My long-awaited trip to the province of Palawan began in the municipality of Coron, encompassing Busuanga Island and its surroundings. From that first view on the plane, I was hooked. And so began my first day of island hopping! We visited the popular Kayangan Lake, anchored for lunch at an Island, then headed into the Twin Lagoon and nearby Barracuda Lake, known for its crystal clear waters, made famous from videos of free divers in its depths.

The next day, I joined another tour to lesser known beaches and sandbars. Lunch, as always, was excellent! I was back in love with snorkelling, with these incredible underwater views that my GoPro lived all of several days to see.

Later that week I signed up for my first introductory dive at Neptune Dive Center, where the full-day course ended with a guided dive at a local marine park. What I saw completely changed me and I can’t wait to dive again. Around town, I went up Mt. Tapyas to watch the sunset over the bay, ate freshly fried cashews, and went to a hot springs in the town of Maquinit. Coron left quite an impression.