Coron Challenge - Mt Tapyas and Maquinit Hot Spring

Welcome To Coron!!!

There was a slight drizzle when we arrived in Coron Busuanga but not even the rains can dampen our spirits. This trip was six months in the making and each and everyone is ever prepared for the challenges ahead.Thank you airphilexpress for despite of the not so good weather , our 60minute flight from Manila was on time.

It will take 45 minutes going to the town proper and the land trip itself is a treat with views of cows grazing/lazing along the road at  Yulo King Ranch.

Caution! Cowabungas!

I've conquered Mt Tapyas

Soon as we were dropped off at our pension house, Ralph's Pension, we wasted no time and proceeded to hail a tricycle to bring us to Mt Tapyas which is a 10 minute uphill ride to the base . 
Challenge #1 : CLIMB 724 steps to reach Mt Tapyas viewdeck.
Few first steps is peanuts . Further we go, i can feel my knees giving in. I guess lack of exercise is the culprit. Good thing there was this bottled water vendor who accompanied us during the climb and entertained us with his stories. I was about to give up. I felt i couldn't make it. But with a lot of stopovers and rest. And after one hour i have reached the top. Am so proud to have endured the challenge coz its rewarding to be at the top.

Erected in the middle of the viewdeck is a cross so huge that you can see from  town. No climb is complete without a picture of it behind you.

Tip: 
* Don't forget to bring bottled water to hydrate yourself constantly during the climb. 
* Bring face towel or hanky to wipe off evidence of fats dripping from your face.
* Bring your camera so you can show off to your fb friends you've conquered Mt Tapyas
* Best to visit Mt Tapyas is during sunset.
* Don your most comfortable shoes and tropical clothing. You don't want to get blisters on your feet eh?
* Don't forget to do a jumpshot. It's Liberating really!

 

Getting down from the viewdeck proves to be easier than going up . We were grateful for the locals who sold us cold bottled water at the base. Definitely just what we needed. 

After being physically active from our climb, we were looking forward to the soothing therapeutic water of Maquinit.

Challenge #2 Brave the therapeutic hot water of Maquinit Hot Spring.

Water is at around 40 degrees Celcius and at first dip almost scaldingly hot. But don't worry your body will eventually adjust to the heat. Once you get the hang of it, you may never want to leave the water. 

Tip:
* Best to go during the night when the temp is cooler.
* Best to visit after your Mt Tapyas climb to soothe/heal your aching muscles.
* Bring change of clothing and some snacks. Bathing in hot water can make you hungry.
* Best to contract with the tricycle driver for a 2way trip. There are no public transpo plying the route to/from Maquinit.

 Opening hours of Maquinit: 6am to 10pm
Entrance Fee : Php 150/person
Roundtrip tricycle : Php 300

Apo Reef

Apo Reef Natural Park in Occidental Mindoro

Apo Reef  is a protected National Park situated in Occidental Mindoro. Its a series of coral reefs encompassing 34 square kilometers within the waters of Occidental Mindoro. It is the world's second largest contigious coral reef system (great barrier reef in australia being the largest) and largest in the Philippines. The local government of Sablayan was appointed as the caretaker/administrator of the Apo Reef Natural Park Project. Moreover, Apo Reef was declared as a special "Tourism Zone and Marine Reserve" meaning it is open to tourists but fishing of any form within the reef is banned. All funds generated from the visiting tourists would provide alternative livelihood for fishermen in the area.

We would like to thank the tourism office of Sablayan Occidental Mindoro for the assistance they've extended to us. Considering it was Holy Week in the Philippines and most of the government offices are closed, enthusiastic staff happily orients us with the trip. We were to be joined by four divers and one dive master to share the cost of the boat. One tour guide will be assigned to four of us since we are not going to dive. Tour guide is supposed to guide, cook our food, bring us fresh water (for bathing), and help us with anything we need during our overnight stay in the island. 

