“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ” ~Albert Einstein
Nature is magical! That’s what I understood, Einstein. There’s more to explore and discover. This was what I realized when we continued our island hopping to the Twin Lagoon. Read part 1 of the Island hopping here.
As our boatman Kuya Eli threw the anchor, he told us that we need to pass through a hole, which disappears when it’s high tide.
Since it was low tide when we arrived, the hole was passable. The limestone wall, where the hole is, divides the two lagoons.
For those who are afraid to swim through the hole, they can use the makeshift stairs, which connects one lagoon to the other.
TWIN LAGOON
But since adventure tickled me, I chose to swim through the hole. Our guides gladly assisted us too. One should take extra care though when swimming. One wrong move and you might get a bump on the head. While swimming, I felt the difference in temperature. The upper surface of the water was cold while the deeper part of the water was warm.
Our guides explained that the upper layer is fresh water (thus, cold) while the deeper layer is salt water (thus, warm). The Twin Lagoon is another basin where salt meets fresh water.
The inner lagoon’s view was very relaxing. I even saw a native nipa hut built on stilts near the lagoon. It’s a house of one of the Tagbanuas, the indigenous people of Coron Island.
To get a picture perfect souvenir in the Twin Lagoon, sit on a balsa or a makeshift raft made of bamboo.
After the photo-op, I learned that the purpose of the raft/balsa was to save those who were afraid to swim. The ladies whom we met said that they’re scared to swim through the hole. Hence, their boatmen let them use the raft.
BANOL BEACH
Our next stop was Banol Beach. The water’s clear. The sky’s blue. One can sit on the sand, read a book and just be a bum. But since everything seems picturesque, I chose to capture the scenery.
STRANDED
Kuya Eli told another story. This time, it was about Banol beach. He said that before, they didn’t bring tourists/ travellers in this beach. It was not as famous as the CYC Island. I thought, but why? Banol was such a beauty.
SKELETON WRECK
I looked at the time. We need to chase the sun before it sets or else we wouldn’t get a glimpse of the skeleton wreck. No, not the skeleton of the human body but a skeleton of a fishing boat.
The Skeleton Wreck is one of the shallowest shipwreck sites in Coron. Just by snorkeling, one can see the upper part of the boat. It was called as such because the only parts left were the stringers of steel-hulled boat, ribs and keel.
The Skeleton Wreck has a maximum depth of 22 meters. Since our boatman is a diver, I lent my camera for him to take a closer shot of the wreck.
If we’ve visited the place earlier when the sun was up, we could have seen the whole wreck.
Anyhow, we just stayed a little time here and sailed to CYC Island, our last itinerary for the day.
CYC ISLAND
When I saw CYC Island, which stands for Coron Youth Club according to our boatmen, I thought of Survivor, the TV series.
CYC Island, was once a paradise, according to our boatman, Kuya Eli. But some people took advantage of its beauty. Since no one looks after the place, they stole the white sand from the area, leaving it bare. Among the islands that we’ve visited, this was the only island with no entrance fee.
With the island’s rough look surrounded with mangroves, I felt like one of the Survivor castaways. haha. another photoshoot galore.
It’s not good to walk barefoot here since there were lots of sharp objects in the sand.
We bade the island goodbye as the sun approached its resting place.
It was indeed one great day! Even though my 22nd year was a rough ride in the waves of life, God still showered me with blessings. At the end of the storm was rainbow. Thank you Lord!
Looking forward to my 23rd year of adventure! Don’t stop believing! Cheers to life filled with love and happiness. 