BATAAN | Turtles + Coral View Beach Resort

The most freedom that anyone have is when you didn’t have any - no worries, no expectation, no boundaries, no deadlines, no pressures. It's a good feeling that you are free - even in just one aspect of your life. More so, its a wonderful feeling that you've been an element of how one creature achieve its freedom.

On this particular day, January 29, 2011, I just did. I became one of the reasons why these little turtles were now free. 

It was a special opportunity for me to visit the Pawikan Conservatory Centre in Morong, Bataan. This is the home of rescued turtles and the nesting site of pawikans.


Going to the conservatory is not very complicated. To get there, take SCTEX and exit at Tipo Gate. Once you are in Subic, exit at Morong Gate. From that gate, just go straight - follow the main road until you see a sign to turn right to Pawikan Conservatory Center. Roughly 45 minutes drive from Subic, Morong Gate. There are also signs along the way so do not worry of getting lost. After turning right, get ready for a rocky road and the conservatory parking lot is sand so extra care not to stuck your wheels.

Upon entering the facility, we were warmly greeted  by the staff of the conservatory center. The entrance fee is very minimal, only 20 pesos per head. The staffs are mostly locals  and they were accommodating. They oriented us about the life-cycle of turtles and how they take care of them.  While observing the place, I saw two turtles being rehabilitated because they were found injured. I also noticed one of the turtles swimming upside down because the fin was badly damaged. It was very heart-warming to see people take care of these species and treat them with extra care.

Under Recovery

As mentioned, Pawikan Conservatory Center is also a nesting site. There are rounded nets in one area where the eggs are buried under. The staffs monitor the days and make sure that they hatch properly. The nets also serve as a barrier so the baby turtles won't go anywhere after coming out of their shell.

Egg Nests

The head expert of the facility was kind enough to offer us if we want to join their night patrol. This patrol commence nightly and they check laying areas for turtle eggs. Unfortunately, we had other plans at night so instead we asked if we can contribute by releasing baby turtles.

Scheduled for Release

We requested to release 10 turtles that morning - one turtle is worth Php50. After selecting the 10 baby turtles we headed to the shore. One by one, we laid them in the sand and waited their moment to ride the wave. It was overwhelming to see the baby turtles swim and experience FREEDOM. I wished them luck in re-uniting with their families as they explore the sea.

The locals said, these turtles will return to where they were released after decades.Hopefully that will happen despite the environmental threats.


After the Pawikan Conservatory Centre, we went to Coral View Beach Resort where we will be staying for the night. We arrived a bit early and was not allowed for early check-in. I was a bit unhappy about the policy because the room was available yet we have to wait for 11:30am before we can check-in. We had no choice but to bum under the trees with our luggage.

I booked a standard room for Php2500/night. This room has no bathroom of its own. but has television and air-conditioned. Nonetheless, the shared bathrooms were just 10 steps away from our room so I find it more practical to have a cheaper one. For comparison, the deluxe room (has own bathroom) costs Php3700.


Our afternoon activity was mostly spent on Island Hopping. The local boatmen asked Php1600 for the tour  but with good bargaining skills, our deal ended with Php900. We were taken to a virgin island 30 minutes away from the resort. We had the option to go farther and explore some caves but it takes 3 hours of sailing so we decided to just visit the island and do some snorkelling.

The virgin island is quite bare. You can only see big rocks, trees and sea shells. What is sad about this island are the thrashes that are scattered around. The island badly needs rehabilitation in my opinion. Nonetheless, we enjoyed collecting shells and enjoyed the waves.

Shells we've collected

Okirampa!

Just behind the island, I was able to have a good view of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. This facility never operated due to the Senate's Decision during President Marcos' era.

We had a short snorkelling time before going back to the resort. The clouds were a bit intimidating that time so we had to cut our journey and head back before the sea gets scary.

Fortunately, I was still able to catch a good glimpse of the sunset when we disembarked at the resort. :)

A Perfect Sunset

I ended the my day, having a night swim at the pool resort. On the next morning, I got off to bed early to take my morning beach walk. It is one my routines every time I am in vacation.

 

Bataan is a great destination to spend weekend getaways. It is only 3 hours drive up north of Metro Manila. It was a good visit and I'll be back to explore more of this province.


Pawikan Conservatory Center Contact: 09287185721


Until the next destination,
Teng


my email: tengd7k@gmail.com