Sunday, March 08, 2009

TAMBOBONG ON MY MIND

March 2018 UPDATE:  So much has happened in the past years I was away from this beautiful place.  So many have discovered the beauty of this place since I first posted this 11 years ago. It's now a thriving resort community thanks to paved roads all the way to the beach (23 Kilometers of it!) from the National Road courtesy of DOTR. Please come visit!




(photo: osmena beach front, just in front of barangay captain's house)



This place really has a stronghold not only on me but on all of us who have been there. What keeps us coming back? Maybe its the memory of all that fresh seafood? Or the simple life of the fisherfolk. Or the increadibly beautiful powdery-white sand and clear waters? Perhaps its the affable locals we have now come to regard as dear friends. Truly it is a blessing for us to meet such wonderful folk as Leon Bobis (contact# 09075183062) and family. It amazes me how they keep smiling through all their strife and even this last hardship of loosing their home to the most recent typhoon.









Our last foray into the sleepy town of Dasol was, of course, pleasantly relaxing. This time a friend of mine brought some of his photo-buddies from flickr and had a great time taking images of the place.

This time
we went to Dasol via SLEX, Luisita Exit, then onto Alaminos then to
Dasol. We were able to cut travel time by almost half because we were able to travel very fast on that road to Alaminos.






Also
, we were able to sleep at one of the huts instead of our tents. It took away some of that "outdoor" experience but it did not diminish our enjoyment of Tambobong in the least. I slept like a baby on their cool bamboo floor.





We discovered something new in Tambobong this time.











A fresh water pool inside a hidden cave not far from the beach. According to the locals, this used to be a very famous source of fresh water for this area and the waters purportedly contain healing properties. I noticed that despite the evindence of people bathing here, the waters remain crystal clear. This means that the waters are constantly being renewed by a network of springs and canals.












I went back to Balinmanok Wreck and noticed an increase in marine life. I saw several hundreds of different types. There were even three huge ones, about 3-kilos each, but I failed to classify them. The waters were clear and cool so some of us can't help diving into the inviting waters from atop the wreck. I'm glad to see our companions enjoying themselves and taking a break from their picture taking.





One can go beach-hopping for days here and won't run out of beautiful venues. I'd love to stay at least a week in this peaceful place and sit on its beaches, just sipping cold beer and thinking of nothing in particular. Someday....

















VISIT the blog of one of the locals >> TAMBOBONGBOY

21 comments:

Jasper said...

hi! this looks like a nice getaway. are there contacts here we can communicate with? aside from the huts, are there other places here to stay? where did you park by the way.

thanks! :)

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

that fresh water pool in the cave is very interesting. the color is quite inviting!

demeter said...

jasperjugan, thanks for visiting. We parked on the old fishport.Magpaalam ka lang dun sa bahay sa tapat which is owned by Leon Bobis.They are very kind folks.They also have bancas and know the nice places to go if you care for it. Or you can choose to stay at the resort a few steps away called MATABANG BEACH RESORT owned by a relative of theirs. Its quite pricey though... I'm not sure what the exact prices are but it ranges from 4000per room for aircon to 250 per head for roomshare nung bamboo cubicles. Pls call Leon Bobis at 09223113564 if you wish to arrange to park there and camp by the beach. Or you can also ask them for contact numbers for the resort. Cheers

demeter said...

[the nomadic pinoy],yes, the fresh water in the cave is really very clean. Its a GREAT place to hang out especially on a hot summer day! Please try visiting tambobong. You won't regret it. PLUS its squid season kaya mura lang ang pusit dun ngayon. cheers!

demeter said...

For those of you just aiming to do a bit of camping, please give this family a call. As I mentioned before, they are very accommodating . Mr. Leon Bobis 09223113564. For a small fee you can rent their shed and use the toilet and poso. Plus they can get boats and know the nice places around.

Anonymous said...

Hi guys, just went there last April 4-6. Just went there with my friends and rented one of thier aircon rooms shared with my friends. But its really cold outside and should have brought my tent! You can visit their website http://matabang.multiply.com. The owners are very accomodating and very warm.. their tilapia is also yummy! you catch and cook your own food!

I got this info from the site:

Heyse Pineda
E-Mail Address: heyse.pineda@gmail.com
Address: Bgy. Osmeña, Dasol, Pangasinan 2411
Mobile Phone: +63 919 4088944

Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Sorry that's APril 4-6, 2009 (few days back)=)

Dil said...

