Our Amazing Palawan Vacation - A Recap

Our Coron escapade was our longest vacation yet. We had an amazing time - save for the one day I had to stay in bed due to cramps (can't stop the biological clock from ticking!). Anyway, here are my thoughts on Coron and our amazing vacation:

• Majika is a lovely resort, but I definitely won't come back until they've installed airconditioning. Even with huge windows, the cottages feel like an oven in summer.


• Coron is beautiful. Cayangan Lake. Twin Lagoons. The wrecks. The snorkeling places. But it's becoming too crowded. I'm scared of what it will become in a few years.


• I wish the locals will take care of the Coron town proper and keep it clean.


• I wish there are better eating places in Coron. La Sirenetta isn't so bad.


• I wish I can eat fresh seafoods in Coron. Not just the squid, but really good prawns, crabs and lobsters.


• I don't know why Maquinit Hot Spring is so popular. I don't think it's great. The moss on the cement is icky. Maybe it's just me. I never liked Camiguin's famed hot springs either. Icky.


• Coron's Mangrove channel (near Sangat Island and the Bintuan Marine Sanctuary) is awesome and should be part of every tourist's itinerary. Did you know that 2/3 of the Philippines' mangrove forests are in Palawan? When you go snorkeling, you are most likely going to have the same experience over and over again. So why hop from one snorkeling spot to another? Go to the mangrove forest for a different experience. You can kayak to the mangrove forest from Majika.


• Culion is worth a visit. It's a beautiful island and is very rich in history. I wish our government will exert more effort in preserving historical sites like Culion. And the museum can be improved. It obviously needs more funding. And granted that not a lot of people will see it, and will therefore not generate revenue, it's still worth saving. It's musty and mouldy, and dark, and smelled of gas from the floorwax. But it has a rich history. It tells a great story. People worked hard to make it one of the best leprosariums in the world during the early 20th century. And you can spend the morning there and still have time to snorkel and go to the more popular sites. So go!


• Calauit is amazing. I've heard rumors that it will close down soon. I pray it's not true. It's one of its kind. I know it's a bit out of the way and it's expensive to go there (because it's far!), but it's worth it. Over 3,000 hectares of land where giraffes, zebras, deers, antelopes and other animals run freely. It is also a birdwatcher's paradise with birds of all shapes, sizes and colors fly from tree to tree. It's beautiful.


• I can't make up my mind on which resort is better - El Nido or Club Paradise. Club Paradise wins in terms of facilities/amenities. But El Nido has better food and a more breathtaking location.


• If you want to explore Coron, stay in the nearby islands (like Majika or Sangat) or if you don't mind the crowd and noise, stay in the city. But if you want a relaxing vacation in Coron, Club Paradise is the place to be. It offers enough adventures, but nothing too taxing. It has its own reef for a great snorkeling experience and you have a good chance of spotting turtles and a dugong. The peak of the island is a short and easy trek that even the most unexperienced hiker can easily conquer. Or you can choose to relax by the long stretch of white sand beach, or by the pool. It's in my list of places to return to (on top of that list is El Nido).


• Watching thousands of fruit bats fly out into the night at Club Paradise is another noteworthy experience. On our first day, we spent a long time looking up the sky and just watching them fly away.


• We didn't do any kayaking during this trip. I regret that we didn't go to the mangrove channel at night during our stay in Majika and we didn't get to see the sea fireflies (planktons that light up at night). It's one reason to go back to Majika - when they already have airconditioning.


• I'm glad we decided not to go to far off islands (Banana, Calomboyan, Malcapuya) and instead opted to visit Culion and Calauit. How different can one island be from another? Our Culion and Calauit tours offered a much more unique experience.


• Mt. Tapyas gives you bragging rights - climbing up 762 steps isn't easy - but if the schedule is tight, you're probably better off skipping this.

Here are some videos that Ariel took while we were in Coron. Pardon the quality. I'm new at this. :)
1. 360 degree view at the peak of the hill behind the cottages of Majika Resort.
2. 360 degree view of Dimakya Island - taken at the highest point of the island.
3. Snorkeling around Dimakya Island, with a footage of our encounter with a Dugong.
4. Encounter with wildlife at the Calauit Reserve.

