Coron Day 2 (Island Tour Part 4): Coral Garden

If compared to having exercise, our bodies were just warmed up after going to Siete Pecados and Kayangan Lake. Fortunately, I ate a lot during lunch in preparation for a strenuous battle.

With the scorching heat of the sun, our boat stopped in the middle of the sea. Then, our tour guides suddenly jumped out of the boat. Surprised with what was happening, I asked Kuya Chris if we should also go into the water. He said that it was the farthest that the boat could get because the area is protected. The boat’s anchor and propeller might destroy the corals.

Just like soldiers who are about to face the battle, I prepared my battle gears.

That's me testing the waters, literally!

Kuya Chris and Kuya Arvin were both swimming without their life vests. Kuya Chris took out his vest and asked us to hold into it while he was holding the other end. Kuya Arvin also did the same for Jeff and Joie.

Jeff with Kuya Arvin

The current was so strong! I admire our tour guides for courageously facing the strong current and putting our safety on top of their priority. Each time I pull the belt of our guide’s vest to signal that I need a break, he would stop and make sure that everything’s fine. There were instances that I needed to adjust my vest, wipe my goggles or fix my snorkeling gear. Snorkeling in the Coral Garden was absolutely hard. But the underwater experience was surreal! Thanks to Joie for the underwater shots.

After a few minutes, Kuya Chris spotted something and caught everyone’s attention. It was a lobster, the very first one I saw other than those being cooked in the Lifestyle Network shows. I was a little bothered when Kuya Chris took it out of the water. I told him that he might disturb the ecosystem. Haha! But he assured me that the lobster was already dead when he got it.

Hubby with THE LOBSTER

It was very tiring to swim non-stop. I was really scared of two things – the strong current and the sun! Heller! Ang itim ko na kaya! But I’m glad I faced my fears. It was definitely worth it!

Coron Day 2 (Island Tour Part 3): Atuwayan Beach and Banol Beach

We went back to our boat after our Kayangan Lake adventure. After a few minutes, Kuya Chris took out a can of Century Tuna, put it in a bowl and mixed a sachet of mayonnaise in it. He handed the spread to us along with a pack of sliced bread. “Ma’am, Sir, appetizer po muna kayo,” Kuya Chris said. I initially thought that it would already be our food for lunch! Haha! I never imagined myself feeling heavenly after eating bread with tuna spread! If you’ve experienced non-stop boat ride, hiking and swimming, you’ll definitely grab and munch anything edible.

A few minutes passed and we arrived at Atuwayan beach. Our boatman initially had a hard time finding a spot to park our boat. The beach was a bit crowded when we arrived but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the serenity of the place.



All the cottages were already occupied when we arrived so we were forced to sit on the sand. Fortunately, it didn’t hinder us from enjoying the feast prepared by Centro Coron. Our tour guides brought a large basket which housed our food and a cooler where they stored our cold beverages. We were so amazed each time they take out something. They brought water, ice and soda. They served shrimps, grilled liempo and fish. I told Kuya Chris, “Ang sarap ng liempo sa toyo’t kalamansi na may sili!” “Don’t worry Ma’am,” he said as he started slicing the kalamansi and mixed it with soy sauce and chili. Anong sinabi ng boy scouts?!

And yes, we didn't eat using paper plates and plastic cups!


Our feast didn’t end at that. Kuya Chris took out a plastic bag containing something that looks really familiar. He cleaned it, placed it on a plate along with the sliced red onions and tomatoes. I said, “Wow, arorosep!” Kuya Chris was bedazzled because the seaweeds is known to them as lato and not arorosep.

I saw the disgust on the faces of Boyet and Joie. I asked Jeff if he eats the slimy green seaweeds. He gave me a smile and started digging into the plate. Suffice to say, Jeff and I enjoyed it!


We were encouraging our guides to join us for lunch but they begged off. They insist on having theirs after we’re done. So after our sumptuous lunch, there was nothing left to do but to enjoy the calming view and the crystal clear water.

Joie

with Joie

with Hubby

Joie and Jeff

Hahaha!

Huh?!

After a few minutes of resting, our tour guides told us that we were off to our next destination.


Banol beach was quieter than Atuwayan, well at least when we were there. There was nothing much to do other than swimming and taking pictures.

Banol beach photos courtesy of Joie

We were so eager to continue with our water adventures but Kuya Chris told us to take advantage of our break. He advised us to recharge because we’d definitely need our energy for our next stops. I later found out that he wasn't lying!

Until my next post! :)

Have a Little Faith

I hate Mitch Albom yet I also envy him at the same time. I hate him because he’s making it extremely hard for me to put down his book once I start reading it. I envy him for having the chance to meet Morrie (Tuesdays with Morrie) and having an intimate and meaningful relationship with his church leader Albert Lewis as he narrated in Have a Little Faith.

Photo taken from mitchalbom.com

In the beginning of the book, Albom provided a disclaimer saying that HaLF is not a how-to-guide for any particular belief. I was a little hesitant that I may not appreciate the book given that I am a devout Catholic. But reading it turned out to be an amazing experience as I learn to value my faith and respect others’ religious beliefs.

Albom described himself as a man who used to run away from God. I bet a lot of people can relate to him. With the help of people like Albert Lewis and Henry Covington, his journey of faith became fruitful. And through his writing, his journey will surely teach us valuable lessons about our faith as well. Most of his questions about faith are same as mine. And surprisingly, even Albert Lewis admitted that he also wonders the same things but cannot answer everything.

