then and now: a northern palawan travelogue

ten years ago, i had the opportunity to visit the calamian group of islands with my family. it was a glorious one week trip that left me with memories that still linger in my mind up to now: north cay, calauit, culion and malcapuya islands, kayangan and barracuda lakes, coron town (in busuanga island; not to be confused with coron island), maquinit hot springs, and the countless snorkeling sites we visited, from coral reefs to japanese ship wrecks.

having the chance to visit the place once again just recently left me really amazed at what ten years can do to places. although i've had a shorter trip this time, it was enough for me to make some observations at the changes that happened during the last ten years to the places i've visited again this time around: coron town, kayangan lake, and culion. aside from that, i'll be including some differences in my activities on both trips for the benefit of my memory. ;p

here is the list. take note that for the "before" part, i am referring to my experience 10 years ago. :)

modes of transportation to palawan and back to manila

before: my family and i rode the superferry 5 to coron town in busuanga island. it was a 12-hour trip, from 7pm-7am. when we went back to manila, we had a one hour dusty jeepney ride to busuanga airport before boarding a 16-seater plane which thrilled all of us to no end.

view from the superferry @ sunrise

now: my friends and i bought round trip plane tickets. the jeepney ride is now an airconditioned van ride. the highway leading to coron town is now cemented, which cut the trip by almost half, depending on the speed of the van. and yes, the plane is now bigger (sits about 70 people), and both flights were definitely smooth.

one the propellers from the 70-seater plane. as you can see in the background, it's a clear day. it was a really smooth flight.

itinerary

before: the itinerary was prepared by my aunt and a distant uncle. it went like this:

superferry: anything goes. oldies slept early; cool people stayed up late in the ship's disco, just dancing.

north cay: 3 days 2 nights, including snorkelling around the island and a day trip to calauit island on our second day.
culion: officially 2 days, 2 nights, because we left early on the third day. sentimental journey on the first half of our second day (see account below), snorkelling around malcapuya island on the second half. we didn't go on the island.

kayangan and barracuda lakes: day trip, then go back to coron town. stayed at seadive resort. barracuda lake and surrounding coral reefs: second to the last day.

malcapuya island from the distance, year 2000

now: my friends and i got a tour package for 3 days, 2 nights. included in the package is a culion historic tour, and a buffet lunch at malcapuya island. click here for the website. anyhow, the whole itinerary went like this:

first day: banol beach, skeleton wrecks, twin lagoons, kayangan lake, siete pecados. snorkelling galore.

second day: culion historic tour-slash-sentimental journey (at least, for me), buffet lunch at malcapuya, siete pecados. come evening we had our own trip to maquinit hot springs which isn't included in our tour package. at any rate, soaking in the hot springs was a great help in eradicating my muscle pain altogether.

third day: early morning hike to mt. tapyas cross. it's a 719-step climb which took us 45 minutes. our descent however took us... tan-tananannnn... 13 minutes! ;p the rest of the morning we spent on breakfast and souvenir-hunting.

stepping on the powdery sands of malcapuya island, 2010. <3>

coron
before: the town's population was quite small. the area where seadive resort is had only a few structures on stilts. it seemed easier to move around town then.

now: coron town is a more bustling place ten years after. new houses, resorts, restaurants and shops have sprouted in the course of the past ten years. there is even a reclaimed area on the left side of the coron public market where there is a tourism center, a hotel and a park. i couldn't help but notice that the guards at the tourism center weren't able to answer our questions about good places to eat in though.

the reclaimed area.

sentimental journey

before: it was a sentimental trip we made in culion because it's where my lola on my father's side spent her childhood years when my great-grandfather was one of the physicians in the culion leprosarium in the 1920's. anyway, my aunt (pa's sister) was able to locate the sister of former classmate of my lola and was able to talk to her. then we took a walk around town to see where lola went to elementary school, where she lived (the house is still standing). of course we also went to the former leprosarium which was transformed into a museum. there's a list of everyone who worked in the leprosarium, from priests, nuns, physicians, dentists, etc. saw and took a picture of my great-grandfather's name under the list of physicians. extra un-sentimental thing: was able to watch charmed with my cousins wherein the episode was when phoebe travelled back in time to 1924.

photo taken from the last standing bastion at fort culion, 30 may 2000

now: only i among my family made another sentimental journey to culion. this time i was with my friends. we only went to the church and the culion sanitarium museum and archives. took my own photo of my great-grandfather's name on the list. the sister of my lola's classmate is still alive, but i wasn't able to talk to her. and now you know where 1924 came from. ;p

photo taken from the same spot. 11 september 2010

kayangan lake

below are the now photos of kayangan lake.

