Day 3 in Coron

Surprisingly, I was up and about 30 minutes ahead of the church bells that rang at 5:30 a.m. This was a signal to the townsfolk that Mass was about to start at 6:00 in the morning. You see, it was Ash Wednesday on our third day in Coron and before we embarked to have more fun, religious obligation comes first.

The San Agustin church of Coron was a two minute walk away from the Jovellanos residence. Sweet! there was no effort involved. Luckily, I had the foresight to have a cup of coffee before even going to Mass in my grey Happy Coat (a Japanese wrap around with wide sleeves and loose knee-length shorts that's usually worn in summer by- Japs, who else?

After Mass, we milled around a while and met the parish priest of Coron and exchanged pleasantries and then went back to the headquarters to have a hearty breakfast. these meals are really a great headstart for the day. Yummy and HEAVY!!!

The day was planned for the group to head for an island called Malcapuya. It would take about an hour to get there by banca (outrigger). At the pier, we were met by Neneng who was the operator of the boat and her boatmen who would take us to our destination. The ride that morning was smooth and pleasant and it offered us views of the other islands that were scattered on different points of the ocean.

The skies were clear and the water ranged from shades of aquamarine to deep indigo depending on the waters' depth and the distance from the islands. Sand bars were visible from time to time and coral shoals could be seen from the boat deck. And after an hour of sailing... Malcapuya beckons.

The boats were docked at the rear of the island where it could not distract from the beauty of the scenery and not obstruct guests from frolicking on the beach. A short walk uphill and down to the shore and we were set up on one of the tents. Oh well, I didn't need to bring my  beach hut after all...

Datu is the main man on the island. His name is a sort of endearment for those who know him as he was the talent for a Datu Puti (vinegar) TV ad. He arranges the accommodations for the guests and he also is the go-to-guy for freshly picked coconuts and buko juice on the island.

Malcapuya has two beach fronts separated by a promontory with a tent on top. I took some photos from the rock in the afternoon and I felt strong winds gushing into shore. I should have known it would be some sort of foreboding on the ride back to Coron island. But that's another story.

halabos na hipon

grilled lapu-lapu

I thoroughly enjoyed my day taking photos of the scenic spots on the island. I enjoyed swimming in the cool turquoise waters and watching fish swim by while snorkelling. The sand was so pristinely white, I would squint from time to time to be able to watch the fish with their deceptive white camouflage swiftly dart by.

grilled squid

Crabs, crabs, crabs

Then it was time for lunch. Boy, did I eat! Crabs galore steamed and served in an aluminum tray, sliced green mangoes with bagoong, lato salad, squid, grilled fish, shrimp and hot steaming rice with coconut juice served in a shell. It was more snorkeling after lunch. And then, for merienda, it was banana cue.

view from the top

By half past three, it was time to head back. At first, the ride was pleasant. The waves were smooth. and then as we hit the open sea the waves were beginning to grow more menacing. The boatmen were skilled enough to steer us clear of the high waves. The ride wasn't as pleasant as in the morning and it took us longer as we had to skirt the white horses coming at us. The winds had picked up and the waves rose with it.

the other side of Malcapuya

It was twilight by the time we got back to shore. The salt water splashing on my clothes and the cold air gave me a sore throat which I would nurse for the rest of our stay. . Dinner was superb as well and we all wolfed it down as we were tired from all that swimming. Coffee and conversation and then I was feeling sick so I went up to bed. It was still worth all that bouncing around the ocean in a banca.