Malcapuya Island

A relative of the Mayor of Coron bought Malcapuya Island in the 1970s or so and developed it into a tourist recreation area. Now for a modest fee of 200php, members of the public can visit for the day and enjoy the beach. Kayaks are available to rent and there's a public rest room and snack shop. A rock outcrop affords a nice view of both the smaller side beach and the big long beach. The core of the island is currently inaccessible due to packs of wild monkeys, but there are apparently plans to make walking trails so visitors can glimpse birds and wildlife.

Sun, Sea and Sand eco-tour to Malcapuya Island, Palawan.

The "White House" where the island's owner lives.

View from the outcropping.

The Philippine national bird: the Eagle.

Our group daytrip with Al Linsangan's eco-tour company was 950php and included boat rental, island admission fee, and lunch. Lato salad, assorted meats and fish, lobster, and roast chicken were served. There was also chop suey veggies for me as you can request a vegetarian option from Al the day before. As a bonus, the island's caretaker shared with our group some freshly bbq'd free-range chicken that one of our group members had been drooling over as it was cooking.

Rupert and lunch.

After lunch I had a busy agenda of napping, inspecting the giant clams and corals off shore, and wandering down the beach. Truly an exhausting schedule!

Best place for sunburn recovery.

Ocean offerings.

A nice place to walk.

 Unfortunately the day ended too soon to squeeze in a kayak rental but it was cooler to jump right in the water and swim out to the coral area. This time I wore a shirt to protect my burned back. The snorkelling fins and mask sets that Pet had bought in Paris for us really came in handy and saw lots of use.

Return home.

This was a most enjoyable day and a good chance to rest up for our Thursday of kayaking and mountain trekking. We found that we could do our own trip for less than the eco-tour, which would be more expensive with only two people and no one else seemed to be signing up for the more adventurous tours. Everyone just wanted to lie on beaches and snorkel.

For 400php, we got a local tricycle driver to take us to and pick us up from Kingfisher Park, a 30 minute drive from town. We bought our own lunch but ordered a big breakfast from Momita's. Then the kayak rental, guide and park admission was only 600php each. So for each, the excursion cost was 800php plus food.

A sturdy little transport machine.

 When you arrive at Kingfisher Park, you have to phone the caretaker who will meet you along the dirt road leading to the dock, a long wooded affair of loose planks. No kayaks were on the shore so we had to take a boat out to a resort facility built in the middle of the lake, a beautiful place, with spanking clean comfort rooms! Hey, such things leave an impression! Pet got his own kayak, the only one-seater available, so I had to share with Mark, our 16-year-old guide for the day whose mom was the cook at the resort. But I insisted on sterning. We ended up powering across the lake toward the mangroves and frequently rested to allow Pet to catch up.

Epic dock!

Pet the paddler.

Kayaking through mangroves.

Nivahat trees among the mangroves.

Mark is an excellent guide and paddler.

The mangrove forest reminded me of paddling along the La Salle River in La Barrier Park just south of Winnipeg. Except instead of beavers and deer, there were iguanas and wild boars. I only saw one big dead iguana (malaking bayawak = big iguana), and Mark told me the game trails we saw leading away through the mangrove roots were from wild boars. Only at the very end did we see a large exotic bird - Mark pointed it out, but it flew off before I could get a good shot.

The wind had picked up when we exited the mangrove area and we had whitecaps to cross to return to shore. Mark and I steered cutting the waves and quickly left poor Pet behind but he managed well and did not tip.

Next up, hiking up Mount Lunes Santo ("Holy Monday"). We followed the dirt road back past farm and grazing land, then deked off into a residential area, winding through pasture and farm houses made of bamboo. We crossed a small running stream where a woman was washing clothes on a rock, and passed through someone's back yard where a rope swing hung from a tree. Then we entered a forested area which took us finally upwards.

That high and dry, it was strange to see pitcher plants along the path. These I see usually paddling through swamps in the Whiteshell, not on mountain ridges in the Philippines!

The summit afforded a nice view of the lake we'd just paddled on and hints of the ocean beyond. Pet took some stunning black and white shots and I attempted some video. Getting up took an hour and a half. We were down by 2:15pm and our driver wasn't expected until 3pm. We had a chance to rest at a small shop along the highway and Pet visited with Enzo and Mark, the caretaker and our young guide, while I took pictures of plants and fruits growing in a nearby garden.

Summit shot with my fellow paddler.

View from the top. Lower left is the resort in the middle of the  lake.

Philippine forest - flip flops mandatory!

Garden flowers.

Next chore: deciding what to do about Friday. Once again, no one - for some bizarre reason - wanted to sign up for the eco tour to the Leper Colony at Culion Island - FORMER Leper Colony! After some discussion and gentle arm-twisting from me, Pet agreed to just go for the higher price that was required for a group of two. There was no way to do it for cheaper on our own since boats weren't available to the general public - only through the tour companies. For what we ended up getting, it turned out to be very worthwhile. But more later. Time to wander out to Makati and buy a map and tour book. Only one and a half weeks left here and I don't want to miss a thing! Tonight is a practice and small acoustic set at Gweilo Bar (C. Palanca St. Makati) with Clemen Castro of The Camerawalls. Music starts at 9 pm but we have to practice. Never a dull moment!