And here are the links to my previous blog posts - a detailed account of our Coron Escapade.
Part 1 - Arriving in Coron, first day in Majika island Resort
Part 2 - Days 2 and 3 in Majika: Tour of Coron Island which includes the Twin Lagoons, Cayangan Lake, Banol Beach and CYC Beach
Part 3 - Days 4 and 5: Transfer to Coron Village Lodge at the town proper, our climb up Mt. Tapyas, a short visit to Maquinit Hot Springs, tour of Cullion Island, snorkeling at the Bintuan Marine Sanctuary (Coral Garden, Caldave Marine Park) and Sangat Gunboat
Part 4 - Day 6: Transfer to Club Paradise at Dimakya Island
Part 5 - Day 7: Going up the hiking trail at Club Paradise and our Calauit Reserve tour
Past 6 - Days 8 and 9: The final installment - Exploring the waters around Dimakya Island, and our encounter with a Dugong

I think this is the first time I was able to edit ALL photos and blogged about a trip within just a month. I still haven't gotten around to finishing our photos and blogging about our Cambodia, Vietnam, Dumaguete and Singapore trips last year! I'll finish them someday. :)

Some people appreciate that I go through all the details of our vacation. Some probably don't have the patience. I love reading through my blog and I love all the details. They help me remember.

And before I move on to other posts, I leave you with my favorite photo from this trip.

Happy reading!

Coron Escapade - Part 2

If you missed part 1, click here.

Day 2 - Majika Resort

Despite the absence of air-conditioning, we had a restful evening. The sound of nature lulled us to sleep and woke us up early in the morning. I woke up with menstrual cramps. It was bad. Crap! Not today!

Breakfast was served at 7am. Again, nothing spectacular. Fried rice, daing, omelette and longganisa. Not the best I've tasted, but not bad either. The coffee was good though. It was strong and flavorful even without adding sugar. I added milk, they didn't have non-dairy creamer.

At 8:30am, we were ready for the Coron Island Tour. Our itinerary - Twin Lagoon, lunch at Banol Beach, Cayangan Lake, CYC Beach. We packed our gear and set off for our adventure. We shared the boat with the Villafuertes and Miss Carina, a school principal who was traveling alone, Orange, a girl traveling with her friend Jun, whom we later found out was a priest. Another boat was occupied by a family of seven.

Coron Island was a good 45 minutes away by boat. Before long, our boat was sailing between rock formations. Then we entered a cove which turned out to be the first of the twin lagoons. The water was smooth as silk and very clear. Ariel and I were the first to dive into the water with our life vest and snorkeling gear on. The water was cool and very deep. Schools of fish swam around us.

The lagoons are separated by a rock wall. During low tide, one can swim through an opening under the rock. During high tide, you will have to climb over the rock to get to the other lagoon. Fortunately, it was low tide that morning and we easily swam through the opening into the other lagoon.

On the other side, the water was cooler and less salty as it is mixed with fresh water. We saw fewer fishes but some swimmers said there were jellyfishes near the rock walls. We didn't dare find out for ourselves. After a while, Ariel and I swam back to our boat, took off our life vests and swam around the first lagoon. We just enjoyed the cool water and the beautiful surroundings.

Then it was off to Banol Beach for lunch. The rock formations in the area were awesome.

The beach has powdery white sand and the water crystal clear. However, it was too hot for us to enjoy the water at this time so we decided to just have our lunch first. We had the entire beach to ourselves.

Lunch consisted of rice, grilled fish, chicken adobo and steamed crabs. The food was pretty good but I was a bit disappointed with the crabs. They weren't fat! While they tasted good, I expected better quality considering that we were in Palawan.

After lunch, we couldn't resist the call of the ocean. At first it was just Ariel and I who braved the noontime heat to take a swim. Soon after, the rest of the guests in our boat followed suit.

