Breathing easy in Coron, Palawan

Approaching the Twin Lagoon

When one is getting tired just thinking of doing the same thing on a regular basis, or being suffocated by the thought of daily commutes and horrendous traffic (and not to mention the ever present work-related pressures), we cannot help but dream of having a break of a day or two just walking slowly, eating slowly or just to take some moment to catch our breath. In the quiet town of Coron in Palawan, we got those and more.

It took about an hour from Manila getting to Busuanga Airport, and another hour to reach our resort of choice, El Rio Y Mar. One hour may sound long and boring but if the first 30 minutes were spent on land travelling over scenic greeneries with no mall or even a convenience store in sight and the next half hour in a boat in the middle of a seemingly endless mangrove forest, who are we to complain? And in no time, leis, refreshing drinks and a welcome song by the resort’s staff greeted us and a colorful school of fish can be seen swimming happily on the side of the wharf, giving us a glimpse of what Coron has to offer. This amazement continued in the afternoon as we availed of a tour on an inhabited island and in there, monitor lizards thrive, birds of different varieties squawk and fly, and snorkeled until our muscles complained. With barely a day of stay, it seems our lungs have been cleared and we never uttered “wow” this much.

An island hopping tour of Coron Island should be the highlight of this travel and boy, it never disappoints! The Coron town proper may look the same as any other fishing town or barrio in the Philippines but this one has a huge cross on top of a mountain, Mt. Tapyas, which can be climbed and where you can have a panoramic view of the town and nearby islands. A few meters from the shore and while on the boat, as noise from the public market and the port died down, your eyes would be focused on what appears to be a set of dark islands, and from that far, it does not hold any promise. But, I learned that it’s very cruel and unfair to think that way because as you get closer, you are slowly being transported to another world. And what an amazing, breathtakingly beautiful and stunningly different world it is!

Twin Lagoon

Our first stop was the Twin Lagoon. As our boat navigates on a highway of crystal clear waters, our eyes panicked from not knowing where to look: Huge coral reefs visible from the boat, towering limestone formations that surround us, fish and jellyfish swimming on the brackish water, oh, it was so unreal that the view is just too much for the word beautiful. It was high tide that time and our boat docked near the “entrance” and we were told that we need to swim our way through a small opening to enter the lagoon. And who are we to say no? With our life jackets, fins and snorkel masks, we swam into the hole, entered and were greeted by even taller limestone formations on the lagoon! Fish were very few but there are a lot of jellyfish, the stingless kind, enjoying the water. The lagoon was huge but we got to swim its entirety twice.

Kayangan Lake

The Twin Lagoon raised the level of expectation and we wondered how it is going to be topped as we went along with the tour. We came to Coron knowing that Kayangan Lake is considered as the cleanest lake in the country.  It is a protected area and the Tagbanuan tribe maintained and owned it, and the number of tourists coming here is controlled so as to maintain its pristine surroundings. Going there involves a little bit of hiking, but a stop-over at the top of a mountain before going down to the lake itself will reveal the most photographed area of the island, an iconic symbol for the lake though it is not the lake. As we head down, bluish to greenish water greeted us and as we came closer, it was unbelievably clear! Sparing no time, we jumped into the lake and a pleasant feel of the water can never be matched by any spa that offers relaxation packages. As we swim, we can feel, not just see, how pristine the lake is. I can imagine myself spending a day there just floating on the water, staring at the sky and listening to the whisper of the wind. It gave us the feeling of not leaving the area, as if a spell was cast on us. It was an enchanting experience.

Siete Pecados

We ate our lunch of seafoods in a hut near the lake while talking how unbelievable the lake was, and we all shared the same feeling of wanting to live there and hoping that the lake will stay pristine forever. After the siesta, the tour brought us to the legendary Siete Pecados, a premiere snorkeling area in Palawan. Legend has it that seven children ran away from their mother and drowned in the area, and from where they drowned, seven islands surfaced. I enjoyed snorkeling in Boracay and Mindoro but those were just ordinary compared to Siete Pecados because in there, all sorts of imaginable colors can be seen; you just stay where you are and an underwater parade of corals and thousands of fishes will organize themselves right in front of your eyes. Save for the strong current that time, which was actually dangerous, Siete Pecados zoomed to the top of the list for the best snorkeling site.

Maquinit Hot Spring

With all the swimming, climbing and snorkeling that we did, our bodies could only do so much, and a trip to Maquinit Hot Spring was the most fitting way to end the tour. Though some parts are scalding, the hot and salty water relaxes the body and closing our eyes while sitting on the side of a man-made pool and holding hands with my wife was the perfect way to remember how long and eventful the day was.

We went to Coron for an escape from the busy metropolis, to live a day or two at a slower pace, to stay away from the smoke and the crowded mega city. Little did we know that in Coron, we would also be busy and suffocated by the grandness of nature, that the traffic of colorful fishes never stops, the sky scraper of karst limestone formations dominate the skyline, and the busy highway of crystal clear waters can be very addicting. This is the kind of busyness that is very easy to take. And willingly too.