Coron, Palawan

Welcome me back! I am alive and kicking! hehehe. This is my first post and first vacation this year (I hope there will be more... :) ). So here I am again giving you what I experienced, saw, and encountered on my trip to the very astonishing Coron island in Palawan. You will see why we should not have mining in that place.

Just a "Did you know fact": Coron Island was previously owned by the Marcos' and after their fall it was brought back to the government. Also, while the Marcos' owned it they brought some wild life animals there, like zebras and giraffes, and cows from Australia to be breed. The grass that the cows eat are not ordinary grass they are imported also from Australia and planted there. While the other animals on another island called Calauit.

First of is how to get there:

To get to Coron you need to ride a plane. (though some local folks said that you can ride Superferry from Manila but this is very seldom because of the reefs and corals around the island. the ship sometimes is delayed by low tide forcing them to stay for while in the island.) We got our ticket from Cebu Pacific's promo last year, this was my gift to my Lablab last Christmas. From NAIA Terminal 3 we rode the plane to Busuanga airport.

Where to stay:

I made a search on Google for a possible Inn or Lodge to stay. There are several results but I picked 3 for me to decide. Since I have no idea on what to expect, I want a place to stay that is near the beach. I found Divelink Resort, this is I think the only place that is near the beach but costs about 7.5k per person for 3D/2N stay with packaged tour included. Next is Coron Village Lodge which is located in Coron town and some known personalities are staying here, it is also quite expensive about 7.2k per person (I think it is because we are just two). Then my next pick is Rudy's Place (which I will have to post some other time) the place is 3minutes away from the town proper and our package is 3.8k for the 3D/2N stay, van transfers, tours, and meals and because we will just sleep on the lodge and most probably during daytime we are touring I accepted this rate.

Day 1:

We headed to the airport 2 hours before our flight and ate our breakfast after our check-in, we were delayed for 2 hours because the plane needs to have additional servicing. Together with us are different races, from Asia, US, and Europe. After an hour flight we reached Busuanga Airport.

The terminal in Busuanga is just a small non-airconditioned place though it is quite windy but still it lacks ventilation, specially to those on the departure side, since they will be waiting to board their plane. Upon your arrival you will be given a (what I think is) survey form that you will fill-up and give them back to the person who handed you the form. Then since we have our reservation we were picked up by a van to our Lodge. It is a 30mins land travel to Coron town. After taking some reset, about 4pm we were picked up by our town tour guide (his name is Dong, which was suggested by my fellow office mate). We went to Mt. Tapyas which has 724 steps towrds the summit.

700th step

Sleeping Gianr

Mountain top

On top of it there is a big Cross and a wonderful view of Coron, were you will see the Sleeping Giant and a fascinating view of their natural resource.

After a tiring climb, we headed to Maquinit hotspring where we settled and relaxed. Then back to our lodge where we had our dinner and slept afterwards.

Day 2:

This is an exciting day because all day is an island tour. After our breakfast we got ready to go to the port. It was a very windy morning though it is not cloudy and the sun is up.

at the port

We rode a boat to our first destination Kayangan Lake. It was a little bumpy towards our destination since the wind is fairly strong and there a little waves but this will be replaced by the tranquil waters once you are near the rocky mountains.

Kayangan Lake

We reached our destination and we need to climb up the side of the mountain for us to get to the lake. In there a lot of tourist are already swimming, it was a very calming place. Around you are the rocky mountains and trees. After we got tired of swimming we went to our next destination which is the Twin Peak.

Twin Peak

Twin Peak is actualy not a mountain but a rock formation with 2 peaks and it is said that the Tagbanua (natives of the island) burry their ancestors on a cave on top but is now prohibited to climb because it is already sacred for them. We went down the boat and get our snorkeling gears ready. There we saw how rich is there aquatic resources, from live and colorful fishes to corals of different colors and variant. While we were at the sea our island guides are preparing our food in the boat. They have a built-in grilling station! Then after our snorkeling we went to Banol Beach to have our lunch.

Banol Beach

These set of beaches are taken cared of by the natives keeping them clean. After lunch we them proceed to our next destination which is another snorkeling area (I forgot the name of the place) that is just near the Banol beach.

CYC Islet

We then sail to CYC island (i do not know why they call it as such). It is just a small islet with a small beach, but is very good for photo shooting, hehehe. By the way all the beaches there are white and smooth as flour.

