GTGL Snippets: Coron, Palawan, Philippines

It's well in the middle of summer in the Philippines; 'tis the season when I get major island life envy! Aside from the rants about the scorching heat flooding my Facebook and Instagram feeds, friends from the Motherland definitely know how to maximize the opportunity to overshare the beauty of the islands that make up the country on their social channels.

This photo was taken on the second day of our Coron, Palawan adventure (voted number 1 Best Island in the World in 2015 by Conde Nast Traveler readers). The day didn't start out as pleasant as one would hope when on an archipelagian getaway. It was our bad - we had thought that the itinerary for the duration of our stay, as well as guides and banca, were exclusive to us, thus allowing us to move leisurely at our own pace.

We took our time savoring all the Filipino food goodness served to us at breakfast (because how can one rush into eating Palawan's danggit?) and getting fueled up for a day of island-hopping, oblivious of the other travelers that had already been waiting 30 minutes or so for us. We paid for our inadvertent lack of consideration by having to endure the scowl painted on those travelers' faces all day. Needless to say, there was an awkward vibe in every boat ride as the group drifted from one island to the next.

You can't really stay in a grim mood when the motion of the boat against the waves is so calming, when there's water and walls limestone rocks that mesmerize, when there are loved ones whose company you've yearned to be with to make the most of. Whenever the boat docked, we just went and did our own thing.

Bulog Dos, the last island for the day, was indeed the icing on the cake. The kids were enthralled by the the sight of the sandbar, and they quickly disembarked to walk the stretch of the partly exposed ridge. "I can't believe we're walking in the middle of the sea," my daughter yelled. Lapped between warm, turquoise waters, this picture perfect view was absolutely something to behold, and it's one of those things that make you fail to look for words to describe.