Hello everyone!
It's been more than a month since I posted something here. I think it's one of the longest hiatus I have had in terms of blogging. I'm still very much active in Hive because of my curation duties, but I was just so out of the loop from writing since the first week of February. The reasons can fit one post, but to give you a little bit of an idea about what happened to me for the whole month, I'll have a rundown here.
The first week of February was just too much for me. I don't know, but my motivation was so low. Maybe because of the aftermath of Super Typhoon Odette. We had a vacation in Malapascua last Valentine's Day just to renew my passion for writing. But for some reason, I still wasn't able to post a week after that vacation. And then Russia's invasion of Ukraine happened. I was so distraught by the idea that we have Hiver friends who are directly affected by the atrocities committed in their country, in their own homes.
By the end of February, I had chickenpox. I was so sick with fever and headache until I noticed some blisters growing on my shoulders. We had a plan of going to Coron on March 10 and everything's already in place. I was so afraid I won't be able to go. My mother warned me that she would not allow me to travel if my fever would not subside. They say it will take about two weeks to heal. Good thing I was already okay on the fifth day and I was able to travel even if my blisters were not yet fully healed. I just wore a jacket at the airport to hide the blisters. I was even anxious while we were checking in and boarding because they might not let me board the plane. You know, chickenpox is contagious. Don't follow me on this one. I'm not a good example.
We finally reached Busuanga Airport in Palawan on the afternoon of March 10. Coron is one of the places here in the Philippines where tourists, both local and international, would flock. They say it's really beautiful. I saw some photos online, but I really had no expectations. When your travels started to pile up and you've visited some beautiful places, you will create this sort of bias that all places should be like those famous ones for you to be satisfied with your travels. I don't want that. I want to see all places with fresh eyes and continued awe.
We availed a tour package because you can't enter Coron right now without booking in a tour agency for at least one day. The good thing about having a tour package is that everything's taken care of for you. So, our significant spots for our first day are Mt. Tapyas and Maquinit Hot Spring. Those two spots set the mood of the overall tour. We climbed the 721 steps to Mt. Tapyas first after having a town tour and after having some picture-taking at Lualhati Park. I'll have them in detail in a separate post soon.
The reason why I'm sharing Maquinit Hot Spring first is because it helped a lot for my blisters to heal. We were supposed to visit the spring once as part of the tour itinerary, but we ended up visiting the second time on the third day. I still have scars from that chickenpox, but it's so much better compared to my sister's when she contracted one.
It's now time to share with you some awesome stuff about the spring.
Maquinit Hot Spring is one of the few saltwater hot springs in the world. I find that very interesting so I searched further and it is said that it's the only saltwater hot spring in the Philippines and probably in Asia. Before this trip, I have not heard of this hot spring. Located in the southern part of the island of Busuanga and just a 30-minute from Coron town proper, it's the perfect place to cap your tiring day from climbing Mt. Tapyas or from island hopping in many surrounding islands and beaches in the area. Be warned though, it's not lukewarm, it's scalding hot.
Maquinit Hot Spring is composed of three pools. The first two smaller pools are located directly at the source of the spring and then they overflow to the bigger pool. There's a very small pool for the kids at the site located near the entrance of the main pool. The bigger pool then overflows directly into the sea. The spring is hidden by lush mangroves that serve as guards from strong winds and waves. Because of the proximity of the spring to the sea, my theory is that saltwater seeped through the rocks before it encountered some magma under the area. The heated water flows back up to form the spring.
Scalding hot is just an exaggeration, but the guide warned us that it might be unbearable at the first dip. You'll have to endure the first part until you'll be able to acclimatize. They say it's 39 to 40 degrees Celsius. It was very hot for me! It's like several degrees hotter than Ardent Hot Spring of Camiguin. It would have been awesome if there are many pools of varying degrees of hotness, but because of the spring's proximity to the sea, maybe the owners find it difficult to build new pools without damaging the mangroves. Even if I was already at the farthest possible from the source, I still find it difficult to stay at the pool for more than 20 minutes.
Let's back up a little bit because I have to tell this funny story.
I'm the kind who doesn't read itineraries. When we booked for that package tour, the four-day itinerary was sent to me, but I didn't read it. I'm not the kind who even plans trips. I just rely on my friends to do that for me. After checking in at our hotel, we were told that the afternoon tour would start at 2 PM. We ate at the nearest restaurant and then the tour started. When we were at the van, the guide gave a briefing on the sites to visit that afternoon. He said we'll visit the souvenir shop first in case we'll have something to buy and then we'll have a picture-taking at Lualhati Park. After the park, we'll climb Mt. Tapyas and then end the tour at Maquinit Hot Spring. Our eyes widen when a hot spring was mentioned because we didn't bring any extra clothes for swimming. Good thing I still have my jacket.
