The rainy days seem to be making their presence felt as the past couple of days (and nights) brought on torrential downpours. The good thing about this is, just as the summery days seem to be coming to an end, the rainy season too will do the same. (Sorry, that’s what happens if you marathon 10 episodes of Falling for Innocence for three days.) The rain, however, is not a reason to talk about the sun, sand and the beautiful waters of Coron during our second day of island tour.
It was a no-brainer, really. We didn’t want to have to look for another tour agency to book our second island-touring day, so we still chose to get slots for the Tour B package of JY Travel and Tours (formerly known as CheapTravel Coron). So far, they’re the cheapest we’ve seen from the few we picked from when we were there. Again, like them on Facebook here.
Tour B cost us Php700.00 per person and, this time around, the boat had 10 passengers: us four, a couple of Korean guys with the bromance (couple-shirts, shoes and everything), a young French couple, another older Frenchman going solo, another male Filipino solo traveler…
Tour B included the following stops: goes like this: Green Reef, Twin Lagoon, Skeleton Wreck, Smith Beach, Barracuda Lake.
It was another sunshiny day, which we were once again thankful for. We made a quick stop at a coral reef area for some snorkeling, and from there, we went to the Skeleton Wreck.
On my first visit to Coron, we also visited a World War II shipwreck, the Lusong Shipwreck. This time, it is the Skeleton Wreck, which got its name because all that is left is the skeleton of a Japanese gunboat.
It would have been great to be able to share photos but, earlier, the underwater camera of my friend decided to… well, quit being an underwater camera. Long story. To cut it short, we can no longer take underwater photos.
One other thrill we experienced in the area, which also happens to be a popular diving site, is feeding the fish that approached our boat. Simple joys, really.
We had another lengthy stay at Smith Beach, a secluded cove with three sheds where island-hoppers can have lunch.
Again, Nader and company took care of preparing our lunch while we were left to our own devices. Some worked on their tan, others took a nap. As for the four of us, we just fooled around. We were, after all, in the water!
Except for the burning heat of the sun, it was a great spot to just… be.
At one point, after another hearty lunch where everyone else were having a siesta, Toto (our other guide that accompanied Nader for the day) took to snapping shots of us… well, he basically instructed us on what to do, haha! (The others – the foreigners, mainly – were just watching, wondering why these Filipinos are soooo hyper and soooo happy. haha!)
After this, we headed off to the Twin Lagoon. When I visited it a couple of years ago, it was raining. Now I got to fully appreciate its beauty under the light of the sun.
This was the first lagoon, and this is where the boats stop, because they cannot go on into the other lagoon, the twin.
We then swam (or trod water, really) on to the other lagoon by going under that rock where the steel ladder is. Toto took a camera and climbed up the ladder so he can take pictures of us. Poor guy can’t say no; we were just too persuasive.
The other side!!!
The last stop was Barracuda Lake, which purportedly got its name because of the presence of barracudas before. Emphasis on before. This inland lake has brackish water, with cold water on the surface, and warm underneath.
To get there, you’d have to hike up a steep incline of rocks, which is said to be around 25m. Not as tiring or long as the hike to Kayangan, but it was quite challenging in its own way.
Finally, we arrived.
I imagine Kayangan Lake to be this pristine BEFORE tourist traffic became too much. There was only a small wooden platform that can hold about 20 people (standing real close together), and not much else. You’d then get into the water. Which we did.
This has officially pushed Kayangan Lake off the top of my favorite spots in Coron.
We managed to go back to Coron Town a bit earlier than the day before. It was only a little bit past 4pm when we docked, so we bought some “dirty ice cream” (sorbetes), hopped on a tricycle, and headed towards Mt. Tapyas to view the sunset.
…but that is for another post.
When in Coron, you MUST go on at least one or two island tours. We stuck to the islands, and opted not to take the ones that will bring us to the beaches such as Malcapuya Beach. Perhaps, if we had more days, we’d have gone on them. But we stuck only to what we were interested in… and that does not involve just lazing in the beach, sipping those drinks with tiny umbrellas on them, haha! That’s just not how we roll, I guess.
So, to wrap things up, here’s a quick itinerary of our trip.
Day 1: Arrived in Coron at 4pm, had dinner, booked a tour for the next day, strolled in the evening at the Lualhati Park.
Day 2: Morning to midafternoon at Calauit Safari Park, stopped for lunch at a small watering hole, went back to Coron Town, went for a dip at the Maquinit Hot Spring, dinner at Nonoy’s.
Day 3: Tour A, dinner at Big Mama’s.
Day 4: Tour B, sunset at Mt. Tapyas, dinner at Kawayanan Grill (highly recommended, guys.)
Day 5: Sunrise at Mt. Tapyas, souvenir shopping (buy lamayo, and cashews), then left for the airport to catch our flight at midday.
Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind coming back here again. There are still lots of places to check out, so I’m still keeping Coron in my sights.
Leave a Reply