Filipinos are gourmands, eating small portions, six times a day. Instead of asking, "How are you?  Our pleasantries start with, "Have you eaten?" 

Pancit Palabok can be translated as Rice Noodles with shrimps.

Pancit means noodles.
Here is a dish that is typically served during birthday parties,
with the traditional belief that noodles signify long life.

Ingredients:

• Palabok noodles- Rice Noodles ( "Super Q" brand )
• 1 lb Ground chicken or pork 
• 1 pack firm tofu (fry before dicing)
• 3 hardboiled eggs, for garnish
• 1 pound peeled shrimp, chopped
•  Bixa Orellana / Achuete powder (Mama Sita)
• 2 cans cream of chicken (Campbells)
• 1 cup chicken broth (dissolve Knorr / Maggi bouillon cubes in water)
• Cornstarch mixed with water (to thicken sauce)
• Minced garlic (make 2 batches of 1 tbsp each)
• Sliced onions (make 2 batches of 1/2 c each)
• Fish Sauce (Patis), pepper, cooking oil, juice of 3 lemons (adjust according to taste)
• Crushed Chicharon (deep fried pork rind)
• Chopped spring onions

Prepare: 

Step 1
1. Brown ground chicken/pork in oil, add garlic, onions, shrimp, tofu, & achuete powder.
2. Season with fish sauce  & pepper.
3. Cook for 10 mins.
4. Set aside.

Step 2
1. In a different pot, saute garlic & onion in oil.
2. Add chicken broth & cream of chicken, gently simmer them.
3. Dissolve cornstarch with water (depends how thick you want it to be) add to sauce, stir gently.
4. Add achuete powder for coloring (according to your desired redness)

5. Simmer then set aside.

Step 3
1. Cook noodles in boiling water( as per package's instruction)
2. Drain.

Organize:

• Place the noodles in a large bowl. Add the sauteed ground chicken/pork (not all) and sauce mixture (not all) according to your preference (dry or with a lot of sauce)
• Add in lemon juice
• Sprinkle crushed chicharon
• Mix them all together.

Toppings: spring onions, chicharon, sliced hard-boiled eggs, sliced cooked shrimps.

Puerto Princesa is the capital of Palawan. Urban, yet with a countryside vibe throughout the city. What I love about this place are the canopies of trees providing shade to most roads. Here, a 24 hour electricity can be enjoyed. It's a one-hour flight from Manila. 

We had a delayed flight from Manila to PP. It was already dark when we arrived at 7PM. We were relieved to have booked the hotel online (at least for a night). The hotel was supposed to be walking distance from the airport. Given the stress of a delayed flight and being unfamiliar with the orientation, we were greeted by a queue of tricycle drivers that were happy to take us to our hotel.  

Where we stayed?

Palawan Village Hotel 
Address: 482 Rizal Avenue Extension (Along Airport Road), Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Phone / Fax: +63 48 4344436
Email:  jvvill@yahoo.com

We booked 1 night online via Agoda.com. It has air-conditioning, cable TV and a private bathroom inclusive of breakfast with a choice between International or Local brekkie. Classic Room (Double Bed) was Php 940  (US$ 23) - service charge 10% and hotel tax 12% not included. There were a lot of good reviews for this hotel online which was why we booked it.

Review:  Good location. It's quiet. We enjoyed walking a few kilometers to restaurants / bars along Rizal Avenue. Friendly staff available for 24 hours. They have organized tours at the reception and they helped us out with a good rate for motorbikes.  The structure is really old though, however maintained and cleaned regularly.

*We met a middle aged couple from Sweden staying in this hotel who we chatted with for a bit. They have already completed their Palawan loop and both were headed back to Manila.  They have recommended accommodations in El Nido that I'll happily talk about in a later post.

Will we stay there again?  
Maybe not.  After discovering newly constructed Guesthouses and Bed and Breakfasts that may cost slightly more but were new and really nicely designed, we decided to try other places.

During a backpacking trip, we sometimes crave for a day of comfort, if not luxury, to somehow strike a balance.

We discovered a new inn in Puerto Princesa that our helpful trike driver recommended on our last day in Palawan. This is not a sponsored post. I'm just happy to share a lovely accommodation, in the hopes that you enjoy it as much as we did.

Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn

Launched in April 2012, it's a quaint bed and breakfast suite built around a courtyard with a purple fountain.

Source

Source

We took a standard room inclusive of a breakfast for 2. It has its own balcony and private bathroom. Airport pick up and drop off is part of their service. For room rates, click here

Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn
296 Manalo Extension
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan 3500
Mobile 1:     +63 917 537 2772 (Globe)
Mobile 2:     +63 999 882 5800 (Smart)
Mobile 3:     +63 925 722 2772 (Sun)
Telephone: +63-48-434-2430
E-mail: purplefountaininn@gmail.com 
Check their Facebook Page

They have organized tours arranged separately at the reception attended by friendly and accommodating staff. They have packaged tours inclusive of accommodation that may be quite interesting as well. Click here

Review:  It was just the sort of night we needed after 2 weeks spent traveling with a backpack. The room was clean and excellently maintained. The colorful architecture was both cheerful and tasteful. I saw massages offered here as well and a room service! (Though we immediately went to our favorite place Kinabuchs for dinner that evening and failed to try anything from their room service menu). It's quiet.  A  hearty breakfast with a view of the charming courtyard, lined with fruit trees was such a treat. We enjoyed this place , despite not staying here for a longer time. I wish we had discovered this haven a lot sooner.

Other related posts: 
Palawan Itinerary: Beach Overdose Trip 
How to Book Permits for the Underground River 
6- Hour Bus Trip to El Nido and How to Get There 

I'd like to share with you random photos in my attempt to capture more of Hong Kong in a single post. Real estate is expensive. The residents managed to make the most of each space. They ensure every square meter is excellently designed- architecturally speaking, incorporating greenery wherever possible.  

Container Garden at The Peak Tower Deck

Our second day in Hong Kong started with light rain on the windowsill.  We walked to a nearby local breakfast diner. Bar stools and wooden counters were propped on either side of the wall. They were all occupied by young professionals reading the newspaper with their morning coffee and waffles. We sat on two empty stools adjacent to the glass window. I wanted to be more adventurous with food, so I ordered what the older man sitting next to me was having.  Our struggle was not being able to read the menu that was written in Chinese characters.  The Congee from the other table was not fully described in the English menu handed to us. I explained what I wanted at the cash counter, perhaps misunderstood, or I got it all wrong. This was what I got...

I found it a weird combination at  first, but I ate them anyway. I like congee to begin with. Imagine my surprised when they tasted good combined. I teased the husband for having an American breakfast after our first day spent in KFC, McDonald's and Burger King. He promised to try a local restaurant for dinner.

We returned  to Hong Kong Island that morning to visit sites that we weren't able to see the previous day and we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Kowloon.