Calamianes: Sky-watching from Mt. Tapyas

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Watching the effects of the changing light on the hills of Busuanga Island as the sun sets in the Calamianes.


Golden sunshine covered the slopes, hills and valleys surrounding Mount Tapyas.

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Blades of grass bowing in gentle September breeze.

Countless shades of green color the landscape.  

The grass is greener in Busuanga Island than anywhere I've been to in the Philippines.  No wonder there are more cows here.

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Mount Darala mountain range

 Clouds drifted over Mount Darala, a dormant volcano.

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A blissful moment of solitude as I scanned the spectacular views of the nearby islands in the Calamianes.

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Grilled Chicken and Cobb Salad

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Cobb Salad

Rain and flood always bring Metro Manila traffic to a crawl.  U and I were stuck in a late afternoon traffic during a heavy downpour last week.  Good thing we managed to take the service road to Market! Market! and drove straight to Bonifacio High Street.  I missed dining at Texas Roadhouse Grill in High Street---it's been months since I've been here. U and I shared the Cobb Salad, and I got the Grilled Chicken with mushrooms, with grilled shrimps as an extra topping.  I love the mushroomy, lemony, buttery flavors of this dish.  The sweet, scrumptious shrimps added excitement to the palate.

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Grilled Chicken with mushroom and shrimp toppings

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Calamianes: Start off to Coron Island

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a floating bar in Coron Bay

Despite my achy joints and sore muscles from our climb to Mount Tapyas the previous day, we were off to an early start on our second day in Busuanga.  We couldn't wait to experience Coron Island. It was a rainy morning and I tell you how tempting it was to just stay in bed, have a massage and vegetate.  But we've come a long way, baby...I can vegetate at home. 

The monsoon rain continued to pour but soon after we reached the pier, it turned into a misty drizzle.  I thought we were early but outriggers were already lined up at Coron harbor, waiting for passengers.  Cherry, our guide, told us that we'd be sharing the boat with 7 other passengers.  It was a big boat with a capacity of 12.  Around 8:30 am, 7 of us were assembled by the steps, waiting for 2 more.  Ryan, our boatman, kept calling the missing passengers---we were joking around that perhaps they climbed Mount Tapyas, and were too sore to get up.

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our boatman, Ryan, a.k.a. Manny Pacquiao, and his co-captain

By 9 am, Ryan received instructions to leave---apparently, our missing companions decided to skip the Coron Island adventure (too bad for them!).

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Before stepping into the boat, I paused and gave a silent salute to Mount Tapyas---and remembered an old friend who once explained to me why people climb mountains (while we were walking uphill in Mount Hibok-hibok, half-buried in mud).

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Mount Tapyas from Coron harbor

Coron Island or Calis Island, as the Tagbanuas call it, is a big island across the bay just 20 minutes by outrigger from Coron town.  The island is made up of massive, rugged limestone cliffs, coves, lagoons, lakes, white beaches, coral gardens---all pristine and natural.  Coron is one of the most visited destinations for wreck diving in the Philippines.  Wreck dive sites are found in a depth as shallow as 10-30 feet and as deep as 120-140 feet. Underwater visibility for snorkeling is up to 80 feet.

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I took this photo as we approached Coron Island.  The rocky cliffs are striking yet unnerving.   I wonder how the Tagbanuas survive on this island for centuries.  Exploring Coron Island must be a formidable challenge even for top-notch adventurers.

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Coron Island

Coron Island is the 3rd largest island in the Calamian group of islands in northern Palawan.  The island is part of a larger municipality of the same name and part of the ancestral domain of the Tagbanuas.

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Calamianes: 700 Steps to Mount Tapyas

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From where I stood at Lualhati Park by the harbor, the cross at the summit of Mount Tapyas seemed unreachable.  The cross was there to be admired from a distance..."unreachable" was a happy thought that didn't last long.  Because right after I took this photo, Cherry, our guide, asked if we were ready to climb Mount Tapyas.  I was floored, I protested, I knew the pain!  I have climbed mountains in the past, and have promised myself "never again".  But my little sister was determined to see the top of the mountain.  Cherry assured me that it's going to be an easy climb because of a concrete stairway, "Only 718 steps, ma'am," she said sweetly.

We climbed aboard our tricycle, and it took us back to the streets of Coron---the hilly parts, until we reached the base of the mountain.  Boys selling bottled water were there to greet us.  I knew I would be dehydrated before I reach the first 100 steps.  I had a moment of panic when I saw the stairs---the trek to Batad rice terraces came back to haunt me!

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Mount Tapyas is one of the mountains in Busuanga Island. It stands 210 meters above sea level and offers a panoramic view of Coron Bay and the nearby islands of the Calamianes. During Holy Week, the faithful make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer by climbing Mount Tapyas.

