Day 5 - Puerto Princesa, Philippines

 Underground River

I flew from Davao to Puerto Princesa. The first place that I visited was the Puerto Princesa underground river. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge.There seems to be nothing special about a rock, or Ugong Rock, for that matter. The real signifigance is inside. The tour in Ugong Rock is actually a climb to the top of the limestone formation. I then went to Plaza Cuartel, which contains restored ruins of an old garrison where Japanese soldiers burned 143 American prisoners of war inside a tunnel, and stands as a grim reminder of World War II atrocities. Only ten prisoners survived to tell the story about what happened inside that tunnel. I ate dinner at Badjao Seafront and Restaurant and I stayed at the Legend Hotel.