Coron Batch 13 – June 14-15, 2008

This was a Coron-Malcapuya-Lusong Trip.

As we approached Coron town, I was spotting this island. Perhaps one day, I will explore that part.

This was something new for me. I only had 2 joiners with me at the Superferry. I used to have more than 5 joiners. That’s why in those times, I have to hop to every group. Remember that they are strangers with others, that’s why I have to collate them together. This time I only have 2 joiners aboard Superferry because most of my are joiner were in Coron already – they took the plane. It was quite disconcerting for me. I missed that big group. I liked doing that. I realized that maybe this thing I am doing with DIY Coron is really in my blood.

Among the spots in Coron Island Loop, I just documented the underwater of Siete Pecados.

I was really lazy that time. I felt that I am through with this organizing thing. I didn’t take much pictures this time. In this trip, I was more relaxed. I did not go with the joiners at Kayangan Lake. I just stayed at boat when we were at CYC Island. I was so lazy about this organizing that I just didn’t move much.

Then before the day ended, we were at Malcapuya Island. We stayed overnight here.

The island have one big house with 2 rooms with own toilet. The house is located somewhat in the middle of the island.

The island also have 3 open cottages. This was where most of us slept.

Some even slept on the beach!

Here are some facilities of the island.

Outside toilet – but you have to carry your pail of water here.

The cooking area.

The deepwell manual pump (there’s also a motor pump) and the makeshift change room beside it.

The large shaded area, maybe for big gatherings.

The place where we ate dinner and breakfast.

And others…

And the beach ofcourse… snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing…

After Malcapuya Island, we went to Lusong Coral Garden. It is really a garden of colorful corals here.

After Coral Garden, we went to my favorite Lusong Wreck. The sea was calm that time. And it was perfect for photo shoot… underwater.

After this we went to Gunboat Wreck. The sea was also calm, so me and Lester immediately jumped to the waters. Only to find out that there was lots of small jelly fish in that area. It doesn’t feel itchy at first, but when I was returning back it started to itch on my hands. Good thing I was in my jogging pants and long sleeves, hehe – I was protected somehow.

Returning to Seadive again for shower, I encountered again the never-ending chaotic way there. My reservation and my joiner’s reservation were displaced by a group of Filipino divers who will leave at 9pm that Sunday (for Superferry ride). This is now a sample of what I am saying in my announcement in my site – that Seadive prioritizes Divers and Foreigners. Apparently, our reservations were overruled by the owner. I can see that the Pinoy Manager Raffy was doing his best to balance the needs of his guests – diver or non diver, pinoy or foreigner. Oh well, that’s Seadive.

My realizations or insights about this trip:

• I missed the big group at Superferry.
• Perhaps DIY Coron organizing is really in my blood.
• Talking or sharing experience with fellow certified traveler (see my definition at Travel People post) is really an enjoyable experience for me.
• I am still enjoying the Coron place even though I visited a spot over and over again.
• In one incident, Melynn and Irene told me that the tricycle driver (they rode to maquinit hotspring) knows about me. They said, Owen you’re famous here in Coron!
• The new people or new contacts I met in Coron just unfolded in front of me.
• Oh well, I guess… Coron has chosen… to adopt me

Enjoy more Lusong Wreck Pictures!

Coron Batch 9 – June 7-8, 2008

This is the biggest group I ever handled! That’s why I called June 7-8 my Big Day.

These were the batch 9 people aboard Superferry from Manila to Coron. Some of the batch 9 people were already at Coron, waiting for this group to arrive in Coron. Riding a Superferry also adds fun and bonding moment for soon-to-be friends. They were stranger first to each other, and after the DIY Coron trip they became friends.

One of stop was at Siete Pecados Marine Sanctuary. Here are some underwater shots.

Here are some of the batch 9 people while in CYC Island.

We had our overnight at Banana Island. Below are my highlights of Banana Island.

The tent accommodation.

There were 3 closed cottages. Cottage 1 has 2 rooms, Cottages 2 & 3 has both single rooms.

There were 3 open cottages. This one is where I slept overnight.

The owner of the island slept here.

Some of the joiners slept here.

