Taytay Palawan, "The Star of the North"

"La Estrella Del Norte", or "The star of the North" when translated in English, aptly describes the Municipality of Taytay. 

La Estrella del Norte signage embedded at the fence of the town's municipal hall

It is one of the twenty three (23) municipalities of Palawan. Aside from being one of the province’s oldest municipalities, Taytay is also the first ever capital city of the province.

(The hollywood-like signage of the Municipality as viewed from the Fuerza de Sta. Isabel Plaza)

Taytay is to be found in the northern part of Palawan. It has gained its title as "The Star of the North", since it is the first capital city of the province of Palawan. This town is rich in historical, cultural and environmental value. It was founded in the year 1623 during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The word Taytay means bridge in the local dialect. Its name was derived from the word "Talaytayan", a native word for a few pieces of bamboo or wood arranged together to form a bridge.

The Map of Taytay

The Taytay Map. This is very helpful if you really want to explore the place more. There are beautiful places to see in Taytay that are not that well-known, this brochure will help you know more about the nice places that you could visit and the adventures and activities that you may engage into during your stay in Taytay.

Taytay is a huge municipality, it has a total of 31 baranggays with a total land area of 1,257.68 sq.km. 

A proof of the town's historical richness is the "Fuerza de Sta. Isabel" also known as the Taytay Fort. It was named in honor of Spain's Queen, Queen Isabela II. It was used as a military station and was mainly used to defend against Muslim warrior-raiders  in their colorful war boats while the Spanish soldiers fire at them with their huge cannons.1 The cannons are still present in the Taytay Fort up to this moment. It was well preserved and still in tact.

Back when we were still kids, we've known this place as 'kuta'  (as we call it), a place where as a little kid you will be amazed, because in there you will see true to life cannons that were actually used during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The structure itself is epic because it is full of not only the town's but of the country's historical riches as well. When i went inside it i felt goosebumps, i don't know why but maybe t'was because of the oldness of the structure and of course, its history. That was before, but today it's not that creepy anymore cause there are a lot of people that goes here na, before kase when we visit this place the only people here are just a number of people aside from our group, so its like super quiet and a little bit dim, but that's in the staircase area only because the top of the fort is open and the view there is spectacular. 

So, this is the Taytay Fort. It was built during the year 1667.

(Fuerza de Sta. Isabel in Taytay, Palawan)

(Fuerza de Sta. Isabel Plaza in Taytay, Palawan)

Just below the municipal city hall of Taytay is a little souvenir shop named Biritbiten Souvenir shop. The word biritbiten is a Cuyunin term (a local dialect in Palawan) for dala-dalahin or hand-carry in English. If you want to buy some Pasalubongs for your family and friends you can check out this cute souvenir shop. 

(Biretbiten Souvenir Shop--Taytay Poblacion, Palawan Philippines)

(designed glasses)

(These are just some of the items that you can buy from the said souvenir shop)

While wandering around the municipal city hall of the town, me and my sister saw this huge pawikan float. 

(A Pawikan float used for their parade during the town's fiesta)

Taytay is not as famous as El Nido but this municipality has a lot to offer too. Unknown to most of the tourists, Taytay has a lot of beautiful beaches and it has a lot of other things to offer to its visitors, like the Irrawaddy dolphin watching tour, island hopping and a visit to a number of beautiful lakes and waterfalls.

These are the places that you can visit in the municipality of Taytay:

You can go swimming, snorkeling and island hopping at Isla Blanca, Elephant Island, Dinamayan Island, Pabellon Tour and Minapla White Sand Beach and Rock Formation.

FLORA & FAUNA

You can also go for an Irrawaddy Dolphin Watching tour at the Malampaya sound. It is a very nice experience to still be able to see and watch the Irrawaddy dolphins live, considering that they are already an endangered specie.

Irrawaddy Dolphins at the Malampaya Sound

These are the Irrawaddy Dolphins. I still don't have an actual photo of them cause i haven't seen them up close yet. I just took a photo of the part in the brochure which i got from a souvenir shop in town that has a picture of the dolphins, .

 When i was still a little kid, i used to see dolphins in the Malampaya Sound, but  back then i wasn't aware yet of what type of dolphin those dolphins are. I just thought they were just ordinary dolphins and i didn't know that there are other types of dolphins out there yet. It just amazing to know that these type of dolphins that we used to see in the Malampaya sound were actually the so-called Irrawady dolphins.

For those of you who doesn't know what an Irrawady Dolphin is, it is an endangered specie of dolphin that are endemic in the Malampaya sound. These dolphins looks different from the usual dolphins that we see. As you can see in the photo above, these dolphins look more of like a dugong or a sea cow.They have a shorter beak and a slightly paler underparts compared to other dolphins.You can also notice that they have a small dorsal fin on the posterior end of their back. They are slaty blue to gray in color.

I'm amazed and sad at the same time because during the past few years of my visit in the family rest house, which is surrounded by the vast view of the Malampaya sound, i don't see the dolphins anymore. Back when i was still little, we even saw a whale showing off it's huge tail, freely and happily swimming in the peaceful sea of the Malampaya sound. I can still recall that one time when a huge pawikan or sea turtle was trapped in my uncle's baklad (the baklad is the fence-like structures that we see in the sea-- it is placed either near the sea shore or in the middle of the sea or in the laot as the locals call it).