When we reached the spring, I had the biggest dilemma of my life if I'll take a dip or not. What we did was just to take a lot of photos, survey the whole area, and then stayed at the mangrove walkway to rest and wait for the dark. It was a soothing experience at the walkway because of the cold breeze of the sea while having a marvel at the northern tip of Coron Island.
As waited for the dark, the joke was on us because more and more tourists flocked the spring and the whole area is well-lighted. No matter what we do, either we'll take a dip or miss the chance and waste the PHP 200 entrance fee. Since the three of us were all in the same predicament, we decided to just wing it. If the girls can flaunt their bikinis, then I guess it's just a matter of confidence.
You don't have to worry about the space because there are a lot of tables and benches surrounding the spring. From the gate up to the other side of the spring, there's a place for your things.
The moment my toes touched the water, it felt like having a shower where you accidentally set to the maximum hotness. It was just too hot for me that I immediately went to the farthest possible part from the source. Even there, it took me a while to get a little bit comfortable. When I dipped my whole body, I noticed that it started to itch. All those blisters from the chickenpox were just too itchy, but it felt like my whole body's been cleaned. It was also very soothing after the climb that I felt all the soreness have been removed from my body. It didn't take long though when I started to feel like I was dehydrated and then I started to catch my breath. It was the signal that I should get out of the water. We stayed for about 25 minutes at the pool before heading back to the van and calling it a day.
When we reached our hotel, taking a cold shower was the first agenda before heading somewhere for dinner. The next day, I noticed that all my blisters started to dry up and became scabs. When @zanbarluado suggested that we should go back to the spring, I never hesitated. As I mentioned above, we went back after our tour on the third day. That time, we were prepared.
That's me on our second visit in Maquinit Hot Spring. Do I look like I had chickenpox? I say the spring really helped me heal.
When you visit Coron, don't take this spot for granted. Don't be like us that we were not prepared during our first visit. I highly recommend this especially when you have skin problems.
I guess that's all for this post. See you at the next one! I have a lot to share from this trip. I can now say that Coron Island is now my most favourite island in the Philippines. Stay tuned for our tour on the second day!
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
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Maquinit Hot Spring has changed a lot with many improvements. Cool to know it has healing properties and you've experienced it. I remember Maquinit fondly because, during our first visit back in 2011 with family, we helped organize the surprise. My brother proposed to his ex-girlfriend there at the end of the spring.
Dipping in the hot spring after a long day of island hopping is such a treat.
Really? Like what is the notable change? Aside from fewer tourists, of course.
😮 Amazing to know there was a proposal. Was just wondering, is the ex-girlfriend his wife now? 🙈
I would consider it a treat after the whole of island hopping if the spring has a little bit lower temperature pool. Like a pool with about 34 degrees. It was just so hot that I couldn't stay longer even if I really wanted to.
They got engaged after Maquinit but sadly split up a few years later, way before any wedding was planned. He is single.
I managed to dig up my only clear photo of that night from the baol 😁 That was the only development there aside from the gate, the rest was mangrove. I remember the intensely hot water temperature.
The whole Coron at the time had little infrastructure and limited restaurants. There were no beautiful huts with glass windows in Maquinit yet, nor planters. Just a few concrete tables with wooden benches not far from a small public restroom. I remember there were barbecue grills free for visitors to use. It looks so beautiful now and well maintained.
Those rocks in the photo, some of them have been removed and there's a shower installed at that exact place.
I think it's just right to have it maintained because a lot of tourists would visit every day and the entrance fee is not cheap.
Oh wow, the rocks were removed. I agree with the growing number of visitors, the expansion and redevelopment are necessary. I agree with Shanna, the timing of your visit is great because you were able to enjoy the place.
I just can't imagine how they were able to fit 1000 tourists every day in those tours. That's the pre-pandemic level. Imagine those 1000 entering the hot spring. I just can't be with those numbers. My social anxiety would spike up. Good thing we visited this time because it was not that full. Even then, I was still very anxious at the pool. 😂
Neither can I imagine squeezing 1000 in there. Your visit with the number of bathers was just like how it was 11 years ago.
Wow, how crazy is it to have chickenpox in adulthood? I am glad you made it to the hot spring.
I never contracted before. When I was in college, majority of my classmates got chickenpox, but I was spared. I don't know where I got the virus when I just stayed at home most of the time.
