Coron: Paradise Found {3/3}

I'm now down to the last entry on my adventure in Coron, Palawan {Part 1, Part 2} and just like what I felt when I left Palawan, I have a separation anxiety going on here. I love talking about my Coron experience because it's one of those travels that I did not expect to live up to my expectations, and go beyond it pa. Coron was a random choice my friends made when a promo seat sale came and boy am I glad their finger landed on this island.

Our view from Ralph's Pension Lodge

I'm sure you're wondering about the accommodation and the food and the souvenirs... very touristy! :) Well, the good news is, accommodation and lodges in Coron are very affordable (bordering on cheap pa nga). The semi-bad news is for picky travelers. The very affordable price comes with basic amenities. There are no grand hotels here that will give you five-star service and amenities. My friends and I are not picky travelers and we can even rough it out if the going gets tough. We had a decent stay at Ralph's Pension House in the town proper. They gave us a competitive package that has everything we need for this vacation (thanks A for arranging everything!). They were easy to talk to and they made sure requests were taken cared of. Here's our room good for five.

The Babydoll Room: 2 queen beds and 1 single bed.

There were towels and a clean bathroom in the room.

Climbing the steep, roughly-hewn steps to get to our room

We paid around P5,000 each for the accommodation, tour, and meals. Speaking of meals, their food are awesome and more than adequate for the five of us. They gave in to our request of seafood on our last night in Coron. I super duper love their huge crabs! And their shrimps too. Even their simple adobo and chopsuey were tasty.

What's for lunch?

Oh my goodness, cholesterol dinner is served!

If you're not satisfied with the food in your accommodation, you can try a lot of restaurants in Coron. There's Lolo Nonoy's Food Stations, Kawayanan Grill, Coron Bristro and Bar, etc. They mostly serve house-cooked meals (lutong bahay). If you're not sure what to order, go for the grilled meat and seafood in the menu. As for the nightlife, hmnnnn, restaurants close rather early. After all, this is still a sleepy town in the middle of the sea. There's one 'bar' though known as Subasco.

As for souvenirs, either go for the tried and tested key chains, ref magnets, t-shirts, and displays at the shops in the town plaza or buy their kasuy (cashew nuts) and daing (dried fish). I picked a few colorful fish key chains for my collection, pairs of pearl earrings for my grandmother, packs of cashew nuts, and a kilo of daing. You can buy them in the stalls near the harbor plaza.

Coron shirts

The usual pasalubong; nothing beats a key chain! :)

Ooooh lovely colors! So summer lang ang peg.

For the cashew nuts, you must go to Coron Harvest. The proprietess is a legend in cashew nuts. 

Nanay Lita of Coron Harvest

Nanay Lita has been interviewed and photographed countless of times already because she sells the most awesome kasuy nuts ever. I think I finished two packs in a few sitting. Hindi nakakaumay! They were supposed to be pasalubong for my sisters but I ended up eating them. Haha, guilty!

Once you stop munching, you'll never stop!

Coron's dried fish is a little bit different from the daing in Manila. Theirs is not too dry and not too salty. It's crunchy but still has soft meat in it. We loved it as 'dasilog' (dried fish-garlic fried rice-egg)... perfect breakfast!

Saraaaaaap!

After a hearty breakfast and a walk in town, we went back to Ralph's to prepare our things. With our bags packed, we bid Coron goodbye and headed back to Manila. 

Goodbye, Coron! Thank you for an awesome vacation!

Aside from what I've written in Part 1, 2, and on this entry, here are some tips more for future Coron travelers:

1. Pick an accommodation that is near the port like Coron Gateway Hotel (it's the nearest) or those hostels that are in the town proper, esp. when you just come for the usual island tour. It's easier to go to the port and meet your boatmen and guide.

2. Pick an accommodation that is on the other islands if you want to have a peaceful, relaxing vacation away from the hustle and bustle of it all (ie. honeymoon). They're far from the town proper and are usually 30-45 minutes away from the Coron port. Talagang 'middle of nowhere' ang dating. Survivor Series with the amenities! Haha. I recommend Chindonan Resort and Dive Center (a separate entry on it soon).

3. Bring a lot of family and friends so you get cheaper packages with everything included.

4. For divers, try Sangat Island Resort. They're nearer the wrecks of Japanese boats sunk in WWII and really specialize in diving. They have the complete gear and equipment for it.

5. Bring your own snorkel and water shoes if you have so you won't have to rent.

6. Bring a waterproof camera (or rent one in Coron). It's a must!!! (I regret not bringing/renting one!)

The whole Coron experience still feels surreal for me. Was it really possible that I've been to paradise? On earth? In this lifetime? Ahhhh... I couldn't believe it but I have the photos to pinch myself with.