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The best time to climb Mount Tapyas is late in the afternoon when the sun is not as intense.  I thanked my lucky stars for cloudy skies and benches along the way, perfect for people like me who needed to catch their breath every 10 minutes.  Shooting also provided a breather, and somehow disguised my laborious, heavy-footed steps.

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view to the west

The views were all worth stopping for.  A dozen steps offered a different perspective.  The western part of Calamianes was shrouded with heavy clouds while the sun beamed towards the east, highlighting parts of the lush, mysterious Coron Island across the bay.

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Looking down at the verdant Coron town and the reclamation area where we were at just over an hour ago.  I couldn't believe I was able to reach the top in less than an hour, without fainting. Gosh, I am so out of shape!

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I still couldn't enough of this sight---the craggy slopes, dark crevices, I wondered what was waiting for us at Coron Island, what secrets it would reveal.

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At the back slopes of Mount Tapyas was this breathtaking sight---gentle, verdant slopes bathed with  sunshine; invigorating mountain air filled my senses, and my knees seemed to be working again!  At the background is Mount Dalara, a dormant volcano, the source of Maquinit hot spring, the only known saltwater hot spring in the Philippines.

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The golden sunlight was beautiful, and I was looking forward to a gorgeous sunset that afternoon.  But the sun wasn't in the mood to show off...it retired quietly and without fanfare.  And to make up for it, a rainbow appeared on our way down!

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Twilight at Mount Tapyas as we traipsed down the stairway.  Despite the strained muscles and throbbing ankle, I'm glad I experienced Mount Tapyas.  A visit to Busuanga Island is not complete without it.

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The blues are for Sally at Blue Monday

Shades of yellow [Photo Hunt]

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gold hibiscus

Yellow is one of my favorite colors in nature.  Yellow flowers are especially warm and cheerful, and like bright sunshine, this color is energizing.

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chartreuse Cymbidium

Chartreuse is halfway between yellow and green.  Other shades of chartreuse have been described as apple green, lime green, light grass green, light green with a tinge of yellow.

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golden trumpet

The golden trumpet was blooming in my aunt's yard last summer.  I have been looking for the name of the yellow bud below---I thought it was hibiscus but it's not.  

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Carambola or star fruit is a tropical fruit, the flavor is reminiscent of citrus fruit and varies from quite sour to mildly sweet.  It is usually used to flavor soups, salads, fish and meat dishes, also as garnish.  Looking at this fresh ripe carambola makes me crave for some.:p

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carambola or star fruit

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Calamianes: Coron Harbor Center [Watery Wednesday]

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The Coron Harbor Center was our first stop after checking in at Darayonan.  We took a tricycle and cruised around town. The harbor center is part of the reclaimed land facing Coron Bay, it's also where the Coron Gateway Hotel is located--the first boutique and luxury hotel in Busuanga Island.  Of course, we didn't stay there.:p

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Beside the Gateway Hotel is the town's public market, a police station, a tourist desk, and a park called Lualhati Park dedicated to the mother of the mayor and governor--the mayor of Coron and the governor of Palawan are brothers (it seems a political dynasty is alive and well in these parts).  The park offers a beautiful view of the mysterious and rugged Coron Island, the third largest island in the 80 plus islands in the Calamianes, and part of the ancestral domain of the indigenous Tagbanua people.

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Outriggers are the usual mode of transport around the islands.  Tourists rent outrigger boats to visit the islands, snorkel and dive.  Boatmen also act as guides, they know where the best coral reefs and ship wrecks (Japanese World War II ships) are, they took care of our lunch, and made sure we enjoyed our stay.

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Aside from tourism, fishing is the main source of livelihood here.  Hotels and restaurants in Manila get most of their live seafoods from this area.

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We're still in the monsoon season, and the weather had been unpredictable.  It was a cloudy afternoon when we arrived in Coron, and it rained all through the night until the next morning.  The mountains were also covered with fog which was quite enchanting.

The harbor center is a jump-off point to the Calamian Islands.  This is where we rendezvoused with our boatman the next morning for our Coron adventure.

Coron Island at the background

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Calamianes: At the pier [Blue Monday]

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Blues captured at the pier of Coron town on early Wednesday morning while we were waiting for our boat to take us snorkeling and island-hopping. It was a gloomy, rainy morning, and I thought, "What am I doing here?  I should have stayed in bed and sleep!"

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Surprisingly, the water was calm despite the weather.  I guess each passenger of our boat whispered a little prayer because by 9 a.m, the sky cleared and we enjoyed a mild September weather the whole day.

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 "Weather is a great metaphor for life--sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella."

~ Terri Guillemets

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Calamianes: Views from the top [SWF]

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These were the first photos I took of the Calamian group of islands as the plane began its descent towards Busuanga Island, the largest island in the northwest part of Palawan province.  

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The Calamian Islands, also called the Calamianes, consist of four larger islands and approximately over 80 islands and islets, some of them are uninhabited.

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The airport is located in Busuanga Island, 45 minutes by plane from Manila.

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  More photos of the Calamianes soon.

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