(BAKLAD or Fish Pen---For the benefit of those who haven't seen a baklad yet.)

These baklads are made using bamboo or other type of wood and nets, it looks like a fence, but it is not, it is a cage which is built to catch different sorts of fishes. Going back to the story, my uncle then, removed the pawikan from the baklad. The pawikan was so huge, that my uncle had a hard time lifting it from the water out of the cage. After successfully removing the turtle from the cage, we got a chance to see the pawikan upclose! After that they released the pawikan again into the sea. 

(The beautiful and peaceful, Malampaya Sound)

MALAMPAYA SOUND

Taytay is home to the famous Malampaya Sound which earned the title as the Fish Bowl of the Philippines. Most of the fishes and other sea foods that are being caught and sold by the fishermen in the Philippines’ wet markets are from the Malampaya sound. It is very important that we take good care of this body water, for the Malampaya sound largely contributes to the sea food supply of the Philippines, and aside from that, this body of water is the habitat of endanger species such as pawikans and the Irrawaddy dolphins which are endemic in Taytay. 

(a fisherman in his boat at the Malampaya Sound)

(Fishing at the Malampaya Sound)

Palawan truly has a rich biodiversity.

Taytay has a fair share in the richness of the Province in terms of its biodiversity. There are a lot of endemic flora and fauna to be found in the the different areas of Taytay. 

White Squirrel

(This is the white squirrel found in Biton Island. I, myself haven't seen one of this yet. This is one of my must sees when i go back to Taytay.)

(Labong-labong, a type of jellyfish but it's not deadly. It is just very itchy once it touches your skin unlike the deadly jelly fish which has very deadly tentacles.)

(This is a very bizzare type of plant. I don't even know its name. All i know is that, when the leaves of these plants grows old, instead of turning to brown, they become white in color. Amazing, isn't it?)

(Another bizarre leaves. That was my first time to see a leaf like this, its shape is new to my eyes. Again, i don't have any idea on what this plant is called.)

Other places to explore:

There are also a number of lakes and waterfalls to be found here in Taytay. Lake Danao and Lake Manguao are two of the biggest lakes here. I haven't been to Lake Manguao yet, but i've already been to Lake Danao. When we visited Lake Danao last December 2012, i observed that its as if the place has not been well taken care of, there a few litters in the shore of the lake. Its quite sad to know that Lake Danao is not as clean as it was before. Because, according to my dad, during their time the surroundings of lake Danao was cleaner and the water in the lake was clearer. I wondered why the local government didn't improved the area to make it one of the municipality's attractions. Then later on i learned (from a poster i saw in the municipality of Roxas, when we had a stop over at a restaurant), that the lake is now for sale, i think that is the reason why the lake was not well taken care of. Its just sayang cause i can actually see a great potential in it as being one of the eco-tourism destinations of the municipality. Lake Danao is actually included in the municipal tourism brochure that i got from a souvenir shop in the Poblacion, they even offer activities like kayaking, trekking and bird watching in it. That is why the question "why are they selling it?" crossed my mind.I really think that the place has a lot of potential.

(Lake Danao 2012, Taytay Palawan, Philippines)

Old Wooden Bridge on the way to Lake Danao

This is the old wooden bridge that you have to pass through to get to the lake. It scared my dad to cross the bridge using the pick up truck because he wasn't sure if the bridge can accommodate the weight of the vehicle, that's why we stopped first. We looked for someone to ask if it is safe to cross the bridge, luckily there is a farmer nearby--- not so near pala haha. He told us that a vehicle just passed by. So off we go.

(One of the ducks enjoying the lake that time. Quack Quack.)

(The serenity of Lake Danao)

View of Lake Danao from the Mountain Top

View of Lake Danao from the mountain top. You can go trekking and bird watching in the afternoon here. I just don't know if its tours will still be available, since they are now selling the said lake.

Taytay is a very beautiful town in terms of its richness in natural beauty and serenity. There are still many beautiful places that we have yet to see in this beautiful municipality. Fellow Palawenyos/Palawenyas and friends, come and explore the hidden treasures of Taytay. :)

If you are going to El Nido, why not consider a side trip to Taytay? There are a lot of beautiful places in there too, they are just not yet fully developed and discovered. But who knows, that adventure/experience might give you a different perspective in exploring places.

When you visit Taytay, make you sure you tell me about how your trip went, your adventures, and the places that you visited.

Adios! :)

-ThePalawenyaExplorer

How to get to Taytay:

It is very easy to reach the town of Taytay. There are numerous ways on how to get here. You could either commute via bus or shuttle or you could hire a private van (advisable only if you’re travelling in a large group since it’s costly to rent a car if you are alone or if there are only a few of you in the group.) Taytay is 4-5 hours away from Puerto Princesa, the Capital city of Palawan. The buses and shuttles which travels from Puerto to El Nido does not actually go inside the town of Taytay, they only stop by the terminal of the Town which is outside the town proper. So to be able to reach the town proper you may need to hire a tricycle.

Sweety Transport and Rent a Car Services, services to any point in Palawan by land--for rent a car service only. Buses/Coaster travels from Puerto to El Nido and v.v. For reservations you may contact 09359375323 or call (048)433-2946 or (048)433-2775. You can also e-mail us at jackilinejardinero@yahoo.com

Source:1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taytay,_Palawan