Nature Tripping at Coron

I have been to Palawan once when we went to Port Barton a year ago, the details of which I narrated in my previous blog. During that trip, I thought I have seen the best of Palawan with all the beautiful beaches and exotic islands that we visited there. I was wrong. I got to see the better part of Palawan, in fact the better part of the Philippines, when we went to Coron last April 4.

Coron is a group of paradise islands located on the northern tip of Palawan. The place is still seldom travelled by local tourist due to its inaccessibility and the high price of tour package to Coron. We're just fortunate that part of the benefit we get from our company is a free annual team outings on destination of our choice. We have a budget to meet though, and since our team wanted to try other destination this time, we opted to take the ferry to Coron to bring down the cost of the tour package.

Our trip to Coron by sea was a vacation in itself. The ferry was complete with amenities and the cabin where we stayed was like a hotel room with cable TV and comfort room. And since we travelled at night, we just slept throughout the trip and enjoyed the comfort of our cabin until we were awaken to the sight of the beautiful islands of Palawan the next morning. From the port, we went directly to DiveLink Resort where we were billeted. The resort is located in Uson island that offers nice cottage rooms by the mountain side and provides visitors a good view of the sea.

From the resort, it takes 5 to 10 minutes of boat ride to go the nearest exotic island that Coron is known for. But going to those islands is never a bore since you'll get entertained and mesmerized by the limestone formation that are lined up the horizon.

Our first destination on our harbour tour itinerary was the Pinnacle Beach which is a short stretch of beach with white sand and clear blue water. It was quite a challenge to go the shore from the boat since the boat can’t go near the shore, hence we used kayak to get to the beach while others swam with the support of life vest. Those few who did not want to swim just stayed on the boat and it proved to be a better option since two of our mates who swam were stung by sea urchins and their feet had to be peed on.

Next on our itinerary was the Hidden Lagoon. Believe me, the view of the limestone formation and the aqua blue water of the hidden lagoon really took my breath away. All that I said in unison with the rest of my team mates upon seeing the majestic view was “WOW!!!”. It was one of those moments that I truly admired the beauty of nature. The view was even better when we plunged into the water and made our way into a small cave that led us to another paradise.

We went to other beautiful beaches of Coron that day and made our way back to DiveLink before the sun set to relax and enjoy the amenities of the resort. Some of our team mates who seemed to never get enough of the fantastic view of Coron even went on top of mount Uson to take picture of the place several feet above and to capture the setting of the sun on a different angle.

The next day of our trip was the continuation of the harbour tour prepared by the resort. Like the first day, we were once again captivated by the beauty of Coron. We were brought to a snorkelling area where corals and fish abounds. We enjoyed the view underneath but the water current was so strong so we moved to our next destination. We were supposed to go next to Kayangan Lake which is touted to be the cleanest lake in the Philippines. However, when we were about to enter a lagoon leading to the lake, we were stopped by local guards to inform us that a telenovela was being shot in the lake which we later found out to be “Dyesebel” of GMA7 and visitors were not allowed. We were very disappointed since we were told that the lake is really beautiful and that it’s one of the places that should not be missed in Coron. To keep our disappointment at bay, the resort guide just took us to another beautiful lake, the Baracuda Lake which according to them is similar to Kayangan but the water is a bit deeper.

Going to the lake was frightening since it involved a short hike on sharp rocky mountain. We had to climb a steep slope while holding on jagged mountain edges. But our fear subsided after that dangerous trek as we saw heaven on this part of the world. The lake is like a big basin enclosed by mountain of limestones and the water is deep blue similar to ocean but as fresh as drinking water. Another fantastic sight for dreary eyes.

Coron is a manifestation that indeed our country is blessed with several wonders of nature. Let's just hope that this will be preserved for our children and grandchildren to see.

Trip to the West Coast

It was my third time to visit California last November 16 to December 2, 2007 but it seemed it was again my first. Just like my trip in 2001 and in 2005, I was once again very excited to go to the US not only because it meant a long vacation for me but more importantly because I was travelling with my wife for the first time to the US.

