Exploring Coron, Palawan: Almost Conquering Mt. Tapyas and Cooling Down in Makinit Hot Springs

Here are more stories about our Coron trip last weekend.  And I would like to share some tips to you guys who are planning to go to this very beautiful island.  I'm sorry if I forgot to include this in my previous post.  So, based on that entry, these tips should be included:

Coron Travel Tip 001: Make sure you load up your electronic gadgets with movies or an ebook or music, or whatever that would entertain you that waiting for your flight (specially if it gets delayed for four hours).

Coron Travel Tip 002: For women, have at least two pads of sanitary napkin in your hand carry.  And if you are comfortable in using them, have tampons ready as well.


So we arrived at Coron Village Lodge four hours late from the original time we are expected to arrive, which was before lunch. So, clearly, it was already way passed lunch time and we are very hungry!  It was a good thing though that after checking in, they still prepared lunch for us and it was served quickly. 



They served tinola and fried fish (that a friend think it's tanigue after seeing this picture).


Everything was delicious, and I very much enjoyed lunch.  But there were a couple of flies flying around.  Although, it was fewer than I expected, based on some reviews.


It's a good thing that we selected the package wherein the activities or tours during the first day would start late in the afternoon.  So, even if our flight was delayed for four hours, we did not really miss any of the scheduled activities (unless you would count lunch).  The only set back is, it would really have been better if we arrived there on time.  At least, we would be able to have some rest or even take a better nap after before we head to our first destination.

Coron Travel Tip 003: As much as possible, have your tours or activities start after a few hours of rest from the flight.  Aside from being energized, your schedules would not be disrupted in case your flight gets delayed for four hours (no, I can't let it go yet).  This is also ideal for call center employees, like us, especially if they came from work right before the flight.

Our first tour destination is Mt. Tapyas.  Baguio's steps have nothing to say to the 700+ steps you need to conquer to reach the top!  We bravely tried to conquer this mountain.  Although, I would have to confess that when we first planned our trip to Coron, we wanted to leave this one out, because we don't really want to tire ourselves much in this vacation.  But, I'm still glad we went through it.

It really is helpful to read up and research first before going to a place.  One of the tips I was sooo glad we listened to was:

Coron Travel Tip 004: For Mt. Tapyas - Bring lots and lots of water.  You may just bring a water bottle for the trip and just ask from the place where you stay in to fill it with water.  Just ensure that it is safe and clean.  This is much cheaper than having to buy there (although I don't know how much the kids are selling a bottle for).  Don't bring something too big, because it would just add weight when you climb up.  Just bring enough and put in inside a bag or back pack that would be easier for you to carry.


The view as you can see in these pictures are captivating.  We went there at about 5:00 PM to be able to catch the sunset.  I love sunsets, and this is the perfect spot to watch and capture the setting of the sun in Coron.

You would have the view of almost the whole island from up there. 


If you will notice I used the word tried and if you have read in my previous post, I have this red problem.  And it got the best of me.  Aside from having an irregular schedule, I, most of the time suffer from cramps.  Cramps that are too painful, there are times that it would be impossible for me to get up.  So, after about a little above 500 steps (there are step counts painted), this was what I looked like:


I was already feeling nauseous.  And I just needed to take a very looong break.  Of course, we took breaks before getting to this point but at that time, I know I won't be able to make it to the top.  Or, I would be able to make it, but I would faint my way down.  Our tour guide for the day, Kuy Boyet, was also telling us that the next hundred or so steps are sooo steep and it would be really difficult.  Just the thought made me want to faint.  So, I called it quits.  

Coron Travel Tip 005: If you have your period and you suffer from cramps, take 500mg of Mefenamic Acid before taking long walks or 700+ step mountain climb.

here's the view of the cross on top of Mt. Tapyas

here's the view of the "Sleeping Giant"; the head is on the left side


And of course, we took pictures of the very beautiful sun set. 


this is such a beutiful sight as we go down the mountain

It was about 6:30 PM when we got to the Makinit Hot Springs.  This was the second and last destination we have for the day. 


The place is not really that well lit, so you may want to bring a flash light, although, it was still manageable, but not ideal for portrait shots.  The almost night sky is enchanting though. 

We first thought it was like the hot springs in Laguna, but it was more of a pool with hot water flowing. 

I love the warm water, so we really enjoyed and we managed to submerge almost our whole body.  Although, it may be very very hot for others, because that's what you would really feel at first, but since we like that temperature, we were able to relax.  Others were swimming in the hot pool, but I don't really like that temperature for swimming.  I was satisfied in just sitting at the side of the pool, submerged in hot water up to my chin. 

We only stayed for about 30 minutes because we were told that dinner was in buffet style and we don't want to ran out of food. 

You might ask how I dealt with my red problem.  The hot water soothed my cramps a lot.  Back in the airport, when this problem first presented itself, I went online through my mobile phone (there's no free wifi in NAIA) and looked for tips on how to get passed this dilemma.  It was said that it's safe to have your pad on, but not for too long, you would be prone to infection or irritation if you are wearing a soaked pad.

Before I went to the pool, I had fresh pad on and after wards, I changed pads too.

It's a good thing I brought dark colored swim suits for this trip.  I also used the non-wing pads, I also prefer them even just for ordinary use.  And even if I'm wearing my swim suit, it doesn't show and most important, it didn't leak!  Although, I would have been more confident if I was wearing tampons.

And so, after a very exhausting day, we were so glad to have dinner.  And we shouldn't have worried about running out of food because there was more than enough for everyone.  I very much enjoyed the big and fresh steamed lapu-lapu

We slept almost instantly after dinner, and had a very good night's sleep! 

I'll continue my stories in the following posts, but there might be Cinemalaya reviews in between.  :p

Have you been in these places?  Are planning on going here?  Share your jagged thoughts through the comments! Ãœ
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Laarni Lopez

Your oblivious but observing blogger.

2 comments:

  1. share your budget please and how much per person papatak. i plan to go there next year. :) thanks!

    love your red entry! :D

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  2. hi rochelle.. please stay tune, i'd be sharing the details when i do the review for The Coron Village Lodge. btw, it's only tin and me on this trip so, i guess, it would have been cheaper if we had friends with us too.

    hehehehe! there will be more on that red problem too. :p

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