Coron, Palawan | Day 2 - A Day of Clear Waters and White Sand

Kayangan Lake

This is our second day at Coron, Palawan. We spent the entire day yesterday exploring the main island, so today we'll be heading to the nearby islands to frolic on the white sand and enjoy the clear waters. Yey!

Listed in our itinerary are trips to the following island:

• Kayangan Lake
• Banul Beach 
• Coral Garden
• CYC beach
• Siete Pecados
• Twin Lagoon

Honestly, I am not sure where we went to first because the boatman kept on changing the course because of the tide. But I do remember that we went to Kayangan Lake first because if we're tired and wet from swimming, we might not be able to make the 10-minute hike up the hill, ha-ha! 

Boats dock in as their passengers hike up to Kayangan Lake.

                                                                                                                                                                                      It maybe tiring but the view is well worth it!

Islands surrounding Kayangan Lake

Finally, we reached the lake!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I can't stop myself from posting too many photos of Kayangan Lake. Looking at it has a relaxing effect, doesn't it? And hey, it's the country's cleanest lake as well, so photos pa more!

Kayangan Lake

Hubby against the blue hue of Kayangan Lake. Magnificent, eh?

Twin Lagoon

The twin lagoon can be reached by climbing the wooden stairs, shown above, or swim through a tunnel, which is just below that platform!

Hooray! I survived swimming through the tunnel! It was a big feat for me as I am claustrophobic. Make me ride a roller coaster or ask me to jump on top of a hill (not mountain, I don't think I'll ever have the energy to climb one, ha-ha!) but never, ever ask me to enter a cave..

For lunch, our boat crew prepared the food while we were enjoying ourselves at the Twin Lagoon. Then, while we were teased by the wonderful smell of grilled seafood, we proceeded to Banul beach where shade and breeze will comfort us as we eat to our stomach's content.

Banul beach

Amazing seascape +  grilled seafood = amazing lunch.

If I remember correctly, we stayed at Banul beach for about an hour so we can have a bit of time to rest after eating before we continue to enjoy Coron's fantastic beaches. After all, it's not good to swim with a full stomach.

This happened almost a year ago so I am not quite sure where we went to next. But most probably, it is CYC beach or Coron Youth Club beach for the simple reason that entrance is free, ha-ha! Other islands may charge from 50 pesos to a hundred pesos per head when you visit them. But entrance fees to our visit to Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and Banul beach were included in the package so we didn't worry about bringing some cash with us.

I think this is CYC beach.

We simply cannot resist having a selfie against clear waters and white sand!

If you love snorkelling, Coron will not let you down. The corals can even be clearly seen above water!

Time to head off to another breathtaking destination..

I believe our last stop was at Siete Pecados, or Seven Sins. It was named as such after the seven maidens who disobeyed their mother and drowned in the area and voilà! Seven islets appeared. 

Siete Pecados

One of the islets of Siete Pecados, up close.

                                                      
We missed other magnificent islands like Malcapuya or Banana island because of our limited time at Coron, but this gave us another reason to come back again! Anyway, we just enjoyed swimming and snorkelling to make the most of what we had :) 


                                                                                                                                                                                                    






















                                                                                           To cap our adventure, we had an awesome dinner at Darayonan Lodge, where the main office of the tour agency is nearby located. It was a picturesque place complete with an al fresco dining area and swing so this is another option for accommodations.


Looking for a beach just somewhere North? Why not try Anawangin Cove at Zambales?

4 Things That Only The Sea Can Offer You

Banul beach, Coron, Palawan. (2014)

I so love the sea! And why not? Perhaps these pictures can explain better and entice you to head over to the nearest beach the soonest you can!


1. Tranquility

Whenever I go to the spa or search for music that offers peaceful sounds, I usually hear the sound of waves. Listening to the waves feels like being lulled to sleep while on a swing. Zzzzz....

