The Paradise Waiting to be Discovered: Coron, Palawan

This is my very first blog post. Bear with me. Since I am still attached to this place, I decided to post my first Coron, Palawan experience. I love to travel. I always wanted to travel. Luckily for me, I have some office mates na ready sa mga ganitong situation. 
 

Meet the gang! =)


The Coron Palawan tour was very nice, kung pwede nga lang hindi na umuwi..hehe. I so love the place. Coron is known for its Japanese shipwrecks. Maganda na yung place, may interesting piece of history pa. Let me tour you around sa mga napuntahan namin.

1. KAYANGAN LAKE

The Kayangan Lake is also referred as the Blue Lagoon. It is regarded as the cleanest lake in the Philippines. 20 minutes away by boat and you'll see this beautiful place.

Kayangan Lake, Coron, Palawan
For me the its the best lake at Coron.
Btw, my friend from Coron said na this lake already reached hall of fame 
by bagging 4 consecutive awards for the cleanest lake in Asia. =)

Yes. It is true, for me it is the best place at Coron. It is very serene. Drawback lang, mahirap umakyat sa hagdan, and limestones pa, medyo slippery yung steps lalo na pag umulan kaya kailangan doble ingat. But after we had reached the top, grabe ang ganda, breathtaking. The above pic is my first photo taken there, using my Canon EOS KissX4. =)

Ladder going up to see the breathtaking view. =)

Boats around the area. Luckily wala pang masyadong tourists nung pumunta kami. =)

Kayangan Lake. Beautiful. Sobrang linis. =)

After we reached the lake, all we said was 'wow'. hahaha. Wala ng nasabing iba pa. Water is very clean, sobrang ganda nung place, daming small fishes. My friend also told me na kaya maraming entrance fees na binabayaran sa mga tourist spots ng Coron kasi para ito sa mga Tagbanuas na nagbabantay at nangangalaga sa kapaligiran nito. They use the fees for the Tagbanuas' education and daily living. =)

This the wooden platform that you can walk through. Don't worry, sturdy naman siya. =)

Nice isn't it?

The rock formations there were exceptional and sharp. hehe. Be careful, kahit malalim, nakakasugat pa rin ung mga rocks sa gilid. Better use aqua shoes if you have any. =)

These are the rock formations taken from my underwater camera.

Oh see, di ba sharp? hehehe. Piece of advice, if you're going to go to Coron, please have an underwater camera. Hindi naman necessary na mahal, I just brought a Kodak Easyshare Sport 12 MP Underwater Cam. I tell you, it was all worth it, kasi puro water activities ang ginawa namin. So that's it. Off to the next destination! =)

2. BARRACUDA LAKE

Barracuda Lake. Yes you heard it right. Some people say it is the craziest dive spot in the Philippines. If you're into diving, well this place is for you. 

Approaching Barracuda Lake

Wooden stairs para mapuntahan yung site. Be careful. (Thanks Derms for the pics.)

Happy tropa. hehehe. =)

Actually nung andun kami siguro paranoid lang na may malaking Barracuda sa ilalim to eat us out. hahaha. Hindi naman ganun. Some locals say that wala naman talaga, but some said na may nakitang bone relic of that big fish kaya they suspected na meron pa. Although meron naman maliliit nga lang. Well, to see is to believe. hehe. =)

Pose guys! =)

This is me after snorkeling.  Haha sorry hanggang snorkel lang d kaya dive. hahaha. =)

To tell you frankly hindi ko masyadong na-enjoy yung Barracuda lake; more likely it's a diver's haven. I don't know how to swim, naka-rely lang ako sa life jacket, together with the thought na baka nga may malaking fish. hehehe. Pero that place is very beautiful and tranquil. =)

3. BANOL BEACH

This is one of the places I enjoyed most, it reminds me of Panglao's pure light blue waters. hehehe. I really admire the rock formations here, sobrang ganda parang inukit. Again, be careful lang kasi sharp talaga ung mga rock tips. Clear waters, white sand. What more can you ask for?

Rock formations sa beach

So happy nakisama ang panahon. =)

Simply amazing. =)

There's a small nipa hut there and a store na may mag-asawang matanda na nakatira. There is also a monkey, (alaga nila) na mahilig mag-pose. hahaha. =) Very relaxing place, also great for pictorials. hahahahaha! =D

4.  CALUMBUYAN ISLAND

Calumbuyan is also one of my favorite spots at Coron. We traveled 2 hours via our boat. Thank God hindi maulan, dahil for sure d ma-eenjoy yung beach. hehe. =)

Ganda.