It seems to come in waves and I am beginning to wonder if it is getting "released" on purpose. Literally, every spring!
I never tried yet a hot spring and that's one of my 2022 travel goal. The place is nice and it's a big hot spring a lot of people seems love to dip in.
There are only a few hot springs here in the Philippines and they're not popular destinations. I think there are some in Cebu like Esoy Hot Spring and Mainit Hot Spring.
I miss you Coron!!! I love that Island! Went to Maquinit falls also but wasnt able to swim cause I was on my ..... hahahahauhuhuh Hopefully when I get back! You were there at a good timing, less people lang. When we were there, it was packeddd! like a public jacuzzi where people were squeezing like sardines haaha
I can imagine! The guides said there are around 1000 tourists that enter Coron per day before the pandemic. It's much less now, but it might increase again this April.
I was surprised that you haven't written on your blog for a longer time, but you've come up with a lot. I'm glad that the blisters got better thanks to the spring and that you were still allowed to come along. How cool that there was even a small pool for children! :) 39 to 40 degrees is definitely a lot, everyone would have gotten very hot :)
I was surprised, too! I thought it was just 2 weeks, but it has been 1 whole month.
We were advised not to stay at the pool for too long because it can cause dehydration. It's that hot!
Kim, Palawad called they had a chicken pox outbreak. Ahahhahaha. Just kidding. Hot springs really do wonders in our health and skin! More Palawan contents pleaseeee
Oh my! I'm so sorry! 🙈
Hopefully, I can upload more in the coming days. If I won't get lazy.
Hahahahah. Take your time. No pressure!
I am glad you finally got back to writing. I am sorry to read you had some bad months, I hope this trip helped you to feel energetic and motivated again :) Travel is medicine!
I felt very motivated again! I felt I don't deserve to slack off because there are still a lot of beautiful places to visit.
YES and YES and YES! It cures a lot of boredom and demotivation.
I've been to Coron too but was not able to visit this hot spring. We went instead to the Twin Lakes and Kayangan. Will include this when we go back to Coron.
Will be posting those two soon! I never expected those places to be that majestic.
They are really beautiful!
Didn't know there's a hot spring in Coron, all I heard about are beaches. Awesome blog. You're one of the Hivers that I look up to in this community. Keep it coming and keep safe.
I didn't know, too! I was surprised when the guide said we'll go to a hot spring as our last stop of the tour.
Whut! 😱 Thank you!
Hi, I'm glad to see that in other countries there are these hot springs with salt water, and in Romania we have some areas with hot springs that are very popular because they are very beneficial for health.
Cheers!
They say it's the only saltwater hot spring here in the Philippines. It's really beneficial for the health and I can understand why the Japanese are so obsessed with their Onsen. Here, our hot springs are really undervalued.
!PIZZA 😎
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Wow, the place was so cool and amazing, it looks great and the people their are enjoying themselves
oh oh.. why didn't we go there? gikapoi nami saka sa mt tapyas ana jd mi kapoi na adto ug spring.. hala nindot man d ay.. mayta makabalik mis coron ba
Sayanga Ma'am Jean! Nindot kaayo sa feeling jud mubabad sa hot spring pagkahuman saka Mt. Tapyas.
i can feel it jd na nice kay gibalikan jd ninyu..sayang kau ang opportunity jd
Next time nalang ma'am Jean. Makabalik ra lagi mo.
Wow! What an adventure!
It amazes me how many years I have been on the blockchain day after day and the people I have NOT met yet! You can immediately share an adventure, connect and then go back through past adventures to catch up.
I will have to see what is next from you on this trip and evaluate Coron as a place I might like to visit!
Well met.
😱 Thank you for the approval! I'll post the second part hopefully today.
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Booyah!
Ikaw juy gadala og chicken pox didto. Hahaha. Congrats! Naka post najud balik. 😅
Naluto na virus oi! 😂 Magpost nako pirmi kay daghan laag nagpaabot.
I've always wanted to visit a hot spring, it seems really fun and this one even looks quite beautiful, It's a win win though if a hot spring can fix skin problems ✨
Hot springs are known to have beneficial properties, especially to those with skin problems. The minerals in the water can promote healthy skin. Plus, the heat can improve blood circulation and oxygenation. That's according to Wikipedia. 🙈
Haha but that hot spring looks extremely hot! 😂
There are hot springs with varying degrees of hotness. You'll just have to find a temperature that you're comfortable with.
Yeah and it seems like India has about 350+ hot springs! This will be a hectic task now to find the right one.