Coron: Ang pagbabalik

And I'm back to blogging. Too much drama on the last post. hihi! Forgive me for sharing some personal issues there. Just have to let it out and pay tribute to my beloved aunt. Anyway, I'm back to being a "travel blogger". Few asked me to blog again. I'm flattered that they want my blog. It's  a pleasure for me to write for them. Talaga namang makopa cheeks is ON. (actually mga pinsan ko lang naman yun. lol!)

At dahil gusto niyo, ib-blog ko rin kung anong feel ko. hehehe! Coron again. Ginusto niyo yan e. Magdusa kayo. Chos! I could never get tired of going back to this place. Sayang ang picture kung hindi ippublish. Hindi ko rin naman ipapa-develop to no. hmp!

 

Nasabi ko na before that it was an accidental solo trip. My friend failed to board at naiwan akong luhaan. Bigo. Gutom. Siya ang may pakana ng lahat ng to kaya hindi ako nag-allot ng budget sa pagaakalang malilibre ako. Fail.

 



Take the window side

Nakita ko na naman ang charming aerial view (at ginoogle ko pa ang spelling ng aerial. bakit ba ang hirap niya?)

Kaya ako pumayag na bumalik dun ay dahil lang naman sa Lusong Coral Garden at Sunken WWII shipwrecks. Dukha ako nun. I can't afford to pay a touristy outrigger boat parked near the docking area. Ang memory ng camera ko, hindi basta basta mauubos. Pero ang pera ko, konting konti na lang!

I was so lucky that day to find this cute boat docked near my lodging place. There were 3 kids inside.. about 9, 10 and 16 years old. I asked them if I could rent their boat para dalhin ako sa nawawala kong kaharian. lol! Fortunately, their house, which is in Apo Island (yes may Apo Island din sa Coron) is just a few minutes away from Lusong. They asked me to just pay P500.00 for the gasoline instead. I gladly accepted it.

Wag mangamba, de motor yan

 

Apo Island

Naka-side trip pa tuloy ako sa Apo Island ng di oras. May small community na dun. The kids introduced me to their parents. Nahiya nga ako at wala man lang akong bitbit. hihih! Sarili ko lang talaga. They asked me if it's ok to go there first because they need to do some errands then they'd go with me after. May choice ba ko? Malay kong mag paandar nun. Alangan naman sagwanin kong mag isa yun no. Natural papayag ako. hahah! Biro lang. They'd been good to me even for a short period of time. Ako naman ang humihingi ng pabor e. Waiting a little bit won't hurt. And I tell you... it's worth  it.

'

 

Presenting my favorite part of Coron, the Underwater World.

glad to see you again

 It was overwhelming.. I can't see any damaged coral at all. Spell W-E-L-L P-R-E-S-E-R-V-E-D.

♫ pasulyap sulyap ka kunwari.. patingin tingin sa akin ♫

 

I intended to leave the other captions blank. Words are not enough to describe it anyway.

Now you know why I keep coming back to Coron. hihihi! Few meters from the Coral Garden, you can see Lusong Gunboat. I wasn't able to take a picture of Lusong the first time I went to Coron because I don't have an underwater camera yet. Now I can brag about it. hahahah!

You don't need to dive as it rests on shallow water. Creepy as ever. Kung anong naramdaman ko nun, it doesn't change at all. Pakiramdam ko pa rin may naka-abang na hapon sa ilalim at handa akong hilahin. lol! I always panic whenever I feel like I was on the deeper part. Hindi naman kasi ako makahawak sa bakal na yan no. Hindi ko alam kung anong kamandag ng tetano ang aabutin ko pag nasugatan ako niyan.

near the surface

The boat is huge and surprisingly you can still see it's form kahit ang tagal na niya dun. Hindi ata kayang chop chopin ng magbabakal. hahaha! Mahirap din siyang icapture ng buo. To give you an overview on how it looks like, ganito siya. During low tide, you can see the tip where Jack and Rose kissed which later on lead the boat to sink. Chos! hahah! Nanette Imbentor?

source

 

the deeper part

 

And I saw a lion fish.. sorry for the blurry shot. Na-excite kasi masyado. hahah!

Sila na ang pila pila..