Makes me want to go back to Coron again next year.

It's a very relaxing place, we had our sumptuous lunch here. There are also hammocks na pwede mong higaan after a long tiring trip.  Asar lang may insekto dun na kasing laki ng bubuyog na ang sakit mangagat. hehe. So off to next! 

Sarap ng tulog. =)

O anong sinabi ng FHM? hehe. =)

5. CYC

Also called Coron Youth Club, an island with shallow waters, and is free to the public. It also has mangroves, white sand, and clear waters. Medyo malakas yung alon kaya yung bangka hindi masyadong nakalapit sa island. We have to get out of the boat and swim, hanggang chest lang naman yung tubig. hehe. =)

Getting ready for the pictorial? hehe.

Getting ready it is. =)

My highschool friends!! They were there too!

Luckily, I met my high-school classmates! haha. Uncanny, sa Coron pa. What a coincidence. They were there for their honeymoon. It's good to see them again. =)

Wala akong masyadong pics dito sa CYC, just like what I've said, we have to swim para makapunta sa island. Don't want to risk my cam anyway. hehe.

6. MAQUINIT HOTSPRINGS

Five kilometers away from Coron town proper is the Maquinit Hot springs. Its 38 degree Celsius salt water hot spring is located in the shorefront facing another great destination, the Coron island. - http://www.mttapyashotel.com/

I never knew there is a hot-spring at Coron. Taking a dip here really soothed my tired muscles. Very relaxing, tinalo pa mga yung mga commercial spas. Natural. You'll get used to it 'pag matagal ka ng nasa tubig. Sa una kasi parang sobrang init, hehe. 

Soothing isn't it?

There is a grotto too.

So beautiful. 

Derms taking his pics. =)

Nice place.

Some people there said that the water has therapeutic claims. I don't know actually, but I ensure you a very relaxing dip. =)

7. TWIN LAGOON

Yes, that's right. As a group, we really love this place. Nakakapagtaka lang, kasi mainit ung tubig then all of a sudden biglang lalamig. hehe. I really don't know the cause pero we dared to swim into a small underwater tunnel across from one lagoon to another. Exciting.

Ganda sobra. 

Heavenly.

We really had a great time here. Dito lang kami nakapagpa-pic ng kumpleto using my underwater cam. Thanks sa aming boatman, James. =)

so happy!

kulet!! 

I so love this pic. =)

Dare to pass? hehe.

So enjoyed a lot. Sana maulit. Sobrang saya ng kulitan. =)

8. MT. TAPYAS

Out of all water activities we had at Coron, I never expected na may mild trekking activity. haha. Sobrang taas nito. Tiring? Yes. But still nothing compares when you're at the top. You can see the whole Coron place. Breathtaking. =)

Sunrise. =)

Daming jump shots. haha. 

The domino effect jumpshot. hehe.

The shampoo commercial jumpshot

The wannabe kung-fu fighter jumpshot. hahahaha!!

This is the big cross you will see at the mountain, overseeing Coron.

Tremendous. =)

Coron at top view. =)

We went there ng 5 AM, I can assume maganda siyang exercise to begin with. =) Try it.

9. SHIPWRECKS

Truly. Coron is really a haven for divers, and this is the main reason. History can speak for itself, lalo na 'pag nakita mo na siya sa ilalim ng tubig. Unfortunately I can't do the diving thing, kaya mas na-enjoy ko yung sa Lusong Gunboat tour. Kapag low tide yung tip nung ship makikita mo siya. I'll just present here yung mga shots namin, pero can't remember na kung saan yung exact location for each shot. Bear with the pics, hindi masyadong maganda resolution. 

Malalalim na daw yung ibang wrecks. Anyway lucky pa rin I conquered my fear, medyo eerie nga lang yung aura niya, lalo na syempre may namatay kasama sa paglubog nun. Pero overall, its nice to know and see some parts of our history. 

10. CORAL REEFS

Coron is also known for its Coral reefs, especially at Coral Garden. Pictures below were taken using my underwater cam, pero again I so apologize for the resolution. 

So there you go.
Marami pang mapupuntahan sa Coron, that's just my top 10. hehe. I promise another entry sa second visit.  I so love this place. Hope you enjoyed a first blog post from a newbie. hehe. =)