Moody skies over Coron Island [SWF]

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Moody skies over Coron Island in the Calamianes.  The dramatic limestone formations look menacing  under the blanket of dark clouds.

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Coron Island is the largest limestone rock formation in the Philippines; "coron" comes from the Tagbanua word for "enclosed", stemming from its towering cliffs and mountains shielding the island on three sides.

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Beneath the pristine water surrounding Coron Island is one of the world's best dive sites for its well-preserved World War II wrecks.  The coral gardens are also amazing.

Coron Island is open and accessible to the outside world now, but it's a protected area beyond the contemporary sense, and will remain protected for as long as the Tagbanua live here.  

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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.  May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. ~ Edward Abbey

More beautiful skies from around the world at Sky-Watch Friday

Steamed Crabs

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A few minutes after our boat docked at the Coron harbor, the rain poured and we ran to the nearest shelter--the public market.  I looked around and realized we were in the dried fish section---mother's favorite!  So we bought various dried fish for family and friends---labahita, danggit, bisugo, sapsap.   Then we wandered to the wet section and I was delighted to see crabs!  I wondered out loud if there's a way that we could have crabs for dinner.  The vendor told me that we can have it cooked at our hotel, so I bought a kilo for only P120!  I was amazed at how cheap it was!

But when we got to our hotel, I was told by the staff that the kitchen was very busy and I was directed to a sari-sari store across the street.  I walked over and the woman there said yes, they will cook the crabs for a fee---it's P150 (I almost dropped the bag of crabs).  I knew she was robbing me blind but I was too fixated on the crabs and too hungry to care. 

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I ordered crab and corn soup to go with the steamed crabs and rice.   The crabs were succulent and sweet and fat!  Yummy! 

More scrumptious goodies at Food Trip Friday

Calamianes: Out on the water

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I have always dreamed of living by the ocean.   I'd love nothing more than communing with the wilderness on a pristine headland or crescent of sand. But I would prefer my coastline to have a little bit more of land than rocks.  


These stilt houses are homes of the Tagbanuas, an indigenous folk of Coron Island, one of the islands we visited in early September.  The Tagbanuas of Coron Island are mostly fishermen, but when the amihan (northeastern monsoon) blows and keeps the fishermen inland, the Tagbanua scale the jagged limestone cliffs towards cave entrances high above sea level.  Then they make an  arduous, death-defying descent into dark caves to gather balinsasayao (Callocalia troglodytes) nests, an edible nest made from swiftlets saliva.

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For Thursday 2 Questions - you are invited to answer and join:

1.    What exotic food have you tried lately?

2.    What is the most amazing place you have visited recently?

Blue banca [Blue Monday]

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A blue banca at the shores of Atwayan beach in Coron Island. 

"It is not down in any map, true places never are." 
~ Herman Melville

Join us at Blue Monday

Calamianes: Covered [Photo-Hunt]

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These are photos from my recent trip to the Calamian group of islands in northern Palawan.  In one of the white beaches of Coron Island, I spotted these Tagbabua lovebirds perched on the rocks.  The island is part of the Tagbanuas ancestral domain, and they make sure places here frequented by tourists are preserved and maintained.  They got the beach covered.

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I walked the white sandy shores of Atwayan beach, and at the end of the cove, partially covered by  rocks, I noticed this woman washing clothes.  I wondered how she could wash clothes with saltwater.  I walked over and we chatted.  She's also a Tagbanua and she pointed to me the fresh water gushing between the rocks. 

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This is Coron Island cove, the gateway to Kayangan Lake.  From Coron Bay, the cove is covered by limestone and granite rock formations, you wouldn't know it is there.

Join us at Photo Hunt