I love how the journey of two men from different beliefs can transform the life of Albom. And I have to admit that it has changed mine too. Let me share with you some of the important lessons I got after reading HaLF.

1. A person is not, and should never be defined by his past. Despite the very dark past of Henry Covington and his constant running away from God, he received His grace and turned out to be a pastor who later on cared for the homeless and the distressed.

2. We don’t do good things to get a reward because doing good is what we are really supposed to do.

3. Albom refers to Lewis as a man of God. Lewis said that everybody is a man of God.

4. “Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.”

5. “When you come to the end, that’s where God begins.”

6. When Lewis and Albom discussed about people who don’t believe in God, Lewis said, “It is far more comforting to think that God listened and said no, than to think that nobody’s out there.”

7. Lewis not only respects other religious beliefs. He is also unbiased. Unlike other religious leaders who claim that their belief is better, that others are wrong or that God’s grace is only exclusive for the members of their church, Lewis was far from that. When Albom questioned him about it, he said, “Look. I know what I believe. It’s in my soul. But I constantly tell our people: you should be convinced of the authenticity of what you have, but you must also be humble enough to say that we don’t know everything, we must accept that another person may believe something else.” If the whole world could only live through these words, a number of meaningless wars will be eliminated.

8. When asked how he managed to overcome the death of his four-year old daughter without diminishing his faith, he asked, “Is it not better to have known Rinah, my daughter, for four years, than not to have known her at all?”

9. A man buried his wife and told Lewis how he loved her so much, and that he ALMOST told her once. Lewis told Albom, “Nothing haunts us like the things we don’t say.”

10. Faith is like the salesman from the proverb that Lewis told Albom – a salesman who patiently and tirelessly knocks on the door every single day who gets spit in the face by a fed up customer. Instead of giving up, he smiled and said, “It must be raining!”

My list goes on. I can blog about the whole book but I want those who haven't read it yet to go through the same experience I had while reading. I am still amazed how the very simple storytelling style of Albom can change someone’s life. It made me smile and occasionally made me cry. But more than anything else, it gave me hope – a hope that though my journey will not be easy, my faith will surely aid me in my struggles.

28

I woke up this morning imitating the prayer I learned from Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom. “Thank you, Lord, for returning my soul to me.” According to that book, when you start that way, the rest of the day is just a bonus.

I just realized today that I enjoy my birthday more as I get older unlike other people who disregard theirs as they age. Lavish parties and extravagant gifts don’t appeal to me. An intimate dinner with my family, new Chucks from hubby, tons of greetings from friends, sincerest “I Miss You” messages from Navi BFFs, a simple celebration with my TW colleagues, a humble blog which serves as a canvass for my wired brain, a loving family, a husband who thinks that doing household chores with me is cool, are just few of the many things that I’m grateful for.

Days ago, I just found myself crying in the hospital. It’s as if battling asthma and anemia all my life were not enough. Then I realized that I am not dying and a lot more people are probably suffering more than whatever I’m going through. Endless hugs from my husband, encouraging words from my mother and heartfelt messages from my close friends somehow made it more bearable.

Now, I’m happy. I learned that what makes other people happy may not make me happy. The more I compare my happiness with someone else’s, the more I end up being empty and lonely. Happiness is not only a choice. It’s also an acceptance that life’s glitches are God’s gifts in disguise. The best way to achieve happiness is not with the possession of material things, but rather with the way we nourish our personal relationship with God and with other people. So to those who have been a part of my 28 years, thank you!

Photo taken from here

Cheers to happiness!

Coron Day 2 (Island Tour Part 2): Kayangan Lake

After Siete Pecados, our island adventure continued as we head to Kayangan Lake. I read from forums that insect repellent is a must-have if Kayangan Lake is part of your Coron itinerary. Because of this, I asked Jeff to bring Off lotion for us. Boss na boss ako! :p


Our tour guide advised us not to remove our life vests, thus the explanation for the following photos. My husband breaks all the rules so he stands out in all the pictures.




After our tour guide paid the entrance fees, we started traversing the very steep path to the Kayangan Lake. It’s so steep that you need to give way to the other tourists coming from the opposite direction. In short, bawal ang siga!


My legs were still recuperating from the very exhausting hike to Mt. Tapyas. Fortunately, the hike to the lake was just a piece of cake. We were then brought to a scenic view where we had the chance to sit in a giant rock and have our pictures taken with a picturesque background.



I envy my friends who were able to take decent photos of this spot. Our actions were very limited preventing us from getting a nice shot. Next to the fact that we couldn’t move freely because there’s no room to do so, there were other tourists behind us and the family before us brought a small kid who were throwing tantrums and would not let go of his spot at the rock. Argh!


After our short-lived photo op session, we went down to yet another steep path. People may think that it is one’s way to hell. On the contrary, it’s the gateway to paradise. I know that my photos can’t give justice to my previous statement. But you have to believe me. I froze for a couple of minutes after seeing the place. Years ago, I was only watching it through the Living Asia Channel as I die out of envy while tourists dive into the turquoise water.

Kuya Chris and Kuya Arvin

Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttthhhhhhh!!!

Dipping into the lake was very relaxing. The view was breathtaking. I would love to spend hours in the lake as my body floats and my worries get washed away.

Water shots from Joie's camera