Coron Adventure Day 2 (Tuesday, August 9, 2011)

The next day, we managed to wake up at 5:30am, because we have a scheduled island loop tour at 7am. We thought of taking our breakfast at the Coron Village Lodge Bar and Restaurant, but we were told that it would open at 7am. So we decided to walk around the town again to find a place to eat. We found a small eatery two blocks away from the hotel and we ordered arroz caldo for P20 each and tapa with hotdog for P45. Then, we bought chips and a big bottle of water, for P135, in a store near the hotel. Then, we headed back to our room to change and pack our things.

Our tourguide/boatman, Kuya Romeo fetched us a little after 7am and we rode a tricycle to the wet market. He also helped us buy food for our lunch that we will eat at the beach. We bought 1 kilo of tilapia for P140, ¼ kilo of liempo for P90, half kilo of rice and condiments for P64. All cost us P294. Then, we got on the boat with Kuya Romeo and his son, Kuya Raymond.

The first stop of our island hopping was Siete Pecados, called as such because of the 7 islets, floating in the sea. It was our first snorkeling site.  Since we were the first ones to arrive at the place, we had the many colourful fishes for ourselves. It was really fun! While still in the boat, we fed the fishes with bread. They swarmed towards us, almost nibbling our fingers. They sure were hungry!

Then, we climbed down the boat and wore our snorkeling gear. At first, I was afraid to swim away from our boat, since the water is deep.

But after a while, I could not resist swimming with the fishes and went almost 10 meters away. We went back to the boat maybe after an hour.

After that, we went to Kayangan Lake, hailed as the cleanest lake in the Philippines. We had a little trek first, which was more manageable and easier than our climb to Mt. Tapyas. The sight up there was really stunning! We marveled at the islets, rock formations, and blue green ocean, which we can clearly see on top.

Then, we climbed down the other side and we were in awe upon seeing the lake. Between the rock formations, the lake’s still and quiet waters houses swordfishes and other little sea creatures. We went snorkeling again and swam under to be with the fishes.

The next lake that we went to was Barracuda Lake, where the great barracuda is said to be found. But we did not find the barracuda or other fishes. We did not snorkel, because the water is too deep and a little hazy, because of the high tide. And unlike in Kayangan Lake, the wooden plank does not go around the lake. There is only a small resting place. But we managed to sit on the wooden plank, talk about stuff, hang out, and just enjoyed the awesome view.

Our next stop was the Twin Lagoon, called as such because the place has a lagoon, divided into two. This was a little challenging, because aside from the deep waters, we had to swim to the other lagoon through a small carved opening. Kuya Raymond was there to guide and pull us inside the lagoon, because we, especially me, were a little tired of swimming. The other guides have the tourists mounted on a bamboo raft, which they pull towards the lagoon. But since we did not have one, we just managed to swim a few meters away from the opening. The sight was spectacular, too. And we enjoyed swimming and floating in the lagoon.

Then, we arrived at Banol Beach a little before lunch. At the sight of the white sand and the blue sea, we had our pictures taken in our bikinis! Haha! After the moda, we were surprised that Kuya Romeo and Kuya Raymond prepared our food. It turned out that while we were touring, Kuya Romeo was cooking in the boat. Then, we shared a hearty lunch at the beach. After eating, we met two Tagbanua men who protect the area. And with my inquisitive nature, I asked about their community. They said that they have a village, with many settlers, a few meters away from the seashore. I found out that they only get out of the island to go to the market in the mainland of Coron. When our new found friends had gone away, we walked towards the beach. Of course, we took more pictures! Hehe.

For our final destination in the sea, we snorkeled at the Ship Wreck. This was not included in our package so we paid P100 each. We swam under to see the ruins of a ship that sunk in that area. The fragment that was left looked like the front part of the ship. There are many fishes in that area, too. But unlike the other parts of the ocean that we went to, we were surprised that the water is too salty. We enjoyed anyways.

Kuya Romeo and Kuya Raymond brought us back to the town at around 3pm. We only washed, bathed, and rested for an hour at the hotel, since we still had one more place to go. The tricycle driver fetched us at around 5pm and took us to Maquinit Hot Spring. The entrance fee is P150 each person, but since it was part of our package, we reimbursed it from Kuya Romeo. As the name suggests, the water is hot. It was my first time to go to a hot spring so I was a bit surprised. But the technique was to dip your feet first and after your legs have adapted to the heat, you soak your body up to your waist and up to your neck. It was really relaxing after a day of swimming and bathing under the sun. We just sat there and let the hot water trickled on our bodies. It was therapeutic as proven by a few adults and old men and women who had their bodies immersed in the hot spring. Plus, the view is nice since the place is overlooking the sea and there are mangrove trees everywhere.

We went back to our hotel at around 7pm. For our dinner at the hotel, we had dinuguang pusit and pork steak, plus softdrinks, which all cost P460. We ate at the garden area, which had a nice ambience, because of the candle lights.

And then, we dozed off after that tiring yet enjoyable day full of activities.

Day 2 Expenses (for 3 persons):

P105 – breakfast

P135 – chips and a big bottle of water

P294 – lunch

P300 – Ship Wreck

P460 – dinner

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P1, 294