Coron: Hundred (Pesos) Islands

 Day 18: Coron (Busuanga)

Coron Island is the third largest island in the Calamian Group of Islands in northern Palawan in the Philippines. The island is part of the larger municipality of the same name. It is about 170 nautical miles (310 km) southwest of Manila, is known for several Japanese shipwrecks World War II vintage. The island is part of the ancestral domain of the indigenous Tagbanua people. Known as Calis among the Tagbanuas and Coronians, its Tribal Chieftain is Apo Rodolfo Aguilar.

The area around the wrecks have pleasant rock formations which provide for excellent snorkeling opportunities, with underwater visibility extending up to 80 feet (24 m). The water is often calm. Coron is one of the most visited destinations for wreck diving in the Philippines. Wreck dive sites are found in a depth as shallow as 10–30 feet and as deep as 120–140 feet. Most are in the range of about 60–80 feet, perfect for sports divers.

Dive sites around Coron include many different reef dive sites and the famous "Günter´s Cave", also known as Cathedral Cave because during a certain time of the day, the sun throws a beam of light through a hole in the cave ceiling, illuminating the inside. It is possible to surface in the cave, as the hole in the cave-ceiling allows fresh air to enter. The cave is named after Günther Bernert who was part of the first dive group to explore the cave, after hearing from local fishermen about its existence.

Wreck diving sites in Coron Bay include the Irako wreck, Okikawa Maru wreck, Akitsushima wreck, Kogyo Maru wreck, Olympia Maru wreck, Kyokuzan Maru wreck, East Tangat gunboat wreck (the real name of the ship, Terukaze Maru, was recently discovered by a group of Dutch divers, who spent a couple of days digging into bottom sand around the stern), Nanshin Maru wreck, Lusong Gunboat Wreck, and Skeleton Wreck.

The aquatic views from the sunken Japanese ships off Coron Island are listed in Forbes Traveler Magazine’s top-10 best scuba diving sites in the world.^[1][2]

I fell asleep quickly after this long day. It was pretty hot inside though since the room didn’t really have proper ventilation. The very loud air con kind of bugged us off. But in spite of that, we were able to sleep soundly. We were served breakfast in the morning at the hut in the garden then took off after that for our island hopping. We booked it at the hotel. The boat costs 1500 pesos plus entrance fee at each island you visit. (Per person: 200 pesos for Kayangan Lake and 100 pesos on each of the other sites). 

Siete Pecados offer a fantastic area for snorkelling and shallow diving. It has an excellent coral reef where you can also feed the different and colourful fishes. I would highly recommend it to every visitors of Coron.

Then we continued on to Kayangan Lake. It is perhaps the most popular amongst the sites. Ahead of us were already a couple of boats loaded with many tourists. Kayangan Lake which is also sometimes called the Blue Lagoon earned its title as the cleanest inland body of water. Halfway on a little trek up the rough trail is a fantastic viewpoint to look at the astounding limestone cliffs and turquoise waters below. Going down to the platform, there were already few people frolicking in the fresh and still clear waters of the lake. The water has a varying temperature from cold to warm in one place.

After a short dip and around 100 pictures later we proceeded to the next destination on one of the few beaches. It is noon, so our guide and boatmen took their lunch at one of the huts while we swam and fed the fishes again in shallow waters. Just like the other beaches and islands, the water was crystal clear. Our guides asked us to join them for lunch, but we didn’t plan to eat there. Besides, we have our bread and something to drink. That was enough until we get back to the town where we wanted to have our proper meal at some comfortable restaurant. They wanted to take us to another island which a bit farther, but we decided to just stay at one where we could relax, swim and just take in the scenery. It was an advantage for them since they spared some gasoline.

Next stop was to the Twin Lagoon and Secret Lagoon. It was high tide at the time so we could not pass through the little hole in the rocks to go to the secret lagoon. There were a small platform and stairs which was just about 3 meters high. Without that, one would have to climb those sharp rocks or dive through the submerged hole on the rocks to come to the other side. All was great, and we retook a plunge. The place is really serene and so green. It was indeed an exciting trip.