I don't think I can do that without any protection at all. Sabi ko nga, hindi ko alam ang bangis ng tetano.

thousands of species underneath

We're supposed to go to another shipwreck, which is Sangat, but the kids told me it would be difficult for us to go home without the sunlight. It's nearly 4PM when we left Lusong. Well, they know better. hihih! Hindi rin maganda ang camera ko sa dilim. At ayoko rin mag swimming sa ibabaw ng shipwreck ng gabi. No way! hahah!

glad to meet you claudine, nonoy, and jan jan. Til we meet again

We parted ways near Coron Reef Pension. I love their company. Feeling bagets din ako. They must've been sick of the view of Lusong and Coral Garden but they still insisted to go with me. As in all of them. I can't thank them enough. Pagbalik ko daw dadalhin pa nila ako sa ibang magandang lugar dun (the perks of traveling alone. hehehe!) I promised myself to treat them when I get back to Coron. hay kelan kaya yun.. ahem! sponsor please..

 

Hay sa wakas at may update na ko. As of this time wala pa rin akong lakad ng Holy week. nakakainis. Next week na yun e. Pero mag aasikaso ako ng passport. Baka mainggit ako sa mga aalis sa linggong yun at maisip kong mag travel abroad. lol!  Nalunod kasi siya nung Ondoy. Sa kasamaang palad e tinapon siya ng nanay ko. Ang bantot na daw. Dapat pala hindi tinatapon yun kahit gano pa kadugyot. Ang dami ko tuloy requirement na dapat kunin. O sha... Tingloy, Batangas up next.  Ciao!

Cheap accommodations: Coron Reef Pension and Coron Ecolodge

Uuuy.. in fairness. 61 na ang followers ko. 58 lang siya last week. hahah! Effective ang pagpaparinig sa last post.

Ma'am Carla: O after Boracay ano na ibblog mo?
Me: Coron ulit
Ma'am Carla: Coron na naman!? Hindi pa ba nauubos yan?!

hahah! Ang winner ng reaction. Sarap gawan ng re-enactment.

E kasi naman, I've been to Coron for 3 times already. If you've been reading my blog for years, you already know how much I love the place. I promised myself to build a home there. Really. I mean really.

Since I haven't started it yet (oy don't laugh. seryoso ako nyan), let me give you my own share of experience of the two accommodations I've been recently. Isang pang Pureza at isang pang Gretchen Barreto. Oy I have nothing against the other ha. Baka ganun isipin nyo e. Pareho ko silang bet depende sa pangangailangan. (Depende rin kung babayaran nila ako sa post na to. Chos. Joke lang.)

Anyway, October last year, I went there solo again by accident. My friend, na itago natin sa pangalang Rachelle Dela Fuente, failed to board on the day of her flight. Nauna ako ng 3 hours sa kanya. If she's going to purchase another ticket, that would be twice the original price kaya ayun, umuwi na lang ang Charotinang Paner na yun. hahaah! Don't worry walang pandaigdigang digmaang naganap.

So yun na nga. Buti na lang P600.00 lang ang aircon room with private bath sa Coron Reef Pension. (walang kaligoy ligoy ang promotion na to. hahah!) Nagulat ako sa laki ng rooms nila. Pwede ng kumatay ng baboy sa loob.

Hindi ko alam kung para san ang timbangan sa labas. Siguro nga para sa baboy.



Let me take you inside...

 

Bed #1.. 2.. (ward lang ang peg? hahah!)

..3 beds just for me. On the left is another door going to the bathroom.

Kahit pa nagmistulan akong pasyente sa mga kamang yan, it's comfy and clean. If I would be given a chance to stay there again, I won't hesitate.

 

Peek-a-boo inside the bathroom..



 

Laundry area on the right

Toilet and bath on the left

Nung una hindi ko alam kung para san ang hose. Hindi pala kaya ng powers ng tubig sa CR. hahah! Kailangan ko pang isaksak ang kabilang dulo sa lababo ng laundry area chaka pa ko papasok sa loob. Spell h-a-s-s-l-e. Hindi ko rin malilimutan ng minsan nagmadali akong lumabas ng CR. Alam mo yung feeling na paglabas mo, hindi mo pa pala kwarto? Yun ganun. Ayun.. Nakalimutan ko yun. Hello World ang katawan ko sa napakalaking bintana ng laundry area. Kung may manyakis mang naka-abang e hindi ko na alam. Magka kulani sana sila.

