The Pristine Lake of Kayangan

Coron trip
[Feb.26-28, 2013]

This clandestine gem was so worth the trek. 

Well, for us, a great adventure always comes with a tiny bit of drama. Just a tad of drama so to say.

We could say we have gotten used to this little 'delays', because we never miss out on them in all of our trips.

So, this was our second day in Coron, Palawan and we were so excited to finally see everything about this place. This day was solely scheduled for island hopping in our exclusive boat. We were on a budget trip but we were not really willing to share our boat with others so we can go to as many destinations in our own time. We even wanted to start as early as 7am, but the coordinator of our trip suggested that we go by 9am. They said they still have to cook our food. Okay then!When we got to the port, we met with our guide, had our life vests on and met our very kind-hearted boatman who even lead us in prayer. Weee! Our excitement was way over the top! To the islands we go!!! Aaaaaaaaand............ suddenly the boat's engine did not start. Our old boatman, pulled the trigger harder the second time. Aaaaaaand..still nothing happened.Three to four other men went near our boat and helped the old man's boat to start. After several attempts, they informed us that the boat's battery was the problem. Hmm...alright, then let's replace the battery! The old man's son was asked to run and buy a new one. So we waited, at the same time we reminded ourselves that it's gonna be fine. Everything will work out well as it should. After what seemed like forever of waiting, this boy came back and talked to the old man's wife who was at the port. It turns out, a new battery would cost as much as 3k up if I'm not mistaken. Woah! So what now?????!!!! My friend and I were definitely running out of our precious time, the very little time that we have left in Coron. And of course...we were running out of patience. I was not going to sit and wait anymore, so I said, calmly, of course, can we just transfer to another boat? I explained to all of them our sentiments of having so little time in Coron that we wanted to make every minute count. Thank heavens these people were very good-hearted, they kept apologizing for all the inconvenience and finally agreed to let go of what was suppose to be their profit for the day. They gladly referred us to another boat. They even bought us some snacks to make up for the "almost" 2 hours that we lost. Yes, it was nearly 10am! Imagine our anxiety, regret and frustration.

 Anyhow, here we are, on our way to our first destination. Our original itinerary included Banana and Malcapuya Island in the morning and Coron Loop in the afternoon. But that's not going to happen now, is it?! All I requested...no...begged... was to be able to go to Kayangan Lake. So here we are..

 Pose and smile as if nothing happened. We were just so relieved that we are moving already.

 After all of the sadness soon comes happiness.....when we got to this area, it was like all of our negative vibes flew away. This is so beautiful!!

 This was actually nearing the entrance/docking port of Kayangan Lake. But would you look at that view!

 Takes your breath away!

When we go to the port, we were told that the lake was a few minutes of trek away. We had to leave the boat and trek our way to one of the cleanest lakes in the Philippines. They say, if you have not gone to this place, then you have never gone to Coron. Who wouldn't want to miss this place anyway?!

 After the knee-shaking trek of going uphill and downhill several times, we now have a glimpse of the magnificent Kayangan Lake. What they say is true, the water is crystal clear.

It has a certain calmness about it that as soon as you dip your toes in its cold brackish water, you feel all your worries subside. Everything about this place is a cure for the soul. 

 As soon as I had my life vest and snorkel and mask on, I immediately hit the water.

It was deep indeed but because it is so clean and pure, you can clearly see the bottom and all the little fishes swimming around. 

 We enjoyed every single minute swimming in the lake's refreshing cold water.

 We felt like our souls were cleansed and washed anew. We are humbled yet again by the wonders of God's creations. 'Til then Kayangan Lake!

 On our way back, we had to pass by this viewing deck. This is not actually the view of the Lake, rather this is the view of the area where the boats are docked.
This turned out to be the most photographed location in Coron. 

A souvenir photo for myself..fail. More like a silhouette. Who cares!I was here! Lol!

 A huge map of Coron behind us...

Back to the boat and off we go to our next destination: Pass Island.

Not Banana, nor Malcapuya Island. Find out why in my next post =)

Reef Diving at Coron, Palawan!

Coron has always been my dream Philippine destination and I have always been on the look out for airfare promos even back then when it was still via Manila. But the fares were always so expensive considering that you have to transfer airports. Until finally, CebPac has been kind enough to offer direct flights from Cebu. Boy was I happy! Now, my dream destination is within arms reach so to say. Months have passed and I have always kept an eye on promos until I was able to book 1 for myself. At first, I wanted to make sure that when I book a trip I always have someone who is sure to come with me. This time, I did not worry nor did I hesitate to take a trip all by myself. Still, I informed my friends and luckily one was brave enough to come with me--one of my closest  friends since high school-- Carol. Yay!

