Discovering Coron: Malcapuya and Banana Island

September 14, 2012

We woke up around 6AM with the sound of the strong rain and wind. We were worried that our Malcapuya and Banana Island tour would not push through. True enough, the agency informed us that the coast guard did not allow the boats to travel to islands located far from the Busuanga Island. Instead, the agency booked us for a trip to other islands. We were disappointed but had no choice.

We first had our breakfast at the lodge. Our breakfast was sooooo good! Coron had its version of danggit. Compared to Cebu's danggit, it was not dry at all. We were informed that this was because the danggit of Coron was frozen and not dried. But we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Breakfast to start the day

Around 9 AM, Ate Eden and Ate Lorraine came to pick us up and personally informed us that we won't be visiting Malcapuya and Banana Island. We picked up 3 other visitors who joined us in the tour. When we got to the pier, the tour guide - Kuya Denver, said that since the boat is big, it can take us to Malcapuya. We were so happy when we heard the good news. The boat was good for 20 persons so it was good enough to go through the waves. Looking around the boat, I noticed that the food for our lunch was already cooked except for the fish.

The trip to the island would normally take around 1.5 hours. But since we are travelling against really strong waves, the trip took more than 2 hours. But it was okay. The long trip was worth it because we learned alot from Kuya Denver. He was one of those contacted by National Geographic to accompany them in discovering the islands of Coron. He said that the Tagbauans (Philippine tribe) owns most of the islands in Coron. For the usual Coron Island tour, only 3 lakes are open to the public. However, there are more lakes in the islands. But these are part of the protected part of the islands. The Tagbanuans are very strict in protecting their area since their livelihood depends on the birds that produces materials for the bird's nest soup. The tribe do not want these birds to be disturbed and build their home in other places. Alot of their living comes from these birds so protection of the bird's sanctuary is very important.

We were still far from the island when Kuya Denver pointed a dome shape island - Banana Island and the island beside - Malcapuya. This got us really excited. That was still 30 minutes away. Haha. The excitement got higher when we were already near the islands. The islands were soooooo beautiful.

Since our boat was big, we had to dock at the back part of Malcapuya island. It was just a short walk to get to front part of the island where the cabins are located. They had a shower, tables, grills, a view deck and a basketball court. They also had a store which sells liqour?! Haha.

View from the back of the island after getting off the boat

When we got to the picnic area, Kuya Denver said that we can go for a swim while he prepare our lunch. We took some pictures and went to the viewing deck. The view was great! The water was clear and it was just so amazing to be in such a beautiful place. God is so good and great to have created such a place for people to witness.

View from the viewdeck

View from the viewdeck

While at the view deck, it started to shower so we had to go back to the picnic area for a shed. Though it would shower at some point, the rain/shower would stop and we took the chance to take some pictures. Here are some of the pictures we took:

 

Then while we were swimming, Kuya Denver called us in for lunch. We were happy to see the food prepared for us: crabs, squid, eggplant with tomatoes & onions and adobo. We had mineral water and soda for drinks. At the end of the meal, Kuya Denver remembered the mangoes for dessert. Yum! While eating, it started to rain hard and the wind became so cold. After eating, we had to dip in the water to fight the chill in the air. It was a good thing Kuya Denver brought Emperador. It helped us fight the chill. Hihi. (Note: This is usually not allowed but since the situation allowed it, it was forgivable).

  

After the drink, we decided to go to the island nearby - Banana Island. When we got near the island, the captain of the boat said that they cannot dock since the boat might get stuck due to the low water level. So what they did was to bring us to the island using their rafting boat. (Free water rafting for us :p) 

Banana Island was not that big. But it was a beauty by itself. Kuya Denver explained that it was named Banana Island because there was a time in the year when the sand would be on one side and another time when it would be at another time forming a banana. When we got there, we believed that it was better than Malcapuya. The sand was finer and whiter and the beauty was unique.

Beautiful Banana Island

After taking pictures and swimming for a short time, it was finally time to go back to town. We didn't want it to be dark while in the middle of the sea. By this time, everyone was really freezing. So we had to bring out another bottle of Emperador which Kuya Denver bought in the store in Malcapuya. Since we bought some chips which were not eaten, we brought them out and made them our "pulutan". Haha.

In the middle of the sea, Kuya Denver brought out the snacks included in our tour. It was a cassava-made delicacy. It was yummy. After the snack, everyone was so tired. Some of us positioned ourselves to sleep since the trip would take another hour.

When we got to the port, everyone was excited to go back to our respective hotel/lodge to drink a warm cup of coffee. It was freaking freezing! Just look at Kuya Denver! haha

This day had been a blast! Thank you Kuya Denver! Coron is blessed with so much beauty. Hopefully, this will be maintained.

