Culion Island, Palawan: The Legacy of Leprosy

Culion Island was once the site of the world's largest leper colony.

After three days in Coron with Coron EcoLodge, I took a side trip to Culion Island in Palawan. During the American Occupation, people across the Philippines afflicted with leprosy, then an incurable disease and once thought to be highly contagious, were separated from their families and forced to live in isolation in leper colonies. In 1906, the biggest colony was established in Culion Island, Palawan. By 1931, there were over 16,000 patients on the island, making it the largest leper colony in the world at that time. 

La Immaculada Concepcion Church oversees the entire town of Culion.

Today, one can wander the grounds of the colony, visiting the old laboratory which has been converted into the well-managed and highly informative Culion Museum and Archives. Most interesting things on display are the laboratory equipment used in the scientific pursuit to find a cure for the disease, as well as coins, which were circulated for use only within the leper colony. The museum is located within the Culion Sanitarium & General Hospital, near the imposing La Imaculada Concepcion Church situated on a promontory overlooking the entire town. The church was built on an 18th century Spanish fortification of coral stone called Fort Culion, remnants of which are the lower facade and a crumbling turret with two cannons.

Watch the sunrise from the ruins of Fort Culion, upon which the town church was built.

Past the General Hospital, there are other derelict buildings that belonged to the colony such as dormitories, a colony hall, rotunda and, up a flight of stairs, the old theater and glorietta, an open-air area where gatherings and assemblies were held.

The colony hall is an administrative building that belonged to the leper colony.

HOW TO GET THERE: Lantsa (passenger outriggers) leave for Culion from Coron (PHP 180, 1.5 hours) once daily at 1:00 PM, and departs for the return trip at 7:00 AM. Terminal fees are PHP 20. The settlement of Culion is small, and tourist spots such as Fort Culion, and the Culion Museum & Archives (open only from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; Look for caretaker Mauricio Tominis Leal at +63 9108400562) are 15 minutes by foot up a hill in the middle of town.

WHERE TO STAY: Tabing Dagat Lodging House (+63 9082541148) at Brgy. Balala has double fan rooms with common toilets at PHP 490. As its name suggests, the seaside guesthouse has balcony views overlooking the water.

Exploring Coron with Coron EcoLodge! [SP]

Coron EcoLodge - stay at the heart of Coron town!

Coron EcoLodge invited me to revisit Coron, Palawan to experience their new accommodation located at the heart of the town. I was picked up at the airport and brought to the boutique hotel centrally located in Coron town along Real St, a short walk away from all the restaurants, markets, souvenir shops, boat piers and banks. They have clean and cozy standard A/C rooms, good for two persons, are at PHP 1,898.00 with hot and cold shower, daily breakfast, free wifi at the reception and a standby generator, in case of power outages. The smiling staff was welcoming and accommodating during my three-day stay at the hotel.

Catch the sunset on Mt. Tapyas on a tricycle tour of Coron town.

The hotel also arranges tours around Coron town and Coron Island. On my first day, Coron Ecolodge arranged a late afternoon tricycle tour of Mt. Tapyas to watch the sunset, Coron Harvest and Maquinit Hot Spring. The following day was packed with a full-day island-hopping tour of Coron Island. Sadly, most of the popular sights like Siete Pecados, Skeleton Wreck and Banol Beach were closed due to a dispute between the local government and Tagbanua, the indigenous people of Coron. However, it was interesting to have visited places I haven't gone to before such as CYC Beach, Atuayan Coral Garden and Atuayan Beach, together with popular stopovers like Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoons.

Go snorkeling at Atuayan Coral Garden in Coron Island

If you're looking for a comfortable and convenient place to stay in Coron at a reasonable rate, I highly recommend Coron EcoLodge. For reservations, call +63 9064556090 or +63 9192048824; or visit their website, www.coronecolodge.com.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I accept advertisers as long as they are relevant to travel, adventure, outdoors and tourism. For advertising inquiries, please send me an e-mail at eazy@eazytraveler.com

Hiking Gunung Rinjani National Park in Lombok, Indonesia with Galang Ijo Expedition [SP]

Sendang Gila Falls, Gunung Rinjani National Park, Lombok, Indonesia

After a few days in Bali, I ferried to the neighboring island of Lombok to climb one of Indonesia’s most wonderful volcanoes. Mount Rinjani is an active mountain of fire that rises to 3,726 m (12,224 ft), making it the third-largest volcano in the country. The first historical eruption occurred in September of 1847. The volcano and its sacred and spectacular Segara Anak crater lake are protected by a national park established in 1997. Galang Ijo Expedition is a tour operator based in Senaru village that arranged my two-day climb to the crater rim of Gunung Rinjani. More difficult treks take three to four days up to the summit, the highest point of the crater rim.

Hiking through lush tropical forest to the crater rim of Gunung Rinjani

A six-hour climb brought up though thick and lush jungle. My hiking guide, Lhuna, was friendly and accommodating. As there are only very few hikers during this time of year, we were lucky enough to spot endangered Javan lutungs (ebony leaf monkeys) high up in the rainforest canopy. Unlike the aggressive grey long-tailed macaques, these primates are extremely shy. "They are very scared of humans because they used to be hunted down," explains Mr. Sapri of Galang Ijo Expedition,"Eating the heart of a black monkey was believed by locals to be a cure for asthma."

Spotted rare Javan lutungs in the rainforest canopy!

We camped out at Pos 3 campsite. A couple of fierce-looking long-tailed macaques stalked our camp, looking out to steal some food.  I spent the rest of the afternoon snoozing in my tent until nightfall.

Unfortunately, when we reached the crater rim after three hours from the campsite the following morning, the view of the crater lake was obscured by rain and fog. So I definitely have some unfinished business on Gunung Rinjani, and will hopefully attempt a second climb during the dry season. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the journey to the top, especially spotting uncommon animals like the lutung, which would have been harder to spot during busier times of the year.

Back in Senaru village, I dropped by the Sendang Gila waterfalls, a tall cascade that emerges from the side of a verdant hill. The trailhead to the falls is conveniently located across the headquarters and restaurant of Galang Ijo Expedition. It was a refreshing detour after the climb, before being driven back to Lembar port to return to Bali.
 
HOW TO GET THERE: To get to Lombok cheaply from Bali, one can catch a Perama shuttle bus (2-3 hours, IDR 60,000) from Kuta to the Padang Bai pier, where a car ferry will take you to Lembar port (4 hours, IDR 36,000) in Lombok. Alternatively, you can fly from Denpasar to Lombok on Merpati Nusantara Airlines (45 minutes, IDR 420,000 return).

Galang Ijo Expedition can arrange treks to Gunung Rinjani from Senaru village. Email them at galang_ijo@yahoo.com or galangijo.senaru@gmail.com; or call the very helpful and accommodating Mr. Sapri at +62 81917404198. For more information, visit their website: www.galangijo.com. They can arrange transportation to pick you up at Lembar port or Lombok International Airport.