by Donna Amis Davis / @DonnaAmisDavis

(Today I’m reposting an oldie-but-goodie about Sabang Beach.)

sabang-beach
Beautiful Sabang Beach

My husband Bill and I took the day off Saturday and drove north on Palawan, up the coast to Sabang. Puerto Princesa to Sabang is 77 kilometers. It is 99% paved now. What an improvement! A few years ago when my sister and family came to visit, we took them to see the Underground River. Sabang is the launching beach for boats to the Underground. The road was bad then. The last 45 minutes of the trip was over a grueling unpaved road, that beat our bodies almost to death. This time our total travel took one and a half hours. Congratulations to the Underground River for winning the competition as one of the New 7 Natural Wonders of the World.

sabang-beach-waves
Turquoise Blue of the South China Sea

I craved quiet, away from city noises. All this last year, a construction project has been going on next to our house, right outside our front gate. The past two months they have been building a huge warehouse. Banging, clanging, electric grinders, drills, hammering, noisy gasoline cement mixers, workers shouting, workers climbing around on it and looking into our yard, workers getting drunk at night and yelling and fighting at all hours. The noise and disruption are unremitting.

And on the other side of our house lives a large family with lots and lots of boys, and frequent guests with screaming babies and toddlers. Their upstairs room is open-walled, and the noise of their family life carries straight into our living room. Not only that, but last year they built a party space in their backyard for groups to rent out, adjacent to our bedroom. Last week it was loud karaoke there until midnight.

Oh how I wanted some peace.

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Fresh Coconut Juice on the Sand

Ahhhh. Nothing to listen to but the sound of the waves.

And nothing to do but play in the ocean. And sip fresh coconut juice out of the shell. And read. And think. And relax. And nap.

sabang-beach-sand-crab-patterns
Every Sand Crab Hole Had a Different Design

I couldn’t help but be fascinated by the amazing, swirling patterns tiny sand crabs made in the hard sand at the edge of the water. I took lots of pictures. It was modern art. Done by shy little creatures I could never see.

sabang-beach-sand-crab-art
Surreal Sand Crab Art

The drive up to Sabang is beautiful, too. The road winds through stretches of virgin forest, among trees as high as the sky. As I drove, Bill and I had plenty of time to talk about our dreams and goals, to sound each other out on our different writing projects.

It was a good day.

What do you do when the world presses in and you need a break? Do you have someplace wonderful that you love to get away to? Can a day away make a difference, do you think? I’d love to hear what you do.

And what do you think about those sand crab patterns?

Donna Amis DavisPuerto Princesa & PalawanDonna Amis Davis,Palawan,Philippines,PPUR,Puerto Princesa Underground River,tourism,travel,Travel and Tourism,Underground Riverby Donna Amis Davis / @DonnaAmisDavis (Today I'm reposting an oldie-but-goodie about Sabang Beach.) My husband Bill and I took the day off Saturday and drove north on Palawan, up the coast to Sabang. Puerto Princesa to Sabang is 77 kilometers. It is 99% paved now. What an improvement! A few...Author of the '60s SURF SHOP MYSTERIES and DIVE SHACK MYSTERIES