Getting Around in Coron

 

One very pleasant thing about Coron town is that it's not heavily populated by tourists. Actually, not even by locals. Not heavily populated, period. There are hardly any cars on the road and everyone goes around in tricycles.  Coron tricyles with their jeepney-like cabs are bigger than their Manila counterparts, which only have a sidecar for two people.  

hardly any traffic on the road...

Would you believe we were able to squeeze seven people into one tricycle?  One Palawan tricycle can hold as many people as a minivan with this configuration: two in front, four behind (but they have to be kids) and one behind the driver on the motorcycle.

When we found out that the charge was P8 (20 cents) per person whether you are one or seven, we decided to spread ourselves and ride in comfort. Eleven of us moved around in three trikes.  It was also better to allow more drivers to earn.

 

With luggage rack on roof...perfect for holding snorkeling gear

We let the kids have their own tricycle, the guys rode in one, and the three of us got our own.  The smaller kids, G and C looked forward to riding the tricycles everyday. The most coveted spot for the them was the seat behind the driver, which of course they were not allowed to ride.

They've ridden tricycles in Ilocos and in Chiang Mai, where there is hardly any traffic too. Then there was this one time in densely populated Hanoi which practically gave mom and me a heart attack, but the kids just squealed as if they were riding a rollercoaster! 

Non-motorized trikes in Hanoi have you facing chaotic streets teeming with scooters and buses!

Thrilled to ride a tricycle in Ilocos too.

Our tricycle rides in Coron never lasted more than five minutes at a time because everything is so close by. A couple of times we asked the driver to stop by a sari-sari store so we could buy supplies, and he gladly did--without the "meter running".

It wouldn't be inaccurate to say that riding the tricycles was one of the highlights of Coron for G and C. For them it was like a Disneyland ride that always ended way too soon. At least this one was authentic!

It's amusing to see them get all excited over something that is so mundane for the locals, and it's also gratifying to see that it still doesn't take much to entertain them.