Coron: La Sirenetta By The Sea

Day 19: Coron (Busuanga)

We went to La Sirenetta upon returning to Coron Town. It lies just about 10 minutes on foot from the pier. The location of the restaurant on the water was fantastic where you have the view of the sea and the island in front. The food was promptly served, and I had my mango-banana (milk) shake, an appetiser of seaweed (lato) salad and delicious gingered chicken. Then I had my second glass of ice cold shake. La Sirenetta was probably our favourite restaurant in Coron.

We were still tired, so we went back to our hotel and rested a bit and took a plunge at the pool. It was very refreshing. At around 16:00 (4:00 PM) when we decided to climb Mt. Tapyas. Our hotel is primarily located at the foot of the hill and just about 10 minutes to the ascent. The ascent was taxing because of the searing heat of the afternoon sun. I was utterly drenched in sweat. I had to take off my shirt as I didn’t want to climb back down totally wet. Fortunately, there was a kid selling bottled water at the top of the hill as my throat was parched. Mt. Tapyas offers a 360° panorama of the town and the underlying islands. We didn’t stay until sundown, but I would bet, the sunset would be a great view from there.

It was kind of late when I got my cousin Ate Kit’s phone number. It was our last day on the island, so I called her up to meet. She was surprised as she didn’t know that I was on the island. The last time we saw each other was probably over 20 years ago. We just got back in contact through facebook a couple of years back. I arranged for her and her husband to fetch me at the hotel. My friend who was still tired from the whole island-hopping decided to stay back at the hotel.

Ate Kit and her husband, Pastor Garcia took me to Sea Dive restaurant which is another favourite backpackers place. The restaurant was also on the water. The service was a bit inadequate. It took years for the food to be served and my cousin didn’t get what she ordered. At first, we thought we had to wait for it, but then the waitress completely forgot it. Later when we asked for the bill, she announced how much we had to pay for the whole world to hear. Who does that eh? But altogether, the place was okay, and I had a pleasant evening reuniting with family.