(Please note that all of the photos for the next few posts are taken by me and my brother Ted. Anyone who would like to use these photos, please shoot an email to let us know where you’ll be using them. Courtesy please. Thanks! *grin*)
We arrived right on time.
Please ignore the girl. She was taking so long to leave and Daniel didn’t want to stay there and have the facade all to himself. A lot of people were waiting for their photo opp at Busuanga’s welcome banner.
You know you’re in for a good vacation when the airport scenery looks like this.
The manual luggage belt. :)
Welcome to Coron!
The moment we arrived, we were handed these guest cards to fill in. I like how the province documents its tourists. I think they do this in every tourist spot in the country (I wouldn’t really know, since this is my first).
A van was already waiting for us. Mother arranged our vacay’s itinerary, so we knew right away that we’re headed for Apartelle de Gabrielle. Sounded fancy, but I think what really blew us off was the view as we drove to Coron town proper.
We got to the apartelle in about 45 minutes. It was a smooth drive. There were still some parts of the road that needed paving, but you can see that it’s about to be constructed.
View from our room at Apartelle de Gabrielle
We didn’t get the chance to take photos while in the apartelle. We just hurried and changed into more comfortable clothes and started to look for a place to eat. We haven’t had lunch! Thank God our companion, Mon, immediately led us to the beef. We had lunch at Marciano’s Grill.
Food ranged from the usual short orders (tapsilog, longsilog, etc.) to the loved dishes bulalo, sinigang, tamilok (a Palawan delicacy involving worms), and sugba (char-grilled) dishes. Of course, we’re really hungry so taking photos of the food immediately didn’t make the list of things to do when the food arrives.
Mon arranged a ride for us to go around the town. Our ride is driven by Mang Alvin. I think people here are generally used to tourists; everyone is so nice and accommodating.
Want to see our sleek ride? :)
On our way to the market to buy souvenirs and some snacks, I ran into two of the three banks here: LBP and BPI. The other bank, Allied Bank, is down the road, and we didn’t really notice it when we passed it.
Alvin and Mon drove us to the newly constructed plaza/park in Coron. This place also housed the local stores and the public market of the town. Right now, the place looks barren because it’s still unfinished, but it shows a lot of potential. I hope the LGU plants trees. It would look much more homely.
From the town plaza, you can see the first challenge we faced in our first day in Coron: conquering Mount Tapyas.
At the bottom of the mountain is Coron’s public market and the Gateway Hotel. Mon said it is the most expensive hotel in Coron.
Mount Tapyas is not that hard to conquer because the taxpayers of Palawan had stairs constructed. It had the perfect view of Coron and everything else. My gehd. I can’t even begin to describe the beauty of it. Let’s just say when I finished the 740 steps up the mountain, I looked around and I just got all choked up. Scroll down to see what I mean.
This is the starting line up. I mean, come on. You have to have a picture of the people who are up to the challenge! The parents are supposed to sit this one out, but Father was quite sure he can finish it. So my mother was left without a choice but to join in.
We are supposed to conquer 740 steps. At first I thought it was only 700, but when we talked to the Cuyunins (people of Coron), it was indeed 740.
THIS IS THE ORIGINAL LINEUP. Hahahaha. We had to walk ahead of them, otherwise we will miss the view and the sun. Also, because my brothers run and I am constantly on the cross trainer. It just proved that the workout woooooorks. Hahahahaha.
This is us at about 600 steps. I know. We’re so red! I didn’t think a morena like me can blush! Thank you, moisturizer, for caring for my skin pretty well!
This is what we each first did when we reached the top. APPLAUSE for the perfect plank my brother Ted made!
This is at the back of Tapyas. I swear this reminded me of The Shire as in from the Lord of the Rings. This view should be seen everyday.
It took our parents approximately an hour to finish climbing the steps. For people who are 58 and 57 and with heart and blood pressure problems, I believe they did pretty well. :)
On our way down, I noticed a dim light. Then I remembered earlier that day we visited one of our churches. It was quite a beautiful sight. Father was quick to notice it. I knew I just had to take a photo.
Day 1 ended after a bath at Makinit Hot Springs. Wasn’t able to take a photo because it was dark already, but yeah. It was perfect.
This was a great way to start our vacation.
the salt of your skin 
HOMG may BPI na sa Coron! Award. When we went there 2009 Landbank was the coolest thing of a bank they got hee.
And ooh, I like the planking photo! :D
Lupit nga eh! Ravine yung kabilang side. I would’ve pissed my pants trying to pull that off. Hahahahaha.