..Hong Kong: JC Jewellery City, Victoria Peak, Aberdeen..

After our tour to Avenue of Stars, we headed right to our next destination is company that creates beautiful, authentic and one of a kind jewelry, JCL Jewellery City. This company is said to be owned by Jackie Chan. From the minute we enter the store, we received a first class treatment from the store manager. He explain the authenticity of the products, from how it is made to its uniqueness and quality. They showed us their different products, and no wonder my mother don't left the store without bringing one for her ^__^

..Muder picking a jewelry ^^,

..Other products of JCL..

 

Next stop is Victoria Peak, a mountain in Hong Kong and known as Mount Austin or The Peak. From there you can see a bird's eye view of Victoria Harbour, Kowloon and other nearby areas in Hong Kong. There are other attractions like the Peak Tram, a train which will bring you to Peak Tower were shops are located. We just stop there for a few minutes to took some pictures and headed to our next destination.

Victoria Peak

A view from top

Next on our tour is a 30-minute Aberdeen Boat Ride. It is famous for the floating village and floating restaurant. However we didn't stop to eat in the floating restaurant because we plan to eat at Disneyland ^__^

JUMBO floating restaurant

Aberdeen boat ride

Date: February 14,2012  

..Hong Kong: Avenue of Stars..

On our second day at Hong Kong we decided to take a walk at the street of Tsuen Wan before going to our first destination. The streets there are very clean, people are discipline they always fall in line when waiting for public transportation. Since its valentine's day, you'll see shop selling flowers.

Streets of Tsuen Wan

Store selling flowers

Our destination is Avenue of Stars, its modelled on Hollywood Walk of Fame and is located at Victoria Harbour, Tsim Sha Tsui, HongKong. Its created to pay tribute to outstanding professionals of Hong Kong's film industry.

We had a chance to see the commemorative plaques, celebrity handprints, movie memorabilia, the life-size statue of Bruce Lee, and the bronze statue of popular pig cartoon character, McDull ^__^

Handprint of Jet Li

Handprint of Jet Li

Handprint of Jackie Chan

Handprint of Chow Yun Fat

In front of Jackie Chan's Memorabilia Store

My Travel Buddy portraying Bruce Lee ^_^

McDull statue, I Love Pigs ^__^

Avenue of Stars is a free attraction that can be visited any time of the day or night. It's especially lovely in the evening when it's illuminated with tons of twinkling lights.

Victoria Harbour

The promenade at Tsim Sha Tsui also provides a stunning view of the harbor and is an especially good place from which to watch the nighttime Symphony of Lights, a must-see for visitors to Hong Kong.

Date: February 14,2012 

..Hong Kong: A Trip to Ocean Park..

Now its time to go out of country as a birthday present to my self and our destination is Hong Kong. I am excited of this trip because first its my first time to travel with my Muder and second its my first attempt to go out of country. 

We arrived at Hong Kong International Airport by around 10AM in the morning. After checking out we look for our guide that will bring us to our hotel. We made our reservation to PANDA Hotel, it is one of the largest hotel in Hong Kong located at Tsuen Wah Street, Tsuen Wan, HK. It also serves as the landmark at the heart of Tsuen Wan and just 30 minutes or less away from the HK International Airport (Chek Lap Kok). As the name of our hotel says, you'll see Panda everywhere ^__^.

Two panda welcomes you upon arriving at the Hotel

Hotel Elevator at Panda Hotel

After checking in and took some rest in our hotel, we started our tour right away. Our first destination is Ocean Park Hong Kong. It is an oceanarium, manire mammal park, animal theme park and amusement park located in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in Southern District of Hong Kong. General Admission fee is HK $280 which entitle you to enjoy the park for one whole day.

Upon arriving at the Ocean Park, we explore the park, look some snack and took some picture. We also saw group of Filipino performing in the park for the tourist.

Filipino Performer

The first attraction that we try is the Cable Car, it is a great way to travel between the waterfront and the summit. This attraction is located between the two sides of mountain, and provides a view of the entire park and the sea. My muder is a bit scared to try it but I'm glad I convinced her and able to see a beautiful view. The ride is approximately 10 minute or less.

When we reach the summit area, we go the The Rainforest. It has two attraction The Rapids and The Expedition Trail. The Rapid is a river ride however it undergoes maintenance when we were there. So we just go to the Expedition Trail,it is a hands on journey through the habitat of the rarest animal in the world.

Then there is the Ocean Theater,featuring the spectacular "Sea Dreams" show. This is a story about a dream how human and animals can live harmoniously, with mutual love and respect.

