Sabang and the World's largest underground river system

The Underground River
When I first mentioned to people that I was thinking of coming to Palawan one of the first things that people told me was to go to see the Underground River. At first I was curious as to what on earth they meant. I had images of me caving down some dark caves finding myself in a huge dark cavern with bats hovering around and a boat no where to be seen in the distance.

As I landed in Palawan one of the first things I did was to enquire about the underground river. Turns out that it is a World Heritage Sight (1999) and is the longest continuous navigateble underground river in the world. So I thought it might just be worth a visit!

Philippines Transport
Unfortunately the River is located some 3 hours north of Puerto Princesa on the banks of a small village called Sabang. The road is legendary for being a bit of a nightmare, so leaving Namwa at 6pm I headed to San Jose to pick up the bug via a tricycle and jeepney. Philippino trucks remind me of travelling by bus in India. Firstly, take the most basic truck, pile the back with wooden hard benches, ensure the suspension is non-existent, place a rack for luggage on the roof and finally pile people in the back and on the roof! It is also important for many trucks to have someone who basically sits/stands on the bonnet every now and again and walks around the vehicle while it is still moving! This is a typical example of what I mean by transport in the Philippines!!!



The Road to Sabang
I feel that when you are travelling the destination isn't always the only thing that matters. Often the best part of travelling is the things you see and experience on the way and the fun of the journey there. The road to Sabang is without a doubt a good example of this. As I boarded the over-crowded bus I realised that I was the only non-Philippino person abroad which inevitably meant I was staired at by people, especially the 8 month old child seated on the lap of a young lady beside me!

The truck had no windows or windwippers or anything like that, which meant that I experienced a whole new form of air-con. To be honest provided it didn't rain I was relatively happy and cool. Of course if it did rain I would be rather wet to say the least!

As we settled into the journey the truck stopped every thirty minutes of so when someone noticed a piece of luggage fall off. At first I thought it was a one off occasion but as we kept on stopping it began to dawn on me that this was rather a regular occurence! Aside from falling luggage I would rgularly get wet from water that appeared to be dripping down and occasionally get a leave fall on my lap from the roof!

At first the road was a well sealed roadway but within half an hour it had turned into a dusty pot hole ridden track. With some holes a metre wide, it took all the skills and experience of the driver to navigate through the roads ensuring we didn't get bogged down. I heard later that we were lucky to be going by road, as ten years ago it didn't even exist with river boat the only connection!

The bus is more than just a means of taking people from A to B. On this route its the spinal coloumn of the area. Carrying post, luggage and people its the main means of connecting people in a rather rural and remote location. Passengers would jump of whenever they reached their destination by knocking loadly on the roof and hoping the driver would stop long enough to let them take their things of without speeding off into the distance while they unloaded!!!

The journey is itself rather spectacular. Starting off it passes by the southern part of the island before moving into dense forests which steadily rise into the hills and mountains. Dotted along the side of the road are small hamlets of wooden huts made from very basic material. Virtually erery hut is built on stilts I think to avoid snakes and other creatures. At first the surroundings tend to be irrigated and farmed land, usually rice. However, as the journey rises into the mountains the farms are replaced by dense wildlife with some of the largest trees I have ever seen rising high above the truck.