Then we were off to Cayangan Lake, just a few minutes from Banol Beach. Our boat docked in a cove and we soon realized that we have to climb up a hill and then go down again into the lake.

It was exhausting! But the view from the top was really worth the effort.

As we descend into the lake, we were again rewarded with a breathtaking view. No wonder this tops the list of Coron's must sees.

Anyway, the lake was deep and the water cool and soothing. Ariel and I got into the water and explored the lake. There was a small cave a few meters across the dock. I was scared to go in but our guide reassured us that it's safe so we went in. The rocks around the cave were a bit sharp so we had to avoid touching them.

After a few quick poses for the camera, we got out and just relaxed in the cool waters of Cayangan Lake.

Finally, it was time to go. Our last stop for the day was CYC Beach. It was another white sand beach but instead of docking on the shore, our boat set anchor a few meters away, where fishes and corals abound. There were lots of sea urchins!

I was terrified of them. Aside from the spines, they have these "eyes" that seem to watch us as we swam by. We spent just a few minutes here before heading back to the resort.

After a quick shower, Ariel and I walked by the beach to take some photos before dinner.

 

As with the previous night, we retired early. I was already very anxious. My period came and I was dreading the following day. Based on today's cramps, I could feel it will be worse the next day. :(

Day 3 - Majika Resort

When I woke up at 5am, I knew I won't be going anywhere today. My dysmenorrhea was really bad, my flow very heavy. I need to be within a few steps of a working toilet all the time. Sadly, we had to skip today's tour. I told Ariel he can join the tour while I stay in the cottage. He chose to stay with me - as expected. For better or worse.

Fortunately, today's tour covers nearby sights. So lunch for the group was served at the resort and we got to enjoy the company of the Villafuerte's and Miss Carissa over lunch. Then they were off to another adventure while we watched Season 1 episodes of Criminal Minds.

By dinnertime, I was already feeling much better. I felt good enough for a game of pingpong. Time seemed to slow down in this island and to keep ourselves occupied in the past three days, we played billiards and pingpong. So anyway, it was our last dinner at Majika. Ms. Carina seized the microphone and started belting out songs at the bar. The kids were playing. Ariel and I hung out for a bit before we went back to our cottage to pack and prepare for our transfer the next day. :(

Here are some of Ariel's shots today:

See the complete set of photos here.

To see Part 3, click here.

Coron Escapade - Part 1

Our flight was originally scheduled at 7:10am but I got an email the day before that it will be moved to 8:50am, arrival at Busuanga Airport expected at 9:55am. We decided to leave early just the same, in case the schedule moves back to the original slot. So we found ourselves lugging two heavy bags and a light tote with our life vests for check in, plus hand-carried bags for each of us to the check in counter shortly before 7am. By 8:30, we still haven't boarded. It was almost 9am when we were finally called to board a bus that took us to our plane. After that, we had to wait about 30 minutes before we could take off. Apparently, there was a long queue of flights out of Manila - the weekend rush. It was almost 9:30am when our plane finally took off. The flight was only about 30 minutes which made up a bit for the delay.

It's been over 12 years since I was last in Coron. Back then, flights to the island were few and far between. The runway was a strip of dirt road. I took a 10-hour trip by sea going to the island with my parents, my aunt and uncle, plus a few other couple friends of my parents. We stayed with some relatives who lived in an island somewhere. I actually couldn't remember where. On our trip back to Manila, we decided to travel by air, in an 8-seater plane. We were already seated when the pilot asked us to go down again as the engine wouldn't start. He said we needed to wait a bit for the plane to cool off. We looked at each other and prayed hard. It was quite an adventure. But I digress.

Our plane touched down shortly after 10. We were met by a representative from Majika Island Resort who led us to a non-aircon van that took us to the town proper. It was a scenic but rough 45-minute ride. We met the Villafuerte family (the mom and dad, and 3 kids) for the first time. Like us, they also found Majika on the internet. It ranked 1st in Trip Advisor among the accommodations in Coron, and the reviews are 100% positive. The only downside I saw was the fact that the accommodations are not air-conditioned. We are really not very picky when it comes to accommodations. We've stayed in simple cottages before, but in this heat, I doubt if fans will be enough to cool the cottage. Anyway, we were first ushered into the 2nd floor of what looked like a private dwelling, in the heart of the town. There, we were served with brunch - rice, tinolang manok and squid omelette. Later I realized that our meal in town was a preview of sorts on what our meals would be like in Majika.

