Coron, Palawan

3:30am, rise and shine.. onto the next one. A 45-minute flight to catch at 5am, that's heading from the Manila Airport, to the Busuanga Island Airport in Coron, Palawan. This island is specially known for being the home to a number of WWII shipwrecks that are entombed to its shores. Coron is also voted one of the best islands in the world. From the airport, we took another 10-minute boat out to a secluded island to the breath taking El Rio y Mar Resort. Just upon arrival, this island unquestionably exceeded my high expectations.

We were greeted with an unbelievable view of the resort. A tall mountain stood behind the main area of the resort, the roof of the resort aligning perfectly with the tip of the mountain straying behind it. Bleached sand lay across the coast, with clear blue water to match the sky above and waves that crashed softly against the shore. A friendly crowd of staff at the end of a long concrete dock, with freshly brewed iced tea set on the table, and a 3-man band serenading our family upon arrival. This first day was all about relaxation. Our rooms were sea side cabanas with massive glass sliding windows for doors, and a flawless view of the clear blue water and mountains drifting distances to separate islands beyond that.

My first time being completely on my own the whole trip was on this very first day in Coron, as I paddle boarded through the body of water surrounding our resort. I carefully observed the creatures beneath me that I have never seen before. A chocolate chip starfish, sea urchins, giant clams and multiple wildly colour fish like I never imagined.

I paddled a little deeper away from the resort, escaping any sound that I was hearing from the island. I was in pure serenity, I heard nothing but pure silence - if anything birds in the distance and soft steady waves. I look to my right, away from the resort and view hundreds of staggered mountain tops, brushing the clouds all across the horizon. In this time, I laid my paddle down, then laid my body on my board, parallel to the paddle. I closed my eyes and appreciated the tranquil state of mind that I was experiencing. Worrying about nothing, thinking about nothing, but where I was and what I was doing – laying down on a paddle board, between islands in the middle of a body of water, crossing the South China Sea and Sulu Sea.

I made my way back to shore to the resort after an hour and a half self-excursion, and prepared to fixed up for our first family dinner by the beach. On our way to the Al Fresco Restaurant - located just a few minutes walk down the coastline - we gazed at the most luminous, rich coloured sunset we’ve ever seen. Contrasts of deep sky blue, magenta, orange and golden rays of yellow reflected all across the water that crashed against the hot stone walk way.

Day #2

Barracuda lake

Skeleton wreck

Twin lagoon

A thrill filled day of snorkelling at 3 different locations; Barracuda Lake, Skeleton Wreck and the Twin Lagoon.

Barracuda lake is hidden between the limestone rocks off the coast Coron bay. The entrance to the lake was a walk through the rocks, where we were presented with a secluded body of water separate from the open sea. Huge limestone rocks surround the lake like walls closing in, but underneath were the most beautiful corals that were home to more underwater creatures.

Despite the name of the lake, I did not see any barracuda (thankfully). Although, so the tale says, one resident barracuda where the lake obtained its name, lurks in the shadows of the 30m underwater cave. I swam past a variety of miniature school of fish, swimming in between the limestone rocks covered in corals at the bottom. It felt as though I was swimming in a huge aquarium, where I even encountered a puffer fish that was laying low beneath me.

Next, the Skeleton Wreck, a Japanese ship that sank during WWII and remains on the Northwest corner of Coron Island. The wreck got its name from its remains, which are just the ribs of the wreck giving it a skeletal illusion. Nearing the top of waters, school of black and white angel fish floated by us freely, as if we were just like one of them. Looking deep into the water beneath us I spotted damselfish, clown fish and even a school of large tuna fish that appeared like a gigantic moving rock under water. These were only some of the sea creatures I saw in the waters beneath me on our swim over to the ship wreck. The wreck was set upon a bed of corals that is now the habitat of many various beings.

Lastly, The Twin Lagoons, an elevated walkway over the rocks during high tides, or swim underneath during low tide, that leads you to the other side of the hidden lagoon giving it its name. The Twin Lagoon was formed years ago by plates beneath the sea that shifted and collided, making it one of the most beautiful and memorable sectors in the island of Coron. Beneath jagged limestone rocks, was a tunnel short enough that only your head may be rested upon the water, while the rest of you is submerged in the climate changing waters of the Twin Lagoon.

The climate abruptly changes from cold to very warm throughout the whole body of water, due to the collision of both salt and fresh water. Here is where I experienced a moment that was completely surreal. Our tour guide informed us of the lavish coral reefs that laid beneath us underwater, going as deep as 35ft down from the eye can see. He told me to look down, so I did, and in this time both my feet were planted on a small rock at the very tip of a steep cliff completely submerged under the water, with an end that disappeared into the deep blue darkness at the bottom of the sea.

We signed off day 2 with some pasta and wine by the beach. A magnificent view from the dinner table of the sunset kissing the tips of the mountain tops. I closed my eyes, and embraced the gentle serenade of two voices, a cello and an acoustic guitar. The sun hits down as we clean off our plates, then we proceed to walk down the long dock to the very end to reach the Port Caltom Reef Bar. The night draws a close, and we’re the only ones at the bar. After a few drinks and several games of heads up we finally decided to call it a day, in hopes to recharge for our early morning expedition.

Day 3, January 6th 2019 our last day in Coron, Palawan. A 5:45am start up the hill, to beat the sun to the top of the hill that towered the El Rio y Mar Resort. On the path behind our cabana leading to the steep path up the hill, I viewed one of my favourite flowers I’ve seen on the trip, the Gumamella. Also known as the Hibiscus flower, (which you can find in teas like the infamous and delicious Starbucks hibiscus refresher - yum) is native to warm climate tropical regions around the world. First step onto the perpendicular path to the point, I am startled by two expected, but uninvited guests, unggoy – Philippine long tailed macaque monkeys.

2 paths distinct by difficulty, one easy and one hard. We picked the easy path of course, hoping the trek to the point wouldn’t be so exhausting, but man were we wrong. Using the bamboo railing to assist us up this path, thoughts of relief smothered my mind that we were smart enough to race the sun to the top. I can see the peaks of light through the trees, and I can feel the moisture from the warm air coating my skin. The sun rises higher up the sky and the temperature along with it, a shortness in breath, but not giving up now because we can almost see the top. 6:27am we finally arrived to the tip, the view is breath taking, guess it’s true what they say “good things don’t come easy.”

This was our last and final stop on our island hopping excursion, with so much more to see this is only the beginning... catch you on the next flight!