Palawan’s “Coron-ing” Glory

Once dubbed as the Philippines’ Last Frontier, Palawan has remained an enchanting destination for nature lovers from around the globe.  

This Yellow Boat was our vessel and the lone witness as we traversed into a seemingly insurmountable expedition of the Coron Islands (...our tour guide simply called it - Package Tour A (toinks!) Route - Kayangan Lake> Twin Peaks> Coral Garden> Atwaya Island> YFC Island> Grand Lake).  winks!

Few minutes after getting off the Busuanga Domestic Airport, we were already in a perky mood as we witnessed one glorious Sunday morning in a lush canopy of blue sky, green mountains and vibrant wild flowers which seemed like an effulgent daffodils along the country road. We needed to capture the moment... and so, we... jumped! hehe

Coron Town Proper (with a landmark signage ala Hollywood!)

Package Tour A's first stop: Kayangan Lake. To go to the lake, we need to ascend the hill (then take a short stopover on top to get a snapshot of ourselves, all drenched in sweat,  while still trying to be cute for our photo behind the magnificent backdrop of the Twin Peaks -  clearly a feat in itself!).  Then we descend through the other side of the hill to get into the lake. Whew!

Cooling it off in Kayangan Lake with my cool friends (Abhen, Jess, Kim & Ronan)

Crystal clear water will welcome you in the blue lagoon.  You'll instantly forget that you have just crossed over an ardous trek to get there.

Diving deep into the abyss... of Kayangan Lake!  You gotta be a pro to explore what's beneath it (all 30-meter downward stretch of it). Or you can just fake it. Here's how: immerse in the shallow part of the lake without your life-vest, anchor your hand on a rock and push your body slightly deeper. Ask your photographer to get a good angle without revealing the surface of the water to create an illusion of depth. That usually does the trick... if you're a natural! (winks) In photograph... no one could really tell the difference! Haha 

Second stop: The Atwaya Coral Garden


Snorkling beneath the Twin Peaks. Thanks, Abhen for the cool shots! :)

Local Reggae Band jammin' along the Atwaya Shores

Coral Stone Walls of the Island

We checked-in at Sunz en Coron Resort. It's a newly-built, Korean-owned resort that's slightly off-the-hook of Coron's town proper. A must-try if you want peace and quiet (away from the cacophony of rumbling trykes that dominate the town's main streets).

Lounging @ Macario's Grill and feasting on the banquet of town's famous delicacies. 

Must try:  Ginataan Pagui / Grilled Tanigue & Sugpo

Other recommended resto: The Kawayan Grill Station

View of the Islands on top of Mt. Tapyas. This "poignant" shot was effortlessly rendered by my friend/ supermodel rival, Ronan, who clearly has a flair for the dramatics!

Overjoyed after conquering Mt. Tapyas' summit (and all its 725 steps). And yeah, we really do jump a lot! ;)

As in!

Seriously!  (winks)

Spot the weakest link! Com'on Jess, you can do better than that!

Coron is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines. If you want real outdoor adventure, I highly recommend it.  It reminded me so much of the breath-taking sceneries of Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach movie (or perhaps, even better).  The place is so wonderful, that my journey almost became spiritual. I mean, after seeing these marvelous landscape makes me think... we don't need to see miracles to believe God. We just need to look at things around us more intently to see its real beauty. Because such beauty can't be just accidental...

Me, rendering a tropical version of "I'm the King of the World"

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