The blown up tent (due to sudden rain and wind) slept here in this makeshift kitchen area.

Surrounding the island are these spots.

Best to wake up in the morning in the beach side of an island.

The sand bar immersed in water.

Relaxing on a hammock.

The shadows in the island.

The whole batch 9 people before leaving banana island.

We left banana island for Culion Town.

The approach to Culion town.

Welcome to Culion Town!

Onward to the Culion Museum.

This is the museum. I decided to take pictures from the outside to see if there will be ghosts captured in my shots. Inside the museum, I felt strong presence of spirits there. It was so strong that i want to get out of the museum as soon as possible.

Then just beside the museum is the Church and the Fort.

After Culion, we went to Lusong Coral Garden.

I was able to capture this strange sea slug.

And here’s the Lusong Coral Garden.

And here’s the Lusong Wreck.

All in all, I had lots of fun in this batch 9 people. One of my favorite batch among the many batches I have.

Now I am thinking:

• Will I still continue what I have been doing?
• Is this really in my blood, to organize group trips?
• Why I have been feeling lazy arranging trips for coron?
• Why I have these ambivalent feelings?

Oh well… one thing is for sure… this thing that I have been doing since January 2008 have turned strangers into friends… provided jobs to the local people of Coron… provided cheap tours to the Filipino people… and has made traveling fun and easy… and that’s because of my DIY Coron! Until Then.

Travel People

I have been meeting a lot of travel people lately. This night job I have for DIY Coron gave me the chance to meet different kinds of people. One of that kind of people is the Travel People.

Travel People are people who travels for the reason of leisure and vacation. Perhaps I should confine my topic to Filipino Travel People because these are the fellows I always encounter. And here they are, as I have discovered. This is just my personal opinion:

The Certified Traveler

These are the real traveler who knows the ins and outs of traveling. They know how to adjust and blend to the existing situation and environment. Typhoons usually don’t step them in continuing their travel. They can be a solo traveler or they can be a pair traveler. They can even be a group traveler. They are realistic people and would really depend on the local information at hand. This traveler immediately trust fellow traveler, be it local or foreigner.

The Ironic Traveler

As described, they are ironic. They would say one thing, but will do a different thing. They will do things contrary to what he/she just have said. Example of this: They would say that they are under budget constraints, so they must choose wisely. But you would see this person availing a luxurious lodging or deluxe rooms. You would see them eating in a fine-dining restaurant. Well, it seems to me that they value the luxury amenities more than the travel itself. Another example of this: They will say that they want a beach front type of lodging, but afterward you will later discover that they availed a far-from-the-sea cheap lodging. There could be many reasons of course, but I find them ironic.

The Suspecting Traveler

This people always suspects that they will be taken advantage of in terms of pricing and package. They find it hard to believe of a certain price or rate, that’s why they try to ask more people. And even they had the cheapest, they would still suspect that they are still not getting what it is worth. So this people ends up doing their own stuff by their selves, and ends up getting the poorest package or rate. So when you talked to them, they will just ask a lot of questions. Thats all, they just ask questions.

Now the following description I will tackle will be maybe a combination of two or more kinds of travel people.

The Bargainer Traveler

This kind of traveler loves to bargain, no problem with that. But this kind of traveler exceeds to ethics of bargaining. This people bargain to the point of insulting the seller or the seller nearby, just to get a bargain. And what’s ironic with this kind of people is that they only do the bargaining in the public market and stalls. They would complain hard if they don’t get a bargain, and will start to wonder why that place don’t give a bargain. But when they eat or buy in fine-dining restaurant or in an established shop, you won’t hear them complaining when they bought a very high priced item or food. You won’t hear them bargaining in those fine places.

The Inconsiderate Traveler

Perhaps these people are not aware that they are inconsiderate. One example of this is the inquiry portion. This person would ask through free messaging means, through the internet, about a particular inquiry. “YM SMS: How much is the entrance fee at that place? Please text me at this number.” Or this people would just text message straightly to your number, “How much is the entrance fee in that place? Please text back.” Why should I reply, are we friends? Perhaps they would think that I will just answer freely to all to any questions.

