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