Author: Jennifer Palmer PT, DPT

Hi all!

In honor of Vegweek – I wanted to provide 2 more vegan recipes for anyone to try (they are easy, I swear).

I’m pretty bad at taking pictures of my food both as I’m making it and before I eat it… Mainly because I’m hungry and impatient… but I managed to snap a few pictures of two recipes Scott and I have been using pretty frequently lately.

First is … BBQ Tempeh! Um – WOW – have you ever tried tempeh?? The texture is amazing and we love it way more than tofu. It has more of a “meat” kind of consistency too, so for the people missing it – this might be a good option for you!

We buy our tempeh from Trader Joe’s. You do have to be careful as tempeh is a fermented product – make sure it’s still okay to eat! Some mold is actually okay, but when it starts getting too black, ya better throw it away.

I’m also not super great at following recipes with exact measurements.. but here’s the best I can do (cooking is supposed to be fun and half winging it anyways, right?)

1. Cut the tempeh into slices.
2. Grab a ziplock bag and throw them in there.
3. Pour whatever seasoning you want – I simply use BBQ sauce that I have (vegan), throw a little pepper in the bag as well, and a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar. ** You can use whatever you want – if you want to let it marinate in some sort of oil with spices or a dry rub – go for it!**
4. Place bag in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes. The longer you let it marinate, the better it will taste 😉
5. Preheat the oven while you’re at it — like right when you put the bag in the fridge or so. I set mine at 350 for this!
6. Once you’re all ready, place your tempeh on your baking sheet (I put aluminum foil on top of mine). Drizzle a little extra sauce or seasoning on there, too!
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then flip to the other side for another 10-12 minutes.
8. Ta -daaaaa, you’re done! Let it cool!

We tend to serve this over rice or quinoa, with a side of veggies and maybe some fruit for dessert 🙂 I end up getting the rice or quinoa prepped while the tempeh is still marinating in the fridge, but you can do as you please!

A few pics of the product (literally a few, my bad…)

And up next – something we eat frequently.. your “Basic Buddha Bowl”

Truly, we have found that eating vegan tends to be eating a lot of things out of a bowl. There are so many different combinations you can create and throw into a bowl. This is one example of ours!

Ingredients (use what you want): Sweet potatoes, quinoa, vegetable broth, red and green bell peppers, onion, garlic salt, black pepper, coconut oil, mushrooms, garbanzo beans (use any type of bean if you’d like), spinach, avocado.

1. First of course preheat your oven. We set ours to 450 degrees.
2. Prep those sweet potatoes of yours. I just rinse mine and then stick a bunch of holes in it with a fork. We usually put about 4-6 on our baking sheet depending on the size (on top of aluminum foil as well).
3. Cook those bad boys for 35 minutes – but start checking them around 30. They should be easy to cut into with a fork. Again, this varies on the size.
4. While those are cooking, get your quinoa going! This usually takes about 15 minutes to cook. We use red and white quinoa and it is always a 2:1 ratio of liquid:quinoa. We like to use 1 cup of vegetable broth and 1 cup of water with our 1 cup of quinoa (hopefully that makes sense). The veggie broth just gives it a little extra flavor, but it’s definitely not necessary.
5. AND while that’s going – quinoa doesn’t take a ton of effort, really – you want to start sautéing your other veggies in a pan! So throw in those peppers, onions, and mushrooms first. Add a little coconut oil and some spices (garlic salt and pepper for me) and get to cookin’ !
6. I usually have the pan on medium-high here, let it start simmering a little – maybe 5-6 minutes or so. Then I’ll add in the spinach and a tiny bit more coconut oil. Keep cooking but keep an eye on this – and remember your spinach will shrivel up to tiny little pieces (so ya might want to add more)
7. Everything should be finishing up around the same time.. Go ahead and add your beans (I use canned because I’m lazy and it’s easy) to the sautéed veggies and heat them up for a little!
8. Once everything is done, let it cool a little. Cut up an avocado if you want- we just had one ready to eat so I said YOLO and did it.
9. Take your sweet potato and place it at the bottom of your bowl. Cut/smash it up a little. Pour your quinoa over top of it. Throw the veggies on top of those. Top it off with your little avocado if you desire.. and voila!
10. This should make a few meals – I usually put some in Tupperware for the next night 😉

**I’ve also added salsa, tomatoes, and just other random veggies to this. Try whatever you like!! There’s no “real” way to make these**

Here’s a few pictures of the masterpiece (lol):

Anyways, happy veg week and I hope you all enjoy some plant-based foods! If you want to check out some other recipes that I have followed or made items from (again-easy and quick), check out these links here: Going Vegan in Japan and What Eating Vegan Did for Me

Stay tuned for some other vegan blogs- including a shopping trip with us and some other ways to save money (in addition to these)!