The gentle waves at Capones Island, Zambales. (2015)

2. Surfing!

I just tried surfing this year and though I am not really good at it, I would like to do it again because of the thrill.

Baler, Aurora. (2015)

For those residing in Manila and the South and thinks Aurora is way too far, fear not. You can find more surfing spots here.


3. Colourful Marine Life

I'll be honest, I dig the beach so I can snorkel. I enjoy swimming idly while watching colourful fishes and corals. And you can't blame me, oneocean.org hails the Philippines as the world's center for marine biodiversity and siteresources.worldbank.org cited that this is because of the warm climate, stable water temperature and lots of sunlight which sustains marine organisms. These photos are proof.

Marlin was looking at the wrong place. Nemo was in Anilao, Batangas all along!  (2011) 

Feeding the fish at a marine sanctuary in Puerto Galera. (2011)

Coron, Palawan (2014)

Coron, Palawan (2014)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
4. Breathtaking Seascape

As siteresources.worldbank.org has stated, the Philippines has one of the longest coastlines in the world. And with more than 7,100 islands, there's one view that will surely captivate you...

White Beach, Puerto Galera. (2011)

Patar Beach, Bolinao, Pangasinan (2014)

Kayangan Lake, Coron, Palawan. Saltwater from the sea beyond the walls of
Kayangan Lake meets freshwater from within. (2014)

Coron, Palawan (2014)

Capones Island, Pundaquit, Zambales (2015)

There are more reasons to go sunbathing, water-splashing and what-have-yous. These are just my top four. And wherever you'll decide to go, don't ever forget your sunblock!


All photos taken by hubby. Check out more of his works here.

Pulau Tioman | Discover. Swim. Snorkel. [Day 1]

    
So, I wanted name this blog a journal but honestly, I am posting my travels randomly, so I decided against it. And this time, I want to share our holiday at Pulau Tioman in Malaysia in celebration of hubby's birthday last October 2014.

The rich marine life of Pulau Tioman. Doesn't it look inviting to go snorkelling there?

Pulau Tioman, or Tioman island, is accessible via ferry either from Mersing port or Tanjung Gemok jetty. I bought the deal from Groupon thinking I can save more because of the following inclusions:

• 3D2N Paya Beach Resort Standard Chalet Stay 
• 2 Way Ferry 
• 2 Way Coach Transfer 
• Daily Breakfast 
• 1 x Lunch
• 2 x Buffet Dinner 
• Welcome drinks upon arrival (non-alcoholic) 
• Choose 1 Activity: Snorkeling Excursion to Renggis Island & Marine Park (exclude equipment) or Trekking Trip to Rock Fall through rainforest

But I had to pay surcharges for the weekend stay. Turns out those who booked straight from the resort's website did not have to. But check for yourself. Here is the link  to check the resort's seasonal packages.


Day 1

We were up before 5 am to catch the bus ride and by the time we got on the ferry which will take us to Tioman, hubby and I were getting restless and grumpy. But all that crankiness faded away when we caught sight of the island. 

What a breathtaking sight!

Seeing this makes me just want to drop my bags and jump into the water!

We had to wait awhile, though, because our getting off at kampung Paya (meaning village), which is the next stop.

Hubby enjoyed snapping photos of the beach and everything so we lagged behind all the other guests. Naturally, we were accommodated last and we had to wait for a looong time to get our keys to our chalet.

I love how the wooden bridges connect us and the pond separate us from each other. Sweet contrast.

Different view of our chalet. We were intrigued by the body of water behind our chalet and we were delighted with what we have found out. More of it later!

This our room. Pardon the mess, though, there isn't time to clean up. An adventure awaits us!

The resort was quite HUGE so it was nice of them to provide us with a map. Brilliant idea!

Instead of taking a nap, we opted to explore the place. Armed with the map, cameras and sunblock, we set out to discover more about the resort and the beach.

What a view!

Low tide kicks in at noon. No wonder ferry trips are scheduled in the morning as the water is too low and ferries cannot reach the jetty in the afternoon.