We did not realized the importance of our guide until we reached Apo Reef. It dawned on us that the place has no electricity, no fresh water, a single water pump is present which is to be shared by the tourists (water coming out is salty water) , bathroom amenities is very basic (there are only 2. one for male and female), no accomodations (our guide has to pitch our tents), and no store (so you have to buy all food supply/necessities from town). 

Oh how we were thankful that we have our guide. Our stay was made more pleasant with the extra handy man around.

Our able bodied Tour Guide in Apo Reef

Besides snorkeling , diving and swimming in its pristine waters, popular activity in this beautiful place is Mangrove Tour. You will be taken for a ride on a bamboo raft across the mangrove forest and a slight trek to the lighthouse afterwards . A 10minute climb to the top of the lighthouse is a breathtaking view of the mangrove forest and the reef. The panoramic view from atop is spectacular.

Bamboo walkway leading to mngrove lake

Mangrove Forest Tour in Apo Reef

Please someone lend me a comb?

View from the top of the lighthouse. Overlooking Apo Reef

The next day was reserved for a half day of snorkeling . To best view the underwater beauty of Apo reef, your boatman will tour you around its waters by dragging you while you hold on to a nylon rope tied to its outrigger.  The "dragging" will last for around 1hour for a feastful sightings of the underwater world. This way of snorkeling is kinda tiring and exhausting but pleasing to the eyes. We saw manta rays and different colored fishes big and small , their names we do not know. Too bad we do not have an underwater camera to capture its underwater allure but we promised to go back .

Things to do in Apo Reef:
* Diving or Learn to Dive (introductory to scuba dive)
* Snorkeling
* Read a book
* Mangrove Tour
* Lighthouse Viewdeck
* Laze around in a hammock (be sure to bring one)
* Sea Turtles egg laying (during season)
* Swimming in its pristine waters
* Bamboo Raft Ride across the mangrove waters
* Beach Sports such as volleyball, frisbee etc
* Play basketball with the marine park rangers
* Play a round of poker with the rangers
* Yoga by the beach
* Learn how to pitch a tent (and disassembling it)
* Sleep all day long

 For inquiries, you can reach the Sablayan Tourism Office at:
Contact No.: 09284659585
Email: amazingsablayan@yahoo.com
Website: www.sablayan.net

Pandan Island - Occidental Mindoro

Imagine yourself in a hammock sorrounded by palm trees and  pandan trees. While engorged in a blissful sleep you can hear the waves crashing onto rocks and the humming of the birds. In your slumber you dream of a beautiful paradise devoid of worldly pleasures.You can only think of the words to describe this place - Simple , au naturel , earthy, modest, quiet , unobtrusive. A feeling of nakedness creeps up your body as you gear your eyes towards the austere cottages without electricity. At night, when darkness falls in , no light bulbs or lamp posts that will guide you through the paths. No aircon nor electric fan to cool you down. But despite of it all you wanna stay here forever and never want to leave this place. This is what you call paradise disguised in the name of Pandan Island .

Pack your bags and get here. Pandan Island is quite easy to reach. There are 2 ways: by plane or by bus.

by plane
From Manila there is only 1(one) airline carrying passengers to San Jose and that is Cebu Pacific. Their flight to/from San Jose is every TTHS. For further details on their flights to San Jose please go to the airline's website. Upon arriving in San Jose , it's another 2.5 to 3 hours to Sablayan via public bus or jeepney. Or you may opt to pre-arrange your transfers with the resort .

by bus
From Manila to Sablayan direct via bus, only DIMPLESTAR plies this route. And a detailed bus schedule please visit their website. Or you may contact the bus company at +63 908 271 75 98

Upon reaching Sablayan town i highly suggest you visit the town's Tourism Office for proper guidance. Tourism Office Staff will be glad to assist you with whatever necessary preparations you need for your trip to Pandan Island and/or Apo Reef. In our case, they arranged a boat to/from Pandan Island. And since Pandan was fully booked at the time we visited (it was holy week) we opted to just stay in one of Sablayan town hotel and just spend a full day tour of Pandan. We stayed till the evening to eat at their dinner buffet. 

