~ a photo travelogue ~
We all woke up late, around 7 AM. Yup, it's late if you're in a paradise like Coron. We headed out to the restaurant for breakfast that served toast, rice, scrambled eggs, sunny side ups, corned beef, tocino, fruits, and dried fish. Coffee and juice are also served upon request--unlimited too.
After getting ourselves filled up, John and I decided to go kayaking, while mom stayed at the dock to take pictures or shoot a video. Unfortunately mom wasn't able to press record on her phone while we're kayaking. The water was very calm, which was a great time to kayak. I had fun but had anxiety attacked when we were about to reach the other side of the island. I can no longer see the coral reefs and the sand so it gave me the attacks. Lol. So we went back near Dive Link's shoreline and go round and round. It was a great exercise early in the morning. By the way, you can kayak whenever you want. It's free of charge. But be sure to wear vests for protection 'cause you'll never know when your kayak will turn over. You can swim too if you want, but beware of sea urchins and jellyfish.
After our morning kayak, we went back to our room, bathed, and packed our stuff as we decided to leave the resort early. There's enough time to spare so we decided to climb up Mt. Tapyas to see the entirety Coron Island and the sleeping giant, and have our lunch at a nearby restaurant.
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| Ms. Tess of Dive Link Resort :) |
We checked out at Dive Link Resort around 9 in the morning. Thanks, Dive Link! We had a great stay. Very accommodating staff.
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| Kuya Mark, our shy boatman, of Dive Link Resort :) |
Mom decided to stay in a restaurant instead of going to Mt. Tapyas. So we dropped her off at Dads' Coronzy Coffee & Tea Shop, which was just near the Harbour Center, but along the main road. You can just walk around the town proper instead of paying Php 10 per tricycle ride.
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| carioca |
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| bananacue |
These kids went inside the coffee shop and were selling carioca and bananacue. The place wasn't strict as opposed to the shops in the metro where street vendors are not allowed inside an establishment.
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| My strawberry smoothie. I loved it. |
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| the price range for the drinks is way similar to what is in the metro. Php 100 ++ |
We brought the drinks with us as we walked towards the foot of Mt. Tapyas. It's just five minutes away (by foot) from Coronzy. So no need to take a trike ride from the port to Mt. Tapyas or vice versa. Another advice, better bring bottled water instead of smoothies, and do stretch exercise before going to Mt. Tapyas. You'll thank me after.. :) You're welcome in advance :p
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| You'll never get lost at Coron. |
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the corner coffee shop. left side of this photo (refer to the photo before this) is where the huge signboard is situated.
will try this place next time :) |
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just turn left from the main road if you're coming from Harbour Center.
the road to Mt. Tapyas. |
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| foot of the trek. |
We made stops from time to time. Seven hundred steps? It's no joke. No matter how fit you are, you'll feel exhausted because it's humid and it's kind of steep going up. Take breaks and have snapshots of the scenery around you.
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The Sleeping Giant.
He looks mummified, eh? He must be Mt. Buntis' (in Maragondon) hubby but they fought so they separated. ^_^
Okay, I made that up. lol. |
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| finally! the place reminds me of People's Park in Tagaytay. |
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| we went towards the other side of the summit and this captivated us too. |
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| I remember catching myself singing ♫♪ the hills are alive with the sound of music ♪♫ here that made Pres laugh hysterically. lol |
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| now, going down. that's how steep the steps are. |
You can buy your bottled water at the sari-sari store right beside Daven's Palace at the foot of Mt. Tapyas. Php 10 per bottle. I totally drank the entire bottle less than a minute. That's how dehydrated I was. Then we went back to Coronzy and this kid sells buchi.
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| mapilit sila, pramis |
Instead of moving to other place to have our lunch, we stayed at Coronzy's and ordered sinigang na salmon, fried chicken, and stir fried vegetables.
I wasn't able to see how much each dish costs, but mom says it was too pricey. It wasn't that good as well, most specifically the stir fried vegetables. They put too much oyster sauce in it that it ended up too salty.
We went back to the port where we will be picked up. The van assigned to us was still in the airport waiting for incoming tourists since all flights got delayed, but gladly, there's a spare van who picked us up at the port. So here's the tip, always coordinate with your tourist guide, in our case we communicated with Ms. Cherry of our whereabouts and the time we wanted to be picked up. As soon as we got in the van, the chauffeur went to other hotels and picked up other tourists as well. The van was totally packed. Thank 'gawd' we only brought backpacks and not luggage.
Our Cebu Pac flight to Manila got delayed for an hour or so due to, again, air traffic. Instead of leaving at 4, we left around 6. Oh, if you have lotion or any liquid bottled items with you, throw them out, leave it somewhere or put it in your check-in luggage. The authorities does manual check of bags, so umbrella is a no-no too. They even told me to have it checked in. Are they crazy? Haha! Of course, stubborn me, I ignored them and just inserted it in my bag, underneath. My pepper spray was confiscated too. I forgot to remove that very item on my keys. Bummer. I haven't used it and will never use it in a plane. Duh... As if the police will protect us from harm too. Gee.
Nevertheless, the flight calmed me down.
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| See you soon, Busuanga, Coron. :'( |
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| ♫♪ Manila, Manila, I keep coming back to Manila.. Manila, I'm coming home ♪♫ |
Complete itinerary (and review) of our trip where you can base your Coron vacation after the jump.