Coron trip

[Feb.26-28, 2013]

So as our travel dates draw near, we both decided to avail of an exclusive Coron package at a reasonable rate. This was to avoid the stresses in planning and booking accommodations, activities, etc. This, after all was a vacation we wanted. So, tour package it is!No DIY for the meantime. However, the plan was not that complete because at the back of my mind, I also wanted to shoot for the stars and dreamed of being able to SCUBA dive in Coron. But as expected, diving rates were expensive especially for non-certified divers. I am lucky enough to own an advanced open water PADI license, but my friend has not had a formal training yet. But she is not actually new to diving because she has dived frequently. When I tried explaining this to dive center personnel over the phone, still they offered quite steep rates. So, my friend and I decided not to book any diving activity beforehand. We agreed that we will not book any dive center over the phone in the hope of being able to get a good deal if we do it personally. My friend is positive that we can find cheaper packages once we're there--I got to hand this to her, she, after all, is a sales executive. She got this!fo' sho'!

As soon as we landed, we were fetched by Kuya (sorry we forgot his name), and he brought us to our accommodations at Amor Pension. It would've been more convenient if they prepared a signage with our names as guests at the airport, so we didn't have to look around nervously. 

Thank God the locals of Busuanga were so helpful and friendly. 

After 30-minute ride on this fancy e ride, we arrived safely at Amor Pension.

We met with Amor, the owner, and she made sure we settled in comfortably. With no time to waste, we asked Amor if she can refer us to a dive center. She glady said yes and introduced us to her son, Ken, who will bring us there. Ken, who later on not only became our official tour guide but also, became our good friend. Coron indeed is full of genuine, friendly people.

Ken brought us to SeaDive Resort. Apparently, they are the best in Coron and are famous for their professional and excellent service.  We have come to the right place on our first try! Lucky us!

We met with SeaDive's master divers, with each having more than 5k dives to brag. wew!

And yes, we were in good hands.

So we went straight down to business and geared up for our Reef Dive. 

Wet suits. Snorkels. Masks. Weights. BCDs. Booties. Fins.

After we did our 'fitting', we immediately proceeded to the drop off point for our dive boat.

This photo does not give justice on how excited we were!! Reef Dive in Coron at last!

Dreams do come true!

Well..before I get carried away, here is a view of La Sirenetta Restaurant in Coron. I've read good reviews about this palce but unfortunately we did not get the chance to try their food. Next time!

Since it was already past 2pm, there were already concerns on the current getting strong on some dive sites.

Our lone Master Diver, Sir Toto decided that it's best we go diving at Twin Peaks,

 instead of doing it in Siete Picados.

This is what he meant. The awesome view of Twin Peaks! wOw!!!

Oh but before anythings else...Dive Briefing first. SCUBA Diving is a very dangerous sport.

Yes it is. As a licensed diver, I am well aware of that and I greatly respect the sea. 

That's why I always make sure all safety precautions are covered and all my gears are safely fastened and are functioning properly before every dive--more than a reminder for myself, it is a diver's responsibility. 

Plus, I need to make sure I look out for my friend. I need to make sure she's okay too. 

Sir Toto gave very clear instructions and closed our briefing with:

Let's gear up!

Weee! What a super exciting feeling!

Sasho, the European Master Diver, who have stayed and visited Coron frequently, 

tagged along and gladly assisted us.

This is it! This is really is it is it! Haha!

After our giant strides, we have entered the open sea! Let's go!

While we were underwater...

Finally, after 59 minutes bottom time, we have re-surfaced. Woah! This was one of my longest bottom times to date. Every single minute was sooo worth it. Coron Reef is the best I've ever seen!!!!

It was sooooo pure, untouched, well-preserved! Marine life was without a doubt very rich with all sorts of sea creatures  you can imagine! The corals were majestic, beautiful, colorful!

I am in awe of God's creation yet again!

We ended up with at least 80 bars each.

And we were definitely on a Nitrogen-high after haha! It was such a memorable experience!

This is just a start of more giant strides in the future ^^,

And because they were such great hosts, they invited us for some "Nitrogen removal" at their famous

Hell Divers' Pub after dinner. The pub was adorned with WWII relics that were recovered among the several shipwrecks in Coron.

They were great company! Thank you so much!

A photo memoir with, hands-down,  the best Master Divers in Coron! Thanks Seadive Resort!

I'll definitely look forward to our next dive---let's go for the shipwrecks!!!