The Coron Escapade

Date: May 31, 2009
Information: 

Day 1, Wednesday, April 8, 2009 (Coron Town)

Our CEBU Pacific flight was scheduled on a 10:50AM Manila-Busuanga, departing from NAIA Terminal 3. All three of us decided to meet at MRT Taft area to head on to Andrews Avenue. Taking the MRT going to Taft from Shaw, I coincidentally met Carissa and both of us headed to meet Rochelle who was confused initially because of the "confusing" diagram I provided her a week before. Around 8:30, we alighted one of the Nichols bound jeepney near MRT Taft area. After arriving at Terminal 3, we then have our baggage checked in and the body weigh-in thing which I learned only applies to 2-seater planes such as the one we will be boarding. Whew.... This was my first time on a 2-seater and first time to have the weigh-in thing. After some standard picture-taking and a little waiting, we then boarded Cebu Pac 2-seater plane bound for Busuanga. I was holding 1C so I was seated on the very first row facing all the other passengers... Another first time … There were a lot of foreigners on board but majority of the passengers are still Filipinos or Filipino-looking, that is. After an approximately 1 hour of travel, we then arrived at Francisco Reyes Airport at Busuanga, an hour away from Coron town proper. As we were waiting for our baggage, we spotted a familiar singer (Yeng Constantino) and Rochelle got too excited that she asked for a photo. Yeng, in fairness, was nice and friendly. After we took our baggage, we then saw my name on one of the cardboard being flashed by a local, which I assumed was Jay2 who was our contact for the van. Passing through ranches and hills, we arrived at Coron around 12:30PM. Ate Lani, who I was contacting for the past months greeted us and led us to our room which is just enough for 3 people. Coron Reef Pension House, which is a stone away from the Coron bay was a walking distance from the market, port and the main town area. After settling our baggage, we troop out and scouted for small restos to dine in. After lunch, we then walked around town and began looking into our itinerary which covered touring around Coron town. We asked the locals for the Everly Souvenir shop and after around a 15-minute walk, we then reached the shop. I figured it is the only souvenir shop that sells variety of goods from T-shirts, local handicrafts, key chains, and accessories to foods. Spending half an hour, we decided to hike Mt Tapyas on a later time as the scorching heat was way too hot to handle. We then took a tricycle to Coron Plaza and City Hall, took some photos and then headed to Lambingan Bridge which we thought at first was far we had to take another tricycle [It was just several meters away from the Plaza]. Erected atop Coron Bay, Lambingan Bridge seemed ordinary but if one walked through the end, a rewarding sea breeze, a great view of Mt. Tapyas and a serene feeling greets one who reaches the end. After talking to some local tourists who was on their way to Boracay after leaving town the next day, we then decided to go to Coron Harvest. The driver did not know the way so we decided to go horseback riding. He recommended Kokussnuss and Horse Valley which he also mentioned to be a little too far. We then went to Kokussnuss, another pension house and the girl told us the horses are already out. At this time, we don't know where to go next as it is still too early to trek Mt Tapyas. I suggested Mabentangin Watershed which we saw on our way to the pension house. The driver agreed and told us we can drop by Horse Valley as it can be on our way to Mabentangin Watershed. After passing tall and thin trees, the Horse Valley was indeed way far from the town proper. It was kind of secluded from the main town and transportation is scarce [It is recommended to have the driver wait and drive you to the city.]. Horse Valley was a small land with a few number of horses. For a reasonable price of P100 for a 15-minute horseback riding, Carissa and I decided to try it. It was my first time riding a horse in motion. It was a bit scary at first but once I settled in, I got Otto's [horse's name] “approval”. After circling for 2 rounds with the initial one a struggle for balance, I decided I had enough. So Carissa then settled in for her turn. After her ride, we then proceeded to Mabentangin Watershed, a quiet place and served as the source of water for the whole of Coron town. It was not really a popular attraction but there was a slide indicating one can take a bath on the shed. After spending sometime around the shed, we then headed to Mt Tapyas, which our driver told us to be a 726-step towards the big cross [By the way, the fare to & from Mabentangin was similar to Maquinit which is P300/whole ride]. The driver had us referred to another driver who will wait for us after our trek to Tapyas.
We sort of underestimated our time with the trek as we realized we're only halfway the climb when the sun had slowly settled down. We also met Rodel and his group who were our tour mates the next day for the Calauit-West Busuanga Bay tour. After a tiring trek towards Mt. Tapyas, we descended at around 7pm (Our driver was already waiting for us) and then headed to Maquinit Hot Spring, a 45-minute ride from Coron town [Entrance is P100/person]. After the travelling and walking and hiking all day, the soothing effect of the spring did some wonders to our tired bodies. After roughly more than an hour of dipping on hot waters, we then headed back to town to have our well-deserved rest. [Note: Transportation to Maquinit costs P300/ride back & forth]


