If it were not for the state of the world grappling with a new COVID-19 variant unfolding during my latest return trip to Kayangan Lake, I would have said, “Third time’s a charm, indeed,” as I again took a dip in its crystal-clear waters. It felt like it was only yesterday—actually, the year 2009—when I first caught sight of this magical lake. I can still vividly recall my then-girlfriend, Marianne, and me wearing oversized life vests, pulling each other into the middle of the lake.
A Return to Kayangan Lake in Coron | Palawan
Swimming in one of the cleanest bodies of water in the Philippines, surrounded by lush greenery growing out of jagged rocks, was an enjoyable experience. It was a fine memory in my book. What’s not to love about Kayangan Lake?
A few years later, I made my second journey to this place with the girl I was dating at the time, along with her three friends. It was as if the lake somehow attracted my wanderlust when I was with someone. It is also worth noting that a year after that, on another Coron trip, I was with Lauren (who later became my girlfriend). However, I remember that at the time, we skipped Kayangan Lake because darkness caught up with us during our island loop tour under an affordable Coron tour package we had availed.
This time, however, I came back to Coron, Palawan, with no love in tow. Instead, I came as part of a media trip with the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism tasked with slowly but surely promoting the reopening of tourist destinations across the country.
In the Wake of the Storm
This was the week when Typhoon Odette ravaged many parts of the Visayas and Mindanao regions of the country. The northern part of Palawan, where Coron is located, was mostly spared as the storm’s main eye tracked south toward Puerto Princesa and El Nido.
A day after holing up in our hotel rooms as a safety procedure, and because the Coast Guard disallowed any sea journeys, the sky turned blue once more. As updates about the damage suffered in the provinces of Siargao, Cebu, and Bohol started coming in on our social media feeds, a feeling of sorrow cast over us. I felt a little guilty going on an enjoyable island-hopping tour while many of my countrymen were suffering without water or electricity while dealing with flattened homes.
However, the moment called for its own introspection about how the Calamianes Islands had suffered economically because of the pandemic lockdowns and restrictions. I focused my mind on the reality that what we were doing there was helping kickstart the tourism industry by instilling confidence that traveling is becoming safer, especially for fully vaccinated travelers.
A half-hour boat ride and a ten-minute hike later, the beautiful view of the Calamianes Islands greeted me again as I stood on the iconic view deck near Kayangan Lake. The postcard-like image never gets old.
An Independent Path
The same can be said of Kayangan Lake itself. Gone, maybe, was the sharing of the experience with a special someone, but just the same, I was sharing it with a group of people who were passionate about helping the tourism industry get back on its feet.
As for me, maybe the days of traveling with a special someone are over, or just not in the cards for the immediate future. Nevertheless, the opportunity to revisit places like Kayangan Lake and to hold this simple, low-paying, but personally rewarding job of being a travel writer is something I must never take for granted.
“Third time’s a charm, indeed”—and also, a fitting closure to my past highlight experiences in Kayangan Lake.