ten years ago, the wooden and bamboo walkways that line up one side of the lake were not there. i remember there was a huge fallen tree trunk which we used to put our things as well as our point of plunging in the lake. it's not there now.

we simply left our stuff on the rocks and on the protruding branches from the trees, and if we just want to lounge around, we used the rocks on the shallow part to sit on. now visitors can simply just dip their feet into the water when they don't feel like swimming, and their stuff can be left on the walkways.

cell phone signal

before: there was no signal anywhere among the islands. period. the only way to contact manila was though phone in the calling centers in coron and culion.

now: at this day and age, even a paradise like northern palawan now has cell phone signal. depending on your subscription, of course. ;p there are still some spots wherein the signal is weak, but for the most part one can text or call even while on a boat. heck, even update your facebook status. ;p and of course if there's signal, there should also be wifi. seadive and other lodgings and restaurants are wifi hotspots.

airport

before: the airport was then simply called busuanga airport. i really don't remember what the it exactly looked like ten years ago, but from what i can rake from memory, it was just a small one storey building with one check-in counter and a weighing scale for our bags and us. because the plane we rode was very small, it's important to get the weight of everything that boards the plane.

now: busuanga airport is now called the francisco b. reyes airport. it is now a more functional structure, still one storey, with definite areas for departure and arrival areas which are divided by glass walls. the check-in counters are more check-in-counter-looking, with the weighing scales beside each only for check-in luggages. the comfort rooms are clean and well-lit. there is also a cafe and a souvenir shop.

whether having stayed in palawan paradise for one week or 3 days, with family or with friends, the most important thing is that i have thoroughly enjoyed both trips. each has a unique experience which did not just make my journals, but in my heart as well.

i know i still have a pending post on taal but i'd like to put this one on palawan up first, especially since it's still fresh in my mind. (and yea, i know it's been a long time since my last post... i lost my mojo. snif, snif)

gloomy sunday

and that's because my cam phone was stolen. with 1,700+ photos stored. :'( man. and getting a new phone was one of my birthday wishes last year too. *sigh*

b&w photo taken last year, 22 july 2009 on one side of the pasig river, arroceros park (manila). it's been 2 months and 1 day since i went gaga with sepia. ;p

sige lang nang sige.

postcards

it is said that sending postcards is a dying art. living in the digital age, when people find sending e-mails more convenient than walking over to the nearest post office, i am inclined to agree. coz whenever i travel, my friends would receive long, and i mean looooooong emails from me telling them all about my latest escapades. and then when i started blogging, there was no looking back. those of you who have been following my blog would know how long some of my posts are. all that i've written would not fit one half of a postcard. but i also believe that sending postcards or letters by snail mail gives a more personal touch from the sender.

so call me old-fashioned, but even before i took writing emails and blogging seriously, i loved sending postcards to friends whenever i go out of town. when i was staying with my uncle and his family in new jersey seven years ago, i even went to new york city just to mail some friends new york postcards. this is so that they would have that "authentic feel" of new york city. ya know, with the new york stamp and all. i felt that if i mailed them from new jersey it would feel fake. hehe. but that's just me. btw, my uncle's family lived in that part of nj just across manhattan, so it was easy to get to nyc.

i also love receiving postcards and letters in the mail, so another time, i ordered... err, requested some friends to send me some snail mail when i was away for quite some time. considering the length of time mail goes out from the philippines, i made sure that they sent me the cards one month at most before i had to go back home. am i demanding or am i demanding? lol! but really, receiving something in the mail is such a nice suprise. that feeling of anticipation when i open the mailbox, and then i see something from a close friend with my name on it. now what a nice surprise that would be! however, love letters from companies that bill me so do NOT count. ;-P

a part of my postcard collection i unearthed one day while spring cleaning

one time i was thinking to myself that while my friends are receiving postcards from me, why not i, too? it would be something really different. so i made it a point from then on to send postcards to myself as well from my out of town trips instead of just buying them to send to friends or add to my collection. at present, i have a grand total of 3 postcards i sent to myself. heheh. here's one that i sent in 2007.

i'm just greeting myself here :D

now it may seem strange for someone to send postcards to oneself. i dunno, but personally aside from that exciting feeling of receiving something in the mail, it is also my way of getting a souvenir from my travels without having to collect tickets (bus, museum, plane, train), brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, etc. Not that i don't have those, i do, but they only accumulate a lot of dust and take up so much space. and i simply cannot find the time to do a scrapbook of my travels so i end up throwing them away (not without keeping them for years first). and so, collecting postcards is the way to go. getting the stamp with the postcard is an added bonus as well.

dyou have a postcard/snail mail story? feel free to share :)

happy weekend, everyone!

birthday wish

this one is a long overdue tag/post but i think it's just in time for my birthday, which will be sometime this month. ;-) got tagged by dodong flores to do this one.

here are the rules:
1.Make a list of what you want on your birthday.

