Coron: On the Surface

I may have shared Coron's underwater world but hey who said I ran out pictures to show? hahah! Battery oo. Siya ang naubos. hahah! Walang patayan sa tubig e. tsk. My fault. Sensiya na nawili lang. I never thought the view could still be that gorgeous as we go along. Honestly, paganda siya ng paganda for me. Ikaw na mismo ang susuko.

In and out of water, Coron is majestic as ever. (Naks! nag rhyme. lol!) As much as I wanted to share more of under water pix, mag-aaklas si blogger.com promise. hahah! And for the benefit of those na takot sa tubig like my mom and dad (fish tayo! hahah!), here are some of the enchanting view you can enjoy ng hindi gaanong nababasa. Here we go!

Siete Pecados (na aapat lang sa picture. haha! Hindi kaya ng point and shoot)

It's Coron loop's first spot. Siete Pecados literally means Seven Sins. And if you're wondering why it's called such, well..... I second the motion. hahaha! Sinubukan kong alamin at may nabasa ako na tungkol sa 7 maharot na prinsesa na nalunod kuno habang binabaybay ang karagatan at ayun tinubuan ng isla. hahah! Gumaganon?! Anong petsa na no. Hindi na uso ang mga kwentong pang amoy-lupa. Basta ang alam ko, isa siya sa pinaka-bonggang marine life na nakita ko. By the way, wag magugulat kung sisigaw si kuya boatman ng "Arya!" kasi dun na kayo mismo magswim. Sa gitna ng nag-uumpugang bato. Char! hahah! They are not allowed to throw in their anchors kasi masisira ang corals.

Kung pwede sanang ihuli ang snorkeling spots when you do Coron loop. Kasi you'll get bored on the succeeding places lalo na when you're like me na gustong gustong tumambog sa tubig.

Just like Puerto Princesa and El Nido, Coron is surrounded by beautiful limestone cliffs. Isa-isahin natin sila. O ayan magsawa kayo ha. hihihi!

Mukang pasadya lahat. Very nice!

Pasensya na sa sampayan.. (lol!) Hindi ko nahawi..

agaw buhay sa mala-buwayang bato

So hindi naman puro bato e no? hahah! Coron rock my world talaga. Awww.. (hahah! Arte?)

Approaching Twin Lagoon (so kelangan nakapamewang?)

Peace Kian! hahah! Ang dami ng echoserang boat na nauna samin.. Bakit ba kasi nakikisabay sila sa bakasyong grande ko. Twin Lagoon is ... well twin lagoon ano pa nga ba. Heheh! You'll see later. When I was browsing my SD pag-uwi, I had the chance pala to take a picture of our boat. Then I wondered...

..where the hell am I standing when this was captured?? hahahah! That's the french couple preparing themselves. hihihi!

Tapos nakita ko tong platform... Dun pala. hahaha! Tinakot ang sarili.

That's where we have to swim. If it's high tide, mas challenging siya pasukin for obvious reason. If you're not good enough, you can use the stairs instead. Pag kinapos ka, goodluck naman sayo. Ikade-deform ng ulo mo ang patulis na hugis ng bato sa taas. hahah! Sige anong pipiliin mo? Magpakalunod o isuko ang sarili at hayaang magka-poknat sa ulo? hahaha!

Last year, we passed through it using balsa. Kaya lang, right after I left Coron, I've read you'll miss that hazy portion if hindi ka nagswim. I don't know what hazy means then. hahaha! Pero napansin ko talagang there's something in the water habang dumadaan ka sa gitna. Wear your goggles while passing through ha. It's for you to find out. Bwahahah! Don't miss it.

Not once... but twice! hihihi!

..then came Butanding. hahaha!

Wala naman masyadong makikita sa kabila. Ganun din. Puro Limestone. E naumay na ko sa limestone e.

Next Stop, Kayangan Lake. Oh yeah, hailed the cleanest lake in the Philippines. Kaya lang brace yourselves and get your insect repellant ready kung ayaw mong dumugin ka nila.

And I was there standing sa simula ng nakakahingal na trail for the second time. Whew! (kailangan mo ng bonamin bago panoorin ang video. Pasensiya na.. hindi ako eksperto sa ganyan.) Sana lang hindi rinig ang hingal part. hahahah!

Excerpt from my previous entry before leaving Manila Going Solo and Beyond, "I just have to accomplish 3 goals for this trip (1) try something I've never done before (2) hang out with the locals, if it means sing my heart out in public why not? (3) make friends with foreigners and have a picture taken as a proof." (Mission Accomplished!)

Charaaaan! (at nahawaan ko sila ng peace sign. hahaha!)

 

Again... the most photographed spot in Coron

at hindi ako papayag ng walang solo..

Nadagdagan na naman ng muscles ang binti ko sa sobrang steep promise. Ang stupid ko pa kasi naiwan ko yung isang cam. Nag-lowbat kaya, nakakahiya man.. pinabalikan ko kay Kian. Sha ako na ang kahiya-hiya.

Weird. Maganda siya pero hindi na siya kasing ganda unlike before. Or dahil hapon na ko pumunta? Or baka dahil nagulo na ang nananahimik na tubig ng mga echoserang frog? I don't know. Compare the following shots..

a year ago

Now

A year ago

Now (minus the dyosa. wahahah!)

Still clear (at buhay pa ang shoes ko. hihihi! Siya din bitbit ko last year e. Pansin nyo ba?)

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture the majestic rock formations underneath. Na-drain ang battery ni D10 ko. Nakakaiyak talaga yung moment na yun. Yung iba kala mo shipwreck din promise. Kian offered me a free swimming lesson. Naisip ko din, why not choknut no. Matututo na rin lang ako, might as well do it in Coron. Bongga ng idea pero hindi. 0.53 meters pa lang ako sa platform bumalik na ko. hahahah! Hindi ko pa kaya. Mas malaki at mas bulky pa ko kay Kian no, baka hindi niya ko masagip. Nakaka-tawang headline yun. "Butanding, nagpasagip sa driftwood, Patay!" No way! hahahaha!

Coron loop pa lang yan.. What more sycamore? You can also rent a boat for Malcapuya/Banana island loop. Rental fee is 3500.00 to 4000.00 and if you can't get enough of it, try Calumboyan loop for 4000.00+. If you're into history and you still have time, you might want to visit Culion Island. It's near Malcapuya, you can just arrange it with Kuya Jason. Sayang naman nandun na rin lang diba? I've been to these islands last year so you might want to check it out too. Click here.

Entrance fee per pax:

Siete Pecados - 100.00

Kayangan Lake - 200.00
Twin Lagoon - 100.00

Skeleton Wreck - 100.00

Banana Island - 100.00

Malcapuya Island - 150.00

Calumbuyan - 100.00

For Coron Boatman, I highly recommend Kuya Jason - 09085053687 or Kian- 09268274704. I'm almost done with my first solo trip series. Please stay tuned. Kapit lang... hihihih! Til next time!

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!