Shortly after lunch, we walked towards the pier. It was just a few meters away from where we had lunch.

There, we boarded a boat that sailed us into Bintuan Island, where Majika Resort is located. It was an hour-long ride through the silky smooth ocean.

As we approached the island, I was filled with uncertainty. It didn't look remarkable from afar. In fact, it didn't look like a resort at all! As we approached the island, I could barely make out the cottages as trees obscured the view. At the backdrop are barren hills covered in what looked like dried grass, and a handful of trees. There was a visible trail going up the hill but the dry cover make it look so uninviting.

Finally, land. We disembarked on a floating hut and waded through knee-deep sea water. We made our way up to the main dining hall-reception area where welcome drinks were served. The iced tea was a welcome respite from the heat of the summer sun.

We were then ushered into our cottage. It was surprisingly big, with two double beds, a table and a bench. Drinking water was provided in each room via a 5-gallon water dispenser. The bathroom was likewise spacious, fitted with modern bathroom amenities. Toilet paper was provided. I did not expect to see anything else as I was advised to bring our own towels and toiletries. I was surprised to see a big shower area. BUT half the space was occupied by three large water containers. Then we were hit by the awful truth.

There was no running water. In fairness to the resort, they have their own water pump. And the fact that there are modern bathroom fixtures told me they had running water. However, due to El Nino, the water supply has become scarce and can no longer fill their overhead tank. Fortunately, the resort has a well and the water has not dried up. So the bathrooms are filled with water from the well on a daily basis. And to think I even inquired if they have hot water available!

As we tried to settle down, another revelation hit us. The resort is powered by a generator so electricity is only available from 6pm to 6am every day. Hence, no fans to cool the cottage on our first afternoon in the island. Ariel and I were so tired from the trip and the lack of sleep the night before. We decided to take a nap before exploring the island. However, because of the heat, we could barely doze off. We kept on waking up soaked in sweat. After a while, we just gave up and decided to just hike up the hill.

The trail starts just behind our cottage, between number 7 (ours) and 8. The first few meters was a steep climb but the view was very rewarding. At this point, one can already stop and bask in the beauty of nature. A huge tree with two swings act as the first marker. From this vantage point, you can see the mangrove forest below.

We took a few minutes to admire the beauty around us before proceeding uphill. Fortunately, it was a bit cloudy which made it easier for us. Otherwise, without trees to shelter us from the heat of the sun, it would have been a much more difficult climb, specially for someone as out of shape as I am. We took frequent stops to take photos and to catch our breath. We didn't bring water so we weren't properly hydrated.

After a while, we reached a second marker. This time, there was only one swing as the tree is much smaller than the first marker. At this point, the sun came out from behind the clouds and the heat became almost unbearable. The last few meters to the peak was totally bare so I decided to stay put while Ariel proceeded to the peak.

At the highest point of the hill, a lone bench welcomes the weary hiker. There are no more trees to tie a swing to and the bench serves as a perch as one drinks in the breathtaking view.

After a while, I walked a few meters towards the peak to meet Ariel and then we started our downhill trek.

Click here to see the video taken by Ariel showing the 360 degree view of the islands from the peak of the hill.

Back at the resort, we were relieved to find a jug of ice cold water to replenish our dehydrated bodies. Then, we were served banana fritters for snacks which Ariel and I washed down with a can of Coke.

At around 7pm, the bell rang to signify dinnertime. The food was ok and there was enough variety - soup, meat, seafoods and veggies - good, but forgettable. It satisfied our hunger but did not delight our palate.

We retired to our cottage early. It was better with the fans on, but still a bit toasty. We just watched Glee and Criminal Minds before before drifting to sleep.

See the complete set of day 1 photos here.

To read part two, click here.