The jetty during low tide.

This island is at the far left of the resort if you are facing the beach.
It is accessible during low tides so we decided to go there.

This swing offers shade, rest and enjoyment to the, um, sunburned (and drunk?) tourist. 

Low tide offers new ways to enjoy the beach. Doesn't this photo make you want to rock-skip all the way to the sea?

Before we reached our destination, we saw a path on our right. We got curious as to where it leads to so we took a side trip. 

The path leads to where ATVs can be rented. The other guests who walked further returned quite fast so we assumed that the ATVs were not available.

Remember the body of water behind our chalet? We realized that the body of water leads to this swamp. Hubby enjoyed taking more photos that something came and almost freaked me out. But its gracefulness captivated me and left us watching out for more.

Anyone looking for a pet?

It was quite a huge monitor lizard compared to what I have seen at Pulau Ubin in Singapore. Perhaps it was the father of all monitor lizards, ha-ha!

It was getting late and hubby wanted to take a dip in the beach so we reluctantly left the place.

I chose to go investigating in between the rocks to see what I can find.

(Top) I believe those were sea cucumbers.
There were mud skippers everywhere but they were either too fast for me or they blended well with the rocks.
Can you spot the mud skipper in the bottom picture?

The tide rises up again at dusk.

The distance of the bar from the beach made me realize how high the tide can get.

 

The warm glow of the lamps gives the resort a 'cozy' feeling.

And this is just Day 1. The adventure does not stop here! Discover more about Tioman island and our stay on Day 2.





Photo credits go to hubby. See more of his works here.

ANAWANGIN COVE AND THE NICE PEOPLE OF PUNDAQUIT, ZAMBALES

It started as a 'spur of the moment' thing. Hubby wanted to go somewhere where we can celebrate our fourth-year anniversary and enjoy snorkelling (both our favorite!) at the same time. He wanted to surprise me, but eventually he accepted the fact that he needs my help in planning so he informed me that he wanted to go to Anawangin Cove.

This is Anawangin cove. Beautiful, isn't it?

When we got home from the airport (brother-in-law has to return to reality already), we started researching about how to get to Anawangin Cove. It was fairly easy and relatively cheap.



ADVENTURE, HERE WE COME!

Fares shown at the Victory Liner
Terminal in Caloocan.

    

On the morning of January 28, 2015, we left home at 3 in the morning to catch the 4:30 am Victory Liner bus trip to Iba, Zambales. Anawangin cove is in Pundaquit, San Antonio. Thus, we will alight at San Antonio, Zambales and from there, buy our food and get a tricycle ride. Bus fare was Php260.00 per person.

We arrived at San Antonio at about 8-something in the morning, probably because there was no traffic jam and we only had one stopover, which is at Subic, Olongapo, to drop-off some passengers and let on new ones. Victory Liner's terminal at Subic is quite nice. The toilet was clean though it had some lighting problems. Food stalls were abundant as well, though I only remember Dunkin' Donuts because I didn't get to explore as the driver reminded us we only had ten minutes for toilet break. Talk about time pressure!



ONTO THE NEXT STEP.

We decided to have a little breakfast at San Antonio, Zambales since we only managed to grab two hotdogs and one order of pancit canton at the Victory Liner Caloocan terminal. In short, we were already hungry. Good news is, locals at San Antonio were nice to point us where we can grab some decent meals (Yep, rice or noodles, please!) because bad news is, it was too early and the nearby carinderias were still not ready to serve breakfast.

Palabok at Php 22.00

Batchoy at Php 30.00

   



We also bought our cooked food and water from San Antonio since we don't have time to cook and we only want to swim and enjoy the waters of Anawangin. But for those who want to stay overnight, there are plenty of shops to buy supplies from in San Antonio; there is a wet market, a 7-eleven store, and mini-grocery store nearby where we alighted from the bus.