After the show we decided to go back to the Waterfront, this time we try the Ocean Express, its a train that travels a tunnel between the Summit and the Waterfront. Its approximately 5 minute or less ride and offers a vivid experience that simulates a journey through the ocean's depth.

Outside the Ocean Express

There is a Whiskers Harbour's Balloons Up Up and Away, it is a hot-air balloon themed that let's you fly and float in the azure sky.  

In the Aqua City, the Grand Aquarium is located. This bring us quickly to the depth of the ocean floor. Then we found what they consider the world's largest aquarium dome. There are lots of ocean creature that we saw inside.

But don't leave the park without seeing the Symbio. It is a spectacular dancing fountain show at the Aqua City lagoon. The water fountain turns into a stage for the Symbio show. This is a show between a two dragon clash, the Fire Dragon and the Water Dragon.

You can watch Symbio in this link. Enjoy ^__^

Park Hours:
9:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Summit Close at 6:00PM

Date: February 13,2012

..Coron: Bulog Dos, Banana and Malcapuya Island..

Day 3 in Coron is much exciting because this time we'll be going out to open sea.  Before leaving Coron town my mother called me to inform that a storm signal is raised to Palawan but the weather of Coron permits us to go. Due to our excitement we left our snorkels to the tric :( glad people there help us chase the tric and brought our snorkel back and because of that we are 1 hr behind our schedule. We requested Kuya Oliver to be our tour guide for this trip.

A two hour boat ride took us to our first destination, Bulog Dos Island it a small island with fine sand and clear water. There is a sandbar connected to the island nearby during low tide however its just before noon when arrive so the sandbar is covered with ankle deep water. We just stayed there for about half an hour walking on the shore and took some pictures because there are no shed to stay on the island.

..Welcome to Bulog Dos Island..

..Sandbar covered with ankle deep water..

Next stop is the Banana Island, located in Bulalacao Coron. We stayed there for our lunch, sieta and of course snorkeling. Island is very beautiful and very relaxing. I fell in love with the island right after I took my first step there. I can say this is my favorite island among the three though they have their own beauty.

Our delicious lunch is prepared by our boatman, Kuya Dennis. Right after the lunch Kuya Oliver showed us the best spot for snorkeling, though its noon time it will not stop us to see the beauty underneath Banana Island that not all tourist saw. After snorkeling, the hammocks are very encouraging for an afternoon siesta. We stayed there, relax and enjoy the beauty of the island has to offer.

Our last stop is Malcapuya Island, it has a long stretch virgin beach with powdery white sand and clear water. The temperature is very hot when we arrive at the island so we've decided to relax and explore the not so developed island. 

There are hammocks on island for relaxing below the coconut trees. We want to buy some coconut but there were no available that time.

We just relax there and watch the water flowing on the shore and after some time we just can't watch the water. Though its hot because its already afternoon, we just can't resists the beach encouraging us to try. So we dip, imagine us swimming at around 2 pm in the afternoon.  

During island exploration we found a cliff, its overlooking the other islands of Coron. A breathtaking view of the sea, islands and the sky.

As much as we wanted to stay longer on the island, we cannot because people from the Coron town are informing our boatman to return due storm sensed coming. So its better for us to return than to be trapped on the island.

Our travel to Coron is one of a kind and I together with my travel buddy will surely come back to this paradise someday ^__^. See you on our next trip... But don't forget to have some souvenir shirt.

My Travel Buddy and My Partner

Tour Package Contact:
Coron Wonders
Email: coronwonders@gmail.com
Cell #: +63-9095432824/+63-9178136159


Date: December 16, 2012

..Coron Islands in its own unique Beauty..

This is my most awaited trip in Coron, the Island Hopping simply because it's my first time to do an island hopping and my first snorkeling trip ^_^. Coron Palawan trips is typically an island hoping trip because Coron is a home to some world's gorgeous beaches and corals. Coron's beauty are found beneath the water's surface. Coron is a treat to traveler who are into snorkeling, diving and nature tripping.

Our tour started at 8:30 AM in the morning, they picked up at the hotel lobby and brought us to Coron pier where a pump boat is waiting for us. Our tour guide for the day is Kuya Oliver and Kuya Dennis. We bought some biscuits for fish feeding and don't forget to bring snorkels or rent one because you'll gonna miss a lot in this tour if don't have one.

Ready for the Island Hopping

Our first island to meet is the Siete Picados, it is a group of seven peaks and home to coral and coral fishes. Our boat dock at center of seven rock peaks, allowing us to do snorkel and explore the fishes and corals underneath. We don't stay long on that place due to fast current. 

