Discovering the Familiar, A Mini-Vacation

The year is about to end and I still have some vacation leaves left. It'd be a waste AND a sin not to avail of it, even if it's down to a measly eight precious days left. So, I decided to take four days off this month and before Christmas, another four days.

I had really wanted needed a vacation but had no destination in mind, and not to mention, limited resources. That won't stop me, though. No budget? No problem! I decided I'd play tourist in my own city/province; see things with a different set of eyes, gain new perspective.

Palawan Day 3: Culion, Fighting the Stigma

Back during the American occupation of the 1900s, in an effort to manage health issues and as part of America's long-term intention of colonizing the archipelago, Culion was made into a leper colony. Those diagnosed with the worst case of leprosy were sent to this island in the Calamian group of islands in Palawan.

It's been a long time since then and now. With advances in science, leprosy, once one of the most feared diseases that's been around even since biblical times, is now curable and sufferers of the disease, once on the multi-drug treatment, are no longer communicable.

Culion as a town has managed to rise above and, in the early 2000s, has since been totally leprosy-free. The island is now slowly reintegrating back into Philippine society. Success stories like these are truly inspiring. One of Culion's residents hit the point home with this phrase, "We are no longer fighting to find a cure for leprosy. We are now fighting stigma." The strength and pride of Culion's people is admirable.

If you're planning to go to Palawan, Culion is worth the trip. Being a quaint little town with such rich history, Culion is made vibrant with its very welcoming residents so don't forget to talk to the locals! You'll be surprised at the interesting stories they have to share. We met a man there and he told us of the love story of his parents, of how they were both lepers, of how forbidden their love was and of how they fought to be together. It was an epic and movie-worthy story. And oh, you want an even happier ending? The man was born leprosy-free.

Below are some photos taken in Culion's cathedral.

The next set of images were taken inside the museum.

Early medical instruments used in the leprosarium

And to end this post, here's a friendly reminder for everyone brought to you by the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital:

P.S. This is a super late post. The trip to Culion was taken back in July of this year. The author of this blog loves to share but is just really lazy.

Palawan, Day 2: Pure Shores

Take me to my beach
I can hear it, calling you
I'm coming, not drowning
Swimming closer to you

The sights Day Two in Palawan offered were eyegasmic! The majestic cliffs jutting out from the crystal clear blue waters were breathtaking to say the least. The scenery seemed to come right out of The Beach, that movie a young Leonardo Dicaprio starred in back in 2000. In fact, I've heard that the author of the novel The Beach, Alex Garland, was actually inspired by the beauty of Palawan when he wrote the novel. However, the location used in his book and in the movie was Thailand, particularly a beach called Koh Phi Phi. I guess it mostly had something to do with the backpacking culture, which wasn't as big in the Philippines then as it was in Thailand. Ok, I digress. Sorry, hehe.

So Day Two was spent mostly in the water and on the bangka as we island-hopped our way around Coron. If I remember correctly, there were seven stops all in all (but for the life of me, I can only recall six): Siete Pecados, Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake, Twin Lakes, Banol Beach and Banana Island where we spent the night.

The lakes were beautiful! I could spend a whole afternoon in any of those lakes. The best part is when all the other tourists leave and you and you're friends are alone. Automatically, you feel the lake transforming into your very own secret cove, a secret hideaway only a chosen few are privy to, just like in The Beach.

With my team in Kayangan Lake

Banol beach was also picturesque with its pristine waters and soft white sand. Again, another location I wouldn't mind spending a whole afternoon in. I can imagine just lounging by the beach front, the cool water lapping at my toes while getting a nice golden tan. Now couple this breathtaking scenery with great conversation with friends over a few drinks and life couldn't get any better.

Idyllic Banol Beach

By day's end we headed for Banana Island where we spent the night. We arrived on Banana Island just in time for the magic hour. I was able to watch a beautiful sunset with my girls and was reassured that all is well and that life is beautiful.

The only drawback from this otherwise perfect paradise vacation was that it felt rushed. We went to seven beyond-beautiful locations but only spent around 30 minutes to an hour in each. Not enough time to soak in all the beauty. Notice how I kept saying 'I could spend the whole afternoon' in this or that place. In the beginning, during the planning stage of our vacation, we chose this tour because we had wanted to cover as much ground as we could in the three days we had. This, as it turned out, worked against us. I really had wanted to just chill and fully enjoy the beach, the ocean, and the coves without being timed and called on when we had to leave for another location.

So if you're more of a quality-over-quantity type of person like me and you don't want to be bound by a schedule while on vacation, I suggest to just choose around two or three places to visit and allow yourself to forget time and get lost in the moment. Don't worry that you weren't able to go to all the places, just consider that all more reason to go back!

(In hindsight, though, because we went to all the must-see places, I now know which beaches/coves I want to spend time in the next time I visit Coron. Oh yes, there WILL be a next time!)

Palawan! Day One.

Sometimes you just need to get away and reunite with what's essential, which is exactly what I did when I went on vacation just very recently to Coron, Palawan with college friends and some new-found ones as well. It was refreshing, to say the least. The trip was also educational and very inspiring especially on the Culion leg of our trip, but that's going too far ahead in my entry. (Actually, I want to dedicate a whole different entry on Culion as I think it deserves its own spotlight.)

Day One found us going on safari in Calauit. The island was once owned by the Marcoses during their glory years and rumor has it that the safari's purpose was to be a playground for his children. It has since been seized by the government and is now one of Coron's attractions. I felt like a little kid visiting the zoo for the first time, only this was so much more fun with the animals being able to roam around freely! Got up close to zebras and interacted with giraffes. I was a bit disappointed to know that there were no lions, though. I wonder how that would've played out if there were carnivores on the island. Hehe.

Gerry, a young giraffe, is one of many on the island. I think the guide said there were about 60 of them all in all.

Obviously, I fancied taking photos of Gerry.

Feeding Gerry! My, he's got a long strong tongue!

The whole group. I love this shot. It's really got that safari-feel to it, hehe.

After the Calauit safari, it was another three to four hour drive to Coron proper and to the Maquinit hot springs. The hot springs were a great way to cap an exhuasting day but personally, I didn't think it was all that. Or maybe I just had high expectations. You have to keep your slippers/sandals on as the bottom is either lined with rough rocks or mossy sand. The sides of the pool were also covered with a thin layer of moss. Oo na, maarte na ako, but that's because I have something to compare it to.

I still prefer Bacolod's Mambukal hot springs. It has the same benefits and I feel it's cleaner (no slimy moss and you can take your slippers off) and facilities like shower rooms are close by for rinsing. At the time we were at Maquinit there were no working showers (but then again maybe it was just that time). So yes, it's just a personal preference but in my book, it's Mambukal over Maquinit.

The trip to the hot springs basically concluded an exhausting but fun Day One, exhausting only because we had stayed up excited and packing the night prior to our flight to Palawan. Day Two would prove to be even more fun but it'll have to wait till another entry (because I write so slow now!)