Day 2, Thursday, April 9, 2009 (Calauit Tour)



On our Day 1, we already contacted our tour mates through Roel and agreed to meet at around 3:30AM for our long travel to Calauit. Prior to our Coron trip, the Calauit Tour one was one of my dilemma (I was tasked to make our 6D/5N Coron Trip Itinerary). A 4-hour boat travel (one way) means long travel and costly boat rental. Since it was only the 3 (Carissa, Rochelle and me) of us on this trip, we need other joiners (the term used for a group who joins another group for a certain tour or destination). I tried looking for other joiners online including DIYCoron, Pinoy eXchange and other travel reference sites but there was none -- only 2D/1N which costs more than 3k/person -- obviously not on our budget. Good thing Carissa happened to know Roel's trip to Coron (April 7-10) and learned that April 9 was open for any tour. Roel, who happened to be our officemate (Carissa, Rochelle and I are with the same company) have his group consulted for the tour. When they agreed to join us, I then changed our ITI and put Calauit on the agreed date (April 9). Then I made inquiries on the possible expenses and scouted for the possible islands to hop in after visiting Calauit Wildlife Sanctuary. There were 3 options for the group to choose from: Option 1 - Land travel through van and a half-hour boat ride which would only cost us around 1.2k each with no meal yet (Van - 8k; boat - 100/pax;entrance - 250/pax;truck - 1k); Option 2 - Boat Travel with island hopping which would cost us 1.5k each with no meal yet (Boat - 12k; entrance - 250/pax; truck - 1k; island fee - 100/pax); & Option 3 - DIYCoron Tour which would cost us 1.9k each including meal, entrance fees, truck and island fees. Majority chose Option 2 because of the Island hopping.