May stand-by generator din sila no. Wag ka. Kahit chipay ang rooms nila, afford nila yun. Pero, sa gabi lang nila binubuhay yun in case nag Chris Brown out. Minsan akong umuwi ng tanghaling tapat, sakto brownout, isinumpa ako ng kilikili ko sa sobrang init. Lumabas na lang ako at ito ang tumambad sa akin. hihihi!



may libreng pool sila in fairness.

Pero hindi ako naligo. Tumambay lang ako. hihi! Wala na kong damit pang basa dahil uuwi na ko kinahapunan. La Sirenetta Restaurant can be seen outside. Ayun o. Kita mo? Kaya if you're going to ask kung pano pumunta dun, baba ka lang sa Sirenetta. Ok?

Libre ang coffee sa kanila. Sa tulad kong, nakaka-apat na tasa ng kape kada araw, ikalulugi nila yun. hahah! They also accept paluto. The owner is very approachable. Well actually hindi ko alam kung siya ba ang may ari. hahah! basta siya ang supervisor that time (Hi Ms. Marichu!^_^) They let me extend my stay until 2:30pm for free since my flight is 4pm pa and the usual pick up time of van service is 2:30pm. I was about to leave when I noticed that one of my ID was missing. I tried searching for it but to no avail. Ms. Marichu told me to leave since the van is waiting and I might miss my flight. Sabi niya she will just send it via LBC if ever I won't find it. Ang sweet niya. thank you for being so nice. hihihi! Well I found it when I was inside the van. Iba na ang burara.

Move on na tayo? the other one is Coron Ecolodge. I'm sure most of you have read good review of the place. Well I assure you every penny is worth it. P1,598.00 ang rate niya when I went there. Napag-alaman kong nag increase sila.. P1,898.00 na siya ngayon. Sorry na lang kayo. hahah!

Let me tour you around..

Welcome Home

Reservation was a breeze. Thanks to Mr. Manuel Paredes. He answered all my queries promptly. The accidental solo trip gave me time to just relax and feel that I was indeed on vacation. I made the right choice to spend a day here. Free wifi, coffee overload, airconditioned room, 2 huge beds, cable tv.. need I say more?

 

Light at the end of the tunnel (chos!)

Room ko yung nasa kadulu-duluhan sa kanan.

Tara pasok tayo..

Double Standard Room

I asked them to adjoin the two beds together para sa damang damang pag-iisa. Keberloo.

I was looking for the shower curtain I've read on all blogs but my room has none. Ornussa Sadness.

Complete toiletries and the huge keychain

Sa sobrang laki ng keychain ay ipapa-check in ito sayo ng Airphil Express. lol!

The dining area where you can use the free wifi

Complimentary breakfast

All the staff were attentive and all smiles except for one. I forgot the name of the girl. Gusto ko ng well done na itlog kaya ipinaulit ko sa kanya. Aba lalong sumibangot si ateng. Utusan ko nga ulit. lol! Sabi ko gusto ko ng kamatis na may sibuyas at patis dahil yun ang bagay sa beef tapa. Wala siyang choice. Gretchen Barreto nga diba nga? bwahahah!

Happy, blooming and glowing (literal. Ano bang klaseng camera meron ako. Hay!)

Overall I love my stay here. I've been searching for some hotel with the same price pero ichura pa lang alam mo na ang difference.

Coron Ecolodge
Calle Real, Coron
09064556090
inquiry@myhometelphilippines.com
www.coronecolodge.com

Coron Reef Pension
Barangay 5, Bancuang, National Highway
09198877151
09183361661
chinet@coronreefpensionhouse.com
http://www.coronreefpensionhouse.com/
 

Coron Underwater World

I regretted the day when we did this Coron island hopping last year since I don't have underwater cam that time. Well I do have underwater case but what quality do you expect with a P250.00 worth of plastic casing. Out of 10 you can only get 2 FAIR enough pix (with the emphasis on word FAIR). Coron is the main reason I bought my Canon D10. And now, my D10 is one of the main reasons why I came back. Hihihi! make sense? I'll never get enough of this paradise.

After a breath taking sunset view at Mt. Tapyas, I told Kuya Jason I need to freshen up a bit before we proceed. Humuhulas na ang make-up ko. hahah!! We agreed to meet up at 9am near his boat.. I met him last year and eventually became my friend. I highly recommend this cool boatman. You may contact him in this number 09085053687 if you plan to visit Coron. (Apir kuya!)

