We ended off our 12 day tour of the Philippines with 3 nights in Puerto Princesa; the capital of the province of Palawan. One day was designated for laundry/catch-up/work on getting overseas teaching jobs for next year, and we spent the other taking a tour of the Underground River - the most famous site of the area. We had been forewarned by a fellow traveller about the the long ordeal of visiting this site, and so took it all in stride that the day trip mostly involves lots of driving and waiting, and only culminates in about a half hour of actual river experience. Still, it is hard to deny the eerie beauty of this incredible wonder; voted one of the "7 Wonders of Nature". A guide paddles your small boat through the tranquil caves and shines his flashlight on various formations of stalagmites and stalactites that have been given nicknames due to their resemblances: "The Last Supper", "Nativity Scene", several "fruits" and "vegetables", etc. When they are illuminated against the vast darkness of the tunnel, they do actually make you gape or gasp - it was fascinating! At certain sections, thousands of little bats swirl around in the air, and we were warned to keep our mouths closed so as to not receive any unwanted "gifts" from them. It would have been wonderful to keep going further into the cave, but only a couple of kilometres are actually navigable, so the rest will have to remain a mystery! On the brief walk back to the beach from the cave, you are rewarded with curious long-tailed macaque monkeys jumping and swinging around in their trees - almost as a sweet farewell. One tried to swipe Troy's flip-flop that was sticking out of his backpack, and that was fun! Farewell for now, cheeky monkeys - we have a feeling we may encounter you again in our next country.