Palawan Underground River: A Must-See UNESCO Site
The results of our first illegal tour were so satisfying that I was really looking forward to the highlight of this trip: the Underground River tour. Just like yesterday, the tour van that was supposed to arrive at 8 AM was nowhere to be seen. But unlike yesterday, I had the confidence that "it will definitely come eventually," so I waited peacefully. Much later, a van finally arrived. It was already packed with people. But even after picking us up, we stopped at three more places to fill every single seat before heading out. I didn't mind this part since it happens everywhere, but the problem was the road. We must have been crossing a mountain because we drove along a winding road for over an hour, and the Black woman sitting in front of me was not doing well. After riding polite, considerate buses in Europe, experiencing Asian drifting firsthand was bound to upset her stomach. She asked to stop, rushed to the back, and threw up her entire breakfast. We all watched and, in our own languages, muttered, "Oh no... what should we do..." When she came back looking refreshed, everyone asked if she was okay, again in their own languages. After that, more people kept throwing up, and we had to stop several times. It was a long and rough ride, but it turned into a journey filled with camaraderie and determination. When we all finally arrived safely at the midway rest stop (without throwing up in the car), we burst out laughing.
I thought we were doing the Underground River tour right away, but that wasn't the case. The guide told us we would do an activity on the way, eat lunch, and then see the underground river. We arrived straight at the activity spot. Taking the boat is free, but there's an extra fee for the zipline. Since the underground river also involves a boat ride, and the guide said he would personally choose the zipline, we went with the zipline. The fact that the extra fee wasn't too expensive—about 10,000 KRW—also played a part.
The walk to the zipline is so long that just as you start lamenting, "How much longer do we have to walk like this?", you finally arrive. But the zipline itself is quite long, not short at all. It cuts across the ocean to the opposite island, and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. It was my first time riding a zipline, and I was incredibly satisfied with the decent speed, great views, and cool breeze. As you can see in the photo, couples ride together. They take a picture of you right as you arrive, so you can get a really nice shot. Of course, you have to pay about 10,000 KRW just to print it.
Once everyone finishes their respective activities, we move on to eat lunch. We ate at a buffet, but it wasn't particularly tasty. I'm not sure if it was because of the heat, but I felt like I had completely lost my appetite. Still, this lunch spot is quite important because this is where you catch the boat to the Underground River. Since I just picked at my food, I had a lot of time left over and chatted with a Filipino guy who had been hanging out with our group. He said he was from Clark, so I asked him which was better, there or here, and he immediately said Palawan. He told me Palawan is where Filipinos come for vacations and honeymoons, that Clark has nothing to see, and that even compared to the rest of Southeast Asia, this place is the best. After looking around for a few days, I have to agree. The people are so nice, there's no aggressive touting, and while there is some price-fixing and minor scams, the prices are reasonable enough that you can easily say OK. I had a strong negative perception of the Philippines because I had only been to Cebu and Manila before, but coming to Palawan changed that 180 degrees. I'm still not going back to Cebu or Manila, though.
The boat heading to the Underground River, waiting for people. It only drops you off at the island.
When we arrived at the island, a large sign welcomed our group. Everyone snapped a photo there and followed the sandy path deep into the island. After walking a bit, we saw crystal-clear seawater and uniquely shaped rocky islands. Seeing boats going back and forth underneath them, I figured that must be the underground river. Since it's called a river, I took a little taste of the water to see if it was fresh, but it was weird—hard to say if it was salty or fresh. I later learned from the explanation that bats excrete a lot there and there are still many undiscovered things, so for health reasons, they tell you not to touch the water... ㅠㅠ
We arrived, received our helmets and life jackets, and were waiting for our turn when it suddenly started to rain. The forest is so dense that just standing among the trees acts as a natural umbrella. Seeing such beautiful nature strangely puts you in a good mood. While we were watching the rain fall from under the trees, they called us over. They gave us brief safety instructions and rushed us inside even faster than we were moving, saying we needed to hurry because of the rain. Things you shouldn't do inside include yelling "Wow~" or touching the water or rocks. It makes sense to be careful since it's a fragile natural heritage site, especially a cave. But once we actually got inside, the guide was louder and joked around more than the visitors.
The audio guide device we put in our ears had a Korean option, so we could listen to the explanations very comfortably. If you have better earphones with you on your trip, I highly recommend bringing them along. Maybe because the provided earphones were cheap, the sound got muffled at times. There are so many bats in the cave. They don't sit on your head, but they do poop on it. When the boat passes by quietly, you can hear the 'plop~ plop~' sound of bat poop hitting the water, and if you're really lucky (?), it might even hit you. Growing stalagmites are nothing special here. There are massive stalagmites shaped like Jesus and other figures that are actually used as landmarks. You might wonder what's so fun about exploring a cave, but true to its UNESCO designation, your jaw naturally drops as you look around. It's not just "cool"—it's so awe-inspiring that even though it's not in Korea, it makes you really hope they preserve it well. You definitely have to go see it at least once.
