Travel dates: January 21-24, 2020

Round the Town

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Coron is the third town I’ve been to in Palawan. My first one was to Puerto Princesa city, second was in El Nido. We were very lucky that we got this flight to travel to Coron during a “piso” sale from the previous year. I was looking forward for this trip for the celebration of my birthday, along with some friends, albeit being so unprepared. Yup, a year of planned flight and still not ready. What a dangerous life I live in right?

The spread of a yet unspecified virus has not yet reached the shores of the Philippines. Although, I was worried already during this trip, since there were news from the international community that it started entering country borders. I guess my worry affected my first day in this island.

We arrived at Busuanga airport at around 11am and waited until 3pm for our other friend since he had a later flight. So we had breakfast and lunch at the airport. There were multiple food stalls and karinderyas around. There was even a Korean food restaurant, so there were variety of flavors to try within the airport, which somehow eased our boredom of waiting.

It was around 4pm that we started our travel to Coron town. We went first to Lualhati park, wherein the day has not officially started yet, when bad luck strike.

I was posing for that picture when a sudden gust of wind took my eyeglasses from the platform which then dropped in the sea. It was devastating since, well, I can’t see! I don’t have a spare eyeglasses, I don’t even have proper sunglasses with grade. That was also a new one since I had to adjust as my eye grade became worst (people with eyeglasses would relate). Good thing a friend lent me her spare and it was bearable, with slight difference of eye grade. I can’t even fathom how I survived my trip without seeing properly.

After that great tragedy, we went to some souvenir shops, then to Mt. Tapyas, the famed view deck in Coron, with 718 steps to endure before reaching the summit.

I guess my bad luck from earlier subsided. I got to see the sunset which I always love.

After this tiresome hike to Mt. Tapyas (my knees started to become so unreliable), we stopped by a cashew factory for a while, and bought some for our snack. Then went to also a favorite destination in Coron – the Maquinit Hot Spring.

Since this was in January, it was a cold night, and we went hiking/going up and down the stairs of Mt. Tapyas so the hot springs was such a blessing. I guess it was around an hour that we let ourselves submerged in that therapeutic hot spring. Well it was not lukewarm, it was hot, so yes it took getting used to, but it was worth it.

We then went back to our accommodation, in Filcan Hostel Coron, to get ready for dinner. It was late by then, around 10pm, but we were hungry.

Then after dinner, we strolled along the streets of the town to make time for our digestion to do its job, then we stumbled upon a bar, which has good music and incredible service. A good night indeed.