As agreed, around 3:30AM, Roel's group (8 pax) & ours met at the loading area and we then prepared to sail off. Leaving Coron town at around 4AM and passing through islands and rock cliffs, we reached Calauit at past 8AM. The Sanctuary seemed to be a hidden piece of land only you would know that there was something to see on it after the makeshift wooden path bridge and one or two anchored boats seen on the island. We walked for about 200 meters and reached the cottage which holds the visitors and guests. One may notice that there was no "receptionist" to welcome you or any information desk to inquire from regarding schedules. I was aware the week before that there was some change of management on the Safari so some inconveniences are expected, including waiting for more than an hour for the availability of the truck. Some of the staffs later revealed that they were not expecting the sudden influx of tourists so they are not quite ready for the big number of guests. We learned there were only 3 trucks available: the big one which can carry more than 20 people which at that time was used by character actress Cherrie Pie for their special tour; the jeepney-type which can cater to 10-12 people and the 4x4 type for small groups. We rented the jeepney-type and I decided to go top-load. It was scorching hot but whew, I did not mind. I was only thinking of one thing at that time ---- feeding the giraffe while on top of the truck. Indeed, the feeding time was an exciting activity for us. We were able to feed them on close contact. After some time feeding the giraffe, we then headed towards a small trail. On our way, we took some time to take photos of the Calamian deer which we saw along the path. Inside the small trail, there were cages that house squirrel, wild boar and some wild animals. After a quick view on these cages, we then headed to the crocodile cage. I did not go down to see this as I saw only a small wooden makeshift cage that probably houses one or two of these scary reptiles [I've been to Puerto Princesa who has a Crocodile Farm so I may not be that too impressed by these crocs in Calauit]. Wrapping up the "short" tour, we then headed towards group of zebras roaming around the trees and took some close photos. Roughly around 1230 PM, we left Calauit and made our way to the West Busuanga Islands. First on our list was Black Island. We were more than a hundred meters away from the island when the boatman suggested we abort the Black Island part and head to Dibutonay because of the waves. Melvin, who was one of the joiners, seconded the motion. I was willing to push through with the Black Island because for me, the waves are somewhat manageable [One of the boatmen seemed to be overacting]. But these people have spent all their lives on the sea so I figured out they knew better. Being a risk-taker, I knew when to go forward and when to back out. And that would mean backing out because there were other people involved in the trip. I would have pushed forward then if I was the only one involved.
Submitting to the decision of the majority, we then headed to Dibutonay Island, a half-kilometer stretch of semi-white sand beach. Due to its proximity from the main island, Dibutonay is somehow untouched by commercialism. When we got there, only a few docked boats anchored on the beach were seen. I guess this can be considered as one of the non-commercialized and untouched beaches in the Calamian group of Islands. After spending roughly half an hour of snorkeling and swimming, we then headed to the nearby North Cay Island fronting South Cay Island [Both North Cay and South Cay have entrance fee of 100/person/island]. We decided to stay in North Cay and excluded South Cay which was somehow the same as that of the former. We were advised by the boatmen to limit the stay as we still have a long travel to go. Leaving North Cay at past 2pm, we then headed to the main island. Passing islets, mangroves, rock cliffs, wreck sites, snorkeling and diving areas, we reached Coron Island at past 6pm. It was one of the most exhausting trip I ever had. Some of the boatman suggested having a 2D/1N package tour to enjoy Calauit with an overnight stay in one of the secluded island resorts around Calamian. When we reached the pension house, I hurriedly took a bath, forgot about dinner and retired on bed early.

Day 3, Friday, April 10, 2009 (Coron Island Tour)

