Falling in love is never as easy as they make it look like in the movies. It requires a perfect balance of timing and perhaps some sort of cosmic force. They say once you meet the right one, you just know. I don’t necessarily believe in love at first sight, but this I can tell you; The moment I met my husband, it was like I knew right there and then that he was going to be a part of my life for a very long time. I wasn’t particularly finding myself in a love at first sight scenario nor was I beginning to feel magnetic attraction at that moment, but it took one look to have that strange feeling inside that someday, falling in love with each other will be inevitable. Koi no yokan, as the Japanese calls it.
Do not get me wrong though, it wasn’t quite a traditional romance. We took our time to get to know each other, and six months after we finally began dating, we took our first trip together as a couple. Now I don’t know about you, but I think the first vacation is a milestone in a relationship. And obviously, for mine, it was a significant one. Let me take you back to six years ago…
Coron is in the island of Palawan, Philippines. Besides Boracay and Mindoro, I haven’t really explored much of the other islands prior to this. I’ve heard about how great Palawan is, so when we both agreed to go on my semester break, I was ecstatic. He was also set to fly back home for a few months after this so the timing was impeccable.
Our first day was a bit low key. We walked around the town and had great lunch by the sea. In the late afternoon, we hiked up to the highest point of the province to catch the sunset.At night time, we went to the hot springs, which we really couldn’t enjoy much because he had a cut on his toe. It probably speeded up its healing process for all I know.
The next couple of days were the best part. We explored the islands and the beaches all around Coron. Coming back from Las Vegas where the only body of water I know is Lake Mead, every island I went was paradise to my eyes. I’ve never seen ocean water so clear and blue, and the towering limestones adds so much character. Where do f*** are we? I kept saying out loud, not because I didn’t know, but because it was my own way of pinching myself back to reality.
It was surreal. It was the perfect setting to let go of the walls and to indulge myself into falling in love. How couldn’t I? I was with the most wonderful man I’ve ever met whose face I adored so much, in a utopia hidden away in the Pacific.
We found ourselves hiking down to a lagoon which happens to be Kayangan Lake. Right on the other side is the ocean, yet here we are in a lake with a mix of salt and fresh water. I was in awe. How could such a beautiful place like this exist and have only five people in it at the time?
So we took a bamboo raft and let a local man take us to wander adrift as we continued to immerse ourselves with the place and with each other. Though we didn’t know it was happening at the time, this was that moment. That inevitable moment I found so frightening yet endearing at the same time. We were falling in love. Slowly, with subtlety, but we were.
Our final day in Coron happened to be my favorite. We took a small boat with the original intention of exploring the rest of Coron. However, after a rough hour long ride against tremendous waves, we found ourselves in Banana Island, and we couldn’t get ourselves to leave to set off again. Not because of the waves, but because the island was magical. It absolutely empty besides the caretaker and his dog. It was everything I imagined a justified tropical experience would be. There were no Pinacoladas, but there were fresh coconut. There were no day beds, but there were hammocks. There were no music, but there was the beautiful sound of the ocean. There were no people, but there were fish coming to greet us a couple of feet into in the water. This is the one.
We continued to fall in love without knowing so, and there’s really no other perfect way to describe it, but…it was a lovely day.
Before ending the day, we went to the sandbar just right next to Banana Island. It was too hot to linger but we explored both sides and ran around pretending to be castaways. We never wanted to leave, because to leave means to say goodbye to paradise in the morning. But we didn’t want to catch the strong waves again, so off we left our favorite heaven on Earth with nothing but new memories with us.
Truth is, I shrugged off the idea of falling in love as soon as we left Coron. It was fun while it lasted, I thought. He left a few weeks later to California, and wasn’t due to be back for three months. But turns out, three months was too long, so he was on a plane come New Year’s eve, and on New Year’s day, I told him I love him.
Maybe it was the perfect of balance of timing. Maybe it was a strong cosmic force. Maybe it was Coron. Whatever it was, falling in love can happen in a blink of an eye. And if you’re lucky, it happens in paradise.
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girlunspotted.com 
Wow! How gorgeous! Need to add this to my bucket list!
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You really must!
