There is no direct flight from Siargao (don’t mix up Siargao with Surigao, which is nearby and another option to go to Siargao) to Coron. So I had a short layover of 15 hours at the Airport of Cebu and called this place my “home” for a night. At least there was a free day pass of WiFi and it worked pretty well. In Siargao was barely WiFi. So it was good to have WiFi, because I haven’t had booked a hostel in Coron.
Coron NOT yet in Palawan
Just to make sure, Coron isn’t part of Palawan ? I didn’t know that before – now I know. I flew into Coron at 6:45am and there is also just one runway like in Siargao. It’s interesting how everything runs over there at the airport, but it works out at the end somehow.
After checking in at my hostel, I walked along the Main Street to eat breakfast. On the way back I met a German guy, Tim. A hour later the both of us were cursing with a scooter along the coast all the way up to the north to the Ocam-Ocam Beach. On the way we stopped at the Concepcion Falls. On the way back we drove to a lighthouse, but we did’nt find it. We ended up in a little local village and it was so much fun, because all the kids run after us and wanted to talk to us. Once it got dark we drove to the Maquinit Hot Springs. On the way back we almost run out of gas – it was gambling, if we got back to our hostel without running out of gas, but it worked out. The first day in Coron was really nice.
On the next day we went on a boat trip to the Islands of Coron. It was a lot of fun and we went to different places. My favorite places over there are the Twin Lagoon, the Hidden Lagoon and the Kayangan Lake. A day trip in Coron is worth its Money. Later the day I meet my Israeli friend, I met in Siquijor the first time, in the Hangout Bar for a beer. We had a blast night.
On the third day I was diving at two shipwreck spots and one coral reef. It was my first time diving in a sort of Cache and I liked it even it was not easy. On the boat I met two Germans, Dario and Jenny. After 5 hours of diving we went out for dinner at a italian place to get some pizzas and after that we had a drink at the Reggae Bar.
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El Nido
In El Nido I met Liv and Amy again. The cutest “couple” I have met so far. We went together on a day cruise the other day and we had so much fun cruising around the Islands with the boat. The barbecue we got there was amazing. We rented a kayak and paddled into different lagoons. I also met “Chris” again in El Nido and met some other Israelis. During my time in El Nido there was the Holy Week and a lot of Filipinos went on vacation in El Nido – so not just tourists around me.
Here are some recommendations what to do or where to eat in El Nido. Nice beaches are the Napcan Beach, Twin Beach, Duli Beach and Las Cabanas (you can do ziplining over here). A good spot for sunset is the beach at the Outpost Hostel, the Republica Sunset Bar or the Napcan Beach as well. Good spots to Party are the Sava Bar, Coco Bar or Pukka Bar – I liked the Pukka Bar the most. And finally, I would recoomend the following spots to get a descent meal: Squidos, a falafel place right next to Squidos and the place that is called happiness (my favorite place to eat even if ist a Little bit more expensive).
Puerto Princesa
After 3 days I took a van further down to Puerto Princesa. There I met Dario again, the guy I just recently met in Coron. Lets say it this way – we had so much fun in doing nothing for 3 days. We went into a big shopping centre and spend almost a whole day there and we treated ourselves good with nice food. The first and second night we went out to the famous Tikki Bar and there we met some spanish guys – don’t miss out this place for a beer or a round of pool table. The other evening Dario, Amy and me went to a fireflies sanctuary. It was soooo cool to see all the fireflies just hanging around in the trees. And on top of that we saw a lot of plankton too – I really loved it.
For most of the people Puerto Princesa is just a “night layover” to catch a flight to Cebu or Manila – for me it was more than just a layover – I spent 3 nights there. After almost 2 months on the road it felt pretty good to just read a book, listen to some music and relax in a hammock. And most importantly I had to plan and book some stuff for my next adventure.
The next adventure is ….
… climbing some mountains in the Himalaya region and to say hi to one of the most famous climber and hiker Reinhold Messner. EBC and the 3-passes-trek see you soon.
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