T
TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
The mouth of Malampaya Sound is chock full of rocks and we
friend John was young and educated. He arranged for a few
needed to run the gauntlet between them and a perilous point.
beers and a fresh barbecued tuna dinner.
As I pondered how best to do this, I watched the local bancas
The next morning, half the village watched us load up,
(central dugout-style hulls with two outriggers) run the narrow
climb into our kayaks, which we had transported (we actually
channel and set course—splitting the crazy currents, the wild
flew them in from Thailand) by air for the trip, and break
waves left little margin for error.
through the surf. I am not sure who got more entertainment—
“Follow me and don’t stop paddling,” I said to my travel
them or us!
companion Ian Taylor as we got ready to navigate through the
For the final couple of days of our 10-day journey we
inlet into the South China Sea on the northwestern coast of
continued south to Port Barton. Running close to the coast,
Palawan Island in the southern Philippines.
we enjoyed light winds, paddling past an endless number of
The waters became frenzied for a few adrenaline-
filled kilometres. The rocks broke the waves, making them
pristine, though deserted, white-sand beaches framed by the mountains.
unpredictable and swells that made it past rebounded from the
Alimanguan and San Vicente are the only two towns of any
nearby point sending hulking waves back from every direction,
size on this part of the coast and we paddled into both to have a
creating a soup bowl.
look and grab supplies.
Though challenged, we made it safely through and settled into paddling with the massive rollers running southward—an interesting experience as one minute, Ian was beside me, the next he was six metres above or below and often completely
Every time we met people, the smiles were wide and welcome warm. Another island, another beach. Near Port Barton. A dozen kilometres north of Port Barton, a town on the west coast of Palawan island, a beach beckoned and we paddled in to
out of sight. Continuing on, energized by the rush of surviving the chaotic channel, we rounded a rocky point to find a protected lagoon. Making camp in a palm plantation, we relished a relaxing swim in the mouth of a freshwater river. A strong headwind set in early the next morning as we targeted the lee of a distant point. With Ian saying he would paddle close by, I trolled a fishing line.
look. With land just metres ahead, a young man emerged and welcomed us ashore. As fate would have it, we had stumbled on a Canadian who happened to own this section of secluded beach north of the town. He and his family rented tents, cooked meals and served what he promised was the coldest beer in Palawan. We discovered that Toby Clarke was from Banff and he was
After missing a fish, I looked around only to discover
proud to have “no roosters, no dogs and no noise” in his stretch
Ian had vanished. I circled, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
of paradise. As virtually everyone we met had all three, the
Blowing my safety whistle generated no response and I began
prospect of quiet night and cold beer was outstanding. Over Christmas and New Year’s, he and Ian even discovered
to worry. An expanding box-pattern search yielded nothing, so I headed for a distant village to seek help. Convincing the head man to provide a banca to continue the search, we spent a second unsuccessful hour looking. If Ian had been washed out to sea, Vietnam, the next stop, lay thousands of kilometres away.
common friends in Banff. It was the perfect place to relax and wrap up an excellent adventure. To read Part 1 of Tim’s series go to www.piquenewsmagazine. com, Aug. 8, 2019. ■
And then that saviour of the modern adventurer, the cell phone, vibrated in my pocket and an incoming message asked where I was. Ian had decided to separate and paddle directly to the tip of the point without telling me as I fished. Running dangerously low on water, he had continued to the village of Binga, our target for the night. Water supply is critical. An opportunity passed to add water is an opportunity wasted. Happy that he was safe, though concerned that he had paddled off without notice, I set off to rejoin him. Meanwhile, Ian had befriended a local who offered to tow me with his banca. Meeting me as I rounded the point, the boat’s skipper hauled me across the bay to Binga. A family near the beach let us hang our hammocks in their yard and use the fresh water piped down from Mount Capoas. It rises 1,131 metres up from the ocean, making it the highest mountain in northern Palawan. Filipinos are friendly and most speak English and our new
IF YOU GO: For more on travelling Palawan go here
www.travel-palawan.com or here www.gopalawan.travel Although we planned and executed our trip, to learn more about kayak tour companies in the region go here expeditionengineering.com/kayaking/ palawan-kayaking-adventure/ or here www.tribaladventures.com or here www.southernseaventures. com/sea/kayak/trips/philippinespalawan-kayak-adventure/.
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