Beware the tourism industry.
Anytime we travel, we’re constantly told that we need to both do and buy something to truly experience the place we visit.
Entrance tickets. Outdoor activities. Quintessential meals. Packaged day trips. Organised tours.
Gone to Paris and didn’t visit the Eiffel Tower? Visited Peru and didn’t hike Macchu Picchu? Made it to Beijing and didn’t go to the Forbidden City? Who are you?!
Rarely are we encouraged to simply walk around the block.
As soon as you arrive in Puerto Princesa, you’re informed of the best way to leave.
Island hopping in Honda Bay? A day tour to the famous Underground River in Sabang? Or maybe a firefly watching excursion down the Iwahig River?
Puerto, you will be told, is only the jumping off point for all of the other adventures you can have on the island of Palawan.
And so, assuming that there was little of interest in Puerto itself, I planned to spend my few full days there elsewhere.
Maybe a trip to the Iwahig Prison first, and then an afternoon out at a butterfly conservatory, and later swinging by the crocodile rehabilitation farm if time!
It didn’t work out that way.
I had a cut on my foot from cliff diving in Boracay that needed meds, so I spent my morning at the local clinic (hard wooden benches, yellowed file folders, many women staring, adorable toddlers baffled). Instead of grabbing a trike to take me from the hostel, I decided to take a walk. My doctor’s visit already knocked out my morning plans, so I had some time to kill before the afternoon excursions.
Along the way, I passed through the residential parts of Puerto, the little backstreets running between low houses, kiosks with sun-faded signs and dogs so skinny they disappear if you see them from the wrong angle.
And I saw children climbing trees, shaking tiny green calamansi from the branches, and met women who waved me over to try some. ‘Good for you… lots of vitamin C!’, they said with a grin.
I passed families chilling outside of kiosks, one matriarch sectioning an orange fruit I’d never seen before onto a broad plate, two of the younger generation giving each other pedicures on the sidewalk. We looked at each other with a mutually curious gaze, and they invited me to sit at the same time that I asked. Under the shade of the kiosk awning, we ate that strange orange fruit with a just pinch of salt. They told me about Puerto, I told them about Seoul.
Before I left, the matriarch pressed one of the fruits in my hand for the walk back.
It was deeper into the afternoon now. My plans for the day had evaporated and I was definitely going to miss the butterfly conservatory.
Further down the street, further into the city, I walked through a market with women sitting behind massive woven baskets of nuts, guava, cassava pudding and sliced mango. The fruit sellers were happy to chat, and I was happy to stop. And to eat. Oh, to eat!
And after the long walk, the lazy loops about the markets and the neighborhoods, all the shared fruit and the shy smiles, I missed every tour and activity I had planned.
But I’m thankful.
I didn’t go island hopping, but I did take a stroll around the neighborhood.
I didn’t visit the crocodile farm, but I did sit and eat with strangers.
And I didn’t go caving, but I did get to hear about Puerto from the people who lived there.
Without spending a cent on entrance fees, out-of-town excursions or adventure packages, I got to see a new city. That day, a long extended stroll from hostel to back alleys to market and back, was a well-needed reminder for me that when we travel, we don’t necessarily need to visit the sights. I got caught up in the idea of all of these packaged adventures, that I forgot we don’t really need to check things off of a Top 10 list. As fun as it is to visit museums, spend money on local dishes and check out the landmarks, it isn’t necessary to do so, to feel like you’ve been somewhere. You don’t need the qualified, the quantified, the standardised to experience a new place.
Sometimes, you just need a walk around the block.
I feel like there’s a balance – you should definitely walk around the neighborhoods and get a feel for everything, but if there is a major sight to see, you should probably do that too. I haven’t heard of Puerto Princessa, so I’d be fine just chilling and wandering, but if you go to Beijing and don’t see the Forbidden City, you are really missing out. Same with Machu Picchu and the Eifel Tower – its part of the cultural heritage, just as much as the cafes and the pisco and the fried scorpions on sticks are.
I agree, there definitely is a balance – usually, attractions are attractions for a good reason! I lost sight of that when I got to Puerto, though, and basically assumed that I wouldn’t ‘experience’ anything if I didn’t do the package activities.
ps UPDATE YOUR BLOG! ;) xx
love this – such local flavor you’ve shared. that poor dog. my gosh. and your foot?!
The foot is fine, the dog….hopefully also?!
Your photos are fascinating, lots of lovely smiling faces. That poor dog looks a bit worse for wear though, poor thing.
I know; it was so sad!
Funny that. This has always been my first experience in any place. I like to see where my feet take me and hate when I am over-burdened with excursions. Always assumed it was the same for everybody.
Love traveling this way, as it how one truly experiences the culture and connects with the people.
~ Emme
Truth!
I almost always do the big thing there is to do in a place, but not always in the way I’m supposed to. For example, I didn’t hike to Machu Picchu, I took the train. I wanted to hurry up and spend my time in Bolivia, haha. While sometimes specific sights attract me to a place, overall I get the most satisfaction from just spending a lot of time in places I really like, soaking up the culture and meeting people.
You’ve got it right, I think!!