My favorite Run Picture

We usually have our own favorite Run picture: be it you holding a medal after winning one of the top three places, or it could be a photo of you finishing your first marathon after all the hard work you put into it. It might even be a shot with a celebrity at a race or a shot of you and your significant other as you finish your first race together.

For me, it is simply this one:

There were no marshals here, no race bibs, no water stations, no finish line and no rubber shoes! The distance was just about 200 meters. The place: Club Paradise Resort in Coron, Palawan (Philippines).

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And our reason for running?

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We were running away from a huge storm just a few miles back. It was the first time I saw birds flying sideways (wind was too powerful for their little wings). We can hear the storm coming and it was coming loudly! But instead of being scared, we were laughing and having a good time.

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Two minutes later the storm hit us. Luckily, we were in the comforts of our cottage when it arrived.

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Photo credit to friend Kervin who saw us running from afar and decided to take out his camera! Big thanks to you!

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For more of Coron, click label below..

Coron Escapade: Day 1

Due to Asian Spirit's flight promo a few months back, my friend and I were able to buy round trip tickets from Manila to Coron at a cheap rate of Php 2,000 for travel dates July 25-28, 2008. Invited a couple more friends before making final preparations.

We stayed at KokosNuss Garden Resort (http://www.kokosnuss.info/) on our first night and then moved to Club Paradise on Dimakya Island ( http://www.clubparadisepalawan.com/) for the next two nights. As prices go, KokosNuss is very cheap at about Php 1,500 per room (twin share), while Club Paradise's room rate of Php 9,000 makes you wonder if it's worth paying for it (yes, it it worth it! More on this later...).

On our first day, we proceeded to do the resort's Coron Island Hopping tour, which took us to 5 different areas starting with a boat ride to Siete Pecados (translated roughly to Seven Islands) where we spent an hour snorkelling here. Very clear water and lots of colorful fishes and corals.

OUR BOAT FOR THE ISLAND HOPPING

SIETE PECADOS

Next on our itenerary was a visit to Kayangan Lake. We had to climb up a mountainside trail from the beach then go down the other side, where there is a freshwater lake hidden in it.

VIEW ON TOP OF KAYANGAN LAKE

KAYANGAN LAKE ITSELF

So far Coron hasn't let me down!!!

Water here is very clean and I would assume it is similar to the Mt. Pinatubo's crater lake wherein rain water filled it up. Very deep waters and quite big as I tried to swim to the far end but gave up at mid point.

Then, there is the Twin Lagoon. So-called because it is separated by limestone cliffs and only way to go to the second lagoon is through a very small gap that gets filled up by water. I just took a deep breath and swam underneath it for fear that I might get stuck in the small space. Very nice area. Too bad I didn't have my underwater camera with me to take some pictures on the other side. The water looked oily/murky here but I learned from our boatman that reason for this is because the fresh water got mixed with the salt water.

So I already swam in salt water, in fresh water, and now a combination of two! Pretty freaking cool and still have two places to go to.

We went to an island beach next to have our late lunch. Final stop was at Shipwreck point where you don't have to be a diver to see it. Yes, snorkelling allows you see the Japanese wreck! Very creepy site as corals have taken over this metal relic and grown on it. Expecting to see some ghosts here but good thing that was just my wild imagination...

Some tips:

1. Don't forget to bring an underwater camera. So far, this has been my biggest regret from this trip!

2. Don't forget to put on sunblock lotion. Though the sky was gloomy and it even rained at certain portions, we all still got burned... badly.

3. Bring water. So many water here but none for drinking. Need it more for climbing the trail. We each bought 1.5 litre each for this day trip.

4. Bring cash as most of these places have entry fees ranging from Php 100 - 200.

First time experiences

1. Saw a ship wreck!

2. Swam underneath a small gap to get to the next lagoon.

3. Ate a raw sea urchin! Boatman did the picking, removing of spikes, cleaning off the sand off it and giving me the raw meat. All I had to do was to put it in my mouth and swallow it.

All in all a very good day. Still have two days to go...