The word "mesmerized" is not enough to describe how I felt the moment I swam on water of Siete Picados over again. Everything was nostalgic. (You might want to wear your snorkeling gears before scrolling down. hahah! Feel na feel?)

Now this is Coron! Charming. Captivating. Enchanting.

Meet Mimo

thanks for your presence clam! Haven't seen you before

Bed of nails

Uuuyy! Jelly! hahaha!

There you are! Utak na may tumor ulit! hahah! Nice to see you again

thorns overload

Halimaw sa banga.. Care to take a peek?

Another colorful clam

Mga sadistang fish. hahah! Ano ba ang tingin nila sa Sea urchin? Obstacle Course?!

Found you Nemo! Pakipot pa yan. lol!

Hey Kian, I can't thank you enough for chasing those yellow fishes.  I love it!

Kian is Kuya Jason assistant. He was with me the whole time since I don't like the feeling of snorkeling alone. And yeah, most of the close up pics were taken by him. Clap clap clap! Ikaw na ang muro ami. Hahah! I was wearing a life vest din kasi kaya sometimes I really can't get close to the corals. He was kind enough to capture everything for me. Tinuturo ko lang minsan, dive na siya agad. Awww! Bakit ba ang daming mabait na umaaligid sa malditang katulad ko... Char! hahah! Hindi bagay sakin mag emote. Ang sagwa!

Moving on..

Rubbing elbows with yellow fishes

Gorgeous clams are everywhere

Huge fish

Ga-ruler ang haba niya at dalawang dipa naman ang lapad. Chos!! hahaha! Dalawang dangkal lang. Sino bang hindi matatakot niyan no! hahah! Tinaguan ko nga ng tinapay. Baka isang kagat lang niyang ubos ang daliri ko.

and Peace Sign was born..

Skeleton Wreck naman! Another snorkeling site. That was where we took our lunch. Did I mention I shared my boat with french couple? Right after Kuya Jason and I parted ways sa market, he texted me if it's ok if we will be joined by 2 foreigners. Meron kasing pakalat kalat dun na agent ng mga hotel na naghahanap ng mga guests ng boatman. Ayun, same day, he was asked kung ok lang na isama.

Just a recap, I had 3 to-do things in Coron before I left. First is to mingle with locals which is pretty obvious as I kwento Enzo and Kuya Jason on my previous posts (overexposed na nga e hahah!), Second is to try things I haven't tried before - that's my mangrove kayaking at Kingfisher Park, lastly is to befriend a foreigner and have a picture taken as a proof. Ang galing kasi hindi ko na kailangan mag-effort maghanap. hahah! So sino ba ko para tumanggi no? Shoot!

They were surprised when we docked near Skeleton wreck para ipagluto kami ng lunch. Hindi daw yun kasama sa agreement at wala naman silang dalang kahit ano. Sabi ako, ako ang namili. Medyo na-shy din sila. hihih! If I only knew beforehand, I would have bought food for more people. Hindi tuloy kasya ang ulam. huhuhu! Hindi nakakain si kuya Jason. =(

While eating lunch... (ulam nga pala ay Crabs at pakbet with sawsawang toyo)

French Girl Floriana: "I didn't know lemon can be perfectly paired with Soysauce."
Me: "Oh no.. it's not lemon. We call it Calamansi, Lemon's cousin. hihihi!"

Paubos na ang Pakbet..
Floriana: "What's that? Tastes good."
Me: "That's squash."
Floriana: "Squash?" (seems she didn't get it)
Me: "Uhm.. pumpkin is the other term."

Floriana: "Oh I see. The one being used in Halloween Party right? But I haven't seen Captain Jason (captain talaga?) brought that big veggie out.."

Me: "We bought it chopped already. It's his favorite actually."

Kung pwede lang niyang ibalik ang nakalagay sa plato niya pagkasabi ko nun. hahaha! Nakakatuwa reactions nila.

It was the first time they ate crabs. Ang kulit. Pinapanood ako. Biyak 101 moment. hahaha! Sayang hindi ko navideohan e. Nakakahiya. Since they were having a hard time, Kian opened it for them. That kid is so nice.

