Tag Archives: diy coron

Chasing the sunset at Coron’s Mt. Tapyas

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Photo by Izah Morales

“Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough.”

The muscles were already relaxed after dipping in the hot waters of Maquinit Hotspring but the day wasn’t over yet. It was our last full day in Coron and we haven’t seen Mt. Tapyas. Time was ticking fast. It was already 5pm and in just a few minutes, the sun would find its way in its resting place.

Fortunately, we got a tricycle that would take us to the foot of the mountain. The trike passed by Mt. Tapyas Road. One can walk but we chose to ride a trike to conserve our energy. I already warned Mama and Papa that it would take 724 steps before we get to the top of the mountain where a huge white cross stands. They agreed.

Photo by Izah Morales

As much as I wanted to climb with them, I have to rush to catch the sunset. Papa was having a hard time so they took each step slowly. I ran and stopped to take a picture of the 100th step.

As I ascended, I noticed a construction site near the shores. Commercialization is starting in Coron. There are good and bad effects. I just hope that they take the environment into consideration.

The light was fading but I continued while catching my breath. And after 20 minutes, I stepped on the summit of Mt. Tapyas. Ahhh…the view of the islands with the sun hiding in its cradle was breathtaking.

I was a bit late but nonetheless, it was worth the sweat.

Darkness has started to cover the sky. Papa and Mama finally reached the top. They said that they stopped for awhile to drink some water. Thanks to Benjie and Erwin, young locals of Coron, who sold the bottled drinks. We then called it a day as the stars appeared in the sky.

Travel Notes:

  • Tricycle fare: Php 10.00/ person
  • You can walk from Coron Town to the foot of Mount Tapyas. Just look for the sign, Mount Tapyas Road, and walk straight.
  • You can choose to climb early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
  • Ideally, we should have climbed the mountain first before going to Maquinit Hotspring but we did the opposite since the hotspring was part of the DIY Coron tour.

Where to eat in Coron

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strong>”Where do we eat?”— It has always been a question whenever one travels.

When we visited Coron, Palawan, we had a hard time finding an affordable place to eat. Most of the restaurants offer food at rates similar to that of Manila (Php150-350 /viand). On our succeeding days, we did find places to eat when on a budget trip.

Budget Restaurants

1. Kookie Lodge and Restaurant


Location: Just Across Harbour Center in Coron Town. Near Coron’s Tourism Office.

Food: We ate breakfast here: Tapsilog, Dasilog, and American Breakfast

Taste: ??? (good)

Serving: 1 meal/ person

Service: ??

Price Range: Php 50- 100

*Tapsilog- Php 75

*Dasilog – Php 50

*American Breakfast- Php 70

Ambiance: ?-simple. no frills place

2. Lolo Nonoy’s Food Station


-This was referred by a fellow traveler whom we met during the island hopping. Tasteful food and yet affordable.  :)

Location: Near Municipal Hall and St.Augustine Parish

Food: We ate dinner here:  Calamares on sizzling plate, Sisig, Buko Juice

Taste: ???? (very good) Service: ???  Serving: 1 meal/ pax

Price Range: Php 50-250

*Calamares- Php 80

*Pork Sisig (with mayonnaise on top of egg)- Php 100

*Fresh Buko Juice- Php 40

Ambiance: ???? -bahay kubo/ comfy and homey feel

**********************************************************************

‘Quite Expensive’ Restaurants

1. Coron Village Lodge Bistro Bar

-Since we were billeted at Coron Village Lodge, we ate our breakfast here. At night, this bistro transforms into a very cool place. It is the most ambient among the places that we’ve eaten. It has an artsy-and-antique feel. The owner displayed his collections of souvenirs from all over the world. They also play Reggae songs here (e.g. Bob Marley songs)!

