The write-up was my intro and first saw the light of the virtual world, exactly a year ago as I finally decided to make this travel blog: Langyaw – Sojourns of a Solitary Traveler. And what better start than to distill in a single post the joy and thrill of going places, experiencing people, food and the act of traveling where the destination is not always the end all of one’s journey.
This is the second time that I’ve been to this old settlement that was originally inhabited by the Tagbanuas. During the 17th century, the Augustinian Recollects arrived and evangelized here and in the mid-18th century, this was part of an important network of a defensive system against Muslim piratical raids. In 1906, the island was established as a leper colony. One unique trait of the island is its very heterogeneous population that can be attributed to the forced segregation policy of the country during the American period where lepers from all parts of the country were put.
I’ve now switched to a magazine style theme for this blog. Read all about it in Rough Groove!
One of the best things to see here in Coron is the approach to the island while passing through the spectacular karst limestone cliffs that comprise the islands of the Calamianes group of North Palawan. And the best time is early in the morning as the sun is still a few degrees from the horizon. Its golden rays striking the greenery and yellow to gray walls of rock. Only a boat ride can give you this pleasure.
I was already set to sail for Puerto Princesa: my ticket has already been paid, I already boarded the ship bound for the Palawan capital and my things were already at my assigned cot. On 10 June 07, 8 months after my Cuyo trip, M/V Catalyn D sunk off Mindoro As it was still in the afternoon, a few hours before the night trip schedule, I ventured out. Directly infront of the ship was M/V Catalyn D. Walking along the street just outside of the pier, I saw the smaller ship’s ticket office and out of curiosity, I asked about their schedule.