Puerto Princesa: Plaza Cuartel, chao long and the Baywalk

A slow afternoon and evening in the provincial capital: a wartime memorial, a pale blue cathedral, a bowl of Vietnamese-Filipino noodle soup and sunset on the bay.

Area

Puerto Princesa

Start from

Puerto Princesa city centre

Distance

walking distance, about 3 km in all

Time needed

Half a day (afternoon into evening)

Best season

All year; a good rainy-day option

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

On foot and by tricycle

Tickets & rules

Small entrance fees at the museum; modest dress in the cathedral

Why go

Most travellers treat Puerto Princesa as an airport with a city attached, and rush north the moment they land. I ended up spending several unplanned days here waiting out rain, and grew fond of it. It is green, unhurried and unusually clean for a Philippine city, with tricycles humming along wide streets, a bay full of outrigger boats and a habit of quiet that suits a slow traveller.

The old heart of the city sits on a low bluff above the water. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral, with its pale blue Gothic-revival front and twin spires, faces the bay, and right beside it is Plaza Cuartel, a small park built on the ruins of a wartime garrison. Across town, the Palawan Museum in the old city hall is modest but gives you a feel for the island’s peoples, prehistory and wildlife.

Then there is the food. Puerto Princesa is famous within the Philippines for chao long, a beef or pork noodle soup that came with Vietnamese refugees, served with fresh herbs, calamansi and a crusty roll. In the evening the Baywalk fills with families, joggers and grill stalls, and the sunset over the water turns the bay copper.

The story

Plaza Cuartel is the site of one of the darkest episodes of the war in the Philippines. On 14 December 1944, Japanese soldiers guarding American prisoners of war here forced them into air-raid trenches, doused them with fuel and set them alight, fearing an imminent American landing. Around 150 men were killed. Only a small number escaped by scrambling down the cliff and swimming across the bay, and their accounts later made the massacre known to the world.

Today the plaza is a quiet garden with a memorial and plaques naming the dead, and the old tunnels and trenches are marked. Families and couples sit here in the evening, and it is strange and moving to read the names while children play on the lawn behind you. Go with respect and give it time.

Chao long has its own surprising history. From 1979 until the 1990s, Puerto Princesa hosted the Philippine First Asylum Camp for Vietnamese refugees, people who had fled by sea after the end of the Vietnam War. Some stayed and opened eateries, and their pho, adapted to local tastes and renamed, became a city staple. A small Vietnamese village area and a few long-standing restaurants still remember that time.

Getting there

The centre is compact. The cathedral and Plaza Cuartel are a short tricycle ride from most hotels, and the Baywalk is a walk downhill from them. Tricycles are cheap; agree the fare before you start or use the standard local rates your hotel tells you.

The Palawan Museum is near Mendoza Park; check its opening hours, as they are shorter on weekends.

A suggested plan

1. 14:00Palawan Museum and a walk through Mendoza Park.
2. 15:30The Immaculate Conception Cathedral, then Plaza Cuartel next door.
3. 16:30A bowl of chao long at a local eatery; ask your guesthouse for their favourite.
4. 17:30Walk to the Baywalk for sunset over Puerto Princesa Bay.
5. 19:00Grilled seafood at the Baywalk stalls; brave souls can try tamilok, the mangrove woodworm, with vinegar.

Where to stay

Stay in the city centre along Rizal Avenue or near the Baywalk for walkability; there are plenty of mid-range hotels and simple pension houses. Quieter garden guesthouses lie on the edges of town and suit a longer stay.

Good to know

• Plaza Cuartel is a memorial; behave as you would at a cemetery.
• Ask for chao long ‘with everything’ and a side of bread to dip.
• Tricycles are the easiest way to hop between sights in the heat.