The Timid Traveler

This person would just ask once then stay silent all through out. This person wouldn’t exert effort to reach out. This person would just wait until the date. When the date is near, this person didn’t notice the he/she is left out. This person is not included in the group because of the non-response. And he/she will just accept how it is.

The Interested Traveler

This traveler is just interested but never joins the travel. That’s it. So he/she is not really a traveler.

The Buddy Traveler

This traveler cannot go out without at least one buddy. As much as he/she wants that travel, he/she could not go out because…. he/she doesn’t have a buddy along.

The Solo Traveler

This traveler is a solo traveler but not a lone traveler. This traveler goes to his/her desired destination freely. This traveler tries to find group to join, so the trips becomes affordable. And consequently, this traveler gain new friends.

The Lone Traveler

This is a type of traveler who just like to go out to the world alone. That’s it.

The Unplanned Traveler

This traveler doesn’t plan. He/She rides a bus without any idea where he/she will go. He/she takes the situation as it is, and decide from there.

The Researcher Traveler

This traveler plans ahead of time. He/She research the internet for any information. Then he/she realized that only 25% of what he/she researched was useful.

The Budget Traveler

This traveler spends his/her expenses under a small budget. Thus, you will find this person joining groups with others, staying in shared bathroom rooms, and eating at local eatery.

The Amenities Traveler

This traveler goes around the country to travel just to experience the amenities one has to offer. He/She just stay inside the resort or hotel and never minds the destinations around him/her.

The Divided Traveler

This traveler is divided whether to join groups with other or just be an exclusive group of friends or family. This traveler doesn’t know whether he/she want cheap price or a higher price but with own group’s privacy. So this traveler, ends up having an expensive expense. They would join group at first, then back out at the last moment.

Donsol Again – May 3-4, 2008

I will try a different approach on my story telling. I will try to do a photo blog.

MAY 3, 2008

The Philtranco bus was supposed to leave at 5pm, but it left the Pasay terminal at 9pm. Apparently, this bus picked up passengers from Cubao terminal. Now looking at this signpost makes me wonder if what they say is true.

And in support of that signpost is this picture. Ironic? Or this is just reality? Most of the passengers seems to be used to waiting. We arrived Donsol at around 10am. We were delayed with our planned activity. So we had to make adjustments. It was at this point I really appreciated the comfort of riding Superferry for 12 hours versus riding a bus for 12 hours. And if you have time deadline to beat, don’t take the bus, take the airplane.

Before heading to Donsol, the bus stopped at Pilar first. I was really curious to see how Pilar port looks like. And here it is. You can see the Ferry, the pier, the people, and the public van. Behind me was the bus terminal.

The before and after of the lunch at Amor Farm Beach Resort.

This is the approach to San Miguel Island at Ticao Island, Masbate. Well, this is San Miguel Island. This is a 1-hour travel by boat, under normal sea condition.

From above, the water looks very clear. You can already see the corals. But under the water…

The corals are quite a beauty. But the strangest thing I noticed here is the lack of fishes.

All I saw there was some baby jellyfish…

And small fishes (dilis?)…

Then we headed to the Catadanyagan Falls…

It was also a 1 hour ride at normal sea condition.

Along the way, we passed Borobangcaso Island. A good place for picnic and beach combing.

Then, Catandayagan Falls…

It was indeed an awesome view.

The Joiners were too happy to see it.

Heading back to Donsol…

Mayon and sunset were the view back to Donsol, which was a 2 hour ride. After arriving Donsol, they continued to proceed for the Firefly tour.

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MAY 4, 2008

The Whaleshark Chase

It was this view first…

Then this… Where is it?

All of a sudden, it’s here!

Ahh, so near that I can touch it… but I didn’t.

After that it was gone… I tried to follow it….

Funny thing here is that… I supposed to video it. But I forgot to set it video. Luckily, I pressed it many times, because I noticed my camera was on low battery. *Sigh*

Most of the group overnighted at Legaspi City to take tour of Mayon Volcano.

