Travel Bits: Coron, Palawan (Day 2)

(Click here for our Day 1 in Coron!)

We were ready and excited for our second day in Coron. We had a delicious complimentary breakfast and then took our showers. Our agenda for the day was to go island hopping and snorkeling. 

From the resort, we rode our service tricycle and went to town proper, where we then transferred to the rented boat that would take us island hopping. This was a group tour, and there were other tourists already waiting when we arrived. We waited for a couple more, then off we went to our first spot: the Kayangan Lake. And boy, what a sight to see!

Before we got to the beauteous  lake, we first had to complete a steep climb. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I haven't had exercise in years so it was really tough for me to do it. I kept stopping to catch my breath, and let other people go ahead of me. I eventually reached the top though, and it offered a breathtaking view of the sea. We stopped for photos, and then went down to the other side of the rocks, where Kayangan Lake was. 

And the minute you see the lake, you'd forget you're in the Philippines. The clearest water and most picturesque view I have ever seen in person. It was like discovering a hidden gem, and I smiled because it was right in my own country! How lucky are we?

I am a water baby, and I couldn't wait to jump in. Our tour guide was quick to say that we needed to wear our life vests at all times. I'm a good swimmer but I was afraid of getting cramps and causing trouble, so I wore my vest then excitedly went in. Aaaaah. I was home. 

Our tour guide let us into a cave, and then he told us to practice breathing with our snorkels there because there was still no current. We went snorkeling for about half an hour before we left. We were just on our first destination and I was already elated with everything I saw! 

We then proceeded to another island, for more awesome sea treasures. Corals of all colors imaginable (even neon ones), schools of fish, sea urchins, starfishes, sea weeds, and other things. Sigh. You can't help but marvel at God's hand. Nature is a gift that keeps on giving. I wish I had an underwater camera so I could show you photos of all the beauty we saw.

We had our picnic lunch at Banol Beach. It was a little island with coarse white sand and rock formations. Our lunch was another seafood feast, with large fish, squid, and lots of lato (seaweed) salad. We also had pork liempo and grilled chicken. The foreigner tourists asked us about the lato, and one of the Russian ladies brought out her baon of red chili or siling labuyo and passed the little plastic bag around. I'm not a fan of spicy food, so I passed.

After a heavy lunch, we were allowed to explore the island and of course, take lots of pictures! It was the middle of noon so the sun was blazing. I think this was why we got sunburned. Or also because we only applied sunblock once, haha!

More island hopping ensued. By the the time we were through, we were all tired and ready to sleep! We got back to the town proper before six pm, but we didn't get out of the boat. We were to be sent to Castaway, another remote island where we will spend the night. Sounds exciting, yes? Stay tuned for my review of Castaway in another entry!

We had arranged for our dinner the previous night, and we were served crabs! Believe me, one of the best things about this trip is the food. Such a fun night, eating crabs and fish with our hands, dining under the moonlight with the sea breeze cooling our sunburned skin. 

After chatting a bit, I turned in early and fell asleep. I drifted in and out of sleep and heard Niña and Jay talking, and then they were complaining that the generator has shut down and there were no lights! We were told the generator would shut down at midnight, but that was only 10:30pm. That forced them to fall asleep! 

Stay tuned for my last post about our Coron trip. :)