Location: National Highway, Coron Town, just above the lobby of Coron Village Lodge

Food: Breakfast- Tapsilog, Longsilog with Danggit and American Breakfast

Taste: ??? Service: ??? (accommodating)

Serving: 1 meal/ pax

Tapsilog

Dasilog

American Breakfast

Price: ?? Breakfast costs Php 150/pax with juice or coffee

Ambiance:????? (excellent)! I love the feel of the place.

2. Kawayanan Grill Station


-This was recommended by our tricycle driver when we asked for a grill food place.

Food: We ordered seaweed salad and grilled seafood sisig for lunch

Taste:?? (just right)   Serving: 2 pax /viand  Service: ? -too slow.

Price: ? (too pricey) Price range: Php 180-300 / viand

Ambiance:???? -The place has a rustic feel as the restaurant is situated near the ruins.

3.  Seadive Restaurant

-During our first night in Coron, we decided to eat dinner by the sea. Thus, we chose Seadive Restaurant. To get here, you have to walk along a narrow street and pass by a small bridge.

Food: We want seafood so we ordered Sinigang na Blue Marlin (Blue Marlin fish in tamarind soup) and Grilled Tanigue.

Blue Marlin in Tamarind Soup

Tanigue in Lemon Butter Sauce

Taste:??? (good)

Serving: 2 pax /viand

Service: ??

Price: ? (too pricey) A lot of foreigners eat here. Thus, the reason for the high charge, I guess.

Price range: Php 250-400

Ambiance: ??? (by the sea)

4. Bistro Coron

-This was recommended by fellow Travel Bloggers: Anton Diaz of OAP and Melo Villareal of Lakbay Pilipinas. Good thing, I followed their tip and spent my birthday dinner here. My parents and I had a good time eating here. Though expensive, we got our money’s worth since they offered the best food in Coron. The place is owned by a French named Bruno, who opened the business seven years ago.

Food: French Cuisines but we ordered Cheesy Pizza/ Spaghetti ( for long life)/ Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream/ SMB/ Bottled water and two fruit shakes

Taste: ?????- Excellent!  délicieux!

Serving: ??? (good) Service: ???

Price: All of the above items cost us Php 884.00

Price Range: Php  150-800

Ambiance: ?? (small place)


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In Summary:

Most Affordable- Lolo Nonoy’s Food Station

Most Ambient- Coron Village Lodge Bistro Bar

Best Food/ Most delicious- Bistro Coron

Happy Eating! :)

Coron Day 3-Dipping in hot and cold water

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“Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”-Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

After the safari adventure in Calauit Island, we stopped by Concepcion town, which is an hour away from Salvacion town. It took us 10-20 minutes before we reached the small but mysterious Concepcion Falls.

The cold water was a refreshing treat after the encounter with the animals on a hot day. And when I say cold, it was really cold! brrr… The temperature was as cool as that of a water stored in the fridge. Nonetheless, I still managed to play and shoot.

We only stayed here for about 30 minutes since it was getting dark and we need to return to Coron Town.

Another hour was spent as we made our way to Maquinit Hotsprings, one of the wonders of Coron Town.

On the way to Maquinit, which means mainit (hot),  I noticed residents playing Bingo (a numbers game).

From the gate, you wouldn’t expect that there’s a hotspring in the area. As I got closer to the hotspring pool, I saw some smoke. Definitely, the water’s hot.

I learned from Kuya Noel, our driver, that the water comes from Mt. Dalara (Cuyonin word for Dalaga- Maiden in English), a dormant volcano. Hence, it explained why the water’s hot. The temperature was about 40 degrees celsius.

There were three pools in the Maquinit Hotspring but only two were original. The bigger pool serves as a catch basin of the two smaller springs.

eeekkk...the water's so hot.

Dipping into hot water felt good. It relaxed the muscles. The locals said that the natural springs have healing powers.

ahhhh...This is Life! Serene.

Maquinit Hotspring shouldn’t be missed when going to Coron. Definitely, a must-see and must-experience place.

