The Coron Experience: Day 2 - Island Loop Tour

Our second day in Coron was the most exciting. We toured the island and there were lots of activities in stored for us.

The boat was ready by 8AM. We were joined by 3 more passengers, so that makes 7 of us. Refreshments were served as we head our way to our first destination - siete pecados.

Siete Pecados or seven sins is a cluster of seven islets. The boatman switched off the motorboat engine right at the midst of the islets, lowered down the anchor and immediately we grabbed our snorkel gears and down we go.

After feeding the fish and saying "hello" to them we moved to our next stop - Kayangan Lake.

Kayangan Lake is said to be the cleanest lake in the country. We climbed a rough and rocky terrain and when we got to the top we could only feast our eyes on the magnificent view. It was uberly AMAZING!!!



We swam in the lake for like eternity. But technically speaking, I wasn't swimming - I'm floating in my lifejacket (that's what people do when they don't know how to swim so please don't judge).


We took our sumptuous lunch in a secluded beach. When I say sumptuous, I meant seafood galore!

Sampaloc Beach and it's white, fine sand

We snorkel, played with the waves and explored other spots such as Barracuda Lake, Diwata Lagoon, Twin Lagoon to name a few. The most interesting was the ship wreck. It was my first time to see a ship wreck and I could feel the goosebumps all over me. Bad thing? I don't have an underwater cam. Damn!



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UPDATE : I thought of posting my expenses for the sake of those who are planning to visit Coron. This will give you a ballpark figure of how much to spend.

My expenses (in Philippine Peso) :

Tour package (3D2N) - 2,500/person (inclusive of accommodation, breakfast, buffet lunch during the island tour, airport transfers, boat, tour guide)
Airfare (cebu-manila-cebu) - 2,020
Terminal fees (airport) - 500
Airfare (manila-busuanga-manila) - 1,784
Entrance fees :
maquinit hotspring - 100
Siete pecados - 100
Kayangan lake - 200
Sampaloc beach - 100
barracuda lake - 100
twin lagoon - 100
Diwata lagoon - free
ship wreck - 100
snorkeling gear - 150
souvenir shirt (yeah i collect stuff) - 560 (Php280 x 2)
Other expenses (food, cab, etc...) - 1,000+++


Coron is quite expensive. If you like to travel Palawan on a low budget, I suggest you visit Puerto Princessa. I had a very nice time at Puerto and I must agree it's the cleanest city I've been to.

The CORON Experience: Day 1 - Mt. Tapyas Trekking

This is probably the best place I've been to this year.

To say it's beautiful and scenic is totally an understatement. I've never been this nature-struck (hell yeah, that's corresponding to starstruck hehe...), leaving me awed and gaping for what seemed to be perfectly sculpted limestone cliffs and rocks, rolling hills, turquoise-clear lakes and white sand shores.

Coron is the top tourist destination in northern Palawan and is part of the Calamianes group of islands. Though it's my second time to set foot in Palawan, I couldn't contain the excitement as I boarded the plane. From Cebu, I took an hour flight to Manila, and another 45-minute flight from Manila to Busuanga, Palawan.

aerial view of Coron island


we passed through a herd of Brahman cows as we exited from the airport. The airport is about 10-12 kilometers from the town proper. And for the first 6 kilometers? You can't see anything but the vast land, cows, mountains, trees, grasses and the cemented road. No houses. Not a single soul.

that's my famous jump shot.

looking at Coron island. >>>> Me thinking : "That's where I will be... tomorrow."


we started our trek to Mt. Tapyas in the afternoon. This is the place to go if you want to have an overlooking view of the island, and of course - the sunset! But the catch is, you have to stride out the 720 steps!

Just think of the 720 steps as a warm up. Once you get to the top, you would never want to go down.



After that, we went to Maquinit hotspring to invigorate our tired feet and cramping muscles. It was a long day, but the truth is, we've just get started.

From Meeting Crocs To Dining Barefoot!

I know I sounded like I still have hangover from my vacation. Sorry but I can't help myself. The trip was such a blast that it tops the list of "My Unforgettable Wonderful Places".

Anyway I just wanted to share with you guys some of the things I've learned and experienced from this trip. I came across with a lot of "first times". But before I share to you those "first times", do you know I'm so impressed on how disciplined the people there? You don't? Okay let me tell you. They have the strictest "No Littering" policy in the country. I mean come on! (there's that word again) we know how easy for some of us to ignore the "no littering" signs on the street and how easy for some to throw away their "little garbage" like they have maids who will follow to sweep them off. Oppss! I'm not ranting. In Palawan if you're caught throwing garbage anywhere you'll be fined Php 500 for the first offense. Php 1,000 for the second offense and Php 1,500 for the third offense plus 2 months in jail. See? That's what I'm talking about. We should set them as examples. So if you wanna stay longer in Palawan for free they've got a program for that. Enjoy free accommodation, free food and free rounda clock security guard. Just throw more garbage!

Anyhoo, let's talk about my "first times". It's my first time to see a real and live crocodile!