Until next time,

Jen

“Did you fall on your elbows?” The nurse practitioner asked me as she did a quick visual scan of my appearance at my employee occupational health visit.

Did she mean any harm by saying this? No, of course not. Does it make me feel a little awkward? Yes, definitely.

“No, it’s actually from a rare disease I have,” I explained back.

Her pause and stare made it clear she didn’t know how to respond after.

“Oh, okay, well then I can mark you down as having something congenital. But you’re still doing really well in this screen.”

Well that’s a relief, because for a moment there it seemed maybe the appearance of my odd-looking elbows could have made the functional health screen head in a different direction. Or maybe not. But what am I to think now?

As both a physical therapist and a human who has a rare disease, I experience both sides of this awkward situation. Ya know, when you say something that you didn’t mean to be harmful but maybe it came off that way…

How could we have worded this better: “Did you fall on your elbows?” –? To some this may make the conversation get ugly – “Well why did you point that out?” Or others, it may make them feel embarrassed and not want to confide or give you all of their health information anymore…

First off – is it even important in this functional occupational health screen? It wasn’t noticed until after I already performed an upper body gross screen with manual muscle testing – all with flying colors. It wasn’t until after as we were chatting some more that this was noticed. Do we need more training in these functional screens? More education? It’s possible.

Maybe she felt really comfortable with me, I always think I’m fairly easy to get along with and talk to. Maybe she thought I left out an injury on my form. Maybe she was just curious.

I’m not sure – but again, the muscle strength was already there AND the (minimal) decreases in my range of motion were not noticed until I pointed them out.

You see, with a rare disease, deformity, illness – anything that isn’t super common, the patient generally has to do more of the explaining to the practitioner. I pointed out that I did not fall on my elbows, but since I have Nail Patella Syndrome, I did indeed have large radial heads which also limit full elbow extension and forearm supination. Again, was this noticed during the upper body screen? Nope. It never has been. Or if it has been, nobody has ever said anything.

So where is that fine line? How do you politely and appropriately ask someone about something that seems peculiar/abnormal without offending them and without asking about more than you need to know.

I don’t have answers here, this is more just a reminder to watch what you say and process what you are saying to patients before you do. Luckily for me, I am not offended easily and am open to conversation, but I can’t say the same for all the others with rare genetic deformities.

And with that being said, of course there are clinicians and people in general out there who are still not as mindful of these things. Those who think that one way is the only way and that in order to perform at your optimal level – you must be “perfect” – with that “perfect” range of motion, “perfect” form. Newsflash y’all – everyone and every body is different. Our bodies are made to perform the best they can with what we have.

Yes, certain improper forms may predispose people to injuries, especially when awkward repetitive actions or techniques are performed. But in your “abnormal” person with a deformity – how do you treat that? You make sure they are functional, right? Help them improve themselves to the best of their ability.

Someone asking me if I fell on my elbows does not upset me now, but as a child – whether it was people asking about my elbows, accusing me of being anorexic, making fun of my thumbnails, or heck – even pointing out my giant calf muscles (I know, who gets embarrassed about that..but I was a kid) – these things can hurt. And they can linger through life.

I’m not saying that I’m perfect with this. I know I still have patients where I try not to offend them but then something comes out and I realize I said it the wrong way. Just thinking of different ways to ask questions, getting to a patient’s eye level, speaking with the proper tone of voice, and showing caring gestures and welcoming body language can help – and I can’t stress the importance of it enough. Building relationships between patients and clinicians is a huge part and foundation in helping everyone thrive in this crazy healthcare world we have now.

Be compassionate, think before you speak. Don’t end that relationship before it even gets started. And hey, do yourself a favor and keep educating yourself, keep practicing, and don’t forget to forgive yourself if you make a mistake. 😉

If you’re interested in any other PT thoughts that I have, be sure to check out a few of my other blogs: The Generalist PT, Becoming an Acute Care PT, tips with Productivity in Acute Care, and the Struggles of being a Small PT. Or if you want to learn a little more about the rare disease I have – check out NPS and Knee Pain and NPS and Pregnancy.