A few weeks before that much anticipated trip, we have already prepared our itenerary to ensure that we will maximize our time while in the US. In fact, we even ocassioned our 2-week vacation trip in the celebration of Thanksgiving when the biggest sale are happening all over the states.

During our first week of vacation, we stayed in San Diego where my cousins and my wife's cousins are living. We slept from one house to another and granted all the dinner invitations that we have received from friends and relatives. One of our iteneraries in San Diego was to see Sea World which we really enjoyed so much even if it was already my third time to visit the park but the first for my wife. The Shamu Show is still the best animal show that I have seen with those giant false killer whales flipping and flapping across the huge pool. Another important thing to do in San Diego, in fact my wife's list, was to shop in Outlet stores where we got to buy some designer clothes at a very affordable price.

We then went to Las Vegas for two nights of pleasure and gambling on the different big casino. At the strip, we went from one hotel to another to check all their well themed lobby which are really stunning. The Caesar's Palace hotel is one great place to experience Rome while The Venetia hotel will let you feel that you are in Venice. The Belaggio hotel has it's own theme but it's main attraction was the dancing water fountain at the front lagoon. And of course, aside from the hotel tours, we also did Outlet store tour where we were able to buy some more stuff.

From Las Vegas, we went back to San Diego and spent Thanksgiving day with my wife's cousins. We tried to go to the shopping mall a little late that morning ofThanskgiving day but all shops were full of people and all the nice stuff that were on sale were gone already. I was hoping to buy Wii then but we were told that all units were sold as early as 4 or 5AM that day.

After Thanksgiving, our next stop was Los Angeles and we stayed in a hotel with three of my high school friends. Though it was my third time here, I was again excited to visit the place not only because I will be meeting my high school friends after six years but also because I'm a movie buff and being in Los Angeles means being near to Hollywood. In fact, one of the first theme parks that we visited in LA was Universal Studios. I got to see once again the location settings of some of the famous Hollywood movies such as War of the World, The Grinch, The Psycho, The Jaws and others. Also, we were able to visit Wysteria Lane which is the setting of Desperate Housewives which I get to watch once in a while. All the wonderful shows and rides are also still there as 2 years ago like Mummy the Ride, The Jurassic Park, the Water World, the BackDraft and Terminator 2D. What was missing then was Back to the Future but they were replacing it with a new one, plus they have added new attractions like Shrek 4D and Fear Factor Live. Our one-day visit to Universal Studio was exhausting yet we enjoyed every minute of it.

A trip to California would not be complete without visiting the happiest place on earth... the Disneyland. Just like my two previous visits to the park, I felt like a child again upon entering the gate of Disneylad. All my favorite disney characters were there ready to pose for a souvenir photo. We enjoyed all the different kiddie rides but still my favorite so far is their attraction It's a Small World where you get to see miniature of the different people of different colors around the world including Filipino.

We also went to Hollywood Boulevard where the famous Walk of Fame is located. We tried to follow as many stars as we coul along the sidewalk until we've reached the Kodak Theater which is famous for the Oscar show. I felt like I was a celebrity upon climbing the stairs of the theater where all the biggest stars convene to attend the annual ceremenony. A few steps away was the Chinese Manchester Theater were hand and foot prints of some of the famous Hollywood celebrities are marked on the pavement.

The last stop of our West Coast trip was San Francisco. Together with my high school friends, we travelled further to the north by car which took us six hours to reach our destination. It was my second time to San Francisco but the beauty of the place still mesmerized me. The Golden Gate was still majestic as ever. The Palace of Fine Arts was still a beauty of art to behold. The very cool weather and winding road reminded me again of Baguio which is a favorite place of mine. And oh by the way, we still alloted a few of our time to visit one of the biggest Outlet Stores at the nearby city of San Jose which culminated our enjoyable and memorable vacation to the west coast.