After the exhausting Calauit Trip, we were now excited for the next trip which I considered to be the highlight of our Coron escapade --- the Coron Island Tour. This time we never took a package nor invite other joiners. We decided it would be just the three of us (with the boatmen, of course) so we can decide on where to go and not worry on how much time we spent on each destination. With only 1.5k boat rent (can accommodate 3-7 people), having the boat to ourselves wouldn’t hurt our pockets. After having our breakfast on a nearby carinderia & buying our packed lunch, we rented a single-seater kayak from the nearby resort (Seadive Resort rental costs P250 for single-seater & P450 for double-seater). At past 9am, we left town and head on to Coron Island. On top of our list is Siete Pecados (a.k.a. "Seven Rocks"), an aquatic & marine sanctuary. I enumerated the areas to go & the sequence of the trip to our boatman, excluding Twin Peaks which I assumed to be the same as Twin Lagoon, only to know the next day that they were different. Our boatmen suggested another way to navigate. So instead of Siete, we head on to Cayangan lake --- with a magnificient lagoon welcoming us as we docked on. The natives of the island, the Tagbanuas (they preferred not to be called as such but as "natives"), charged P200 entrance fee for every guest on the lake. We had to take several steps before reaching the "view deck", a stone away from the peak. From there, one can see an amazing view of the lagoon where we took off. The view was simply breathtaking! We then followed the path down towards a semi-hidden lake. After 5 minutes, we reached one of the cleanest lakes in the country -- Cayangan Lake. Walking past bamboo walk paths, this jaw-dropping sight made me proud being a Filipino. Foreign and local tourists alike were in awe of this lake. I was in a hurry to dive in and experience my first ever lake snorkeling. It was one amazing experience! The water, the sword fishes, the rocks, and the people --- it was all too much for a feast. I can live forever on this island!!!! We we're so much hooked on swimming and snorkeling that we forgot there are still more to visit. More than an hour have passed, we decided to proceed to the next destination. Wrapping up our trip to Cayangan, we took some pictures on the view deck and the cave where we can take a glimpse of the spectacular view of the lagoon. Leaving Cayangan at past 12 noon, we decided to take our lunch on the nearby Kalachuchi Beach (no entrance fee). After lunch, I decided to try on the kayak. There was a small islet in front of the beach so I decided to kayak around it and then back to the beach. Carissa and Rochelle also tried to kayak around the beach.
After enjoying the kayak, we then head on to Barracuda Lake (Entrance fee is P75 each). Only few boats were docked. Only then we knew why. The sharp-edged rocks on the way to Barracuda have somehow shied away some safety-conscious tourists especially those with children. After traversing some knife-edged rocks and stones, we passed a small pool below bamboo walk paths and big rocks that somehow prevented one of the full view of the lake. Donning on our snorkel, we then swam our way towards the lake. The water is crystal clear, akin to the waters of Cayangan. The rocks beneath are sharper and bigger. Compared to Cayangan, Barracuda is less crowded. There were only 2 groups of tourists when we arrived. Spending less than an hour, we then head on to Banul Beach, a small stretch of white sand beach with tranquil waters (Entrance fee is P100 each). I tried to kayak again and this time, put on the camera in the middle of my knees while snorkeling. I felt like I was on a travel show & I wanted to record my kayaking adventure on this side of the island. Carissa and Rochelle also took turns on kayaking their way on the beach. After spending half an hour, we head on to Twin Lagoon (No entrance fee). So off we go to what they call two-sided lagoon separated by a small rock opening. When we arrived, there were already more than 5 boats docked in. Children were feeding the small fishes around. And when the boatman finally pointed the small opening, I saw heads getting in and out. Wow, what an exciting way of traversing two lagoons!!! I can't wait to join these heads swimming in and out of the lagoon so I dove and swam my way towards the opening. I took a video while making my way towards the inner lagoon. It was an amazing experience! Carissa then followed swimming her way inside. Rochelle who was struggling with the size of the life vest, decided to kayak her way inside with one of our boatman guiding her (we called her Madame after that because she looked like a VIP with her bodyguard guiding her) , which is also one way of navigating the inner lake. After spending roughly an hour in Twin Lagoon we proceeded to one of the shallow ship wrecks in Coron Island -- Skeleton Ship Wreck (Entrance fee is P100). Fishes were abundant around the wreck. As soon as we dropped crumbs of bread, fishes soared from everywhere. I was ecstatic of this communion with the aquatic vertebrates. I remembered when I had the same feeling when I visited Puerto Princesa, an equally abundant marine sanctuary. That was one great experience! Although paling in comparison with the varieties of fishes at Puerto Princesa, I still enjoyed playing with the fishes at the Skeleton ShipWreck. At past 5pm, we left Skeleton Shipwreck and head on to our last destination --- Siete Pecados (Entrance Fee is P100). A marine sanctuary nested on the eastern side of Coron town, Siete Pecados is teeming with abundant marine life. Surrounding 7 rocks, I excitedly jumped in the waters and snorkeled my way in the middle. Different and unique aquatic display of corals, fishes, anemones and marine animals lay before me. While taking pictures and videos underwater, I was cautious of the pricking sea urchin lying around large corals. I swam my way outwards and can still see unique corals and marine creatures. Wha.... what a thrilling adventure!!!! I wanted to stay more but the clouds are getting dark so we head back to Coron town. We arrived past 6pm and had our hearty dinner on a nearby carinderia afterwards.


Day 4, Saturday, April 11, 2009 (Culion-Malcapuya Tour)