And of course, be sure to join in with the GlobalPTConnect fun on Instagram to join PTs sharing their days around the world! Or just check out my time visiting an Outpatient Japanese Clinic and a Singapore Physical Therapy School. 😉

Until next time,

Jen

Watch the video if you don’t feel like reading- — or read if you don’t feel like listening (the best of both worlds!)

Hey guys!!

Some of you may have recently seen my Instagram story about my blood work levels – but if not, that’s also why I’m writing about it here 😉 (duh)

If you’ve been following along, you may have seen that my husband and I transitioned to a vegan diet and lifestyle when we were back in Japan a few months ago. Click HERE if you want to read a little more about that first.

So anywho… what sparked me to write this blog? Well I am beginning a new job over here in California and I had some blood work drawn up. Just a simple “wellness check” that a lot of companies do nowadays. I had happened to have my yearly blood work ran back in October, just 2 months before we decided to start eating vegan.

At this point in time, we were both eating pretty healthy – mainly chicken and vegetables and the occasional night out to eat sushi or some other Japanese cuisine. And yes, a few beers or Chu-his (Japanese alcoholic drink) here and there. We worked out a lot, we drank protein shakes, ate lots of fruits and vegetables, and we had even already been drinking almond milk to cut down on the dairy intake. We were eating “healthy” according to the typical workout/gym stereotype. My body looked the same as it always has (I don’t think I’ve grown since 7th grade, seriously) and I thought we were doing the right thing.

Here are my few blood work results from then:

Cholesterol: 166 mg/dL
Triglyceride: 63 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol: 51 mg.dL
LDL Cholesterol: 102 mg/dL
VLDL Cholesterol: 13 mg/dL
Cholesterol/HDL Cholesterol: 3.25

For the most part, everything looks okay. My LDL cholesterol and Cholesterol/HDL Cholesterol are right on the border of being low risk to moderate risk. Everything else isn’t too bad at all.. fairly healthy for a 26 year old!

Fast forward to when we transitioned to Vegan – the first few days were rough, not gonna lie. We felt groggy, out of it, just kind of “bleh” while we detoxed ourselves. After about 2 days, we started feeling normal again. BUT one thing you have to keep in mind when you switch to all plant-based food.. You’re increasing your fiber intake. And what does that mean? Increased fiber means increased farts (someone had to say it – it’s the truth). But let me tell ya, nothing makes a relationship stronger than an apartment smelling like straight fart all the time (haha!). Luckily for us, this only lasted about 2 weeks while our stomachs adjusted. There are different tips for this – some say eat more cooked veggies to help your body digest it easier, but some say go full on with the raw so it can adapt better and quicker.. Try what you want!! We just kind of ate food, because food>farts. Scott also started having a TON of energy after about a week- me, I like naps, so I’m not really sure hehe.

It was tough being in Japan (again check out the post for our first simple recipes that we used — we didn’t have an oven and we didn’t speak Japanese soooo) to start – but we kept at it. Once we got to the states, we had access to many more options and it has been WAY easier.

Okay, so here we are – April of 2018. Vegan for about 3-4 months with some occasional slip ups (this happens sometimes when eating with family and friends — sometimes there’s a little melted cheese on something or there just are only vegetarian options and you’re starving.. YOU’RE HUMAN, DON’T FORGET THAT).

My recent blood work results (wasn’t a full workup so it’s limited, but CHECK the difference):

Total Cholesterol: 111
HDL Cholesterol: 49
Cholesterol/HDL Cholesterol Ratio: 2.3
Blood Sugar: 84

Trust me, I wish I had more values to look at for both – I’m so MINDBLOWN by the difference. It’s insane. Literally this is what has changed in these last few months: worked out the same (possibly less since we just moved and such), cut out the other dairy, egg, and meat and their products, replaced those with beans and more veggies/quinoa/tofu/tempeh/whatever we could find, was super stressed out in life because of moving from Japan>MD>California with a cat (LOL – video/post coming soon), also stressed about not having a job, again..MOVING.

My bodyweight and figure has stayed the same – this was never intended to be a weight loss thing for me (HeLlOoOO VeGaN iCe CreaM), just a health thing. So again, side by side – check this out:

Cholesterol Oct 2017 to April 2018: 166->111
HDL Cholesterol: 51->49 (this is the good cholesterol)
Cholesterol/HDL Cholesterol Ratio: 3.25 (almost moderate risk)->2.3

Still healthy, just HEALTHIER!