Then we proceeded to the Twin Lagoon which is located inside a rock formation, while going there be ready to be fascinated once more by the nature that I saw only on National Geographic or other Knowledge channels. There are two ways to enter the lagoon when it is low tide you can just swim trough a hole in between the rock formations but if not you need to go over the rock formations to get there. Inside is like the Kanyangan lake but more tranquil and calming because all around you is just rocks and trees. The water here came from the see and is cold since there is only few sunlight that some across. After that we then got to our boat and headed to the port where our ride to the lodge is waiting.

Day 3:

Our final day in Coron. This day will be our town tour. Since it is just a little town we went ahead and bought some pasalubong to our friends and family.

Then we went to their city hall and took some pictures their. After that we went to the cashew factory and tasted some freshly cooked cashew nuts, for me they differ on the nuts bought from Antipolo or here in Manila, they are simply delicious! After that I remembered by mother told me to buy a banig and then we looked for that, it was costly!

A banig is worth 600php I asked for a discount but they said it is the least that they can offer, these banig are weaved by the Tagbanuas and our guide told us that sometime you just give them used closed and they will replace it with banig.

Then we head out to eat for lunch at the Kawayanan Grill and the went back to the lodge were we waited for our van transfer to the airport.

Notes to remember:

If it is your first time to go there I will suggest to get a tour package and arrange your stay before hand.

Ensure all the inclusions of your package bought.

Mt. Tapyas is not for weak hearted! :)

Snorkeling gears are cheaper on the boat, it is only 100php than the hotel offers for 150php.

Bring an underwater camera if possible, to catch underwater scenes.

Normally you could not bring your camera in Twin Lagoon since you will be swimming to get there.

Get ready to get wet even on you boat. :)

Bring a water resistant bag is possible.

PS:

If we will be back again I want to go to the Safari! It is a 3-hour sea travel that leaves the port 4am to see the animals in the wild. :)

Movie Tips

Since there are a lot of good movies this past few weeks and on the weeks ahead I have come up with some tips to make your "Go watch a movie" time always a moment to remember.

1.  First showing day - most of the time (on my college days) new movies has their first day of showing every Wednesday or Thursday. There must be a science behind this because most people will go to mall on weekends so why not do it a Saturday or Sunday right?!

2.  Check "Now Showing" - for those who just want an instant movie on their date or they just want to watch a movie, check the "Now Showing" list. These are the movies that are currently being shown on movie houses.

3.  Check "Next Attraction" - there are people who always plan ahead and wants there money well-spent. These are the movies that will be showed within 1-3 weeks after the "Now Showing" list. You will have ample time to check if the movie is a good movie or not, or if you want the first to know.

4.  Check "Coming Soon" - these are the movies most commonly seen on trailers before a movie starts. This movies are for those movie fanatics that will eagerly wait for it until it is available for viewing.

5.  Background Check - as of now, you have a movie in mind and it is time to check for reviews. Reviews are made after a critic has seen the movie though there are some pre-reviews but are very few and sometimes not accurate or convincing. You may check a critic review or a common movie goer review, it is really up to you on who you want to trust, hehehe.

6.  Reservations - if the movie that you will be watching is the talk-of-the-town, you will surely need to do this specially if you want to watch it on its first week. You may want also to watch it during weekdays since there are only few people who go to malls or cinemas because of work. Reservations are made online or at the cinema/customer service of malls. When reserving online do not forget to print out a copy of the reciept since this will be your ticket and do not forget to bring it with you when you are about to watch the movie.

7.  Attire - there is no specific attire inside the cinemas, from sandos, shorts to shoes or slippers, it is really up to you but just remember, inside the movie house there will be little light to make heat so better be prepared and bring a jacket handy. You will not want on the middle of the movie you are already chilling or wants to pee, you definitely won't enjoy the movie.

8.  Food and Drinks - for most of the cinemas you can bring food or drinks from outside but there are some foods that are prohibited inside the cinemas like rice meals, soups, or any messy food that will probably dirt the cinema.

9. Behavior - some people do not have the right behavior when watching a movie on a cinema. Turn off or put your phone in the silent mode. If there is an important call to take just tell the person to call you back after the movie or take the call outside the cinema so not to disturb those people watching. Observe silence, there are other people near you that will get irritated when you talk loudly. Don't put your feet at the back of the chair in front of you since it is really annoying. After the movie, if you can bring your trash with you and not just litter it on the ground to help on maintaining the cleanliness of the cinema just throw the garbage in trash bins. What you really need to remember is to respect others, since the movie house is also a public place and you are not the only one in it.