After eating, snorkel ulit. The underwater sceneries is much more beautiful compared to Siete Picados. I thought I've seen the best. May mas gaganda pa pala... Here we go!

Beware of this Crown-of-thorn-starfish. It's one of the dangerous creatures of the sea.

After Kian took a shot on Crown-of-thorn-Starfish (nakakahingal ang pangalan niya), dun ko lang na-realize I saw one in Malapascua,Cebu. Kaya alam kong delikado talaga siya. Sometimes you really have to think twice before doing anything. If he accidentally touch it dahil sinabi kong picturan niya up close, malamang konsensiya to death ako nun. Stupid me. Buti kung wiwi  lang ang katapat nun tulad ng sea urchin. hahah!

♫ Kumukutikutitap bumubusibusilak! ♫ Ang cute nila, Close Open ang drama! haha!

Para silang mga kamay na handa kang hatakin anytime!

Ulikbang Nemo! Nasobrahan sa araw.. hahah!

Kian had a hard time with this one. hihihi! Shyness ang fish na yan!

Skeleton Wreck

O diba may skeleton talaga? Honestly, hindi ko nakita to dati. hihihi! Ang nakita ko lang yung Sangat and Lusong ship which are the famous ones. Those can be seen kahit naked eye. Nakakaloka. hahah! Coron is known for having a lot of of creepy World War II shipwrecks. Kaya siya dinadayo din ng divers. By the way, the french couples are divers but they prefer corals over shipwrecks. Pare-pareho lang naman daw siya kahit sang panig ng mundo e. Yung corals daw natin ang mas gusto nilang makita.They've been to Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Apo Island lang naman. Ako pa yung nahiya. hahah! May laban daw ang Coron ko wag ka! heheh!

I thought it's over. Kala ko wala ng snorkeling site na pupuntahan kasi Coron loop lang. But wait there's more.. Kuya Jason brought us to Coral Garden for free. hooraay! By the way, may sariling hundred island si Coron. For every island you visit, you pay a hundred. Consistent pa rin sila. hahah! Kaya I'm glad there's a free spot. Ito na talaga ang highlight! Get ready to be blown away...

Isn't it amazing?

Did I mention snorkeling spot pa lang ito? hahah! Do you really think it's still necessary to dive? Kung di pa naman makuntento niyan ewan ko na lang.. lol!

And it really is a garden.. hihihi!

utak connivance

Dive no more! Woot woot!

a whole lot of thorns

Ang sarap nilang gawing pet. hahah!

I'm speechless. Bahala na kayong mag-scroll down ha. Ayoko ng mag-caption. hahaha!

Spot the sea horse

Kian held it for me!

Ayun na siya ulit!

Kinalawang.. hahah!

I've been to Malapascua, Anilao and Balicasag but Coron still holds the crown as my favorite underwater world. It never fails to amaze me. I tried my best to appreciate every spot promise. All has its own charm but I think its pretty obvious why I keep on choosing it. It's still and it will always be. (Bias lang. hahah! Joke!)

Sorry mom, whether you like it or not, I will be back in this paradise. But not so soon. (Well if anyone can send me there for free next year why not. hahah!) I do hope Coron can still mesmerize me by that time. Please visit Coron now habang maaga pa at wala pang Coral World Park - first underwater hotel in the Philippines. And don't forget to contact Kuya Jason as your boatman ha - 09085053687 or Kian - 09268274704. Pasensiya na at todo ako ng kaka-promote. Gusto ko talaga silang tulungan. Yung tipong, sila na ang tatanggi sa guest. hahaah! I hope I made you feel what I felt when I was there. Namimiss ko na agad. More Coron loop spots to come... Stay tuned.

Entrance fee per pax:

Siete Picados - 100.00

Skeleton Wreck - 100.00

Coral Garden - free

Coron loop boat rentals ranges from P1400.00 to P2000.00 depending on the number of pax and the boat to be used. Sabihin nyo lang friend nyo ko ha. Para may discount kayo kay kuya Jay. hihihi! If you want to have your lunch in one of the islands, just tell Kuya Jason. He'll be glad to buy and cook it for you. Ang sarap niyang magluto promise. Nga pala. maiinggit lang kayo pag nalaman nyo kung magkano ang siningil sakin ni kuya kaya wag ng magtanong ok? hahah!