We were lucky to meet Manang Beth Lonzanida at the wet market while looking for cooked food. She offered us a good deal for a big bangka, which was new, (Can seat up to 35 persons) and a ride to Pundaquit as well. You can contact her at 0918-6375 853 or 0939-4949779 and ask her for quotations and boat reservations. She also has accommodations for overnighters but I didn't get to see the house as I couldn't contact her while at Anawangin cove because there is no network signal there.

Ate Beth's boat, "the Little Mermaid" from afar.

THIS IS IT..

    

Yep, geared up and ready for the sun!

According to my research, the usual package for a small group of 4 is Php 1,500 and the itinerary comprises of three islands: Camara island - Capones island - Anawangin Cove. But aside from the fact that the sand in Camara is white and Marimar (Marian Rivera) shot her burning hut scenes there, there is nothing much in Camara so we skipped that island to have more time to snorkel in the waters at Capones island.

I guess it was low tide when we came to Capones island and it surely made snorkelling enjoyable. The corals aren't that far from the shore and there are plenty of fish to see. 

The lighthouse in Capones island. Our boatman, kuya Junior, said this lighthouse used to be open to the public.
But a recent accident forced the Navy to close it, perhaps temporarily.

The clear waters surrounding Capones island.

The picturesque beach of Capones island.

The rocky beach on the other side of Capones island. Fish often live under rocks. 
I saw some mudskippers but they won't stay put and pose for me!

The calm waters make it safe to swim in the rocky beach.

Underwater shot of the corals in Capones island.

The sea looked more like a rocky pool here. :)

We had a great time snorkelling at Capones island. But is almost noon and the sun is becoming too hot to bear. So we had to say goodbye to this paradise and head for another one, Anawangin cove - a camper's Elysium.

THAT PARADISE CALLED ANAWANGIN COVE.

  

Anawangin cove has resorts which offer huts for a price. Tables are for free but guests mostly set up their own tent!  

     
Anawangin cove, according to kuya Junior, came to be after Mt. Pinatubo erupted and showered the area with ash, thus, the grayish-white sand. The boatmen and guides were mostly former fishermen who saw the promise of tourism as camper and hiker learn of the area. 

Kuya Junior is also very protective of the islands and the cove. He warned us against bringing home sand as souvenir and he would offer to take our trash for fear we would throw them in the water. Kudos to you, kuya Junior! Keep it up!

Picture taken with kuya Junior. You may contact him at 0920-2259412. This was taken at Capones island, though.

   

Anawangin cove, view fronting the sea.

    

After the snorkelling and posing for photos at Capones island, hubby and I felt the pangs of hunger. Just go a little bit deeper into Anawangin cove shade from the scorching sun will be provided by the tall trees. By the way, the resort-keepers charge fifty pesos per person for day tours and 150 pesos for overnighters. 

   

A reminder to throw trash in the bins and keep the area clean.

We have too much stuff - tripod, snorkels and what-have-yous;we barely had space for food.

Our simple lunch: adobo and dinuguan with boiled egg. Yum! It was genius of hubby to bring a container, it helped prevent our food staining our stuff. And then we used the lid as an alternative plate!

A water pump! Saw this after eating when I was looking for water to wash our utensils. I admit I was excited to try it once again!

  After lunch, we decided to explore the cove further and saw this almost dried up river.

     

  

It was fun walking on the almost dry river bed.

We were only able to swim for a short while in Anawangin cove and there isn't much to see underwater compared to Capones island. And since we only prepared for a day tour, we decided to go back to the main island  by 3 pm. It was rather early but aside from the fact that we wanted to shower and change at Pundaquit since the sea breeze feels a bit sticky and there are plenty of resorts by the beach to rent; we also wanted to be able to catch the 5 pm bus at San Antonio. 

Our fourth wedding anniversary celebration was surely memorable!

We will surely return to Anawangin cove, or perhaps venture next to Nagsasa cove, which is further away. 



Photo credits go to my hubby :) A photographer at heart, you can see more of his works here.