CYC Beach (Coron, Palawan)

Posted on 31 January, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

CYC Beach

After lunch at Atwayan Beach, we again boarded our boat and proceeded on to our next destination – CYC Island, a part of the Coron Island Ultimate Tour we availed of from Asia Gran View Hotel. From our boat, we had to alight into the waist-high and clear waters of the sea and walk, a little way, to the island’s beach.

Approching CYC Island

Guests are advised to put on booties and be extra careful walking as there are rocks under the water and they may injure their feet. Although there were other tourists already there, the beach was not too crowded.

Cheska, Kyle and Jandy land on the beach

CYC, short for Coron Youth Club, is the only free beach in the area. Other beaches charge a PhP100 entrance fee (Coron’s islands are jokingly called the “Hundred Islands”). The island’s beach sand is white (though not as white as Banol’s and the other beaches in Coron) and its surrounding waters are crystal clear.

Kyle playing in the sand

There were also some rock formations and beautiful mangrove trees located all over the island but guests are discouraged to go there by the guides due to the possible presence of stonefish partly hidden in the sand. There are also sea urchins and sea snakes (locally known as walo-walo).

Some of the mangroves surrounding the island

Being a public beach, I expected the beach to be dirty but, surprisingly, it was clean. Its long, shallow sand approach makes it ideal for kids to swim in and its water temperature is perfectly lukewarm. The sea breeze adds to the memorable experience. Two dogs were serenely watching us as Kyle played with the sand.

The island’s two resident dogs

The dogs were said to have come from the opposite island, swimming back and forth before the day ends. The monkey who used to live here is already dead. The wide beach has a division as part of its white sand was said to have been illegally quarried by a politician for his private beach, thus deforming the island’s beach.

View of the main island from CYC Beach

The island has no cottages but the area is suitable for camping (just bring your own tent, food and water). Go there when it’s off season so you can get the most out of it. If you love snorkeling, you will love this beach as well.

A tangle of mangrove roots

There’s not much sea life in the shallows, with just a few sporadic clown fishes, but there’s some very good snorkeling farther off, in deeper water, to a coral forest on the reef to the east of this pretty beach. Here, you will find beautiful colorful coral walls and much sea life. If you’re a non-diver, you can have your Discover Scuba Skills Test here.

CYC Beach, great for a swim and relaxation, is still good for a 30-minute to 1-hour stay even if you are not into snorkeling or camping.

The author at CYC Beach

Asia Grand View Hotel: Governor’s Ave., Jolo, Brgy. 5, Coron, Palawan. Tel:(+632) 788-3385. Mobile number: (0999) 881-7848. E-mail: gsd@asiagrandview.com. Manila sales office: Unit 504, Richmonde Plaza, 21 San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Tel: (+632) 695-3078 and 531-8380. Mobile number: (0917) 550-7373 to 75 Fax: (+632) 695-3078. E-mail: info@asiagrandview.com. Website: www.asiagrandview.com.

Atwayan Beach (Coron, Palawan)

Posted on 31 January, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Atwayan Beach

From the Skeleton Wreck, we again boarded our outrigger boat. Once on board with my family, we proceeded to Atwayan Beach, at the wreck’s backside, where we were to have lunch. There were only a few guests on the island when we arrived. Atwayan, a great picnic location between island-hopping tours, is named after the abundant tuway (clam) shells that can be found here.

The beach, a usual lunch stop, is a small stretch of sand beneath a limestone mountain. Their amply shaded and cool cottages are clean, with plenty of large tables for picnics and eating and you can also take a quick nap on their bamboo benches as the soft breeze from the sea really lulls you to sleep.

Amply shaded and cool picnic sheds

The rudimentary toilet facilities

The lunch prepared for us, courtesy of the tour company and our tour guide, was great, with grilled pork, fish and squid, eggplant, ripe mangoes and steamed rice, all washed down with bottled water.

View of outlying islands from the beach

My family frolicking at the beach

The water in this wide beach, just right for frolicking, was also so clear, we just can’t help but take a dip, which we did, or go kayaking. Another activity to do here is snorkeling, with some very interesting corals, on the left hand side, but limited fish, some of which can get very territorial.

The beach’s resident monkey

Atwayan Beach, near Banol Beach, may not be the most beautiful white sand beach you will find in Coron, but it is still perfect for a stop if you want to picnic, lay down for a short nap, have a few drinks (it also had a little bar selling cold beverages) or go in the water. There’s also a beach volleyball court and rudimentary toilet facilities up a hill.

Overall, our visit to this place was a good experience. It would also have been a nice place to view the sunset but boats are not allowed to stay here after 5 PM. Entrance fee: PhP100/pax.

Skeleton Wreck (Coron, Palawan)

Posted on 31 January, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Skeleton Wreck site

From Twin Lagoon, we again swam back to our waiting outrigger boat. Once boarded with my family, we proceeded to Skeleton Wreck, a snorkeling destination near Banol Beach off the northwest corner of Coron Island. When we arrived at the site, there were already a number of boats, divers and snorkelers milling around the site. We donned our masks and snorkels and swam towards it.

Approaching the site

The Skeleton Wreck’s name comes from the fact that the keel, ribs and stringers of this old, 25 m. long steel-hulled fishing boat wreck are almost all that are left, giving it a skeletal appearance. It was beached, with the bow a dozen meters from Coron Island, and the stern pointing directly away from the island. The top of the wreck is in about 6 m, of water and it sits on a pretty reef.

Donning masks an snorkels, Cheska, Jandy an our guide Japeth take to the water

The wreck slopes along the reef from 5 m. deep at the bow to 22 m. at the stern. Because the water is so clear, it can already be viewed from the surface. Around it are beautiful corals. Somebody threw some bread to the sea and a variety of fish, with an amazing array of lovely colors, all shapes and sizes, came towards us

Bow of Skeleton Wreck (photo Christian Lucas Sangoyo of www.divesitedirectory.co.uk)

The Skeleton Wreck can also be done as a dive. A pass through on the starboard side of the hull, at 14 m., allows one to swim from the inside of the boat out over the coral reef. It won’t take long to cover the wreck, so those intending to have a long dive here will probably want to finish up on the reef. Beware of sea urchins. This is also a good spot to have lunch and you can have a quick dip before continuing on your tour. It costs PhP100 per person to moor up here.

(photo: www.cheaptravel-coron.weebly.com)

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.