We cannot miss on this elongated piece of paradise, Palawan.  We like to believe that the beauty lies in the ‘stretched out’ quality of this island to a point exquisite; a rolled out exquisiteness. Coron Island in the far north to pearl farms in the distant south, we can’t get enough of both ends – and quite literally because Palawan is considered to be one of the last unexplored island in the Pacific. 

In Puerto Princesa, we chanced upon some weary-looking adventures heading for the incomparable St. Paul subterranean river -- now protected as a World Heritage Site.  In the mood hospitable, we offered a 20-minute chopper ride but we were given unanimous stares of decline.  Thanks anyway; they were all geared up for a prolonged, ‘lonely planetish’ journey of the dusty roads, six hours going north.  My adrenalin acted up.  I waited for them to return the compliment. And yet another exploring Caucasians murmured at the sight of paved roads ahead, enjoying loving the rocky ride as the real thing.  Palawan can draw the ridiculous in us so much so that ecologist and explorer Jacques Cousteau described it as the most beautiful place he ever explored.              

That hazy blue streak of daw in Coron

Our very recent comeback to Palawan brought us off the coast of Busuanga, in Coron Island.  Our tour boat landed at the Busuanga shores.  In no time we were cordial with a Manila-based just engaged ouple on a tryst.  You can’t not help it; you have to have others validate your pleasure.  And then we started comparing travel notes: where sand is whiter, finer; where sea is bluer, clearer. Mother Nature indulged this part of earth; the bluest of waters belongs to Coron.  And it’s not hard figuring, Coron’s waters are way notch healthier because of the abundance of wild starfish.            

There are landscapes and rock and limestone formations and cliffs anywhere but we never saw one this good, this amazing and this so endowed like them in Coron. Towering and massive cliffs and dramatic limestone rock formations adorned with the most content plant life make up Coron’s stunning and fabled landscape.  The sting of the sun is the last thing to worry in Coron.  An island in seclusion, the lush vegetation and the lofty rock formations provide ample shadings.  It’s cool refreshing breeze all the way.

Tourists are a common sight around the area, littered about in postcard-worthy beaches.  We saved them for the next day, the beaches, that is.  Today is trekking inland toward Coron’s fabled lakes.  We were awed, lost for words -- gorgeous, splendid, wow..oh my! -- by the beauty of two, the Kayangan and Barracuda Lake, magnificently ringed by gray cliffs.

Advance research told us that Coron also merits visit for its spectacular diving opportunities. And dipped we go -- for love of a new underwater digicam and history, too.  And “moshi moshi” in our waterlogged eyes, a sunken fleet of World War Two-era Japanese warships.  First underwater experience this good brings about the conceit out of us.  Have some videos to show off.             

With its natural wonders all in place, it is but ‘natural’ that most part of Coron has no electricity.  And quite literally, no alarms, no texts to rouse the genuinely sleeping.  At some point one vaguely waking morning, by the window I caught the hazy blue streak of dawn.  Some things beautiful you don’t shoot with camera, but you tuck them in your mind, the image lingers long … the hazy blue streak of dawn, the hazy blue streak of dawn.  And then you wax poetic: “new day, new day…life endures.”

And this we learned:  Coron is well cared for by the Tagbanuas, the people who love the island most. There are about 2,000 members of the Tagbanua tribe who call Coron their spiritual home; the cavities of gray cliffs their abode.  Visitors to Coron Island can get a closer look into the Tagbanua’s world -- but not without caution.  Tourists are regulated by a passport system to allow access to eight specific sites on the island.  This is a good move to protect Coron from the hazards of mass tourism.  More importantly, we give respect to the island’s meek residents, the Tagbanuas.

What’s yours? Tell us your Palawan experience.