CORON,
PHILIPPINES
The island is situated in the northern most
part of Palawan, Philippines. If you are
coming from Manila, you can travel by ship
or by plane. For my first visit we decided to choose the latter. We were
already at the port by 1pm but the ship left at about 4pm. Although there was
news already about an incoming storm, the weather was hot that afternoon. We
mostly slept through the 12-hour ride and woke
up to a beautiful morning in Coron. From the
port, we walked for a few meters to where our boatmen were waiting for us.
KAYANGAN
LAKE
A good 20 minutes through our boat ride, we
were greeted by the numerous towering limestone cliffs that almost looked like
concrete on the surface, submerged in an endless ocean of blue green crystal
clear water. We started our adventure in
Kayangan lake. We reached the facade of a huge
limestone cliff and as the boat made a turn, we entered the cove that guards
the lake. Since the tides were still low, we were able to have a quick
breakfast before starting the trek to the lake. From the main boat docking
area, we hiked for about 150 to 200 steps and then
again approximately 500 meters downhill to the actual lake. I did some
research before going to this trip and I read that this is the cleanest lake in
the Philippines so I had high expectations but simply saying that it is
beautiful and clean is a gross understatement. To say the least, we were in
awe. The lake was wide. Before jumping in, you have to take precaution because
it is very deep. The fishes were small and lacking of a variety of colors
though, as in most lakes. The brackish water was clear as glass with an
aquamarine and deep, deep turquoise tones. It was serene and seemingly
unruffled by its visitors swimming about. As we headed back to the boat, we
stopped at the highest point of the track and enjoyed the view. I felt like I
was looking at a postcard, only better...breathtakingly better.
TWIN
LAGOON
We then headed to the Twin lagoon. It is composed of two lagoons kept apart by a
limestone wall and connected only by a small, narrow passage. The first lagoon
is accessible by boat but you have swim through the passage to get to the other
one. If the tides are low, you can easily get to the second lagoon with a life
vest on but if the tides are high and you can’t swim, getting to it is out of
the question. By the time we got to the lagoon, the tides were already high. We
jumped off the boat to the first lagoon. The water was cold and choppy but
there was no stopping us from enjoying a good swim. We were all intrigued by
what is on the other side of the wall but only a handful of us were able to go.
Luckily, I knew how to swim. To get to the other side, you need to swim for
about 10 seconds
through a narrow opening. Be careful though because the edges are sharp and you
can easily scratch and hurt yourself. Once we were inside, I instantly noticed
the calmness inside. The leaves floating on the surface were seemingly
unaffected by the wind and the waves outside...a striking contrast to the
disturbance on the other side of the wall.
CYC BEACH
It was already starting to pour so we
decided to skip the other spots and go directly to CYC (Coron Youth Club) beach where we were initially planning to
pitch our tents and spend the night. There is no freshwater source in the
island so if you’re planning to stay the night here, be sure to bring enough
water to rinse yourselves and to use for cooking and consumption. Since it was
already past noon, I did not immediately appreciate the place because I was
focused on attacking the lunch prepared by our boatmen. We feasted on seaweed
salad, grilled fish, pork and chicken adobo and fresh mangoes and watermelon.
After our tummies were satisfied, we
decided to explore the beach and the island. The beach was white and relatively
wide and there were many mangrove trees. The sand is not as fine as in Boracay
and Bohol but if you want to do away with the crowd and you’re after a more
relaxed and tranquil outdoor experience then
this is the place for you. We did not see much under water because the current
was too strong so we just did what we do best...chill! If you’re anything like
me, you’ll find a lot to do to kill time. If luck is on your side and the beach
is still wide, you and your friends can throw a Frisbee. I, on the other hand,
savoured the moment and read quite a number of pages in my book while lying on
the white sand.
One thing disturbed me in this
island...trash...anything from plastic and glass bottles to small plastic
containers and cigarette butts. It saddened me to witness that an island as
isolated from the city as this is tampered because if the carelessness of many.
If you are planning to visit the island, please spare even a little concern to
take your own trash back and maybe pick up some of the others that you will
come across around the area so that others in the future can still enjoy it the
way we did.
By mid afternoon, there was more news about
the storm. It started to rain again, and it poured hard...really hard. The
seawater started to creep higher and higher up on the beach and we realized
that it will be too risky to spend the night so, for everyone’s safety, we
ditched our plan for more island hopping the following day and went back to town.
CORON TOWN PROPER
We reached the town at 5:00 in the afternoon. During that time, except for a handful of
foreigners, only a few people go to Coron so
we immediately got accommodations in one of the resorts there. Refreshed, we walked
in town to ask around and plan an alternative activity for the following day. Ironically,
it is still distinctly an “old little town” with the comforts of a modern life.
There are no jeepneys and taxis and regular people generally travel by
tricycle. One can easily walk throughout the town center. There is no need to carry
excess amounts of cash from Manila because ATMs and banks are conveniently
situated in town. There are also internet cafes and some WIFI hotspots. My
impression on the Filipino locals was that they were aloof but I realized that
they are just shy and maybe a bit overwhelmed by the several tourists visiting
their home. We met Mark, a British architect who
has been living in the Philippines for 6
months. He was thrilled to guide us on what to do and where to go on our last
day. Since we were about to have dinner, he highly recommended Bistro Coron where he said they “make pizza the way they
make it in Europe”. We did not think twice about trying out the place and we
were definitely not disappointed. We had delicious Chicken curry, a large pizza
margherita and spicy seafood Tom yum soup with a heaping serving of fresh fish
fillet, crab, shrimp and squid topped with a whole lobster. It was worth every
penny. After dinner we stayed in the restaurant for a late night game of
billiards and a few bottles of beer.
On our last day, we had an early start. At
6:00am we had breakfast at a carinderia along the main
street where we had chicken curry, sweet and
sour lapu-lapu and bamboo shoots in coconut milk. It was a great hardy meal to
start our day. Everything, especially the fish, was very fresh and the prices
were very reasonable.
MT. TAPYAS
To save our energy for the 720+ steps to the peak of Mt. Tapyas, we rode a tricycle to the base/jump off point. The ascent is easy because there is a stairway and there are several covered stops where you can sit down and rest. As we neared the top, I could clearly see the huge towering cross peeking, as if it was motivating us and whispering...come on, just a few more steps!
We had an amazing 360 degree vision of the whole
island and those that surround it. If you still can, you can hike downhill to
the small huts a few meters from the top.
We then had lunch at Kawayan grill, an al
fresco restaurant that looked interestingly native. It turned out that it was
their soft opening and we were one of their first customers. We ordered crispy
kangkong, ginataang lobster (lobster
cooked in coconut milk), grilled tuna, pork barbecue and chicken barbecue. They
were excellent. This is probably a great place to hang out and drink the night
away.
MAQUINIT HOT SPRING
From the town proper, Maquinit hot spring
is a 20-minute ride by tricycle. When we got there, the place was packed with
people, mostly locals. Maquinit is a local dialect that means hot. And HOT it
was indeed! I wouldn’t be too sure about dipping in on a hot summer day but
since it was raining and the weather was cool, it was a perfect day to jump in.
OUR
LAST NIGHT IN CORON
We had our last dinner at the Seadive
resort. The buffet was ordinary and uneventful.
I
left Coron that night with an assurance that I will travel
back. Aside from the fact that there is still so much
outdoor adventure to experience,
something about the place enchanted and intrigued me. It may be the wonder of
its nature, the distinct personality of its town and its people or the
momentary peace that it has brought me and many other visitors. I did not
bother to try to fathom it anymore but I was certain that I will be back...it
was just a matter of time.
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