Spectacular beaches. Crystal clear water. Breathtaking cliffs. Exotic plants and animals. We just returned from our first trip to Palawan, one of the most beautiful of the 7000 Philippine Islands.
When we checked in, we were informed that there was a scheduled “fire drill exercise” for the next afternoon. After finding Nemo along with some huge jackfish and sea urchins in the bay, I forgot about the fire drill. Back at my cottage as I was sitting on the porch reading a book, I heard what sounded like machine gunfire coming from the boathouse on the beach.
That can’t really be machine gunfire, can it? Suddenly six security officers raced past me ducking behind trees with guns in hand. In the distance the machine gunfire continued. Weren’t those American missionaries kidnapped from a beach in Palawan a few years ago? Three of the six security men raced back past me in the direction they came from, then circled around to the other side of the boathouse. Is this really happening, or have I watched one too many episodes of 24? Should I pray, hide, or get my camera?
In the middle of my nightmare, suddenly the really unexpected happened—a couple of waiters walked past me laughing and talking like nothing was out of the ordinary. Were these guys deaf or just dumb? It was then that I realized in Palawan “fire drill” apparently means gunfire, not hot fire. I slept well knowing the Palawan security force practices taking out the bad guys in case of an attempted kidnapping.
