Saturday, February 11, 2012

Exploring Philippines 56 - Coron, Palawan (Post 12 - Mt. Tapyas)

This was our last day at Coron. It was five in the morning when Danny and I woke up and made our way towards the top of Mt. Tapyas.

When we stepped out of the lodge, it was still dark. Somehow, the lights coming from the lampposts guide our way as we head towards the foot of Mt. Tapyas. And in a place like Coron where the crime rate is low, visitors like us need not worry walking around this time in the morning.

The climb covers 70+ steps(?) and again, I asked for several stops. With the cold early morning breeze, I thought that it will be easy hurdling those steps going to the top of the mountain. But since I am not fond of exercising, my cardio issues can only go on a limited stretch. It was good that the sun was not yet up because its heat can even add to my difficulties in climbing up.

As we made our way to the top of the mountain, there were several locals who make it their daily routine to climb this mountain. Since they were doing this one on a daily basis, it looked as if they were just walking in the park. I guess it is just getting used to this activity and everything becomes easy.

Anyway, after 30 minutes of climb, we reached the top of the mountain and it was still dark. The giant cross which can be seen within the vicinity of the town remained lighted until the first sign of light from the sky. For me, this was one of those rare moments when I spend the passing minutes early in the morning and waiting for the sun to come up. And here at the top of Mt. Tapyas, the beauty of the sleeping town was slowly unraveled when the morning light started to drive the darkness away.

With a full 360 view of the town, the scenery of the place became more magical as its colors shifted from one tone to another. And with the rural folks doing their morning rituals, I was a witness to this sleepy town that comes to life again.

With what I experienced here, the struggles in climbing this mountain was more than worth it. I was blessed with the experience about how great that particular morning was. I was humbled with the gift of sight that I can witness a beautiful morning like that one. I remembered a blind person when asked what he'd like to do when he'll be given an opportunity to see the world for a couple of days. He replied that he'll look forward to seeing the sunrise each morning because no two sunrise are the same.

After more than an hour of stay at Mt. Tapyas, we made our way back to the lodge. We had to prepare early because we will be going back to Manila after having our breakfast.







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