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Busuanga Island
THE SUN had already set when 2bU! reached Busuanga Island at the northern tip of Palawan via a 19-seater Seair plane. Then we rode a jeepney for one hour to be able to go to Coron town. It took a 5-minute boat ride to reach Dive Link Resort.
Nestled on the hillside of Uson Island, the bright yellow color of the resort's jetty was already visible from afar. Welcomed by the indefatigable resident manager Maween Reyes, we shared dinner and stories that night. Buffet was served in a charming miniaturized boat as 2bU! and other members of the media were told of the exciting activities that were lined up for us.
In the light of the morning sun, we were able to view our cottages in their full Caribbean colors of red, blue and yellow. Cristina Matta (whose husband Noel co-owns the resort along with Bobong Velez and Henri Blasckiewicz) said the colors were chosen to make the resort "a happy place."
The cottages, with endearing fruit names (I stayed at Buko), have no aircon units and television sets. "And they can never, ever have one," says this gracious lady. "The lack of amenities is meant to encourage guests to come out and bask in nature's beauty."
Dapper Noel Matta, who also heads the security committee of the Palawan Provincial Tourism Council, gave us the lowdown on why Coron is such a hotspot for divers. In 1944, as the World War II was coming to an end, freight ships of General Yamashita docked at Coron.
The ships supposedly carried treasures that the Japanese army looted from Indochina (Cambodia, Myanmar, Burma). Some were even disguised as Red Cross ships but Gen. William "Bull" Halsey sent his planes to bomb them anyway since Japan never signed the Treaty of Paris.
There are now 37 total wrecks with 14 diveable sites-certainly a haven for divers and treasure hunters. We were told of fake "treasure hunters" who buy cheap vases, allow coral to grow on them for about three months and claim that these "artifacts" were found from the wreckage. Caveat emptor!
And buyers, beware. Since the tourism in Coron is pretty much still in its infancy, ask the resort's staff to arrange tours or diving trips you wish to take. They know which establishments and operators are reliable. You wouldn't want your day ruined by hooking up with inexperienced or unsavory characters.
Even if Coron is a diver's hotspot, it accommodates nondivers as well. Our multitalented guide Robert Agusto prepared a whole day of nondiving activities. We started off with swimming in the clear and rich blue waters of Twin Lagoons. There were magnificent limestone cliffs all around us; giant monolithic sentinels guarding us as we swam.
Next was kayaking by a lush, picturesque mangrove. For a city slicker like me whose main form of exercise is channel surfing, the kayaking was quite a workout for my biceps and triceps!
Cleanest lake
Nothing can compare, however, to Kayangan Lake, a Hall of Famer for being one of the cleanest lakes in the country. This lake is accessible by a short climb up a small hill, then down again. When I saw the full view of the lake on my way down, I had to stop in my tracks. It was so beautiful.
One could not help but appreciate this piece of untouched nature. All day long, you could hear people say "Ganda, ganda!"-and you could only nod in agreement. It was wonderful to just bob in the water with our orange life vests (you needn't tire yourself out so you can concentrate on looking at the sights).
We kept joking that this would be a perfect spot to shoot a porno movie. Both Maween and Robert said that one movie outfit already did. It was supposedly called "Bakit May Pakpak ang Ibon (Why Birds have Wings," but the sexual innuendo was completely lost in the translation).
Last stop for the day was Maquinit Hot Springs where we settled down in the fantastic hot salt-water. There we soothed our muscles. As the sun was setting, I thought to myself, "So this is what an eco tour is!" You hear about it all the time, but when you actually get to see nature at its best, you gain a deeper appreciation for the word. More people should see Coron; let's just hope they keep it clean!
Foreign tourists, mostly Italians and French, have come to view Coron's beauty, but most of its guests are locals. The owners are appreciative of the WG&A vessels now plying the Coron route. "For around P6,000, you leave Manila Friday night after school or work and rest on the ship. Spend two days here complete with meals and tours. You leave Coron Sunday night and arrive in Manila early Monday morning. It's great for the weekend market." For those who are not fond of water trips, Seair flies to Busuanga from Manila and Puerto Princesa.
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