At around 3:00 pm, we decided to head home coz we wanted to take a tricycle to go to the hot springs. Well, of course, they are masters of their business and told us the better way to go there is of course by boat, since by land on a tricycle it will take us about an hour for one way. So if we wanted, they could take us there right then with just an additional fee of 300 pesos. Well, we thought it was a good deal so we could spare time and trouble. So off we went to Maquinit Hot Springs!

 

We paid another 100 pesos each for the entrance fee. Maquinit hot spring has a big pool and a couple of smaller ones. True to its name it was boiling. It would have been very relaxing if not for the time of the day we were there. But one can quickly cool off in the sea which is right next to it. It must be really perfect in the evening. But I wished they could have a pool or a basin with frigid water. Then it would have been really perfect.

We then drove back to town with the boat. When we got there, we withdrew some money to stock up some cash. There were a couple of ATM’s, and they accept foreign credit cards. (Visa and MasterCard) The first bank we found didn’t have cash in their ATM and said we had to wait a few hours later or the next day, but we decided to go to another one which also has an ATM. It was advised esp. for foreign tourists to stock up enough cash when travelling in Palawan, outside Puerto Princesa many small towns still don’t have ATM’s unless some big hotels would accept credit cards.

Dinner was at the Kawayanan Grill Station, which is located near the municipal hall. It was quite loud and crowded. I already had a little headache, and all I want to do was to eat and get out of there, but the food took a very long time. My mango shake was excellent, and my friend got his fries. Back to the hotel, we decided to take a dip in the pool. That was quite refreshing!

El Nido: Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon

Day 13: El Nido - Puerto Princesa

El Nido is a small little pleasant town with many small streets. It has an established tourist infrastructure, but unfortunately, there is still no ATM (machine), so we brought enough cash to be on the safe side. As far as I've heard that the local government is gearing towards getting more tourists to come. There was even a plan to dredge out the bay for bigger ships to dock but the locals disapproved of the plans and eventually, it got shelved. Many people, however, has been talking about making it the next Boracay. I personally have nothing against development, but the locals should be careful on what types of tourists and tourism activities they wanted to attract. It needs a lot of careful planning to make it sustainable and keep it green.

Contrary to what people have heard, it is still quite affordable to visit there. The high-end resorts are mostly located on the islands around Bacuit Bay. 

We woke up at 7:00 o´clock the next morning and immediately launched to our much-awaited island hopping tour along with my friend Daisy and her two colleagues. We rented a boat for 2,500 Pesos, and we had it for ourselves; we are at liberty to island-hop at our own pace. Our boatman docked just right next to our hotel. First off, we went to the Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon and Miniloc Island to snorkel. Everything is fantastic – the subaquatic biosphere, the limestones and the beaches. The colourful fishes came and kissed my legs esp. when we fed them with bread. Then we went to Simisu Island where we stayed a bit longer to snorkel and feed more fishes.

We decided we all had enough, so we asked our boatman to take us back to town. We wanted to get back to Puerto Princesa not so late, so off we drove after getting some lunch at a small eatery. We arrived around 17:30 (5:30 p.m.) and checked-in again at our favourite hotel, the Hibiscus Garden Inn.

I called up my nephews to pick us up from our hotel and took us to Golden Valley which is about 20-30 minutes tricycle ride from town. The trip around town gave us another glimpse of the city and city life where a regular tour would not afford. We stayed just briefly at my eldest sister’s place to give some gifts. Then off again to the second sister and did the same. We were so tired from the long drive from El Nido. Back to the hotel, my friend was so beat up and decided to just rest while I went out to meet a good friend of mine, Teng of Palawan Today, for dinner at Neva’s Place. It was a short sleep and up again at 5:30 a.m. to go to the world heritage site, Puerto Princesa Underground River.

The Municipality of El Nido is composed of 18 barangays (villages) covering a total land area of 50,000 hectares. Its population of 27,000 people is a combination of native Palaweños, with a heavy presence of migrants from other parts of the Philippines. The world's largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the "Pearl of Lao-Tzu", the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.