Those are the main points when watching a movie to really have a great time. So plan your next movie now, who knows you might see me there. :)

Stackers Burgers

Nagyaya si lab lab mag Eastwood after shift para magmall, gusto ko rin sanang bumili ng pants, mas ok kasi mamili sa eastwood mall kesa sa ibang mall, konti ang tao same price lan din naman, hehehe, tsaka mas magaganda ang sinesale nila kesa sa ibang mall. So go na kami after shift and after magwindow shopping (dahil nakurips na naman ang inyong lingkod) nagutom kami, so nagiisip kami ng makakain, maganda sa eastwood ay marami kang mapagpipilian na kainan, simula sa karinderia hanggang sa mga sossy na resto. Gusto ni lab lab sanang mag crepe pero gusto ko munang kumain ng heavy meal before dessert, naisip naming mag mcdo na lan pero nanaig ang urge kong mag burger, hehehe. Ang pagpipilian mo dun e ang Johnny Rockets or Stackers. Nung unang beses kong kumain sa Johnny Rockets hindi ko nagustuhan kaya gora kami sa Stackers. Hindi lan burgers ang offered dito, may rice meal din sila pero chicken nga lan, hehehe. The best din ang chickens dito malalaki at mukang binusog ng pagmamahal bago pinirito.

lablab's burger worth Php125

Pero dahil burger house nga itech, nagburger kami. Lab lab bought a simple burger I forgot the name pero may "with cheese" un sa huli, hehehe. then mine is the Jack burger. Ung kay lab lab is a regular size burger with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and your own pick of sauce (hindi ko lan natandaan kung anong mga sauce na avail).

Jack burger worth 225

Jack burger is a quarter pound patty (hindi katulad nung nsa mcdo) with bacon, cheese and mga gulay. Also you may want to add fries and drinks for 65pesos. Sulit na rin kc homemade ung iced tea nila, at masarap ang fries, hehehe. We also bought milkshakes, masasarap ang milkshakes dito pero mas gusto ko ung nasa Johnny Rockets, hehehe. 

Milkshakes cost Php90

All in all Stackers is the best I have tasted so far with reagrds to taste and price. And by the way, they are open 24/7 and free WIFI. Photos taken using my Itouch's Leme Cam application. You may want to try their breakfast meal too. Happy Eating!

Pahiyas 2011

Went to Lucban, Quezon province last May 15, 2011 for the annual Pahiyas Festival. Wikipedia defines Pahiyas as "The festival's name comes from the Filipino terms hiyas (jewel) and pahiyas (precious offering). " it is a festival for giving thanks for their good harvest. They usually dress their home with all kinds of crops like, vegetables, fruits, etc. First time kong magpunta dito, dahil malapit sa opis ang Antipolo at sabi ni Spiderham na mabilis daw ang byahe kung via Antipolo ang dadaanan namin route so dun nga kami dumaan. The road is all zigzag kaya medyo nakakahilo pero the scenery was great! Nakarting kami sa Lucban within 3 hours of travel. Then naglakad na lang kami papunta sa bayan mismo dahil sobrang trapik na. I won't describe kung anong mga nakita namin doon mas maganda kung tignan nu na lan ang mga pictures. Nagside trip kami sa Kamay ni Hesus, a church with a groto in a hill. Hindi ko na rin ieexplain kung anong nakita namin dun, just look at the pics, hehehe. Nung pauwi we use the Slex way but it took us i think 5 hours to return back to Pasig, I just do not know if the travel was too long or if we were just delayed by traffic. Below are the Pictures I have taken.

Banig na dingding

Bunot from niyog

Sayote with the gurls

Dahon ng Saging

Pinatuyong dahon ng buko

Grasses and kiping

I think this is palay

Kamatis house

Sayote

Bahay Sitaw

the letters are made with corn

kiping, bunot, palay

statue of Jesus with Kamay ni Hesus signage

above is the Groto

chrush at the foot of the Groto

Entrance to the Groto

their own Noah's Arc

Though we thought that we can eat for free inside the houses like what we can see on TV maybe para lan sa mga media un, hehehe, it is still a fun experience to see a lot of houses that has decorations. I would suggest next year to visit this place, anywayz it is just a bus away from the busy Manila.