Coron ala Hollywood...
On our first day, we decided to walk around Coron town proper and to climb Mt. Tapyas. You can reach the foot of Mt. Tapyas (starting point of hiking) via tricycle.
The peak of Mt. Tapyas is the highest point one can get when in Coron. From the foot of Mt. Tapyas, you have
to endure around 700 + concrete steps to the top. Reaching and standing at the
peak of Mt. Tapyas will let you enjoy a panoramic view of the Coron town
proper, and the surrounding seas. We stayed at the view deck and waited until sun set. What a beautiful
view!
After couple of steps from the foot of Mt. Tapyas, we need to stop for awhile. Picture picture muna...
The "Sleeping Giant" at the background.
After all the "hingal," "kantahan while climbing," "kulitan," "pawis," (may nag-alaxan ba? hehe), finally we reached the peak of Mt. Tapyas...
The Giant Cross of Mt. Tapyas
After a long, tiring day climbing
Mt. Tapyas and walking around Coron town proper, spending a few hours at
Maquinit Hot Spring is a very good idea. We went there early evening as we were
informed that the water temperature there is dreadfully hot especially in the
afternoon. This is the only known hot spring in the Philippines that produces a
40-degree Celsius salt water instead of fresh water. As a matter of fact, it is not advisable to immediately jump into the
hot spring because of the steaming water temperature... kaya we slowly immerse our
body into the water; and while doing this, we were talking about the beautiful
song of Barbara Streisand, “All I Ask of You.” Kuya
A started to sing, “No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you -my words will
warm and calm you…”and
I was reminded of the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” at dahil dyan, nalimutan na magpapicture sa mismong hot spring...
Coron trip is incomplete without the whole day island hopping; and to make sure that we will be able to complete the coron island loop, we started the hop early, as in very early in the morning. The view is breathtaking, the weather is perfect (kahit hindi summer).
Isang matinding paghanga ang naramdaman ko... God's creation never ceases to amaze me. If I were to sing a song that day, eto yun, "I don't know what to say, You take
my breath away....... You're the music that I play and you
take my breath away..."
The Coron Island Loop includes:
Seiete Pecados-It’s comprised of a cluster of seven islets that are
home to an incredibly rich variety of marine life.
Japanese Naval Wreck- According to e-Philippines.com.ph, these
Japanese wrecks are remnant of the Philippines’ participation in World War II.
The Philippines was under Japanese rule and US forces were bombing the Japanese
naval ships near Manila. To protect the other warships, a decision was made to
deploy the ships to other safe places around the islands. One of the places the
Japanese navy went to was the Calamian Group, in Northern Palawan. The vessels
were safely camouflaged among the islands, until a US reconnaissance team
noticed that some of the islands in the area were moving. On September 24, 1944
the United States attacked the Japanese Imperial Navy in the area, sinking 24
warships around Busuanga and Coron.
Kayangan Lake-The Kayangan Lake itself is a great
place to swim around (kaya nga ayaw ng umalis ng isang kasama namin dun). It is said to be the clearest and cleanest
lake in the Philippines. Before approaching the lake itself, we climbed up
and down a mountain trail. Halfway up the mountain trail, there is a cave and
of course the view of the lagoon midway up the steps is stunning.
Just a ten to fifteen minute boat ride
from the Kayangan Lake is the Hidden
Lagoon. During high tide, the only way to get there is to trek up and down
the improvised “stairs” embedded in the rocks.
Next is Twin Lagoon. It
is called as such since these lagoons are separated by limestone cliffs that
have an opening where tourists can pass to get to the other lagoon. These lagoons
are surrounded by towering rocks with crystal clear and emerald green water. Kapoy kaya dito pero worth it naman.
Barracuda Lake, another amazing place in Coron. It
has been named Barracuda Lake because a skeleton of a big barracuda was found
in this lake. To get to the lake, from the landing platform there are 30-40 wooden
steps meandering through the jagged limestone cliff surrounding the lake. Just
bring your swimming gear and of course your camera and leave your other things
in the boat as there is no place to put your bags inside the lake. The scenery
around this lake is spectacular. This is also a diving spot (kaya puro foreigners nakasalubong namin)
Approaching Banol Beach.......
Our Coron trip will not be completed without meeting and blessing the people of Coron...
