Hello everyone!
There are tourist spots that no matter how famous they are, you're not just attracted to them. There are also those that are under the radar, but you always wanted to go no matter how long it will take you. Palawan is more of the former than the latter for me. I've seen a lot of awesome photos and great reviews online, but I'm not really attracted to the island. Maybe because it's too mainstream that my introverted self will raise the alarm if I visit such kinds of places. But the pandemic became a game-changer. Because only a small fraction of the people are travelling compared to before the pandemic, I got confident that those places have been catering to fewer tourists.
Palawan was never on my list this year. We booked our flight, I think, in August last year, but I was really pessimistic about the plan. The ever-changing quarantine classifications coupled with the changing minds of my friends led me to believe that we would not be able to push through. As I've mentioned in my previous post, I had chickenpox a week before our flight so I really thought Palawan would be a botched plan. But we were still able to travel, so here I am, trying to package a post the best I can to give justice to the experience we had. Let me tell you this early: Coron is now my favourite tourist spot. I'm not even on the main tour yet.
To add more context, I think it's best to read my first post about this travel. That post detailed what I had to go through before reaching this part. You can find the post in the link below:
Before the main course of this post, I think it's best to share some of the photos from the other spots we've visited. As I've said in my previous post, we stopped at a local souvenir shop, but I didn't even bother to get out of the van. We just ate the pizza that we've ordered and ended up taken out because the van was already waiting for us. We then headed to Lualhati Park or Coron Town Plaza.
Don't keep your hopes high up about Lualhati Park. It's just barren reclaimed land where you get bugged by vendors that sell all kinds of things from water to aqua shoes to sunglasses. I'm not maligning them though. They just want to earn something. You can just skip Lualhati Park in your itinerary if you're not on a packaged tour because you'll eventually pass by it every single time you'll do island hopping. That's because it's where the boats are docked.
You can have your photo taken at an "I am CORON" sign at the center of the park just to have proof that you have been to Coron. I didn't like my photos though, so I won't share them here. Just across a narrow strait is Coron Island. Trivia: The town of Coron is located in Busuanga Island and that's separate from the adjacent island of Coron.
There's this old lady vendor who talked about Coron island looking like a sleeping giant when viewed from Coron. Look at the photo above and be the judge. I say there's indeed a resemblance.
While in Lualhati Park, I suggest you buy the things needed for the tour like aqua shoes and a waterproof phone case. My GoPro had a defective display so I didn't bring it to Coron, but I didn't bring a waterproof phone case which turned out to be a huge mistake. I'll reveal the details in the next post. I only bought a pair of aqua shoes. It was really a game-changer.
After the park, we went to San Agustin Parish Church, but I didn't even go out of the van. For someone like me who's not practising any religion, I'd rather skip churches except those with really deep cultural significance. I don't mean to belittle any spot, but there's nothing much to see in churches. My friend only managed to take a few photos and that photo on the right was the only decent one. There was an afternoon mass at that time, so they were not able to really get inside and take photos. While at the van, we just argued and blamed each other on why we were not prepared for the hot spring. As stated in my previous post, we didn't read the itinerary so we didn't bring any extra clothes for the spring. I guess we just stayed there for five minutes before deciding to go to Mt. Tapyas.
We're now finally at the main course of this post!
Mt. Tapyas is just 210 meters, but it's the second-highest mountain of Busuanga Island, Palawan. It towers above the town of Coron and the prefect viewpoint of Coron Island. You'll appreciate the view more when you visit late in the afternoon. But before the jagged Coron Island view, that looked like a sleeping giant, at the top of Mt. Tapyas, let's start at the base.
From San Agustin Parish Church, we traversed San Agustin Street and then turned right to a slightly sloped Malvar Street. Our van parked at a slightly elevated basketball court which also serves as the base of Mt. Tapyas and the start of the 721 concrete steps to the top. Did we count the number of steps? I tried but stopped at more than 100. Good thing there are markers along the way. You can't focus on counting your steps when you're trying to catch your own breath.
It started with laughter from the jokes of newly found friends until no one would want to talk anymore because we were all trying to process if we wanted to continue and reach the top. For those who knew me, I'm a mountain climber, but I was not prepared for that ordeal. I haven't hiked or climbed a mountain in a long time because of the pandemic. One thing that distracted me from the agony was the view of the town. Along the way, I think it was at 200 steps, I noticed that much of the town is covered by bamboos. I also noticed while we were on the van from the airport that there's a certain species of bamboo that thrives well on the island.
As we inched closer to the top, more and more tourists can be found resting at the benches along the way. It was already late in the afternoon and halfway along the steps when I noticed this certain vibe of the place. It's really a perfect viewpoint for sunsets, but it's just sad that was cloudy that afternoon. Speaking of vibe, I can't explain why I was drawn to the place. I've climbed quite a few mountains and peaks, but there's nothing like Mt. Tapyas. It was too mainstream and if it was in a different place, I would have to recommend ditching that spot and going directly to Maquinit Spring, but not this time. We were still halfway and I've already decided to recommend the place for all of you to visit.
Maybe the dried grasses on both sides of the steps added to the overall character of the place? I don't know. I forgot that I was catching my breath because of the view and to think we were not there yet. I just want to share more photos that I took along the way. I didn't bring my camera, so all these photos are taken from my phone.
I was really not expecting that kind of view. It was just magical. We reached the top of Mt. Tapyas and this is what's waiting for us:
The steel cross and a cell site behind it are the most notable structures at the top. A spacious concrete viewpoint provides a perfect place for you to take photos or enjoy the afternoon breeze.
When I saw that view, I forgot that I was frantically panting and catching my breath literally just a few minutes prior. It was spectacular. I felt that my camera phone didn't do justice to that view. I should have taken a panorama, but I find it annoying to edit.
While you're there, don't just settle at the viewpoint. Just look at these landscapes at the back. Those photos below showcase the mountains of Busuanga Island. Again, don't settle at the viewpoint. Explore and you'll be in for a landscape treat.
I guess that's all for this post! Oh, wait! I have to share at least one photo of me, right? That's for the proof-of-visit. Here it is:
Alright, see you on my next post! I'm sure you won't get disappointed because I can't wait to share those photos! Stay tuned!
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
If you like his content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want to. Also, don't forget to follow him to be updated with his latest posts.