Manila Vanilla: Trip to Busuanga

Last week Jo and I went away for half term break. We decided to go somewhere different for a change, i.e. not Boracay! We flew to Busuanga in northern Palawan really cheaply. As we were flying in the view from the plane was amazing. Lots of little islands with white sandy beaches.

When we landed we were picked up by the resort and taken to Coron town to get the bangka (boat) to Uson Island where we were staying in Divelink resort. The boat ride only took 15mins and we were happy to find out that the resort allowed the guests to use their bangkas to get across to Coron town whenever they wanted which was nice as we didn't want to feel like we were stuck on the resort with nowhere to go.

This is the view from our little bungalow.

This was the bungalow we stayed in. It was pretty cute but basic. The electricity only worked from 5pm until 9am the next day but that wasn't too bad as we were out all day anyway. All the rooms and bungalows were named after fruit. Ours was called Suha.

Jo sitting beside the swimming pool looking out onto the bay. The day before we arrived there were four dolphins playing in the water just at the front of the resort. Jo spent most of our time there mentally willing the dolphins to come back.

This is the resorts' own jetty they used for their boats.

Busuanga is the largest island in the beautiful Calamian Group , which lies off the northern tip of mainland Palawan. The other two main islands in the group are Culion and Coron, but there are hundreds of other small islands in the area that you can explore by boat. Alex Garland who famously wrote The Beach spent 6 months living in this area of the Philippines and it has been said that it was the Philippines that inspired the story of 'The Beach'.

Access to the Calamian Group is through the rickety little fishing town of Coron, which confusingly is on Busuanga Island, not Coron Island. The presence of 13 Japanese World War II wrecks in the bays near Coron has led to an increase in the number of scuba divers making a pilgrimage to the area. There is no beach in Coron town and most accommodation is geared towards divers.

We did loads of cool things on the trip. I did three wreck dives in sunken WWII Japanese ships. That was brilliant. Another day we went on a boat trip and we to visit some lakes, lagoons and beaches on Coron Island which is owned by a the Tagbanua tribe.

The limestone cliffs of Coron Island , twenty minutes by boat from Coron town, are spectacular. It's only when you get close to them in a bangka that they reveal dozens of perfect little coves, hidden in the folds of the mountains.

The volcanic Cayangan Lake is a short, steep climb into the island, but not to be missed. Coron Island is still inhabited and owned by the Tagbanua tribe, who are friendly but shy. They make money by charging visitors entrance fees to all their lakes, lagoons and beaches. If they see visitors, the chances are they will melt back into the forest.

The water was so clear there.

Me and Jo on the boat.

Little huts owned by the tribes people.

An amazing lagoon on Coron Island

After seeing a few lakes on Coron Island and then going snorkelling in a marine park we ended our day trip at

Maquinit Hot Springs

. Maquinit hot springs is situated on the far mountains of Coron. According to the locals,the water comes from the volcano. Maquinit means hot, literally hot since the temperature of the water ranges from 38 - 40 degree Celsius.

This is the rickety wee bridge to get from the boat in and out of the hot springs. You can see the mangroves in the water.

Jo in the hot pool.

This is Jo and I on a tricycle in Coron town. The only time we are on tricycles or jeepneys is on holiday.

The sunsets in Palawan were amazing. This is the view from the resort we stayed in.

Just outside our bungalow there was some crabs living in holes the they had burrowed in the roots of trees. This was so bizarre! I didn't know that crabs burrowed in soil! This was one the the crabs that popped out to have a mid morning wander.

There were mangroves all around the resort. This was just outside our room. There was an English guy at the resort who was out kayaking around the bay with his partner when he realised that he was being followed in the water by a long animal. He wasn't sure if it was a crocodile or a dugong.

I went on a snorkeling trip to several beaches and to Barracuda lake in Coron Island. Barracuda lake was one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I was supposed to dive in the lake but I had a stuffy nose and couldn't. I went snorkeling there instead. The water was amazingly clear and I could see down into the water for about 25 metres. Around the edge of the lake is unbelievable volcanic rock formations that look cathedral like. The water has a mixture of warm and cool water and you can see the thermal climes under water. This is what the the lake looks like.

One of the beautiful beaches we went to.

Snorkeling site.

These girls are from the tribe. They spend their days collecting money from tourists and boats. Who visit their beach.

On our last night we went to a local bar called The Hard Rock Cafe, which was just like a grotty room full of hookers with some Christmas decorations, to watch a 'cabaret' show. When I say cabaret, I mean, two transsexuals and one girl singing karaoke and doing comedy skits.

At the back of the room there was a big mirror that people were obsessed with dancing in front of. It was very strange to see people just watching themselves dancing, but I guess that most of these people probably don't have have full length mirrors at home.