Best time to go: 5pm onwards

Operating Hours: 6 am-10pm

Entrance Fee: Php 100/ head

Coron Day 2- My Island Birthday Adventure (PART 2)

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“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. :)



Coron Day 2: My Island Birthday Adventure (Part 1)

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“…Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”—Joyce Kilmer

Words were not enough to describe how grateful I was to see the wonders of Coron Island. I felt so blessed. God made my day perfect! Thank you Lord! It was an answered prayer.

Nov. 17, 2010

Happy Birthday! I woke up from the greetings and messages of family and friends. The sun greeted me too with its warm rays. I looked up and saw the clear blue skies. This would be one great day!

After eating breakfast at the Village Lodge Restaurant, we went to the port and met the DIY joiners of our trip: Gina, Dennis, Mai, and Abi.

Siete Pecados

Perfect weather! The sea was calm as we made our way to our first stop in the itinerary–Siete Pecados Marine Sanctuary. We snorkeled here for 30 minutes.

Good thing, I had Wish (my Canon D10) with me. I captured the beauty of the marine life underwater. But still, I was not satisfied with my shots. It would have been better if I got closer to the subjects… and the only way to do that is to dive—And that I have to learn. Haha.

This blue fish (sorry, I don’t know the name of the specie) was the most decent shot that I got.

Our boatman, Kuya Eli, told us that before, coral reefs in Siete Pecados were destroyed by cyanide fishing.  And when the site became protected, the colorful marine life returned.

Snorkeling was followed by swimming at the fantastic, amazing, breath-taking Kayangan Lake.

Kayangan Lake deserved all those adjectives and more. It was truly a hidden gem. Its’ beauty was not easy to see but it was worth the sweat.

We climbed 100 plus steps. Thanks to the makeshift stairs which made the climb easier and less scary. Kuya Eli led us to a narrow rocky path, where we found this famous picturesque view.

I’ve seen it in pictures. But seeing the real thing made me utter, Wow! The Philippines is really blessed!

There’s also a small cave from where we stood but we hesitated to get in since we didn’t have any spelunking lights. After taking photos, we returned to the original path and found another stairs going down to the lake.

On the way to Kayangan Lake

The struggle and sweat to climb was worth the serene scenery! The crystal clear blue-green water surrounded by the greens draped in the limestones was like a scene in a dream. But everything was real. It was not a dream.

A school of fish was also swimming in Kayangan Lake, which was said to be the cleanest lake in the Philippines. It was refreshing to plunge into the waters.

It’s really best for swimming since the water was not that salty. Kuya Eli told us that the lake has brackish water: 70% fresh water and 30% salty water.

After spending around three hours in the lake, we returned to our boat for the next destination—Barracuda Lake.

Unlike Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake can be reached by just 37 steps. But lo and behold, the make-shift stairs were built in between the sharp and steep limestones. One should really be extra careful with the steps. From the stairs, the deep blue waters can be seen already.

We found a French couple (I forgot their names) dipping in the Barracuda Lake.  The French woman said, “Beautiful country!” and the French guy seconded, “and good people!”

I smiled and thanked them. Despite the recent travel advisory by some European countries, tourists like them still visit our country. I can see hope in our tourism industry but first, the Department of Tourism should really listen to its stakeholders and change the “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” slogan. Foreign tourists would have a hard time understanding it.

Anyway, Barracuda Lake was named after the barracuda fish. Kuya Eli told us that divers visit this place to see a cave deep down, where the barracudas are. Another reason too was the thermocline, a transition layer between the mixed layer at the surface and the deep water layer where the temperature changes.

The limestones underneath the water looked like shimmering gold. Since I can’t dive yet, these were the only shots that I got.

After exercising our muscles, I heard my grumbling stomach. It’s lunch time! Our boatmen grilled the tuna and squids in our boat.

We also had grilled liempo and crabs. Ang sarap sarap! Bountiful lunch for my birthday! Ang saya saya! Mmm…

This post is getting longer. I’ll tell the next part of our trip to Twin Lagoon, Banol Beach, Skeleton Wreck and CYC Island in my next post.