Trekking Mt. Tapyas and Soaking in Maquinit

Related posts to this Story:
Day 1 - Coron: Better Than Boracay?
Day 2 - Giraffes and Zebras Running Wild in the Philippines
Day 3 - Trekking Mt. Tapyas and Soaking in Maquinit Hot Springs
Coron Itinerary
Coron Expenses

That morning, our lodge served us free arrozcaldo for breakfast although we didn't expect it so it was a pleasant surprise.

Since we didn't have a tour planned, we decided instead to buy souvenirs. I bought a blue razorback shirt with Coron printed on it and two bags of cashew nuts (Php 150 each) to give as pasalubong to my officemates. My boyfriend bought the usual key chains and also a shirt.

We had lunch in Kawayanan Grill and this place really satisfied my craving for seafood. Plus, it had a nice ambiance and cute cottages. We ordered lobsters in garlic butter sauce, gambas and caldereta (for my friend who didn't eat fish). We also decided to have dinner there again that night.

We were still tired from our tours the previous days so we headed back to the lodge for some shut eye, but not before we stopped by a nearby Internet cafe to surf!

At around 3pm, we again bought snacks to take with us to Mt Tapyas, a 720-step hill with a huge cross at the summit. We found a tricycle driver who charged us Php 350 for driving us to Mt. Tapyas and afterwards to Maquinit hot springs.

Mt Tapyas: One of the viewing decks

Our record for reaching the top of Mt. Tapyas was 25 minutes but I'm sure a lot of other people could do it faster. If you go around the grassy part at the top, you'll discover that there are two other viewing decks near the top. We took most of our sunset shots in one of the viewing decks.

Obligatory picture by the cross

After an hour, we finally climbed back down. I was looking forward to a relaxing dip at the hot springs. When we got back, our tricycle driver was already there, waiting, ready to take us to Maquinit. The ride took approximately 15 mins. Entrance to the hotsprings was Php 100 per person. Again, our tricycle driver promised to wait for us.

The hotsprings was just that, hot. You have to get in slowly and allow your body to adjust to the heat. After a while, you'll get used to it and not feel the heat (much). It's the only known saltwater hot springs in the Philippines. We spent a relaxing time there but at around 7pm, we opted to leave as we weren't sure what time the Kawayanan Grill closed.

In no time at all, we were back in Villa Hermosa to shower. Then we headed back to Kawayanan Grill. This time, we ordered Crabs, sizzling seafood sisig and one exotic dish, kinunot na pague (sting ray in coconut milk). This was also delicious and I would recommend it to anyone. After dinner, the guys wanted to have drinks so we ordered the Coron Sling. I don't drink so I'm not sure what it's mixed with but according to my knowledgeable friends, it was probably a mixture of pineapple juice, rum with grenadine, and sprite. For pulutan, we had breaded nilasing na hipon (highly recommended) and fried onion rings.

The evening went by quickly. Once again, it was time to sleep. We weren't really looking forward to going home to Manila the next day.

Day 4.

We woke up at 6am because we wanted to try Bistro Coron's omelettes before we left. Unluckily, the Bistro was still closed even though we were told by the waiter on our first night that they were open for 24 hours. So sadly, we just had pandesal and chizwhiz for breakfast because none of the other stores were open that early.

The same van driver who first met us was also the same one who took us back to the airport. We chatted about our tours and overall experience in Coron.

At the airport, we were a little early and one of the first groups there. Charles was forced to leave his seashells and corals because for some reason, they had to be checked in but we were using Cebu Pacific's Go Lite.

We also saw the two foreigners who toured with us in Calauit but sadly, they told us that someone broke into their room the night before and stole their camera so they were asking us if we could email them any pictures of the animals from Calauit. They had stayed in Seadive Resort and I felt sad that they had experienced something like that in the Philippines. We exchanged email addresses and promised to send them our pictures.

The flight this time, was a little late but I think it was still too soon for me to be heading back to Manila. Oh well. Our next adventure will be in Cebu and Bohol this coming November. =)