These results don’t lie you guys, I’m in shock too. I will be posting some additional recipes that we’ve been doing (now that we have an oven..and more ingredient options..) AND a trip to the grocery store with us so you can see what we buy to stay healthy, on a budget, but also treat ourselves. If you’re looking for other ways to save money – check out my other post I wrote!

As I’ve said before — I’m not here to preach. Eat whatever you want. I’m just here to objectively show my results. I’m so amazed and I hope this opens your eyes up! Message me (@jennpalmer19 on instagram) or comment if you have any other questions or requests!!

Until next time,

Jen

As I approached my last few days in Japan, I was honored that one of my students who I was helping to teach English to wanted me to visit his very own physical therapy clinic!

I had been working with Masahiro for a few months on conversational English, grammar, some medical terminology, and a few general patient-therapist conversations. It was an awesome experience not only helping him learn English, but also seeing that lightbulb go off when there was a connection made, especially during some of the medical terminology.

Masahiro had his own outpatient clinic in Odawara, Japan. He told me that while he went to school in Tokyo and many of his colleagues stayed there, he moved a little south to open his own clinic. He also loves to surf, so moving closer to the beach is a no-brainer!

“Groundwork” (the name of his clinic) was on the 4^th floor of the building we walked to, in a single office room. There was a desk, a mirror, a set of parallel bars, a plinth, some weights, and a bunch of other typical outpatient goodies. Now, I know Japan has different health insurance, a different framework, etc… But clearly his clinic is for one-on-one treatment.

For one last English session, Masahiro “treated” me as a patient, using as much English vocabulary as possible to help improve my “glut med issue” – which wasn’t supposed to be an issue, but my balance was a little off, ha! He performed a few manual techniques, analyzed my gait, performed a few manual muscle tests, and gave me a few exercises to do. All with the English we had worked on together! It was so rewarding to see that!

When I asked Masahiro about his normal schedule of patients, he said he sometimes has patients as late as 10 PM. Crazy, right!? While that is late, it’s not all too surprising if you understand the nature and culture of Japanese people – they’re always working. I’m talking 60 hours a week as the norm sometimes. This obviously can be an issue with work-life balance, and it is something the Japanese people are trying to work on, but again, a 10 PM appointment is fairly normal to them.

Masahiro also stated that physical therapists in Japan are not looked upon as highly/paid as much as those in the USA. Granted, they also are still at the Bachelor’s level as compared to the Doctorate in the US, so I’m sure that in itself is a big difference. Not to mention there are varying levels of autonomy and they still require a referral from a physician at all times.

Overall, the outpatient clinic was quaint, tiny, but effective. Masahiro told me that most of his friends have similar clinics if they are in private practice. Of course, there are bigger gyms and rehabs as well. Again, it was a great experience and so rewarding to not only network with another physical therapist on the other side of the world, but help him out with his English while learning a little about different treatment techniques from one another.

If you’re interested in checking out my other experiences abroad – be sure to read my other blogs: A Day at a Japanese Day Rehab and Visiting a Singapore Physio School. Or if you just want to check out other real-talk-PT blogs, check out The Generalist PT, what it’s like to be an Acute Care Therapist, and The Struggles of Being a Small Physical Therapist.

Hope you enjoyed reading! Be sure to message me if you have any questions 🙂

Until next time,

Jen

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Everyone knows that changes occur when you’re pregnant. Hormones change, you might feel nauseous, you might feel exhausted, or you might even start to feel some increased pain in your joints. Your stomach is growing and pulling your spine into more of a lordosis than it is used to, and it might even be throwing you off balance a little.

How could this be different with NPS?

Well, in regard to the medical aspect of NPS, you must consider a few things. Having NPS puts you at a risk of having issues with your kidneys. It is very important to monitor for any proteinuria that may signify some sort of nephropathy (fancy word for kidney issues). As in any pregnancy, proteins in the urine will increase, but with NPS, there is a chance of already having an elevated number prior to the pregnancy.

While in many cases the proteinuria is benign, keeping an eye on this can help physicians to notice if there are any other symptoms that may suggest some sort of pre-existing kidney condition. If you do feel uncertain about your symptoms in any way, please contact your physician to determine the best treatment.

