The day was clear and beautiful. It was the perfect day to bring out our sunnies and summer dresses (
kahit na November na!). The sea was amazingly calm and blue and the sights were all so green.
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| Boats are so ready for tourists! |
I had to pinch myself a few times to remind myself that I'm not dreaming. I'm really seeing nature at its bluest and greenest (as opposed to its brownest in the desert). You'll notice in the photos on this entry that blue and green are the dominating colors. So inspiring! I was on high!
Our first stop is
Kayangan Lake, known to be Asia's cleanest lake and when they say clean, as in crystal clean! Este, clear pala! :) But before we reached the lake, we needed to go up and down roughly-hewn, slippery stone steps. For me, who's been bingeing on junk food and avoiding exercise for 2011, it was a nightmare. I was puffing and huffing after 10 steps.
Exagg! Haha. Good thing, there was a bench halfway. And the gorgeous scenery renewed my energy.
Parang walang nangyari after!
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| Coron, Palawan |
It's the most known scenery in Coron (and I'll be disappointed if you don't know that this is in our beloved Philippines). This is the photo you'll find advertised in travel agencies, travel brochures, and DOT campaigns. I can't blame them for picking this. This photo best captures the things Coron has to offer. It looks amazing yet mysterious at the same time. You're seeing a lot but you'll be surprised more of what these photograph doesn't show you.
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| This is the huge limestone that you see from above on the photo^^. |
We decided to head down the lake...
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| Time for a dip, don't you think? |
The clear blue Kayangan lake was surrounded my limestone cliffs. There was a man-made bamboo bridge to walk in. The first dip in the cool water was amazing! We spent an hour just swimming and snorkeling in the lake (life vests came free with the tour package; goggles can be rented at P50.00/ea). There was a small cave but we were too afraid to enter it. It was dark and the water was rising. After a while, the lake got crowded with students on a field trip so we bid Kayangan Lake goodbye and went to a less crowded lake.
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| Will we see a barracuda? |
Enter
Barracuda Lake. Can you guess the reason behind the name?
Naman! A huge barracuda fish lives on this lake. Our guide said she's seen it. I had mixed feelings about seeing a barracuda so huge it can probably swallow me whole. Haha. Good thing, the barracuda was a no-show. It wouldn't come to the shallow surface. The photo above is the deep part of the lake as you can see from the color of the water. It's too dark blue/green.
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| The lake stretches to the other side. |
We had the lake to ourselves so we enjoyed this lake better than Kayangan. It was so serene and lovely. We got hungry, of course. So our boat team suggested we eat lunch after Barracuda Lake. They took us to
Banol Beach, a slice of '
Boracay' in Coron. It's a small strip of white sand with a few huts where most tourists eat their lunch. Our guides prepared some grilled fish and meat for us.
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| Sino ba naman ang hindi gaganahan sa pagkain with this view?! |
After lunch, we went to the much-talked about
Twin Lagoons.
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| The entrance to the lagoons. |
Here's the thing about these lagoons: the bigger one welcomes you with open arms while the smaller one is a little bit mysterious. We needed to make a choice between two ways to enter the smaller, inner lagoon. One is wading in this very small, low tunnel and the other one is to climb a rickety, wooden stairs and jump to the other side. The former seemed a better idea so off we went! {I'm sorry, I didn't have photos of the small lagoon. It's part of its mystic you see. You should go to see it. That, and I didn't bring a waterproof camera with me.}
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| Which option will you choose? |
The unusual thing about the small lagoon is the temperature of the water. It changes every feet or so. One minute you're wading in cool water, the next minute it's lukewarm. Or hotter. Or colder. You wouldn't know what to feel unless you're already there. Fascinating!
It's time to head off to a snorkel site in the area called
Twin Peaks. There were so many fishes and beautiful corals in this area. Our boatman opened his stash of bread and offered it in the water. The fishes swarmed and I photographed them like crazy!
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| Hungry much? |
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| Come here fishy, fishy! |
We had a good time meeting the fishes.
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| Meet n' greet! :) |
After that, we went to
Siete Pecados, another snorkel site. Siete Pecados is called such, not because of bad things (seven sins), but because of the seven islets dotting the area. It's filled with colorful fishes and long stretches of coral reefs.
Sayaaaaa!
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| The last pit stop. |
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| Even from the boat, we can already see the corals and fishes |
My friends and I waited for sunset in this area and it's one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in my life. Promise!
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| The sunset at Siete Pecados |
These are the scenes on our way back to the port...
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| So nostalgic... |
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| A burst of color |
Sunsets... what a perfect way to end this marvelous day.
This is one day in my life that I'll never forget. I saw a lot of beautiful places that still tugs my heart at this very minute of writing this entry. I learned and experienced a lot. You see, I don't know how to swim and being in the water is obviously my waterloo. Even with life vests on, I cannot for the life of me, trust myself not to do something stupid and prolly drown. Well turned out, I worry too much and I don't believe in myself enough. With the help of my friends and our very friendly, funny guide Ate Tin, I conquered different kinds of fear. The beauty of Coron helped a lot. I wouldn't pass up this chance to not swim in the very blue, clear waters of Coron. And so, I managed to snorkel and wade in the water without screwing up. I managed to enjoy in my very own waterloo. That to me is an achievement. So really, I encourage you to go to Coron and experience a life-changing place. You'll be mesmerized and amazed and inspired and awed...
Okay, I'm waxing nostalgia again. Haha. The best of Coron food and products on the last installment to this travel series. :)
Happy Wednesday!
Much Love,
§undrenched
PS. I'm not blogging from MNL anymore. This tarha is back in Riyadh, haha.)
2 had something to say:
Wow I love the last pic! The color of the sky is so beautiful. Just came from Coron last weekend and it was an AMAZING experience. :)
Been to Coron just this last January and it was one of my favorite vacation! Had so much fun in there that I want to go back this coming December!
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