That's my friend crockie. There are hundreds or thousands of them when we visited Crocodile Farm and Nature's Park. Did i mention that 60% of their rivers are inhabited by crocs? And they've got three types of crocs - saltwater, freshwater & I forgot the other one. Damn memory lapse! And they've caught one of the longest croc in the history that reached up to 30ft. in length. OMG!!!

Some 3 years ago in the place they now call Black River, a 15-year old girl was eaten by a crocodile. I also learned that crocs have tendencies to torture nasty. They don't swallow you whole. They only eat half of your body, your lower extremities then spit you out half dead. They love to see you begging for death to come. So when you have a fatal encounter with crockies, don't worry coz your family can still see half of your amputated corpse nyahahaha! Gross!

And speaking of gross, we were itching to try out their local exotic delicacy - the "tamilok" or wood worms! Ewwwwww... There's this restaurant infront of the hotel we stayed, Kinabuch that serves tamilok soaked in vinegar. Yuuuccckk! Do you want to see the pic? Are you sure? Fine!

I couldn't bring myself to see it. Even more to taste it. I have extreme phobia and distaste in creatures that crawl. Even if they're gonna pay me big bucks and promise me stardom, I-WILL-NOT-GOING-TO-EAT-IT-AT-ANY-COST! No way! Even if it comes in less than 1 foot long waaahhh!

Aside from tamilok they also serve crocodile meat which according to my friend tasted like chicken. Of course coz crocodile are fed with meat, chicken most of the time that is why!

So much for this madness! We went to a normal restaurant to have dinner. The hotel staff was kind enough to recommend and reserve seats for us at KaLui. It was a cozy, native, homey restaurant built entirely of hard wood. The catch : they serve delicious seafoods and you can't enter inside with your shoes or slippers on. And so it was my first time to dine barefoot!

KaLui is very famous and one should not miss it when in Palawan. The meals are quite affordable. You can choose to settle comfortably on a regular table or eat korean style where you sit on the floor. You have nothing to worry as the floor is clean and polished. You could even see your reflection on it haha!

There! I'm making your mouth watery hehehe... After eating you can chill outside at their cozy garden or check their mini gallery if you're an art connoisseur or if you simply love paintings.

It's also my first time to visit a prison without bars. I've visited a prison during our community service back in college and I must say that the situation inside is awful. When we visited Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm we were surprised to see prisoners roaming around. It's like a small city walled by mountains. They have school and church inside. Well they don't just roam around doing nothing... they do farming. As in real farming (not farmville, ok?! they're not facebook addicts hehehe) If you're gonna ask me if I was afraid? Nope. They may have done something in the past but they're willing to make it up to the society. I've talked to some of them and hearing their story is disheartening.

So this will be the final installment of my vacation. I really need to write this down guys because I don't wanna forget every single day I spent in there. It was fantastic and I would surely love to go back there anytime soon. I wanna visit El Nido. They say it's a lot prettier. With that, I really need to save and save and save money for this wanderlust.

Up Close with the Wonders of Nature : Exploring Underground River

One of my dreams came true this month :

A chance to visit the famous Underground River....... Check!

Underground River or Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is an 8.2 kilometer navigable river located in the mountains of St. Paul. It was included in the final shortlist of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Wow!!!

It's quite a long trip getting there. From the city we traveled for almost 2 hours to the municipality of Sabang. While most part of the trip was convenient since 99% of the roads are paved except for that rocky road that lasted for about 5 minutes which I called "abortion road". It was so rough and bumpy that you would most definitely have a miscarriage had you were pregnant. There was also a rollercoaster road where we shouted at the top of our lungs coz it felt like riding a rollercoaster. You see? We're not even on the underground river yet, but the trip going there was super exhilarating!

Puerto Princesa is also called as "A City In The Forest" because of the lush trees and mountains. Passing through the countryside, Abbet our tour guide who is so funny and bubbly, introduced us to their famous mountains. Check this out : their mountains got names. I mean like almost every one of them. I took a quick picture of them and here's what I got :

Mc Donald's mountain. because its peak has somewhat letter M on them.

tres marias. notice the three slopes. that's how it got its name.

cleopatra's needle. the one in the center. i don't  know why it's called like that. it doesn't  look like a needle to me hehe...

We also passed by elephant mountain which really looked like... a bird! No. Seriously, an elephant of course. I wasn't able to take a pic because I didn't get a clearer view.

It was almost 9AM when we finally reached Sabang. We took a 10-minute boat ride cruising St. Paul's bay on our way to my dream destination. I was awed by the majestic sight along the way. The water was so calm and inviting. With mountains as backdrop, it was a totally refreshing sight!

Then we took a short walk along the monkey trail. We were advised by our tour guide not to carry cellophanes coz the monkey might snatch them thinking there's food inside.

                                                                               the monkey trail

When we got to the registration area, we quickly signed in our names and took the hardhat and lifevest. We're ready to go inside the cave! Yaaayyy!!!!