Discovering Coron: Arrival

September 13, 2012

This is it! After months of not being away from Manila, it's finally time for our much awaited Coron escapade.

Our flight was supposed to be around 3:05 in the afternoon. But as expected, our Cebu Pacific plane arrived late pushing our flight to be delayed for an hour. This was announced 30 minutes before the scheduled flight at the per-departure area. Anyways, when we were picked up by the Cebu Pacific shuttle to be taken to the plane bound for Coron, we were surprised to see that our plane would be the propeller type. It was everyone's first time to ride one.

Propeller-type plane

When we got in, we noticed that there were only four seats in a row. What was scary was the propeller itself. Everyone was "Is this safe?". But hey, do we have a choice? So here goes. The take off was a bit okay. When we were up in the air, the turbulence was really bad. The plane was shaking and my friend forced herself to sleep so as not to feel sick. A few miles to Coron, the turbulence got really bad that the we felt the plane drop for a few feet. Some got really scared and couldn't help but shout. But the kid sitting behind me was giggling and enjoying it. It made the mood a bit better. Everyone was amazed with the kid and kept asking the kid "Was it like a roller coaster?". After awhile, we were then informed that we would be landing soon. One of the best news of the day.

When we landed, it was raining so a Cebu Pacific ground personnel was handling umbrellas to everyone who were coming out from the plane. I noticed that though the airport is small, it was clean and the floor was made of tiles. So far, it was the best domestic airport I've seen.

When we got out of the arrival area, we were welcomed by Ate Eden,the representative from RGO tours, our tour agency.

Welcome to Coron!

To get to the city from the airport, we rode a van. When I asked how much is the van from the airport to the city, I was informed that it only costs Php 150.00. That's reasonable for a 30 minute ride. On the way to the city, we passed by a ranch that has hundreds of cows scattered all over the place. It was a nice view to welcome visitors to Coron.

When we got to the town, we were accompanied by Ate Eden to our lodge. We were booked at Sea Coral Lodge which was a newly built lodge located in the town proper in front of the Coron Drugstore and Cebu Pacific ticketing office. We were met by Ate Lorraine of RGO in the lodge. Since there were four of us, we were assigned at room 202 which has one queen bed and a single bed with a pull out bed. When we saw our room, we were impressed with the cleanliness of the place. The beds were neatly presented with the towels on top. The bathroom was clean and has a hot/cold shower. They included some soap and a tissue as complimentary toiletries.

The Queen Size Bed

The bathroom

Sea Coral Lodge's price is as follows:

Room 201: Php 1,300/night (1 Queen bed, 1 single bed - 3 pax with extra bed)

Room 202: Php 1,300/night (1 Queen bed, 1 single bed - 3 pax with extra bed)

Room 203: Php 1,000/night (1 Queen bed -2 pax)

Room 204: Php 1,000/night (1 Queen bed, 2 pax)

Room 205: Php Php 1,200/night (2 Single bed - 2 pax with extra bed)

Room 206: Php 1,000/night (1 Queen bed, 2 pax)

Room 207: Php 2,500/night ( 2 Queen bed, 2 single bed - maximum of 8 persons with extra bed)

Extra bed: Php 300
Breakfast: Php 150


Since it was already around 6PM when we decided to have dinner. Ate Lorraine suggested that we try Gising-gising, Bistro or Sea Dive. These were just a few blocks from our lodge so we could walk to these places. We decided to try Gising-gising. Since it was raining, we had to ride a tricycle to get there. The fare was only Php8.00 per person. Tricycles in Coron were bigger than those in Manila so it was able to accommodate all four of us without us feeling uncomfortable. The seat beside the driver could fit two persons while the seat at the back can accommodate up to four people.

When we got to the place, we immediately looked at their menu. The people there said that their best seller was the Sultana de Coron which was made up of a mixed of sea foods. So we ordered one of that and the garlic chilli crabs. Unfortunately, they run out of the crabs so they suggested we take the grilled pusit instead, which we did. The food was good. For our first meal in town, it was a great welcome meal. And the price was also reasonable.

Menu

Sultana de Coron

Grilled Pusit

After dinner, we decided to walk back to the lodge since it was not raining. We passed by a zagu shop and decided to buy coolers. The price is the that in Manila. While waiting for our coolers, we decided to buy some snacks for the next day's activities in the nearby sari-sari store. We got excited that we just took the chips we wanted and when we were at the counter, we were surprised of the excessive prices of the groceries. Since we didn't have a choice, we just paid for the items and went back to zagu for our coolers.

Zagu Coolers - Coron version

We finished our coolers at the lodge. A great way to end the day. Before going to sleep, one of the receptionists got our orders for breakfast which was to be served at 7AM the next day. We chose to have danggit. Weeeeh. Excited for tomorrow's breakfast and tour.

Malcapuya and Banana Islands, here we come!