A lot has happened in the past week. Labor Day. LaBoracay for some. The Mayweather-Pacquiao bout. My 4-day trip to Mt. Bulusan, Donsol and Cagsawa. All in all, it was an eventful (very) long weekend which I am oh-so-grateful for. Yes, despite the ache in my extremities and the difficulty (top that with moaning and groaning in pain) when going down stairs, I can safely say that the past several days has been one for the books! I will be blogging about it in the future, but for now, I will continue my Coron 2015 series, ya noe, in the spirit of “oh darn summer is about to end” and #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines!
We arrived in Coron without making advanced bookings or reservations with regards to the island tours. We decided to just wing it, so we asked the owner of the hotel we were staying at to make some suggestions and we booked the Tour A package of JY Travel and Tours (formerly known as CheapTravel Coron). Like them on Facebook here.
The package costs Php650.00 per person, and the four of us will be with nine others on the boat. So there’re four of us, a newlywed couple from Cebu on their honeymoon, a middle-aged couple with a lady friend (all from Germany), and a family of four from South Korea. Our guide for the day was the wise-cracking (and dare I say wiseass?) but quite funny Nader.
The itinerary for Tour A goes like this: Hidden Lagoon, Kayangan Lake, CYC Beach, Quin Reef and Coral Garden.
We were picked up at our hotel at 7:45 AM, but there was a bit of a delay, so we eventually pushed off from the wharf at close to 9 AM already. The weather was trippin’ faaaaantastic! Can’t you tell?
The first stop was Hidden Lagoon, where we were allowed to get into the water and swim (or try to, in our case) in the shallows. The water was sooo inviting, we just couldn’t help but jump in! All this was happening while Nader and the crew were prepping our lunch.
I was soooo looking forward to seeing Kayangan Lake again. Remember how it was raining a bit the first time I visited the place? That time, I could not fully appreciate the “hike” up then down to the Lake because I had to watch my steps, lest I slip and break my neck in nine places. Well, this time, the sun was up, and the day was perfect! So was Kayangan Lake.
Kayangan Lake has been known as the cleanest lake in the Philippines, although Nader said it is now being disputed by Barracuda Lake, which is also in Coron Island (which we’ll get around to visiting in a later post).
This time, I had a full view of the path we had to take. Maaaan, you could die here with a single misstep.
And we finally arrived at the “viewdeck”, where every visitor seems to have to get an obligatory “tourist shot”. Haha! I must say, it looks sooooo much better under the light of the sun!
We finally arrived at the Lake, where there is already a considerable crowd. We just picked a spot that is relatively “un-peopled”, and got into the water for some play time. At one point, Nader had the four of us sit on the bamboo raft he was steering… to disastrous (and high-larious) results. That’s the first time I saw a bamboo raft float just beneath the surface of the water. 🙂
At one point, Nader had the four of us sit on the bamboo raft he was steering… to disastrous (and high-larious) results. That’s the first time I saw a bamboo raft float just beneath the surface of the water. 🙂
The water was soooo clear~
After more than 30 minutes, Nader called us up to head back for lunch. There were sheds above the water, and that was where we hung out for a while, waiting for our lunch to be done, and that’s also where we ate. The sight before us was soooo tranquil. I could fall asleep… and never wake up. 🙂
I hope this view remains for years and years to come… even long after we’re gone.
Lunch was comprised of crabs, fruit salad in orange-mayo dressing, grilled tuna, pinakbet, and fresh papaya for dessert. IT. WAS. YUMMY. Three cheers for Nader and his culinary skills!
After the hearty lunch, we had to bid farewell to this place.
At close to 2pm, the boat had some mechanical problems, and we were just floating in the middle of the sea for more than 45 minutes until another boat arrived to tow us along. The lady from Germany was getting antsy, wanting to just swim her way… somewhere… but the boat crew refused, since it is not allowed. For our part, we just took the opportunity to catch some ZZZZs. Come on, it’s rare that you get the chance to sleep while being rocked gently by the water!
When help arrived, we then breezed through the next destinations, which was not a complete loss to me since, after Kayangan Lake and the Hidden Lagoon, they looked mildly all right. Also, the corals looked awesome, but then again, that is already expected of Coron.
By this time, we agreed to go on Tour B the next day, with Nader as our guide again. It’s a no-brainer, really. He was a fun (and funny) guide, and we all hit it off.
The ride back to Coron Town was another memorable experience, because we did so with the sight of the setting sun on the horizon.
And here’s Nader, our guide.
You do not have to be a swimmer to appreciate Coron. This is one of those places that everyone should go to, at least once in their lives. There were so many foreigners around, and they were clearly smitten with the place. That alone should be enough indication that you have a gem right here, in your own backyard, in the Philippines. You don’t have to look further than the waters of Palawan, particularly Coron.
Tomorrow will be Tour B, and I will try to take you there again. See ya next post!
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