It's got to be Coron

If you’re longing for a summer vacation that will not only help you cool off from the sweltering heat but help you appreciate just how beautiful the Philippines is, I’d recommend that you hie off to Dive Link in Uson Island off Coron, Palawan.

The town of Coron is located in Busuanga, the largest of Northern Palawan’s Calamian islands. To get there, you first have to take a plane ride (Seair or Asian Spirit) from Manila, which will take you about an hour. From Busuanga, you can ride by land (again in about an hour) to Coron. You can then take a five-minute banca ride from Coron to reach Dive Link. Another way to reach Coron is via WG&A superferry which takes about 14 hours from Manila.

Dive Link’s greatest come-on is that it is an ideal jump-off point for visiting and marveling at the sights of the nearby islands which have volcanic lakes and lagoons galore set amidst majestic limestone formations so breathtaking, your jaw will surely drop when you see them.

That’s what happened to me when our banca anchored at Twin Lagoons. When my companions and I beheld its turquoise waters, we all jumped off the boat pronto!

But the awe the lagoons inspired was only a prelude. Later, after kayaking in and out of mangroves (Palawan has 42 percent of the Philippines’ mangroves), which made us appreciate Coron’s rich marine ecosystem, we hiked up a hill and beheld Lake Kayangan. Touted as the country’s cleanest lake (it is a Clean and Green Hall of Famer), the sight of Lake Kayangan – and then swimming on its placid emerald waters with the sounds of birds twittering above us – made me wish I could stay in that paradise forever.

While touring the beaches, lagoons and Lake Kayangan, we were extra careful not to leave trash behind out of respect for the Tagbanwas, the indigenous people of Coron, who consider Coron and its surrounding waters sacred. Maybe, I thought, if one lived in a place as beautiful as Coron, one would be bound to consider it nothing less than sacred. Why, Coron even has Maquinit hot springs, a virtual gigantic jacuzzi by the edge of a beach, where hot water pours from small waterfalls into the sea. Wait until you soak your body in it and let the hot water soothe your cares away. Like me, you’ll regret you only had a limited amount of time to spend there.

Christina Velez-Matta, who co-owns Dive Link with husband Noel Matta, Bobong Velez and Henry Blaskiewicz, told me, "We’ve gotten used to it but people who see the sights here for the first time are stunned."

Those sights also include, she added, "very colorful coral fish and live corals" which may also be appreciated at the sites of World War II Japanese shipwrecks in the area, 14 of which are accessible by diving.

Christina and Noel are only too happy to welcome visitors to the DOT-accredited Dive Link, whose site they fell in love with the moment they saw it. The whole property straddles seven hectares on which stand coconut and fruit-bearing trees alongside quaint, brightly-colored cottages on one-and-a-half hectares by the foot of a hill facing Coron Bay.

Christina added that the choice of the primary colors of yellow, red and blue for the cottages, of which there are single, one-room cottages as well as four-room cottages, is meant to convey that Dive Link is "a happy place." Air-conditioners and TV sets have intentionally been uninstalled, the better to emphasize the natural ambience. But don’t worry; the sea breeze is more than enough to keep one feeling cool and refreshed. There’s also a large pavilion where one can feast on fresh seafood, and a swimming pool specially designed for diving lessons.

Dive Link offers packages to suit a guest’s preference, whether it be for island-hopping, diving, or simply kayaking, snorkeling or trekking.

The one good thing that resulted from my stay in Coron is that it made me realize that "The Pearl of the Orient Seas" is not just a title some nationalist invented in praise of our motherland. As Coron shows off to great advantage, the Philippines is, indeed, a land of incomparable beauty. You just have to see it to believe it.

For inquiries, call Dive Link at tel. no. (632) 372-6031 or log on to www.divelink.com.ph.

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