Kim's Quest #48: Maquinit Hot Spring, Coron, Palawan, Philippines

Hello everyone!

It's been more than a month since I posted something here. I think it's one of the longest hiatus I have had in terms of blogging. I'm still very much active in Hive because of my curation duties, but I was just so out of the loop from writing since the first week of February. The reasons can fit one post, but to give you a little bit of an idea about what happened to me for the whole month, I'll have a rundown here.

The first week of February was just too much for me. I don't know, but my motivation was so low. Maybe because of the aftermath of Super Typhoon Odette. We had a vacation in Malapascua last Valentine's Day just to renew my passion for writing. But for some reason, I still wasn't able to post a week after that vacation. And then Russia's invasion of Ukraine happened. I was so distraught by the idea that we have Hiver friends who are directly affected by the atrocities committed in their country, in their own homes.

By the end of February, I had chickenpox. I was so sick with fever and headache until I noticed some blisters growing on my shoulders. We had a plan of going to Coron on March 10 and everything's already in place. I was so afraid I won't be able to go. My mother warned me that she would not allow me to travel if my fever would not subside. They say it will take about two weeks to heal. Good thing I was already okay on the fifth day and I was able to travel even if my blisters were not yet fully healed. I just wore a jacket at the airport to hide the blisters. I was even anxious while we were checking in and boarding because they might not let me board the plane. You know, chickenpox is contagious. Don't follow me on this one. I'm not a good example.

We finally reached Busuanga Airport in Palawan on the afternoon of March 10. Coron is one of the places here in the Philippines where tourists, both local and international, would flock. They say it's really beautiful. I saw some photos online, but I really had no expectations. When your travels started to pile up and you've visited some beautiful places, you will create this sort of bias that all places should be like those famous ones for you to be satisfied with your travels. I don't want that. I want to see all places with fresh eyes and continued awe.

We availed a tour package because you can't enter Coron right now without booking in a tour agency for at least one day. The good thing about having a tour package is that everything's taken care of for you. So, our significant spots for our first day are Mt. Tapyas and Maquinit Hot Spring. Those two spots set the mood of the overall tour. We climbed the 721 steps to Mt. Tapyas first after having a town tour and after having some picture-taking at Lualhati Park. I'll have them in detail in a separate post soon.

The reason why I'm sharing Maquinit Hot Spring first is because it helped a lot for my blisters to heal. We were supposed to visit the spring once as part of the tour itinerary, but we ended up visiting the second time on the third day. I still have scars from that chickenpox, but it's so much better compared to my sister's when she contracted one.

It's now time to share with you some awesome stuff about the spring.

Maquinit Hot Spring is one of the few saltwater hot springs in the world. I find that very interesting so I searched further and it is said that it's the only saltwater hot spring in the Philippines and probably in Asia. Before this trip, I have not heard of this hot spring. Located in the southern part of the island of Busuanga and just a 30-minute from Coron town proper, it's the perfect place to cap your tiring day from climbing Mt. Tapyas or from island hopping in many surrounding islands and beaches in the area. Be warned though, it's not lukewarm, it's scalding hot.

_{Maquinit Hot Spring is composed of three pools. The first two smaller pools are located directly at the source of the spring and then they overflow to the bigger pool. There's a very small pool for the kids at the site located near the entrance of the main pool. The bigger pool then overflows directly into the sea. The spring is hidden by lush mangroves that serve as guards from strong winds and waves. Because of the proximity of the spring to the sea, my theory is that saltwater seeped through the rocks before it encountered some magma under the area. The heated water flows back up to form the spring.}

Scalding hot is just an exaggeration, but the guide warned us that it might be unbearable at the first dip. You'll have to endure the first part until you'll be able to acclimatize. They say it's 39 to 40 degrees Celsius. It was very hot for me! It's like several degrees hotter than Ardent Hot Spring of Camiguin. It would have been awesome if there are many pools of varying degrees of hotness, but because of the spring's proximity to the sea, maybe the owners find it difficult to build new pools without damaging the mangroves. Even if I was already at the farthest possible from the source, I still find it difficult to stay at the pool for more than 20 minutes.

Let's back up a little bit because I have to tell this funny story.

I'm the kind who doesn't read itineraries. When we booked for that package tour, the four-day itinerary was sent to me, but I didn't read it. I'm not the kind who even plans trips. I just rely on my friends to do that for me. After checking in at our hotel, we were told that the afternoon tour would start at 2 PM. We ate at the nearest restaurant and then the tour started. When we were at the van, the guide gave a briefing on the sites to visit that afternoon. He said we'll visit the souvenir shop first in case we'll have something to buy and then we'll have a picture-taking at Lualhati Park. After the park, we'll climb Mt. Tapyas and then end the tour at Maquinit Hot Spring. Our eyes widen when a hot spring was mentioned because we didn't bring any extra clothes for swimming. Good thing I still have my jacket.

When we reached the spring, I had the biggest dilemma of my life if I'll take a dip or not. What we did was just to take a lot of photos, survey the whole area, and then stayed at the mangrove walkway to rest and wait for the dark. It was a soothing experience at the walkway because of the cold breeze of the sea while having a marvel at the northern tip of Coron Island.

As waited for the dark, the joke was on us because more and more tourists flocked the spring and the whole area is well-lighted. No matter what we do, either we'll take a dip or miss the chance and waste the PHP 200 entrance fee. Since the three of us were all in the same predicament, we decided to just wing it. If the girls can flaunt their bikinis, then I guess it's just a matter of confidence.

_{You don't have to worry about the space because there are a lot of tables and benches surrounding the spring. From the gate up to the other side of the spring, there's a place for your things.}

The moment my toes touched the water, it felt like having a shower where you accidentally set to the maximum hotness. It was just too hot for me that I immediately went to the farthest possible part from the source. Even there, it took me a while to get a little bit comfortable. When I dipped my whole body, I noticed that it started to itch. All those blisters from the chickenpox were just too itchy, but it felt like my whole body's been cleaned. It was also very soothing after the climb that I felt all the soreness have been removed from my body. It didn't take long though when I started to feel like I was dehydrated and then I started to catch my breath. It was the signal that I should get out of the water. We stayed for about 25 minutes at the pool before heading back to the van and calling it a day.

_{That's me on our second visit in Maquinit Hot Spring. Do I look like I had chickenpox? I say the spring really helped me heal.}

When you visit Coron, don't take this spot for granted. Don't be like us that we were not prepared during our first visit. I highly recommend this especially when you have skin problems.

I guess that's all for this post. See you at the next one! I have a lot to share from this trip. I can now say that Coron Island is now my most favourite island in the Philippines. Stay tuned for our tour on the second day!

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.}

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