has to offer and to share this adventure with Stella, who is my ideal travel partner. From here, Stella and I are heading west. We look forward to sharing more travel stories with you.

P.S. I’m happy to report that my recovery from Leptospirosis is complete. I’ve gained about 15 pounds and I’m feeling great!