So why am I talking about kidneys so much? I’m a physical therapist, not a nephrologist after all. Well, you see, sometimes when people have an infection in their kidneys, they may have a specific referral pattern for their pain.

This referral pattern can be in your low back region, maybe even a little in the abdominals and sides of your body, or even into your groin area and the front of your legs potentially. Crazy, right? All of these referral spots are similar to places that a pregnant woman may feel pain due to loosening ligaments. So which one is it? Back and hip pain from the increased laxity of your ligaments or kidney pain? This is very important to discuss with your physician before continuing on with physical therapy and exercises.

Now, besides the loosening of the ligaments, the major cause for back pain is due to your growing stomach pulling your back into a more curved position. The larger area in front of your body pulls your center of gravity more forward and can throw you off balance a little. If you remember reading the general clinical presentation of NPS, you may remember that many people already face hyperlordosis in the lumbar region. Pulling you even further forward can increase this and place someone with NPS at a higher risk for low back pain, or even further injury such as a spondylolisthesis (a break in your vertebra). This is very important to consider when participating in exercises and other activities as some activities may be contraindicated.

Here’s a video to understand the general background about back pain, pregnancy, and nail patella syndrome.. and how they all come together.

This being said, if it truly is just back and hip pain (very common and very likely), I have a few exercises for you here! Again, these are very general and each exercise program truly should be better adapted to your body and your pregnancy. But this can be a good place to start.

As always, remember to get checked out to better adapt and enhance your exercise program if you feel you need more assistance. This is very general and it is best to have someone view your functional impairments in person so that you can have the best treatment program for you!

Hope this helps!

Stay tuned for the next blog… and be sure to check out my blog on NPS and Knee Pain , NPS – General Presentation, and NPS and Pediatrics (Part 1) if you haven’t already!

Until next time,

Jen

A few months ago I was told I had to have a Japanese bank account in order to get paid from a small job I did. Google helped, but ultimately it was word of mouth and trial and error that helped me to open my account. To help others out who may be in the same situation, I wanted to give a quick summary of the things you’ll need.

I was told about the Bank of Yokohama right on Blue Street in Yokosuka. It’s just before Yokosuka-chuo on the right side if you are leaving the US Naval Base. I would highly, highly recommend using them. While I obviously didn’t use any other bank, they made it EXTREMELY easy as a foreigner to open an account, not to mention they were very polite and helpful.

Okay – so in order to open up an account, you will need:

1) Your passport (makes sense)

2) Your PO Box address – this is the way I did it. If you don’t have one, I would honestly recommend opening one up. They will mail your ATM card there and they already have a whole form set up to help you with this address. If you don’t want to open up a PO box or use your on-base address – you may need to look for other help online (sorry!)

3) A Hanko (your Japanese name stamp). If you don’t have one of these (I didn’t), you can go to the Kawashima stationery store. If you head back out to blue street from the bank and make a left, it is about a 2-3 minute walk. It will be on your left. You will go upstairs to the second floor and towards the back. If you just keep saying “Hanko” like I did, likely someone will eventually help you (ha!). You can pick out pretty much anything and I believe mine cost me less than 300 yen. Of course, if you want something more personalized (it can be a good souvenir), then you may pay more.

I also brought our orders and military ID.. but if I remember correctly you will not need them. But hey, better safe than sorry!

Once you’re there and you have everything (if you don’t, they’ll tell you), they will help you step by step when filling out the form. It all ran very smooth and they, again, were very kind throughout the process. Once I was done with the form, they handed me a number and I waited my turn. I sat back down one more time while they finished up my passbook and such, but all in all, it took about 30 minutes total, and it was a decently busy day.

So here we are today and I needed to close my account..

Things you will need:

1) The SAME Hanko – this will make life a bajillion times easier, so don’t get rid of that thing.

2) Your Passbook (checkbook thing). If you don’t have this, I think you will need your passport

3) Your Cash Card (ATM card)

If you have all of this, the process again goes very smooth. I think I spent a total of 15 minutes in the bank this time (maybe less). They showed me step by step again, and there were less forms. They kept my cash card (so if you want a picture of it as a souvenir, you might want to take that before) and handed me the money I had left in my account. So so simple and very foreigner friendly (at least to native English speakers).

I hope this helps anyone that was looking for information! Again, I highly recommend using them – it all went so smooth!

