Testing Tires

As the title suggest, the first week here was spent in the name of testing our tires. After an evening of hanging out in dark corners of the Puerto Princesa pier, waiting and watching forklifts unload pallets of sugar, gathering signatures and distributing colorful papers to whomever needed them, we finally got our car off the boat and onto the roads. And you can imagine how jealous Mo was, not to be part of the maiden voyage – he stayed in Manila to wait for a friend.

Puerto pier by night. Not the passenger terminal.

With the bed full of bags and the cabin full of family and friends, we tripped down to Aborlan, south of Puerto Princesa and then made our way up to El Nido. Our set of giant wheels and off-road shocks made for a slow, loud and bumpy ride. Slow, loud, bumpy and fun! The way people stared as we rumbled through their neighborhood, she must really be an impressive sight to see – our beast.

Beast by the sea.

Mom by the sea.

Giant gecko above my bed.

We spent two nights in Sibaltan town and enjoyed the beautiful Amihan breeze and awoke every morning to catch the flaming sunrise.

Now that's a sunrise.

A short visit to our farm showed bits and pieces of development – like an amuse-bouche, tingling our tastebuds for the upcoming burst of productivity. Plants we had brought there had grown, the compost we had started was beautiful dark earth and our caretakers had carbonized a big pile of rice hull and collected an even bigger pile of manure. He also found two busy busy beehives - lucky us! And large piles of wood lay in the shade, just waiting to be become our first kubo (hut) Yes, I think it is time to start our little farm.

We found honey!

New best friends.

Composting at its best.

Carbonized rice hull.

Our future house.

Another exciting development – we have a waterbuffalo! Bianca the carabao is the first official animal member of the roots family and her ninang (godmother in Tagalog) Moni (Mo’s mom) has yet to meet her – Thank you! As Tay walked her towards us, all muddy and wet, she showed her dismay of having been woken and dragged out of her cool mudpit by bucking and kicking – a firey temprament that she’ll hopefully not let out on us. I don’t know if it’s just one of those things owners say about their carabaos, but she is definitely the cutest carabao I’ve ever seen, with beautiful lively eyes and perfectly shaped horns.

Tay and Bianca.

Isn't she lovely.

Isn't she beautiful.

And since this trip was all about showing friends OUR beloved Palawan, a trip to the Tao farm and our Tao family was a must. We spent two nights there, enjoying that familiar feeling of a home away from home and the company that makes it exactly that.

We tested our tires on the dirt roads to hidden beaches, we explored the islands in front of our soon-to-be home. We played host and tour guide. Mere glimpses of what lies ahead. This was only the first week. 

No captions needed. This will be our hood - love it!