So, what's your travel plans for 2012? I promised myself that I'll travel outside Saudi Arabia this year. I mean, aside from going to the Philippines, I will have a RUH-(somewhere)-RUH itinerary. I'm thinking Morocco or UAE to visit friends. Hmnnn... Maldives is beckoning too. Where are we going next?! :)

Coron: Paradise Found {2/3}

Hola, readers! It's cold in Riyadh... how are you coping? I'm coping by looking at the photos of Coron. It's summer on this entry as I pick up where I left off in my Coron, Palawan post. (I'm one with the Filipino people in promoting the Philippines especially after the launch of our "It's More Fun in the Philippines" campaign. And just for fun, here's a It's More Fun in the Philippines meme generator. Make your own! :)

Read the first part of my Coron adventure here.

My friends and I were really excited for our Day 2. We had an "island hopping" trip the whole day. This is what we missed hiking the 700+ steps to Mt. Tapyas for. We conserved all the energy we had to enjoy our day trip to . Yup, all in a day's work pleasure, folks!

Seeing Mt. Tapyas from the port

The Hollywood-like sign of Coron

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.

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!

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.

This is the huge limestone that you see from above on the photo^^.

We decided to head down the lake...

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.

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.

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.

  

 

Sino ba naman ang hindi gaganahan sa pagkain with this view?!

After lunch,  we went to the much-talked about Twin Lagoons.

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.}

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!

Hungry much?

Come here fishy, fishy!

We had a good time meeting the fishes.

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!

The last pit stop.

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!

The sunset at Siete Pecados

These are the scenes on our way back to the port...

So nostalgic...

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.)

Coron: Paradise Found {1/3}

When OFWs and expats come home to the Philippines for vacation, we usually spend most of our time with our family and friends in our hometown. There are some, like me, who use the time to explore the other provinces of the Philippines and travel like there’s no tomorrow. I find it liberating, especially after being stuck in Riyadh for a year (not that it’s too much of a bother; believe me, I rarely complain of my life in Riyadh), and fun because I get to spend quality time with my friends who I missed so much. I think it’s a good way for OFWs and expats to unwind. You will not see these scenes in other countries. Only in the Philippines talaga!

This vacation, I tagged along with my college friends to Coron, Palawan. We spent more or less 8,000 pesos in this journey. Just 800 riyals to see paradise? Count me in! And after I tell you what went on with my adventure in Coron, I’m sure you’ll be inserting it in your itinerary on your next vacation!  I hope this travel entry can also encourage our foreigner friends to visit the Philippines. I tell you, Coron that took my breath away. Hindi pa ako nakakauwi, gusto ko nang bumalik!

This Coron journey started a few months before the real trip. My friends kept tab on airline promos, which make air travel from one province to another so affordable. They saw a  fare promo that fit their budget… P2,700 to go to Busuanga, Palawan, the gateway to Coron. So goooo! They told me about their plan a few months after they bought their tickets (they didn’t know I’m going home on November). They have also booked a package (accommodation+food+tour) in one of the lodges in Coron for P4,500 per person. How can I say no to such inexpensive deal? I’M INNNN!

TIP: Here are the sites of low-cost airlines flying to Busuanga: Cebu Pacific Air and AirPhil Express. Make sure to sign up in their newsletter so you receive email alerts when they go on sale. CebuPac's SMILE Magazine is also a good read. You'll be enticed to book to other provinces and other South East Asian countries pronto!

Back to my story... We’re taking an early flight via Airphil Express, one of the budget carriers in the Philippines at the NAIA Terminal 3. It's a relief that we're using Terminal 3 now. It's cleaner, wider, and more well-lit than the old NAIA terminal, which huge international carriers still use. There were a lot of people but checking in was a breeze.

Our flight *excited much*

A mini bus had to take us to where the airplane was parked. We're using a Bombadier Q400 for this flight. The plane is a little bit small, my first time to ride something like it. The weather is fine and we were in the air in no time at all. Snacks are not served for free but you can buy them from the attendants. They’re too pricey so better eat in the airport if you’re hungry.

[For some reason, the photos which should be vertical are automatically made horizontal by the settings of my laptop/system. I will correct them soon. Thanks for reading! :)]

The view from my window... still on the ground.

The inside of the aircraft

G'bye for now, Manila!

A welcome sight to the last ecological frontier of the Philippines!

We arrived in Busuanga on time. For a little bit of info on the island, head on over to this link. Busuanga is the largest island in the Calamian group of islands. This is the jump off point to Coron.

Landed on a clear, sunny day

Arriving at the Busuanga airport

The Francisco B. Reyes Airport, named after a mayor of Coron during the Commonwealth era and located in the Yulo King Ranch, is small and the process is no-fuss. We got our luggages and head on out the door. A van from the Ralph’s Lodge, where we’ll stay is already waiting for us. Travel time from Busuanga Airport to Coron town proper is 45 minutes. Views of hills and meadows will greet you while passing through the ranch, one of the largest in the Philippines. The sceneries are so serene and laidback. You’ll be glad to see the cows and horses grazing in the road side and just lounging around looking so lazy but serene.

I was already inhaling deep and pinching myself. Am I really here? How did time fly by so fast? From the desert to the meadows… how very interesting! Well, it does get more interesting in the days that follow so make sure you visit The Pink Tarha site again in the coming days. 

This view gives a glimpse of what awaits...

And before I forget, (advance) Merry Christmas po, mga kabayan!

Sundrenched (blogging from MNL)