It's totally dark inside with lots of bats and balinsasayao birds. Our only source of light is the spotlight on the front of the boat. Most of my companions were afraid coz it's their first time to go inside a cave. I on the other hand, was so amazed with the different rock formations. I marveled at how delicately and perfectly were they sculpted by nature. The boatman told us not to put our hands on the water because they are preserving its cleanliness. But I joked there might be crocodiles as Abbet told us 60% of their rivers were inhabited by crocodiles. We don't wanna leave Palawan with an amputated hand so we're totally hands off water haha!

                                              this one resembles a face of a man, right?

                                                                                   a giant candle-like

                                        the nativity scene. again, i wasn't able to capture it perfectly.

There were rock formations like giant mushroom, jellyfish, corn, dinosaur, zebra, etc., but because of poor lighting conditions plus I'm using a point-and-shoot camera and I don't have an external flash with me, the results weren't very good.

It took us 45 minutes to cover the 1.8 kilometers. In case we want to explore more, we need to secure a special permit for that. I would really love to. But  my friends? They're itching to go back.

                                                                        on our way out

I've visited many caves before and have seen lots of crystals that glow in the dark, fantastic stalagmites and stalactites, but I truly enjoyed my experience in Underground River. Communing with nature has never been this good. It made me appreciate them more and I felt blessed to have experienced up close (and personal haha!) the wonderful creations of God.

Trip To The Last Frontier : Honda Bay Island Hopping

So I just got back from my 3-day vacay. I'm still feeling a bit dizzy, sleepy and exhausted from all the outdoor activities we did. Nevertheless I am so glad that after a year of waiting, anticipating and planning, not to mention sleepless nights and that moronic poem I posted on my blog, I finally had the chance to visit my dream destination last Sunday.

Palawan is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Its scenic attractions left tourists and locals alike in awe. It offers a wide variety of beautiful spots that will truly fascinate adventure seekers and nature lovers.

On my first day in Puerto Princesa (the capital city of Palawan which by the way is sooooo clean. How I wish all mayors in the Philippines will set Mayor Hagedorn as an example. He's an environmentalist, and together with the people of Palawan they worked hard to preserve the riches and bounty of Palawan) we hopped off to Honda Bay. Honda Bay is known as "the last frontier" and is home to famous white sand beaches, magnificent landscape, amazing corals and beautiful rainforests. It's one of the country's premiere tourist destination and ideal for diving and snorkeling.

Honda Bay consists of 9 islands and several islets. We rented a van from the city and took a 20-minute ride to the wharf. The good thing is that they have a regulated boat rental system that saves you a lot of time. We only paid Php 2,000.00 for the boat rental which for me is already a good deal considering back in my  place, island hopping would cost each person around Php 2,000 - 3,000.

Our first stop is in Starfish Island. But before we reached Starfish, we passed by Lu-Li Island.

Lu-Li derived its name from "lulubog-lilitaw", a tagalog word which means sink (lulubog) and appear or resurface (lilitaw). During high tide you can't see the shoreline and the sand. Only the resthouse. And when it's low tide you can see the magnificent sandbar sprawling the island.

                                            sandbar in Lu-li

And this is the Starfish Island where we had our lunch and took a lot of crazy pictures. The sun was scorching hot that time prohibiting us from roaming around the island.

We found lots of starfishes here...

Even this gigantic one!

Nah! Don't be fooled. Just some sorta camera trick hehehe...

Next stop is Snake Island. There are no snakes here. It is named so because it's shaped like a slithering snake.

I wish I had a clearer picture of this. I swear it really looked like a big snake from a distance. We did snorkeling here and OHMYGOD the corals are so colorful and I was amazed by the schools of fishes sorrounding it. Another wishful thinking : I Wish I Had An Underwater Camera. But I don't have!

Some of the famous islands in honda bay are the Cowrie Island, Senyorita Island which is the breeding site of Lapu-lapu fish, and Bat Island where you can see hundreds of bats flying out at sundown.

Our last stop was in Pandan Island. This island is fully developed unlike Snake Island

We also did snorkeling here and I got to see a lot of Nemo's siblings. Yeah!!! Damn you underwater camera!!! The fishes were oh-so-colorful and oh-so-cute. It feels like I'm inside an aquarium. And that sight will forever be on my mind coz I don't have a single picture of it.

Of all the islands I've been to - Pandan Island is the most awesome!

We were suppose to go to Pambato Coral Reef for more snorkeling but it was closed for a month for fish breeding. We'll try our luck next time haha!

Anyway, do you know my greatest dream? Aside from travelling to different places? I dreamed of visiting even 1% of Philippines total island. Now don't you laugh at me! Yes you! I see you mocking laugh at me huhuhuhu... That wasn't too much to ask for!

Philippines has 7,107 islands. Well now I guess it's too much to ask for... I already  been to 20 islands - 7,087 more to go waaaaahh! Goodluck to me! Coz even in the next lifetime I don't think I would be able to do that. I should stick to that swimming lesson instead!