Hi thanks for visiting my blog @ secondthought.i.ph .. sorry for late response. =)

ms congeniality said...

pls post mr. bobis's new number. the number you posted can no longer be reached.i'm dying to visit the place with my family after viewing all your videos and reading all your blogs. we will go there 1st wk of march.
thanks! :)

demeter said...

hi mscongeniality! Im VERY sorry to answer your email so late but for the benefit of the other readers of the blog, the new number of Leon Bobis is 09075183062. Please give them a call if you wish to spend a few days there. They can arrange boats for you. They can also tell you where to put up your tents and even help you with cooking. Of course they can offer you their simple CR din if you wish. They are very hospitable and don't charge anything so just give them a little something for their troubles when you leave for manila. Nice meeting you there mscongeniality! You have a beautiful family! I hope you go back there soon. Enjoy ba?

DUKHANG PALABOY said...

Hi Demeter, i just came across your blog and found it interesting and informative. I was an absentee blogger myself for quite sometime now. Your blogs may have inspired me to re-freshen my account, thank you.
I will visit Tambobong this April, my apologies to Mr. Leon Bobis, he can put his SUN number a good rest. Our site in Dasol was devastated by Pepeng and still uncertain when we could replace it. See, as telco a guy, I have been to soooo many places... i think its time to upload the gigabites of photos, pages and pages of stories to share. hehehe..

demeter said...

Hi and THANKS for visiting dukhangpalaboy! I'm sorry to hear that your site was damaged too. Oo nga, please do upload your pics. The beaches in dasol, particularly this one in osmena and tamobobong are REALLY beautful. PLUS the strict rules of cleanliness imposed by the barangay captains really help a lot to promote tourism in the area.

demeter said...

UPDATE! Road from Burgos to Osmena is now almost fully cemented/asphalted !!! Go and take that route straight to TAMBOBONG!!! only 5.6kilometers of rough roads left now. Cheers!

demeter said...

Hi, the contact numbers of the Bobises have changed. Please call 09075183062 and ask for Leon or Deo Bobis to coordinate your stay. These are not resorts but homestays. You can still opt to pitch your tents on the beach but please coordinate with these people first to ensure your safety. Also, some other guests might be arriving on the same day as you so if their house is already full then they can recommend the neighboring beachfront house. Relative nila yun. Mababait naman sila.

lakwatsero said...

About a year ago, I heard Lakwatsera say the phrase "Tambobong On My Mind" over and over. I thought, WTF? I learned later that she was referring to your blog post. A week after I first heard of the phrase, I found myself being dragged to Dasol, Pangasinan. If a blog post about a particular place can inspire someone like Lakwatsera to visit the place too, then that means you're doing something good. To be honest, I just recently discovered this blog, and I'm wondering why you stopped posting. I love your blog's interface. For me, the simpler, the better. It's cleaner that way. I hope you continue...

demeter said...

@lakwatsero - thanks for dropping by my blog and thank you for your kind words. Things have been really crazy these past couple of years but I will try to continue the blog. Hopefully I can do an update if my Magalawa trip pushes through!

lakwatsero said...

I really hope you continue. LIBOT is great.

ms congeniality said...

hi there. so sorry for the late reply. late is actually an understatement. lol. but yes, we enjoyed the vacation immensely and if we do spend another vacation next summer, that would be our choice. btw, we (nanay precy)communicate with each other here in cavite from time to time :)) regards.. :))

demeter said...

@-ms congeniality - hi! glad to hear from you again! thats so great that you are still in contact with her. I think they are planning to setup some rudimentary huts for guests there this summer! Galing no?! I can't wait to go back there too!
I heard that nanay precy and tatay leon are planning to leave cavite forever and go back to tambobong? probably to concentrate on preping up the place in preparation for amihan season which starts around december.
SAD NOTE: I heard just last night that their adopted daughter (actually their niece) was hit with dengue. I immediately sent her some money because I know that tatay leon quit his job already to prepare for their trip home. FYI

Ian | Limbonis.com said...

sharing my first time in tambobong.. this last weekend of may, it will be my third time this year

http://www.limbonis.info/2011/04/tambobong-beach-dasol-pangasinan.html


those who wants to join our trip.. please visit here

http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=566377

Anthony Del Rosario said...

Hello!

I have a question. What are aronia chokeberry?

Thank you!
Anthony