Palawanized!!! :)

Guess who's back home?

Taa daaaaa..

Yes, hubby was home shortly due to a mandatory 2-week medical check-up and lucky him, he got another 2-week extended vacation! Wohoo!! Being separated for eight months mean spending maximum quality time with each other. Maximum quality time. Lol!

As wanderlusts that we both are (the same statement I used in the blogpost about our Baguio and Davao trip), our feet brought us to the enchanting Palawan!! 

We didn't have a pre-planned trip except for the Underground River Tour which I had booked few days before we fly to Palawan. As soon as we landed, we rode a tricycle from the airport to downtown Puerto Princesa to look for a cheaper and cozy hotel where we can stay for the night. Cheap YET cozy, because we're choosy. Lol! In a travel where you'd be outdoors the whole time, there's no need to book at some something-star hotel, it's just a waste of money. 

As soon as we arrived at the hotel around 5:30 pm, we rode a tricycle and walked around the city to fill in our stomach. Jabar is all about looking for the authentic taste in the places where we go. That's one of the things I love about traveling with him, it makes me feel like some travel host who discovers new stuff in the place where only locals go. Harhar!! So instead of going into the chain of popular franchise restaurants, we looked for the authentic Palawan roasted chicken with 100% chicken liver sauce. (Too bad the photos are stored in his phone.) The chicken absorbed the marinade so well that the taste goes right into the bones. It's perfectly roasted and when dipped into the chicken liver sauce, it is certainly the best roasted chicken I have ever tasted!!! Literally, sarap to the bones!!! 

Our adventure started the following day for our Underground River Tour located at Sabang, Palawan; approximately 2 hours van ride away from Puerto Princesa City. On our way to Sabang, we passed by the Karst Mountain Elephant Cave which was conquered by contestants of the TV show The Amazing Race (Philippines and Ukraine). It's a mountain made of limestones. As we travel further, Jab and I noticed that most of the mountains in Palawan are actually made of limestones and kudos to their local government, most are preserved and protected from mining activities. 

Twenty minutes of boatride from the shores of Sabang, we finally arrived at THIS!! Look how beautiful the river is, it is really enchanting! And inside the cavemouth is a 22-km stretch of amazing rock formations, aka stalactites and stalagmites. Apparently, out of the 22-km, only 8.5 km has been discovered and navigated and only 1.5 km is open for tourists like us. So what we've seen is just the tip of an iceberg. 

We were with Filipino families who were vacationing from Australia and they were with their uber-cute kids with Aussie accent!!! Oh, music to my ears. Lol! Look at their Dad photobombing us. 

Cavemouth. The beginning of wonderful things to see.

Palawan is indeed rich with nature's beauty. It is amazing that we need not go to other countries and spend hefty amounts to experience what is already in our country. The beauty is out there waiting to be explored. :) 

On our second day, we immersed in the magnificient islands and lagoons of El Nido. It's a six-hour long (bumpy) ride from Puerto Princesa. Foreigners outnumbered the locals, I think. There were a lot of them, Caucasians and Asians alike, walking around and bathing under the scorching heat of the sun. Jab and I had fun most here in El Nido where the water was crystal clear and the sand was so white and fine. We hopped from one island and lagoon to another. The best was the small lagoon where we had to swim through a small orifice to get inside the stunning lagoon. No exaggeration but it felt like swimming in paradise!! 

Look at that giddy smile!!

Jab and I both agreed that Palawan is by the far the best place we've been together. It's the place where people looking for adventure and at the same time wanting to experience serenity with Mother Earth must come. 

Jab was home shortly but IT WAS A TIME PERFECTLY SPENT. :) Ten months left before my contract with DOH ends and, soon, we'll be together without rushing for time. 

Bismillah. 

P.S.

I apologize for the center-formatted style of this entry. I am using my phone and I have problem locating the formatting bar. Ugh. 

Sonnet XVII

I remember reciting the whole sonnet with utmost feeling while taking a video of myself imagining that the man I am going to marry listens to every word. That was roughly two months before we met.  

I still carry this poem in my heart despite the fact that the man I married is not interested in poetry. Oh. 

Happy New Year!!!

It was indeed a HAPPY new year because of you!! I am so glad you are home even just shortly. Looking forward to countless years with you. :) 

Rich Or Poor ? Which One Are You?

I only get to read this book one year after I purchased it. I lost sight of it after my brother borrowed it AND benefited from it. Now's my turn. Aha!

It basically talked about HOW TO GET RICH. Interesting? Haha! Mind you, it doesn't come easy. OF COURSE. The author who is a multi-millionaire business mogul described his educated dad (the poor one) and the one who did not finish schooling (he called the rich dad) and their view on money and their difference in terms of financial literacy. He offered a solution on how to avoid a trap in life (where most of us are caught and can't seem to get out of it) called Rat Race. It is the pattern of getting up, working and paying bills. Especially among us government employees, you work hard and then the government cut their share from your salary through taxes before you even receive it, and then pay your bills, and the cycle goes on until your retirement. The government offer us promotion and a consequent salary raise and then we also increase our spending. According to him, many people do not realize that in life, IT'S NOT HOW MUCH MONEY WE MAKE BUT HOW MUCH MONEY WE KEEP. He also emphasized the importance of FINANCIAL LITERACY, because money without financial intelligence is money soon gone. He also put a difference on how the poor and the rich people spend their money. Poor and the middle-class buy luxury first while rich people buy luxury last. Ahem. Ring any bell? Haha! He also cited a lot of success and failure stories of rich people. 

After learning about the Rat Race, I know now why my family is not rich. First, because my parents are both government employees and the government cut taxes more than we can actually spend. And second, we don't have a business or any investment. We don't have investment because we barely have money left at the end of the month to invest. Or perhaps, my parents are financially illiterate. That's the blunt truth. Mr. Kiyosaki talked about highly educated people who struggle financially because of financial illiteracy. My parents and many people I know who works for the government are no different. 

Hence, for 2014, it is on my checklist to be financially literate and to "mind my own business". 

Any business idea? :)