Here are some of the Joiners of the group before riding the airplane…

Nutshell Insights:

• San Miguel Island snorkeling is just ok. Because there is not so much fish, I wouldn’t recommend it for snorkeling. As a stopover point, it is ok.
• Borobangcaso Island and Catandayagan Falls are recommended must see place. Consider the travel time of 2 hours here.
• Firefly tour is always recommended for first timers.
• The Donsol Whaleshark Chase is really recommended if you happen to see at least one upfront. For me, the main key here is the spotter. Then the guide aka Bioman. And the skies must be sunny.
• Comparing Coron with Ticao, I would definitely go for Coron.
• Mayon would always be a majestic view to see.
• Next year, I will try to organize a DIY Donsol again!

Coron Island Loop Tour – April 5-6, 2008

In this trip, I handled 2 groups having the same tour. At first, in the planning stage, I was so careful in putting up the itinerary. This group was diverse – from kid to senior citizen. I designed the itinerary somewhat relaxed, so that they can fully enjoy the spots without time pressure. Two days for a Coron Island loop would be really enough – one day for a Coron Island loop would really be not enough.

So come the day April 4… There were some back-outs already. A total of 4 back-outs from the 26 joiners. It was then down to 23 joiners. Even though there were 4 back-outs, 1 last minute joiner was able to join us by buying a chance passenger ticket – brave girl. The 3 back-outs were last minute back-out. I am now thinking, it really pays off to put excess joiner in the group.

Here’s the actual itinerary:

April 5 – Coron town > Twin lagoon > Banol Beach > Skeleton Wreck > CYC Island > Coron Town

April 6 – Coron Town > Mt Tapyas > Siete Pecados > Makinit Hotspring > Kalachuchi Beach > Kayangan Lake (cancelled) > Maynuno Beach > Twin Lagoon > Barracuda Lake > Coron Town

Day 1 was a normal trip for me… No surprises.

Day 2 however was a trip with surprises.

The first surprise was the change of boat. It was alright to change boat. But to position your 2 boats at 2 opposite location was a logistics error. The joiners were used to board the previous boat location, but they have to be redirected because of that. Time consuming.

The second surprise was from someone who was asking me to return our boat at Seadive. It turned out to be a funny surprise because it was a call of nature thing. Good thing our next stop was Makinit Hotspring – they have toilet and fresh water there.

The next surprise was in Kayangan Lake. We were not able to visit Kayangan Lake, just because GMA’s Dyesebel was being shot there. I asked the boat captain where’s the next best thing to do. He said take lunch at CYC Island. But we saw that CYC Island was full of boats, so the boat captaon suggested me something else. And here was a discovery, Maynuno beach. I don’t want to elaborate on this place anymore. Let the place be known to my joiner only.

Because of the delay, I asked the joiner if there is a place they want to return back to – someone suggested Twin Lagoon. Since there was 2 joiners who missed Twin Lagoon (because they arrived by plane), I considered Twin Lagoon as the next visit.

After Twin Lagoon, my joiners negotiated the challenging Barracuda Lake. Being low tide, we had to either snorkel or swim and walk our way to reach the entrance of Barracuda Lake. Me, I snorkeled my way. Here I saw many sea snakes, usual fish in the corals, and jellyfish. Too bad i didn’t brought my camera. I have to skip Twin Peaks snorkeling site because it’s late already and we had 2 snorkeling, make it 3 snorkeling galore for that day.

Realization: If the joiners would have different lodging place, better to let them their own lodging. It makes my computation simple.

This was also supposed to be my last joining trip, but I was talked out to join the May 10-11 group. Anyway, I had a meeting with my trusted guide. I was trying to pass my legacy to him. I was trying to say to him to keep the concept of my travel style – do it yourself style.

Every batch has a unique joiner composition – no better than the other. All are unique. Some are special. But they have their own characteristic. I could not really predict the turn out of the group’s closeness. But there was one thing I was sure before the trip – that after the trip, these strangers to each other will become friends. And this is what i enjoy when joining this trip. I have seen Coron destinations a couple of times. I still do enjoy the place. But the formed friendship and seeing my joiners satisfied with the tour, is the best combination for a truly happy trip.

I call this batch “Coron Batch 3″. And would you believe, after one week after the trip, this group got together for a dinner in Manila. Oh well, I will miss this with my April 19-20 and May 3-4 trips.

Until next batch!