Wender·Vista
Puerto Princesa
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePhilippines
the capital of Palawan, on the western edge of the Philippines

Puerto Princesa

— the river that runs under the limestone.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The capital of Palawan, an island city of about 300,000 facing Honda Bay on the South China Sea. North of town the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River runs under a limestone mountain for more than eight kilometres before emptying into the sea, one of the longest navigable underground rivers in the world. The park was inscribed by UNESCO in 1999.

from the studio
Puerto Princesa
— bring it home

Puerto Princesa, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Puerto Princesa

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Puerto Princesa sits midway along the eastern coast of Palawan, the long island that closes the western edge of the Philippine archipelago. The city is about 300 miles southwest of Manila by air and faces Honda Bay across a shallow reef. It carries Highly Urbanized City status and a population near 300,000 as of the last national census. Forest still covers most of the surrounding municipality, which is one of the largest cities in the country by land area.

— the water

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River runs through a karst mountain north of the city for about 24 kilometres, of which 8.2 are navigable by paddle boat. The river meets the South China Sea inside a cave mouth opening directly onto a small beach. The surrounding national park covers about 22,202 hectares of limestone karst and lowland rainforest. UNESCO inscribed the site in 1999 and the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign named it in 2012.

— informed by UNESCO World Heritage
— the visit

Underground River trips depart from Sabang, about 80 kilometres by road north of the city. A permit is required and daily visitor numbers are capped to protect the cave; reservations are usually made through the city tourism office in advance. Tours run a small motorboat to the cave mouth, then a paddle boat about a kilometre and a half into the cave. The dry season runs roughly December through May; rough seas can close the cave on short notice in monsoon months.

— where
Philippines · Palawan, MIMAROPA
— within
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
— position
9.7392° N · 118.7353° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
80 km N
Sabang
coastal village
12 km NE
Honda Bay
bay
235 km N
El Nido
coastal town
350 km N
Coron
island town
30 km S
Sulu Sea
sea
N
Puerto Princesa
Sabang
Honda Bay
El Nido
Coron
Sulu Sea
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Puerto Princesa — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On the east coast of Palawan island in the western Philippines, about 300 miles southwest of Manila. It is the capital of Palawan province and faces Honda Bay across a shallow reef.

A navigable river inside a limestone mountain about 80 kilometres north of the city. It runs roughly 24 kilometres total, with 8.2 kilometres open to paddle boats, and empties directly into the South China Sea.

UNESCO inscribed the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park as a World Heritage Site in 1999, and the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign named it in 2012. It is among the longest navigable underground rivers known.

The dry season runs about December through May. Monsoon months bring rough seas that can close the cave entrance on short notice, and daily visitor permits are capped to protect the karst environment.

By road and boat from Puerto Princesa. The drive to Sabang takes around two hours; a short motorboat ride reaches the cave mouth, where a paddle boat carries visitors about a kilometre and a half inside.

Around 300,000 people live in Puerto Princesa, with most of the municipality's vast land area still under forest. It holds Highly Urbanized City status and is one of the largest cities in the Philippines by area.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a good fit for buyers with family ties to Palawan or to Manila who associate the island with the Underground River. A Small with a handwritten note carries a named place well.

The tile reads in tropical-modern, coastal-modern and jewel-tone maximalist rooms. The blues and greens of the karst coast sit well against rattan, teak and brass without crowding warmer fabrics in the room.

Yes. Tropical-modern has moved toward named real-place art rather than generic palm prints, and a specifically named Palawan vista fits the direction directly.

A single Large reads at five or six feet from the seat. For a wider wall, the 4-tile Mural sits over a sofa, and the 9-tile Mural carries a long console behind a dining room.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with moisture or steam. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure and does not lift.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water are enough. No solvents are needed; the colour lives in the surface itself, so a damp wipe is the only maintenance the tile asks for over its life.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated by Reid Wender and produced in our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not license the imagery from anywhere else.

— if this one stayed with you

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