Coron is actually one of the places that I really want to visit here in the Philippines. It’s part of my bucket list, and that never mind I won’t be visiting other places so as long I can visit Coron. I categorize places I want to visit into 2 kinds.. the first one are the places I want to visit because it’s accessible, because it’s easier to travel there, and because it’s still a new experience. The second kind are the places I would definitely visit. These places are the ones I need to visit before I die.. the places I am dying to visit.. and Coron is part of the latter. Palawan is home to the best beaches not just in the Philippines but also in the world. Filipinos and foreigners would include this in their travel must visit list because of the majestic and stunning beaches. Out of all the three famous destinations in Palawan, which are namely Puerto Princesa, El Nido, and Coron, Coron as they say is the least urbanized, you can’t have those “walwal”* night life here. And truthful enough, Coron is a quaint quiet town where life is very simple. Bars can be counted on the fingers of your hand. I would say the town is very laid back and to be honest, the locals are very nice.
Earlier this year, I booked our plane ticket from a seat sale to Coron. And since it was a seat sale, it all happened so fast. All I know is that I booked our roundtrip ticket for only P2366.00, and that amount is for me and my boyfriend already! I was so excited! Because aside from it’s Coron, it’s also the week of my birthday and I’m celebrating it there! I was thinking of splurging and booking a posh hotel but then I came to my senses and realized that I can still enjoy Coron without being posh and splurging at all.
So fast forward to November, I cannot contain my excitement anymore.. I catch myself day dreaming from time to time the wonders I’ll be seeing. There was never a day that I didn’t researched about the place. On where we will eat, where to buy this and that. You know the usual stuff.. planning your outfits and stuff. So when the day of our departure is getting nearer and nearer, news about the typhoon is also the rage over social media. It’s not a super typhoon but still, it’s still a typhoon. And unfortunately for us, the typhoon will pass through Coron the same day of our arrival there! And so while I was excited and researching about the place, I am also checking from time to time the weather forecasts. It’s really killing me. Why in the world would a typhoon pass by Coron the exact day we’ll arrive there!
I keep on praying our flight won’t be cancelled. It didn’t. When we landed, it was still cloudy but there are few rainshowers. The sun is still peeking through but come night time, it rained so hard that I was already furious as our island hopping the next day might get cancelled too as the island hopping for that day was cancelled. Although we didn’t really have an island hopping scheduled for that day, that day was still kind of sayang *because we wanted to hike to Mt. Tapyas but because of the weather, we didn’t pushed it through as it might not be safe. What we did on our first day was a relaxing hot spring bathe at Maquinit hot springs. Needless to say, I really enjoyed it despite of the weather.
Right after visiting Maquinit hot spring, we went to Trattoria Altrove to have dinner. By the way, Maquinit hot spring is far from town center so if you’re planning to visit it, the tricycle in the town can be rented for 300 pesos, regardless of how many people you are in your group as long as you can fit in the tricycle. Maximum is 6 persons. The drivers will drive you there and back to the town. They will wait for you while you dip on the hot spring. :) There’s a baggage counter inside in the mini sari-sari store so no worries, there are also many cottages you can sit on while chatting with friends.
What I noticed around in Coron is that the food is expensive even in the carinderia’s. It’s better to eat meals in the big restaurants because the price is almost the same and the servings are more generous. You can even be sure that the preparation is well done.
During our 3 night stay, there was never a night that it didn’t had a black out in the town. During our first night where the typhoon was at it’s peak and directly above Coron, there was no power supply at all, thank God for generators! Same goes with our second and third night but of course, the black out didn’t last for 10 minutes on our second and third night because apparently, the typhoon was already outside Palawan. I just don’t know if this is normal to the locals, does it happen every night? Or we are just lucky enough to experience power interruptions during our visit? :) I’m not really complaining, with the beauty of the place, I can tolerate the power shortage. lol!
Luckily, our island hopping was pushed through on our second and third day. Our second day being a little bipolar because it would still rain from time to time. On our third day, it was already sunny as if nothing happened.
We ate our hearts out, we enjoyed the scenery, and we just had fun. One of my memorable birthdays, if you would ask me. This is my first time to travel on my birthday. And it’s in Coron. So what else can I ask for?
Coron is just an hour away from Manila so I am definitely coming back. Would also want to visit Puerto Princesa and El Nido so I can compare the 3 top tourist destination in Palawan.
On this trip was also the first time I got bitten by a territorial fish. We went snorkeling and right after, I just saw my right knee had big red spots. It’s not itchy and the pain is tolerable. I’ve tried snorkeling numerous times already but it’s in here that I saw corals so close it’s almost scary. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s very pretty. The clams and the fishes are so beautiful.
This trip looks like it had a lot of mishaps but there are a lot of happy and funny moments too. Like our tour guide kuya Bernie and some of the people we met during our island hopping. The weather might not be cooperating but it was still loads of fun because of the people we were with. And how can I forget the yummy lunch prepared by our tour guides too? This trip isn’t just about exploring and seeing new places, I learned how to deal with situations you can’t control and how to stay calm even if events doesn’t go the way you intended it to go. I learned that sometimes all you can do is be patient and trust that everything will be fine. :)
Island hopping, the beaches, activities, and cost breakdown on my next blog post. :)
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