Palawan Day 3: El Nido (Taraw Cliff Climbing)

The idea of climbing taraw

It has been my habit to check out travel blogs and other sites whenever I am planning to go somewhere. So when my ticket to Palawan has been confirmed, I immediately browsed the web and looked for exciting and out of the ordinary (life threatening) things to do at El Nido. And that’s when I came upon El Nido’s “TARAW CLIFF CLIMBING.”

Here are some of the stories that caught my attention and fixated taraw cliff climbing on my itinerary:

From TheKillerFillers.com: “Mountaineering experience won’t prepare you for climbing Taraw. It was serious rock climbing from the first assault. And when I say serious, I meant serious like 80-degree-5-storey-high-limestone-piercing-death-drop serious. I wrote many climb stories and talk about death cliffs all the time and I want to take that back for if death cliffs have a picture in the dictionary, the cliffs in Taraw should be it. There were times you will need to pull yourself up with the strength of your arms just to get to the next stepping stone and I am not the leanest person you’ve seen, so go figure.”

From IronWulf.net: “I thought this was gonna be easy. Like walking on regular mountain trails and winding roads… My mountain climbing experience didn’t prepare me for this. We were traversing the sharp and jagged limestone trails and pulling ourselves up along almost vertical walls… A few more climbs to the peak, the trail became more challenging and dangerous that one step could send me plummeting down to the sharp rocks.”

From BoyWonder.com: “Climbing Taraw Cliff has got to be the most difficult thing I've done physically. No amount of Zumba could have prepared me for it. We were literally rock climbing. And we didn't have any gears! There wasn't an option for it anyway. We just had our bare hands and slippers.”

Maybe it was in my nature to be competitive, that I want to achieve what others can. To prove everybody that even with a body and weight like mine, I still can. Or Maybe I’m just reckless and crazy that whatever crosses my mind, and thinks that it’s fun, I’m willing to do it, whatever the risk may be.

The day and night and hours before the climb

As posted in my previous blog entry, the day before my climb, my friends and I went to Island Hopping Tour A. And from the boat we were riding we saw the taraw cliff from afar. The view got me excited and at the same time scared, for I am sure that tomorrow will give me the best (experience) but the hardest (physically) time of my life!

view of Taraw Cliff from afar

Palawan Day 0: The Long Road - From Mountains to Beaches

4:30 PM July 19, 2013

One of the perks of working in a faraway place is getting home early from the day to day work. Our office hours end at exactly 4:30 PM, way earlier compared to my previous jobs’ 6:00-6:30 PM end of day work. So 15 minutes before 4:30, I am already outside the General Office waiting for a UV Express (van) going to Baguio.

Mankayan to Baguio van route always gives me mixed emotions. I feel refresh from the fresh air and the sceneries that we pass through at the same time I feel burdened and sick due to the endless winding roads. The trip from Mankayan to Baguio took me exactly 3.5 hours of sleep, amusement, sickness and nausea (this is the reason why I seldom go home).

Cloudy afternoon taken along the Mankayan-Baguio Route

Unlimited view of the vegetable terraces at Bugias, Benguet

We arrived in Baguio City at around 8:30PM, ample time for me to shop for the things I needed for my Palawan Tour as follows: Sunglasses; Snorkeling Gear; Sun Block; Dinner and Snacks.

5 minutes after 9:00PM I immediately went to the Victory Liner Baguio Bus Terminal hoping to still catch the bus scheduled at 9:00PM. Unfortunately the bus left exactly at its designated time schedule (Filipino time didn't work this time, LOL). Instead I boarded the bus scheduled to leave at 9:30 PM. I was a little worried because my flight to Puerto Princessa, Palawan will be boarding at 6:00 AM and the trip from Baguio to Manila will approximately take 6 hours, that will only give me 2 hour allowance for unexpected delays and such. 

Thankfully, the bus departed from Baguio at exactly 9:30PM! But briefly after 30 minutes on the road, the bus suddenly stopped on the side of the road and the driver's assistant informed us that we will have to transfer to another bus (Oh great! The 2 hour allowance will be diminished)

Stranded in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the rescue bus. HAHA

After waiting for 30 minutes, the bus scheduled to depart from Baguio City at 10:00 PM finally arrived, but it can only accommodate 4 passengers.  We were informed that passengers with reservations will be given priority. But fortunately, after a teleserye like, dramatic explanation, I was given the privilege of getting one of the four seats available, thanks to kuyang kundoktor, for understanding the situation I'm in.

4:40 AM July 20, 2013

Finally, MANILA! Thankfully, I'm a little bit early so I went to the nearest convenience store to eat my breakfast, hailed a taxi and went to Ninoy Aquino Internal Airport Terminal 3. At exactly 6:40AM PAL Express plane left the ground, to finally take me to the paradise I've always dreamed of.

PAL Express. A low cost airline with great service!

Follow my adventures at Palawan on the succeeding posts:

Palawan Day 0: Tra-Abel En Route - From Mountains to Beaches

Palawan Day 1: Puerto Princessa City - City Tour
Palawan Day 1: Tra-Abel En Route - On My Way to Paradise
Palawan Day 2: El Nido -  Island Hopping Tour A
Palawan Day 3: El Nido - Taraw Cliff Climbing 
Palawan Day 3: El Nido - Island Hopping Tour C