Two short tours were on the plan for today. First, we went to a mango farm. There were hundreds if not thousands of mango trees on this farm/plantation. We walked through the grove passing a number of cows, chickens and other animals. Then we located the crew that was harvesting the mangos. They had picking nets or baskets on the end of a long bamboo pole. They reached up into the tree and pulled the mangoes out. Those that were too high were picked after the workers climbed to the upper branches. They gave us a try using the picking tool. The mangoes, which had been wrapped in paper when they were smaller to prevent insect damage, were easy to spot and remove. Once on the ground there was a group a women who unwrapped the mangoes and packed them into a crate. The crates were then put on a cart and a carabao, water buffalo, took them to a central location for shipping. We saw another vermiculture set up and this made Tim very excited. The farm also had sheep and goats. They were also raising another fruit usually found in Thailand called dragon fruit. While this is out of season for this fruit, there happened to be two on a plant and we were able to try one.
Our next stop took us to a river lined with mangrove trees. We boarded a pontoon boat which served as our floating viewing deck and restaurant, complete with musicians. It is probably wrong to call this a boat as it had no engine. More like a fancy pontoon raft. Another boat was responsible for towing us along the river. We enjoyed the scenery and were served another classic Filipino meal with a Palawan flair, i.e. all seafood. Tim said that during the trip he caught a glimpse of a monkey that had come to the water’s edge.
Our last stop in Puerto Princesa was at weaving shop. Here the Chamber of Commerce and the government had started a place for women to work and go to school or get a start. Rotary was helping them to market the things that they were making. We were able to watch them making the material for placemats, runners and other items from local grasses. Their work was beautiful and of course I have some to bring home.
Next was the sad part of our stay in Palawan. We were taken to the airport for our return trip to Manila.
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