Port Barton, Philippines

Leaving Puerto Princesa

I was not excited to go to Port Barton, Palawan, and leave Puerto Princesa. Even though it was really warm and humid in Puerto Princesa, we had a room with air conditioning, a nice restaurant only a few meters away from our hotel, and we got to know the tricycle drivers. And we still hoped to see the Underground River.

When choosing a hotel in Port Barton, we were feeling especially adventurous and young and decided to book a resort with small shacks. The tiny houses were entirely made out of natural materials and provided a sort of inside-outside living experience. This also meant that there was no air conditioning—hence, it was as warm inside the shack as it was outside. The shower was very simple and only equipped with cold water, and the door, which protected us from the outside world, was locked with just a tiny lock. For a very cautious person who expects the worst to happen behind every corner, this tiny lock felt useless. With all this in mind, I was simply not excited to stay in Port Barton for the two weeks we had planned.

Port Barton beach

Arriving in Port Barton

However, when we arrived, I completely changed my mind. Port Barton is a village about a three-hour car ride from Puerto Princesa—very local and authentic, surrounded by beautiful hills and beaches. Compared to Puerto Princesa, where we felt like the only European couple, Port Barton was filled with tourists. Despite that, the place didn’t feel tourist-oriented; there are no huge resorts yet or attractions forcing tourists to try them. We felt like Port Barton is one of those hidden gems of the Philippines that is slowly getting uncovered.

Backpacker's hill - our accommodation

Accommodation

And about our room—I loved it! I even preferred it over our air-conditioned room in Puerto Princesa. Since it was really hot outside, the cold water in the shower provided relief from tropical climate, and even though the room was not fully isolated from the outside world and we did have few mosquitos in the shack, the mosquito nets around our bed provided an effective protection against any type of bugs.

We stayed in Port Barton for almost two weeks and did quite a few activities. However, midway through the stay, I drowned my camera (I took it on a kayak in a waterproof bag, and it leaked). I felt discouraged and hesitant to take pictures with my phone afterward. So I don’t have much to prove my adventures, but I promise we did things!

Few minutes before I drowned my camera

Coconut Beach

Some highlights included visiting Coconut Beach by kayak (where I drowned my camera) and having a proper beach day. I collected cute shells, swam in the ocean, read a book, and got heatstroke (which I didn’t realize until the next day). By the time we decided to leave the beach and kayak home, I was feeling dizzy, and the combination of wavy motion from the sea made me terribly sick. But we still had 20 minutes of paddling ahead of us. I was scared I would faint (it has happened a few times over the years), so we made an emergency landing on some random beach and just lay there for half an hour. I think I forgot to drink water and eat that day—a rookie mistake for someone who doesn’t spend much time in the sun. We made it home safely in the end. No one fainted. But I was badly sunburned. It took over a week for my legs to turn from dark red to my normal tanned shade, and about a day for the headaches and dizziness to pass.

Jellyfish warnings

It wasn’t really possible to swim at our local beach—even though the shoreline was clean, we saw many jellyfish, and there were warnings everywhere. Erik went for a swim once, as there were quite a few locals and tourists ignoring the warnings, but he didn’t dare again. We spent a few days just sunbathing and chilling by the beach, but to swim properly, we had to go to a different beach.

Filipino birthday party!

We also had a very wholesome experience when our hotel host invited us to her husband’s birthday celebration at 6 p.m. It was a true Filipino party—those who arrived on time were sent back to their rooms and advised to come later, as "6 p.m." was only a suggestion. There was so much delicious food cooked by our host, my favorite being sticky coconut rice, a Filipino dessert. And of course, there was a karaoke machine. Everyone was expected to sing a song to honor the celebrant, and declining would have been impolite. My performance was embarrassing; I chose Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, but the karaoke machine played the Diana Ross version—more poetic and recitative than the singing version I knew. I hope they didn’t find my singing offensive; that wasn’t my intention. But aside from my performance, the Filipinos can really sing! I was amazed by their voices and energy. There were about 30 people there, including ten very active and social children. There was beer, dancing, other backpackers from our hotel, and locals from the village. I loved talking to everyone and hearing their stories.

We walked this street twice a day to go from the beach to our hotel

Leaving

By the end, I didn’t want to leave Port Barton. The nature was breathtaking, the food incredible, the people warm, and I adored our room. I couldn’t imagine anything better. Our next stop was El Nido, Palawan’s most visited (and arguably most beautiful) destination. But that’s where the real struggles began. In my last post about Puerto Princesa, I mentioned that something unexpected ruined part of our trip. And it happened in El Nido.