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Paradise on Earth: Malcapuya and Banana Islands

May 7, 2012 by Bino 15 Comments

Its diving reputation often takes precedence but Coron has quite a few idyllic outlying islands that are worth exploring for some tropical r&r. In between our excursions in the main town and Coron Island, we devoted an entire day to venture into a few beaches farther afield. These are Malcapuya and Banana Islands, Coron’s version of a beach paradise.

one word – WOW!

These outlying islands lie several miles off the main town, and are actually situated near the open sea. Some of those who have been there fondly call one of these islands as Boracay 2 due to its long stretch of fine white sand beach, sans the crowds. To get there, we had to take a 2-hours journey by hired boat from the main town of Coron, and we went past several other islands along the way.

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Coron, Palawan: Otherworldly Land & Seascapes

May 4, 2012 by Bino 14 Comments

Up until I first visited Palawan some two years ago, I was not exactly that fond of visiting beach destinations. ‘A beach here can be like a beach anywhere’ or ‘swimming can be done in the pool’ were the first two things that usually came to mind. But all it took to change this was that one trip. It’s been a few years but I still remember our small boat being anchored into one of the uninhabited islands in Honda Bay. Seeing the azure waters of the Sulu Sea on a fine summer morning, where the water clarity made the sea seem like a chlorine-free swimming pool that stretched for miles, really changed the perception. I had never seen anything like it up until that point. Of course, it also helped that the marine life was abundant and of great variety.

bird’s eye view of the town of coron

Due to this, perhaps it is no surprise that my summer trip this year again brought me to Palawan, the elongated Philippine province that stretches itself from Luzon in one end and to Borneo in another. I chose to go to Coron this time in the northern part of the province. Aside from the great water quality, I am also fascinated by limestone rock formations such as those found in Ha Long Bay and Guilin, and I heard Coron has lots of those.

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Ha-Ha-Ha Long Bay

August 31, 2011 by Bino 10 Comments

The sole reason why we decided to have a 3-day Hanoi trip instead of making it a Saturday-Sunday affair was because of Ha Long Bay. The name has been entrenched so strongly in many a travelers’ minds that it’s become one of the must-visit places in Southeast Asia. With a name that literally means “Descending Dragon’s Bay,” how could one possibly pass this up?

While limestone karst formations are not peculiar in the region (Guilin in China; Krabi in Thailand and Coron in the Philippines all come to mind), what separates Ha Long Bay from the rest are the sheer number of these rising up from the sea – there’s over 3,000 of them! It makes for a very fine view, especially during sunset where the scenery can appear like a painting baked by the golden colors complementing the limestone silhouettes.

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