On our Day 4, we decided to be joiners in a DIY Coron Tour for our Culion trip. It was supposed to be Culion-Lusong tour but Jing (the initial team for the tour) changed it to Culion-Malcapuya Tour. Owen, who was the organizer of our tour, asked me if it was okay. I agreed and so together with Jing's group (12); all 15 of us were on a DIY Culion-Malcapuya Tour costing P1.2k per person including lunch, snacks, boat, & entrance fee. The tour included visiting Culion town (a famed leper colony in the early 80's) in the morning and Malcapuya Island in the afternoon. We were told that if we include Banana Island and Bulog Dos Island, we need to shoulder the entrance fee of P200 per person for both the islands. We decided to include both the islands for the tour (which makes our total expenses P1.4K). At 8am, our tour guide Jhoan texted me the meeting place. At roughly 8:30am, we headed to Culion town, an hour away from Coron town. Passing mangroves, turquoise waters and uninhabited islands, we saw the symbolic structure of Culion's famous priest and their ancient currency lying on top of the hill as we docked in. We then took a brief walk towards the church and museum. Culion is a sleepy small town. Besides the church is a college, a Loyola college, then the old hospital and museum, a high school and small businesses. One can probably tour around for less than a day. We entered the gates of the old hospital and found our way towards the museum. We were restricted to take photos and videos inside the museum except for an area outside the Audio Visual Room. As we entered the Museum, we were led to the AVR and attended a 20-minute video clip of the history of Culion. Soon after, we got glimpses of the photos of leper patients before and after they were treated, medicines, old hospital equipments & office machines, documents & letters, and all things related to the colorful & significant history of Culion town. We then proceeded to the church and the fort which stood tall atop the whole of Culion. While on top of the fort, one can really see how small and beautiful Culion is. From its struggling years to its autonomy as a town, Culion is magnificently peaceful & beautiful. As I stood there taking photos, I can't believe I was really in Culion. This is one of the stigma-laden places I wanted to visit here in the Philippines (others are Siquijor, Basilan, Tawi-tawi, Sulu, Capiz). I got a nostalgic and rustic feeling about this town. After taking last minute photos in the church and fort, we then headed to Malcapuya Island. Passing vast mangroves and tiny islands, we docked on at the back side of the island. We then took a little walk towards the main beachfront which was one big surprise. The beach was as bright as the beaming sun. The white sand was just an awesome view!

It was one of the best white sand beaches I have ever seen. The sand was powdery white and the water-beach-sky patterns were truly a visual feast. We spent taking pictures and took a short swim on the waters. At past 12noon, we took our buffet lunch, which was part of the package and took last minute photos on the beach front. Around 2 in the afternoon, we left Malcapuya and headed to the next destination. Though it was not part of the package, we can have the options to add other islands but we have to shoulder the entrance fees and additional fuel charge. We reached Banana Island and were amazed by the presence of a small bar and few local and foreign tourists snorkeling their way on the water and resting on makeshift wooden beach chairs. The island was a good place for relaxation, with the bar attending the guest’s needs. There are also some small cottages which can be rented overnight. I thought of coming back to this place because it was really serene. We paid 200 pesos for the entrance of both Banana Island and Bulog Dos, which was our next destination. We were told the owner of Banana Island were also the owners of Bulog Dos.
After a short swim and stroll along the beach, we then headed to Bulog Dos Island, a 15 minute island across Banana Island. As we were nearing the island, I was awe-stricken by the island. I was reminded of the Lahus Island in Caramoan. The island was really beautiful. The rocks, the sand, the serenity ---- it was unbelievably beautiful… We’ve only had a very short stay as we need to reach Coron town before the sun sets. We wanted to stay for long but we were told to hurry so we then took our last photo shots of the island. We reached Coron town before sunset. Our last night was a celebration as we enjoyed eating one of my favorites – crab.

Day 5 – Sunday, April 12, 2009 (Shipwreck Snorkeling)

We enjoyed the Malcapuya tour the other day and decided to forgo with the Lusong tour, a tour full of shipwreck adventure. We were ready for another day of snorkeling, one that would satisfy our craving of water adventure to our heart's content. We went to Gunboat shipwreck first and then proceeded to Lusong Garden. The latter was surprisingly overwhelming. It was full of coral reefs beaming with marine species rewarding our eyes with a spectacle of unique and colorful school of fish. Ahhh, the beauty of it all was too much to handle... We left the shipwreck just before dawn in time for a last ditch of stroll of this small and sleepy yet beautiful town of Coron. 

Day 6 – Monday, April 13, 2009 (Bye Coron)



On our last day, we managed to take last minute photos of the area, the bay and the town. I already texted Jay2 and agreed to meet at around 8AM for our 10AM flight. After breakfast, we hurriedly went back to the pension house where Jay2 was already making his way to our place. Ate Chinette, the warm and friendly owner of Coron Pension House, hugged me as we bade goodbye to her. As we left Coron, I promised to come back to this tiny but beautiful island. The whole experience on this island captivated me. It was, in fact one of the most enjoyable island adventures I had for years. Palawan is indeed one great paradise!!!!