Siete Picados

Coron View during Island Hoping

Next is the Kayangan Lake and Cave, it is said to be the cleanest lake in Asia and one of the several hidden lakes you'll find within the islands of Coron. A 10 minute hike via carved path on tropical trees will bring you to the cleanest lake in the Philippines. The water is very clear and calm, a perfect combination of warm seawater and cold mountain springs which reduces its salinity. But before going to the lake we go first to the cave and see the great view at the top of mountain. This view is the most photographed place in Coron Palawan.

Kayangan Lake

Barracuda Lake is next, it is surrounded by tall walls of limestone formation. Its the best place to dive and snorkel to see the rock formation below. Kuya Oliver brought us in a small cave and watch him dive and explore the cave underwater. As per Kuya Oliver, Barracuda Lake water is composed of three layer, bottom layer is sea water, middle layer is geothermal heated brackish water and the top layer is freshwater.

Barracuda Lake

We took our lunch at a small private beach, Smith Beach. Its very small and I can say that the shore is approximately 15 to 20 meters long. We swim on the shore and took some rest after eating grilled parrot fish(a fish with a rainbow color on its body). Its my first time to eat that fish but its very delicious ^_^.

Smith Beach

A delicious Parrot fish(below one)

After lunch our next stop is Twin Lagoon, it is a two lagoon separated by a wall of limestone. To be able to see the inner lagoon you must swim or float on a small hole opening during low-tide or one must be a good diver to see it during high-tide. Since its low tide kuya Oliver told us to float on the small opening though I'm a bit scared and not a swimmer but I tried because I want to see the beauty of the inner lagoon :P. The temperature of outter lagoon is cooler than the inner lagoon. Upon entering the inner lagoon I was amazed, the water is calm and blue, its like your on a different world surrounded by limestone and trees. Its a relaxing place though I don't have a camera to capture the beauty of inner lagoon.

Twin Lagoon: A view from the outer lagoon

Final Island is the Skeleton Wreck, is a snorkeling and diving spot where you can see a sunken ship and around it are several corals but kuya Oliver warns us of the sea urchins. Our boat dock right above the sunken ship we stared to do snorkeling and feed the fish. We also took our snack on that area.

Skeleton Wreck

Its a very tiring but worth it to see the beauty of Coron.One thing I regret in this trip is that we don't have an underwater camera to capture the beautiful scenes underwater. But the scene I see and my experience is beyond my expectations ^_^. The next time I visit Coron I promise to bring an underwater camera.


Tour Package Contact:
Coron Wonders
Email: coronwonders@gmail.com
Cell #: +63-9095432824/+63-9178136159


Date: December 15, 2012

..Coron Town Tour..

Coron Island Palawan is a limestone island and known for its cleanest lake in the Philippines, the Kayangan Lake. Its crystal clear water is ideal for swimming, snorkeling and diving. Those are some of the reason why we decided for our next trip is Coron ^_^. This time we get a tour package from Coron Wonders since most of our activities are island hoping. Upon arriving at Coron we headed straight to our hotel, Island View Inn located at middle of the town and just a walk away from the church, plaza, market, banks and other establishments. Also they have a roof deck restaurant overlooking the Coron Bay.

Our tour started with Town Proper Familiarization with Kuya Edward our tricycle driver and tour guide, he showed us the the municipal hall, the church, plaza, market and Coron bay. We had our snack at the Coron Bay and ate some dirty ice cream ^^. There we took a some picture of the place.
  

Coron Municipal Hall

Next stop is Mt. Tapyas, Kuya Edward dropped us there to conquer the popular and the second highest place in Coron. We have to climb 720++ steps to reach the top and don't forget to bring water, lots of water. Way to Mt. Tapyas is well developed its has a concrete steps and rails, it also have several benches to take some rest when going up or down. At the top you will see a huge steel white cross and a panoramic view of whole Coron town. We started our trekking before 5PM and I can say its the best time to go there because we were able to see the breathtaking and stunning view of the sunset at Coron. Its really worth it going up so I suggest to include it to your Coron visit.

Cross at the top of Mt. Tapyas

After the trekking at Mt. Tapyas, it best to close and pamper the day at Maquinit Hot Spring. It is about 30 minutes away from the town proper, the pool is very hot at the first dip and the water is salty. But its very relaxing when you have dip your whole body. The sun is already set when we arrive at the hot spring so we are not able to see the view of Mangroves surrounding the place. We took our dinner prepared by the Coron Wonders and spend an hour of the night dipping our body at the hot spring. Its so very relaxing ^_^ after that we went to our hotel to take some rest and prepare for our Island Hopping tomorrow. 

Maquinit Hot Spring

 

Next post is the different Islands of Coron.

Tour Package Contact:
Coron Wonders
Email: coronwonders@gmail.com
Cell #: +63-9095432824/+63-9178136159

Date: December 14, 2012