2.The list should be 15 numbers

3.Post the image of this award in your posting

4.Give it to 10 friends of yours.

in random order:
1. be able to go to the beach.

2. or spend some time in binondo, which i haven't visited for a looooong time. maybe by my lonesome or with someone who wants to go with me. anyone wanna come with me? :)

3. sunny day! i know the month of may is the start of the rainy season, but i really hope it would be sunny on my birthday coz it always rains on that particular day every year. sooo gloomy.

4. a new cell phone wouldn't be so bad. ;-) am not looking for one with a camera and all those techie whoozies; as long as i'm able to text and call, it's fine. =)

5. if i won't be going to the beach or binondo, anyplace where i can spend time with some close friends would be great. especially with those i haven't seen for a long time.

6. sarah brightman's latest cd, symphony.

7. any cd of white shoes and the couples company.

8. a good mp3 player.

9. really good speakers for my laptop.

10. the latest cd of daishi dance, the green set. if not, the piano set is also good.

11. new moleskine notebook. the pages on my old one are running out :)

12. good health and safety for my loved ones.

13. blueberry cheesecake. no candles, please. lol

14. a nice lamp.

15. a dog. heehee.

so there you have it, folks. won't be tagging anyone for this but feel free to tag yourself if you like :D happy weekend!

new year greetings

2008 is drawing to a close, 2009 is coming in.
haven't done much travelling this year, (as you might have noticed from the rarity of my posts :D)
but i must say that i was able to reach for something
that i've always wanted to do. ;-)

diyos ko, anong nangyayari sa iyo? gumising ka! gumising ka lando!!!!! *sobs*

when i was younger i used to have this teeny-tiny fear of the upcoming new year and the song auld lang syne. maybe it was the loud blasts of the firecrackers or this feeling of foreboding that something bad will happen. well, bad things have happened all throughout history but with God's grace we have survived somehow :-) and yes, God is so good, i have grown to love the song auld lang syne. ;-)

here's to a blessed 2009 for y'all! just hit play!

Auld Lang Syne - Pham Xuan Thang

tag-a-long twenty

was tagged once more by the pusang maganda. this one is a bit more personal but what the heck, it's fun! hehehe

Here's the rule: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged. Whoever does the tag will have blessings from all.

1. At what age do you wish to marry? when i was young i thought 25 was a good age to marry, but now i'm past 25, well... i dunno.

2. What color do you like most? red and black, blue and green, in that order and pair

3. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one? i don't know yet, it will come... if it will come!

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most? those wonderful, magical scandinavian countries and japan

5. Which part of you that you hate the most? don't really hate, but i wish they look better.. me eyebrows ;)

6. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do? sound tripping or go to some place far away.. the problem is it's so far that i can't walk to it hahaha

7. What are you afraid to lose the most? my senses

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do? preserve an old building, like el hogar in binondo and/or travel around the world.

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her? Or would you keep it to yourself and observe from afar? neither

10. What do you always bring with you when you travel? aside from the necessities, i bring a notebook and pen all the time.

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half? physically: taller, nice eyebrows and nose.. personality: someone who can handle the likes of me ;p

12. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most? nothing

13. Which type of person do you hate the most? KSP (kulang sa pansin--attention-grabber..?)and maarte

14. What is your ambition? To be a nomad ;P

15. What is the thing that will make you think he/she is bad? i just sense it.

16. If you had one wish what would you wish for? erm, the ability to fly...?

17. What brand of toothbrush do you use? hapee

18. Name one of your body part your hubby or boyfriend tells you he adores. wait, i think i have to get a bf first lol

19. It would be 2008 in a few days, do you have a new year’s resolution? i don't make new year's resolutions

20. If your better half is cheating on you, will you forgive him or her? no.


so now, i'm a-tagging mimi, dhez, kyels, islander, snglguy, krisjasper, coldman and yatot =)