And of course if you’re looking for other Japan adventures to check out while you’re in Yokosuka, you can read about some other local(ish) trips we took while here 🙂 — Mt. Fuji, Winter in Japan, More near Yokosuka.

Enjoy your time in Japan!!

Until next time,

Jen

Palawan has been increasing in ranks of islands to visit over the last few years. Many people travel to El Nido and the Underwater River when they arrive. With only a few days to spend exploring, we opted to stay at a resort on a remote island in Honda Bay (another popular destination).

Dos Palmas island resort and spa is a popular spot for a day trip. We ended up spending about 3 days and 2 nights there and I feel like it was the perfect time to do all the featured (and included) activities on the island. It takes about 30 minutes from the airport to the wharf, and then it’s about a 1 hour boat ride to the island itself. The ride itself is beautiful, you pass so many islands in the bay. Some are even just big enough to hold a picnic table and 2 benches – crazy (but also so cute)!

After a long overnight layover in Manila…

Random facts about the airport in Manila: It is in 4 separate terminals-nowhere near each other, not connected at all, and the shuttle to each one is about an hour apart but not even really a set schedule… plan for a taxi if you’re rushing. Terminal 4 – where we flew out of – was very small, older, limited space to sleep if you needed. Terminal 3 was the most like a newer airport that you would think of (lots of restaurants and shops, modern). Terminal 1 seemed okay but we only were in the arrival area here.

….We flew out to Puerto Princesa (PPS) airport using AirAsia (check my blog about our personal flight experiences)

PPS is a nice tiny airport, pretty modern. Dos Palmas had arranged our pickup and they were a few minutes later than our arrival, but generally, everything went very smooth. Our driver explained everything to us when we arrived at Honda Bay (that you have to pay a small environmental fee in cash right there — another heads up). Then we hopped on our boat (again, this was all previously figured out via email to the resort).

Once we arrived on the island, the staff greeted us with necklaces and welcome drinks. Then they gave us a little tour before we headed to our room. It was a beautiful resort, and just what we were looking for in our getaway.

We arrived early in the day and luckily our room was available for us. We headed to the pool and decided to make our first day a relaxing one. It was really quiet (it was a Wednesday) and nice to just lay out, explore the beach, and work on our tan.

The island is small and there is only one restaurant here. Breakfast is included in your stay but you have to pay for lunch and dinner. While the options end up being a little limited, we found that the best tasting food was, to no surprise, the asian dishes. When we tried to get something that was more of a western cuisine, it wasn’t quite up to par. But again, we are in Asia, so that should be kind of expected.

The first night was my husband’s birthday. As we were finishing up our dinner (our waiter Pepito, I think that was his name, was amazing) they brought out a cake and sang to him! No, I didn’t organize this – they did it for him (and other people the next night as well). I thought that was super nice!

The next day was our more adventurous one. We booked an island tour (again, free through the island) and then went snorkeling later in the afternoon (also free). It was all very picturesque and beautiful. The island was deserted except for the few guests that came with us. It was tiny, but there was just enough time to explore!

Many people arrived on Thursday night as compared to Wednesday. There was a huge group, which essentially meant more activities on the island. There was both a fire show and a cultural dance after dinner that evening. Both were pretty neat to experience (see a small clip in the video below).

The next day was our last day. Our flight wasn’t until later in the evening, so we were able to stay on the island the whole day. We relaxed on the beach in the morning, checked out, and then got a massage. One tip that I wish we knew — they put oil in your hair and all over your body during the Swedish massage.. We didn’t think about the fact that we couldn’t shower after (since we had already checked out of our room). So yes, we had to head to the airport like giant greaseballs.

The shuttle was all very well organized again on the way to the airport. The only downfall of the end part of our trip was the chaos we experienced as our flight was delayed 12 hours due to wind (you can read a little more about it here). That being said, we were fully reimbursed for our troubles by Kiwi.com — I completely recommend them for future bookings!!

All in all, if you are looking for an affordable 2-3 day getaway in Palawan – I would recommend Dos Palmas. It was the perfect place to go for our few days.

If you want to see more, check out the video I compiled below 🙂 Or if you’re planning on heading to other places in Asia – check out a few of my other blogs on Japan, Thailand, Bali, Singapore, and Malaysia! Not to mention my Tips on Saving Money (because ya might need that to travel).

Until next time,

Jen