In Pandan, you will make new friends. The resort staff are super friendly and always wearing a smile on their face. The guests, which are mostly from different parts of the world , are always smiling and wanting to talk to you, wanting to share their stories. What's humbling is that they do not complain with the lack of high class amenities the resort can offer.

People who travel to Pandan are happy and contented. Their attitude towards life in general is contagious. There is no dull moments when you are here.

Our day in Pandan Island left us hanging for more. I wanted to stay for a longer time but really our main destination was Apo Reef. Will come back for sure to this island paradise called Pandan.

Next day will be another story. Apo Reef here we come!!



Pandan Island Resort
Tel: +63 (0)919 305 78 21
5104 Sablayan
Occidental Mindoro
Philippines
e-mail: info@pandan.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PandanIsland
Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/pandanisland

For inquiries, you can reach the Sablayan Tourism Office at:
Contact No.: 09284659585
Email: amazingsablayan@yahoo.com
Website: www.sablayan.net

Grace Island Resort - San Jose Occidental Mindoro

Most travelers fly to San Jose Mindoro with the intention of traveling overland to Sablayan Occidental Mindoro . Not known to many that San Jose has one resort to boast upon and that is Grace Island Resort located in Ambulong San Jose Occidental Mindoro.

Grace Island Resort was not included in our original itinerary but since we had a free full day of stay in San Jose, this resort proves to be highly recommended as one of the island hopping trips .

How to reach Grace Island Resort?
There are 3 options really. One is to course your boat reservation in one of the beachfront hotels in San Jose. You must do so a night before your trip for them to be able to contact/contract with an available boatman/owner.

Another option is to head to Caminawit Port San Jose and look for boats for rent going to the resort.

If you seek convenience, Grace Island Resort contact numbers are 0939 917 8507, 09491836058, 09215924353 they have a scheduled boat transfers to/from the resort for a minimal price.

My experience
Upon approaching the resort after a very hot 1 hour travel by boat my impression was this resort was built with family entertainment in mind. I can see groups on a banana boat screaming at the top of their lungs whilst other family members trying to capture the moment. From afar, i see people on kayaks and snorklers aplenty. Kids are having fun under the hot summer sun within the designated swimming area. And i just love how their cottages was made to float in the water interconnected with wooden bamboo walkway.

 Smiling receptionists was the welcoming committee. As soon as greetings were exchanged they will orient you the resort's numerous facilities/activities such as banana boat, kayak , mountain bike , mini zoo , snorkelling area, fish sanctuary and Restaurant.

The resort's restaurant was a big let down for me.There was no food menu and service was so slow. Since they were not selling anything to eat we just ordered a can of soda which took 1hour to be served. The restaurant was neatly designed with overhead capiz lanterns though.

 One of the resort's main attraction is the Fish Sanctuary. Here you will find large sized fishes fattened by tourists . These fishes are spoiled to the brim. Alongside them is 2 sea turtles. Snorkelling inside the sanctuary is allowed if you've no fear of fish bites. They would think you're a large chunk of bread being offered to them.

The mini zoo is how it is, really mini. Monkeys and a few birds can be seen in captivity all for the enjoyment of the tourists ? :)

And at the top of the mountain, this overlooking view of the sea on the other side of the resort is quite breathtaking. The water is so calm and serene. Really peaceful sight!

For what the resort is lacking in its substantial food offering in their kitchen , they have redeemed themselves in their water sports activities and welcoming committee. I just wish they would employ cooks and waiters/kitchen staff so guests wouldn't go hungry ever again.



Overall, i give this resort a thumbs up only for a day tour or at most overnight stay. Please be reminded to bring cooking/eating utensils because they allow grilling/cooking within the resort.

Have an enjoyable summer and always take nothing but pictures and leave behind nothing but footprints. Always take care of our environment for they will love us back a hundredfold. :)

Contact Details of Grace Island Resort:
Cell no: 0939 917 8507
Email:  graceislandresort@yahoo.com.ph
Website: http://www.graceislandresort.com/
Address: San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, 5100 San Jose, Mindoro Occidental, Philippines