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Found your blog in the Ultimate Travel Group and it’s amazing! Love love love your pictures, and the way you described falling in love with the guy and the island!
~Claire
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Hi Claire. Thanks! Link me to your blog 🙂
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What a gorgeous place!
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Gorgeous is an understatement!
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I think I fell in love with the place a little just by reading your post!
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Haha, thanks Alex! Hard not to with all that natural beauty.
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I wanted to be here 🙂
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Never too late to go 🙂
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Wow these beaches look incredible!
Simone x | The Aussie Flashpacker
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Simone, the pictures doesn’t even do the place justice.
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I know what you mean, I myself fell in love with Coron and El Nido! Palawan definitely brings that feeling
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Right? I think I liked Coron better than El Nido, but either way, such amazing wonders ❤
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it looks beautiful and a very romantic place to go away to as a couple!
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It definitely the right mood.
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What an awesome love story! And the perfect backdrop, too! Thank you for sharing this!
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Thanks, Daphne. It was quite amazing.
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aww such a nice story… and I agree with you that the first trip as a couple is very important…
I usually say ‘if you want to know someone better… have a trip together ;)’
and about the place …well… that’s heaven ❤
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thanks Lucy, and you’re right, traveling is such a great way to get to know someone. Where else will you see a person at their best AND at their worst.
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Beautiful writing! I love how you were being real, that you admitted that you shrugged it off and realized that you were falling in love. It must be magical to spend with your loved one in Coron
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Thank you so much Stacey! It was quite magical!
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Sounds like you had the perfect, romantic tropical getaway. That’s a memory you’ll have forever.
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Definitely a memory I’d love to replay over and over again!
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It is quite lovely to find a secluded spot of beauty.
Did the fish nibble at your feet? I got stuck in a swarm of little silver fish on Cape Cod and they were running into my legs and felt like they were licking or nibbling my toes a bit 🙂
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Not here, but I’ve tried those at a “fish spa” pond somewhere here in the Philippines. It’s quite popular in Asia because they eat your dead skin, but I did not like it at first!! I was a little obnoxious to say the least lol.
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I had the same type of feeling when I met my husband. It just felt right. Our first trip away was pretty significant too. It paved the way for many more great trips. I’ve been hearing a lot about Palawan lately too. I can see why. It’s stunning.
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It wasn’t even in a thrilled, heart-skipped-a-beat type of way. It was very calming.
And You really must make your way to the Philippines ASAP!
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Uy, nakakakilig naman! What a beautiful love story in a beautiful setting! I have the same in El Nido but let’s save that for another story. Oh, the wonders of love and Palawan! And yes, the first vacation is usually one of the highs of a relationship. Stay in love, you guys!
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HEHE thanks Anne! I wanna read about your El Nido story!!
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Loved Coron too 😀 thanx for bringing me back there for a moment. Especially the diving in Barracuda lake – what a weird experience 😀
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Is there anywhere you haven’t been to yet?! HEHE
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What a lovely and honest post. I often think that real love is the one that isn’t forced or contrived but the one that comes by being yourself and natural, it comes at you when you least expected it and develops. What a place for it too!
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That is so beautiful and completely accurate!
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I love this. I felt the same way when I met my husband. Not love at first site necessarily, but sort of a deep strong sense of connection that seems crazy to feel with someone you just met!
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It’s crazy right? I’m not the one to believe in chick flicks but…the strange feeling does exist.
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Wow! Surreal really is the perfect word for this place! I loved reading this, such a sweet, heartfelt post. Thanks for sharing it! ❤
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Thank you so much, Dawn! Always so flattering getting compliments on my writing.
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I had my first experience of the philippines exactly a year ago, and I fell in love too! And that was just Cebu. Coron looks like another incredible destination. It’s so under-rated!
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I love Cebu but oh there’s so much more to see!!
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This is one of my dream destinations! 🙂
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It’s quite hard to beat it, I must say.
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Wow this is def on my bucket list. Such beautiful water!
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A must add to my bucket list. Such beautiful greenery and water. Wow!
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You definitely know how to create a sense of wanderlust in someone, even this guy who’s already travelling around. Might need to check out Coron before I depart southeast Asia.
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