Taking It Slowly in Coron Town

It's been a week since we left the lovely anchorage at Popototan Island bound for Coron Town on Busuanga Island. The first few miles we had to navigate between some large pearl farms but this is relatively easy as the corners of each farm are marked with easily seen rafts about 2 metres square. They keep you on the lookout though. As we came down the channel we could see strange cloud formations and as we got closer the wind picked up to 20-25 knots - right on the nose as usual! We decided to seek shelter in a nearby bay and passed the afternoon in calm waters at 12 deg. 02.084N, 119 deg. 51.407E.

The next day, Monday, we set off once again for Coron Town but passing through the same channel the wind piped up again. We persisted though and continued on, motoring into the 20-25 knots with gusts 30-35 knots!! Passing close to Coron Island we had one strong gust of 40 knots and needless to say we were glad to get the anchor down in quieter waters, 11 deg. 59.319 N, 120 deg. 12.880 E. We were anchored east of Coron Town itself as reclamation works were sending clouds of dust across the town anchorage. The wind continued to blow until about midday the next day and from then on has remained relatively calm the whole time we were there.

During the afternoon we left Tweed at anchor and went ashore at the small fishing village - like most other villages the source of the sounds of roosters crowing, dogs barking, evening karaoke, tricycle horns blowing, children playing and squealing pigs. (Squealing pigs?? One evening we sat and watched from our boat as two pigs were trussed, weighed, and tossed into a tricycle and driven off, squealing the whole time. We can only assume that one of the villagers had just done a deal and sold two of his home-grown pigs, one pink and one brown). We caught a tricycle into Coron Town for a visit to the ATM, top-ups for phones and a bit of food from the market. The public market is huge and has a good range of fruit and veg, except lettuce. The tomatoes in the Philippines we have found to be very tasty and the mangoes are the best we have ever had - the Filipinos boast that they are the best in the world. The sausage makers were busy making sausages but we didn't buy any. Again, the people were very friendly, the town clean although dusty in the dry conditions, and it was very noisy after six days since leaving Corong Corong Bay.

Our friends on Alishan arrived Tuesday before the wind dropped and had a pretty rough passage from their anchorage at Ditaytayang Island. We made an attempt to anchor off the town but as it was more exposed there than our first anchorage we returned there.

Since then we have usually made daily trips to town meeting for lunch, shopping and having a look around. Lunch? We have now found that food in this part of the Philippines is definitely nothing to rave about. The choices are few and are nowhere near the standard of even Malaysian food. Western food we try to avoid as it is never like the real thing. Service? Ordering and waiting for food to arrive we have noticed is a very slow process and very uncoordinated, but hey, who's worried?

By Thursday we had been joined in the anchorage by another boat - this time a lone Frenchwoman. We had been planning to hire a bangka with Alishan and visit the lakes on Coron Island and when it was suggested Marie Christine join us she had a better idea. We would all go on board her boat and go there with her! Well, Friday was a great day. We left about 9.00 and motored the short distance across to Coron Island. The anchorage is inside a bay which has coral reefs across all three entrances. Marie Christine's boat draws one metre with the centre boards up so it was a matter of choosing which reef to cross! We crossed into the first lagoon and then the second reef was sounded to ensure we could get across. We then motored slowly into the inner lagoon and anchored in good depth surrounded by reefs, sheer-sided islands and a small beach. Wow!!

Safely anchored inside the lagoon

There is a series of lakes on Coron Island, two of which are accessible to tourists. The rest are protected by the Tagbuana tribe who consider the whole of the island their ancestral domain. We climbed the rock and concrete steps the short distance up and then down a small ridge and visited Lake Kayangan. The water was cool and clear and after a short swim we returned over the ridge and back to the boat. We feasted on our lunch and then decided to find another anchorage where we could have a snorkel. It was a beautiful day and we found a reef to anchor off and all went for a swim and a snorkel before it was time to return to our anchorage. A lovely day made possible by the generosity of a newly-met cruiser!

We had spent a week in Coron Town and decided that it was time to make a move. The tropical depression turned tropical storm had dissipated and joined up with a cold front south of Hong Kong and was no longer a threat. We will make our way up to the northern anchorage between Busuanga Island and Calauit Island where there is a safari park. Our first stop is Culion Town where we came this morning and are anchored at 11 deg. 53.173 N, 120 deg. 01.453 E. Culion Town is a former leper colony and we will go ashore tomorrow to check it out.\

Loyola College and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception church on the headland into Culion harbour