Palawan's Three

Palawan. Has its own set of islands out of Philippines' 7107. And these 3 has brought it into the front page of social media and became one of the country tourism's frontier - Puerto Princesa, El Nido, Coron.

CORON.

Top: Tricycle transport around town or walk.
Bottom: Coron's Hollywood sign version

Sitting at the northern peak, is actually part of Busuanga Island along with 50 other minor islets which are in turn grouped as the bigger Calamian Archipelago separating South China Sea and Sulu Sea. 

As far as my memory is concerned, this place is in its most raw state than the two. It's tribe community holds important rights and decision-making over its preservation and public use. And that's how it should be anywhere, in my opinion.

I've been to Coron 7 years ago. I have never heard of it before nor did enter my mind to Google so I did not have a slightest idea what it offers and how it looks.

An Island I Just Came to Know - Cagbalete

I cannot exactly recall how I heard of the place. All I can remember was a long good weekend was commencing which means a good chance for some hibernation. Everyone was hitting the road and I was there at my work station almost by myself, paper-drowned and feeling the urge to shy off from the modern jungle. This can't be happening I said. So, I hit on my friendly go-to-guy Mr Google, made some calls, arranged on some things and three hours after, I was aboard a wifi-capable bus with three others who were that willing in a snap rolling down south unto the long stretch of the highway. One more bus hop after and a pumped-boat ride we arrived in an island I just came to know.

Island's beachfront

Bacolod, A Work-Travel...Not

Travelling for work is not at anyway a luxury. Most of the times your itinerary revolves around the airport, hotel, restaurants and clients. Your working time extends to late night and weekends to completely cover the objectives of the trip. This was how usually it was with me. But if I didn't turn the opportunities into gold, I may have eloped with my backpack and thrash all the work documents the moment I saw a bus with a sign "going nowhere".

So, in June 2010 when I landed in Bacolod on my first leg of a West Visayas OB trip, I made use of the small gaps I had in between my priorities and my real life. A big thanks to some friends who made it possible for me.

Guintubdan Mountain Resort

How to get there? I don't know. Maybe Mr Google can help but unfortunately I cannot, I was out of directions at that moment because I just got off a plane, took a quick lunch and off we're gone driving through sugarcane plantations, wide plains and highways cutting through the mountains with thick forests and fog. I didn't know where we were heading and didn't see any road signs nor any motorists. Hour later we reached a lone establishment at a hill called Guintubdan. We were in La Carlota. It was a Sunday.

What's in there? Oh, a beautiful and gracefully flowing falls. But there will be some legs exercise before witnessing this.

Batanes Fever After Two-and-a-Half Years

It's been two and half years since yet the fever remained...

I knew we were going to have a more than amazing tale the moment I saw beautifully lined-up hedges on top of never-ending greens and the dangerously-looking paved roads hanging by the edges of the rugged mountains from the window of the Dornier. We had one of the very smooth touchdowns in one of the smallest runways and  a very warm welcome by our host. Few steps from the airport is Basco town itself.

Our accommodation was nothing fancy just like its town. But I had that tingling feeling there's just something behind the quiet and simple community like a curtain waiting to be unveiled. And so the show began...

The Starex we rented hit the road through sharp and most of the time blind curves beside cliffs and the raging splashes of the waves . One false move, we'll fly to the oceans where big and mighty rocks await to turn our bodies into pieces. But hey, it's not as scary as it sounds, thrilling was the right word.

From Where I Came From

From  where  I came from, backyards still exist.  Our  house  sits  at  the bottom of mountain ranges  mostly  along the car-line, some even built atop. The wind brushes the trees before it sweep you and we love it when it rains, we bathe on it.

Still a Paradise, Boracay

My mom was one of those lucky few who first witnessed this wonder and experienced its raw state. I remember she told us that getting off right at the coast line was the way to get into the island. They rented out a house, bought from the wet market, cooked their own food, strolled along the beach front and shopped real pearls in the neighborhood. She did not mention any night outs or water activities other than swimming. Sadly, it will have to be just told stories now. The place is now another version of itself. Improved? Perhaps.

These days, having to set foot in Boracay is a bragging right to most like a fad. Why? Because it is Boracay (not Bora as the locals insist).

Photo courtesy of Vaniedosa

For me, this is one place I visit that I do not bother preparing an itinerary and never went on tour. With everything present in this small island, I never worry of things. The food stalls are my kitchen, the sea is my bath, the hotel chains are my neighborhood, the beach front is my park, the people is my connection to the world and the view is my entertainment.

It is for a fact that progression compromises a lot and it will never bring back whatever was taken or shattered. Like life, we should live by today and believe and work for a sunnier tomorrow. Boracay maybe on the verge of wafting apart from its natural shape but it may not yet too late to redesign it to better serve its god and its people.  And so I am glad to see efforts being done now.

Whatever the island will become as it attune with its environment, I will always be a fan. Like Boracay, I have gone a long way in there. I got mesmerized, I got sick, I was healed, and I am always surprised. Despite it all, this place is still a paradise.

Visited: 2009, and at least once every year since