Anawangin Cove, Zambales

Anawangin Cove, Zambales Jan, 2008

Its been a while since I updated this travel blog. Not that I've stopped travelling but because I just can't find the time to organize both my thoughts and the images I took. Besides, things have been really crazy lately especially with my moving to a new house and the usual year-end schedules. I've been to a number of interesting places but I'll start with the most recent one since its what is most fresh in my mind. Anawangin cove.

(photo: Capones Island and Pundaquit shore)












I noticed this cove back in 2005 while looking for places to go. The cove looked promising even at low res then. It looked even better when they upgraded the image to hi-res! One could clearly see a couple of lakes and what clearly were not coconut trees.

Google Earth lists a different name for the cove, something like Galaguagin Cove?... but I can't recall it right now. The cove lies just a bit south of Pundaquit, Zambales.

(photo: Pundaquit resort tables where we slept while waiting for dawn. The boatman, Mang Vic, let us use it for free. Call him at +639297170739 to reserve. Also, there's parking available! see rightmost image, you can see a car parked at the back)








Unsure about parking, we decided to go there by bus. To get the most out of the weekend, we left manila on the 11pm Victory liner bus from Caloocan.

Our itinerary looked like this...

開始： 2008/01/12
終了： 2008/01/13
場所： Bgy. Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales
ITINERARY - ANAWANGIN and CAPONES ISLAND

Day 1 - January 11 Friday

1030 PM Assembly Victory Liner Caloocan
1130 PM ETD San Antonio, Zambales via Iba-bound Bus
http://www.victoryliner.com/tripschedules1.htm

Day 2 - January 12 Saturday

0230 ETA San Antonio, Zambales/ board trike to Bgy. Pundaquit
- eat some goto sa gotohan dun sa kanto
0330 ETA Pundaquit, Zambales, makitulog sa resort ni manong
0730 Board banca to Anawangin, side trip to Capones Island
- can't get to the lighthouse kasi low tide, balik ulit bukas
0900 Arrived at Anawangin Cove/ Set Camp, tulog ulit?
1230 LUNCH
1400 EXPLORATION / SWIM / FRISBEE / BOOMERANG / PICS
1900 DINNER and Socials

Day 3 - January 13 Sunday

0630 Wake Up/ Prepare Breakfast
0730 BREAKFAST
0800 Swimming Swimming Explore Explore
1300 Break Camp
1400 Board boat for Capones Island
- took pics of lighthouse
1530 Leave Capones for Bgy. Pundaquit
- get a tricyle to SanAntonio
1630 Get regular bus to Olongapo Victory Liner
1800 Depart for Manila (victory liner olongapo)
2130 Arrived at Balintawak

=NOTES=

1) Bring goggles and/or your snorkel set!
2) Bring a hammock, if you have one
3) Secure provisions before the trip. Remember, there's no electricity in
the area :)
4) There's a water source at the campsite that's good for cooking and
washing. Bring drinking water though.
5) The last bus at Victory Caloocan leaves at 11:30PM so DON'T BE LATE!!!
6) bring a thin blanket. VERY USEFUL sa bus and in the tent

=PROJECTED EXPENSES=

P219.00 x 2 = Bus from Pasay to San Antonio, Zambales and back
P40.00 x 2 = Tricycle from Bgy Pundaquit and back
P1800.00/5 people = Round trip boat fare plus 2 side trips to Capones
(360@pax)
P300.00 = Food and Provisions

Estimated Budget: 438 + 80 + 360 + 300 = P 1,178 pesos@pax


We arrived at San Antonio before 3am. Tricycle drivers IMMEDIATELY approached us and offered a ride to Pundaquit. DO NOT agree to their 100@tricycle offer and insist on 80pesos only. We were a group of 5 so we had to get two tricycles.

BUT FIRST... kain muna tayo ng GOTO!










Hindi masyadong malasa yung goto pero mainit naman. And remember, this was at 3am. Meron din fried rice and sisig so chibog muna kami lahat.

While eating, I found out that the market does not open until 7am. I was surprised and asked why since I am used to Balintawak Market which opens at 4am - ang sagot? "Eh wala ka naman sa Maynila eh!" - fine... mga tamad ang tao sa probinsiya. And I always thought these people woke up early... baka napupuyat din kaka DOTA? not...


Anyway, in a pinch, I agreed to giving the tricycle driver some money to get supplies for us while we take a little nap in pundaquit. I gave the guy 700 pesos to get a few kilos of pork, a 5 gallon mineral water, some rekados, charcoal, ice and kerosene. The chap was nice enough to lend us his icebox!

He brought us to Pundaquit and introduced us to our boatman Mang Vic(+639297170739). The regular small boats(1.2k balikan) could probably hold 4 small people with a few gear but not 5 huge guys with 2days worth of supplies and equipment. We settled on 1.8k for rental of his big boat with a trip to Capones Island on the side. Pretty good deal I think. It's certainly a lot cheaper than what those bancas in Anilao would charge.

As expected, the tricycle driver ran late and arrived past 7am already. We visited Capones Island but was not able to go the farside because of the low tide. We just walked around the shore and took some pictures before traversing the 6kilometers or so trip to Anawangin cove from there.

(photo: Capones Island, east side. Notice the strange rock formations, leftmost photo)











I was stunned by the beauty and tranquility of Anawangin cove. Not only was it cool because of the pine tree forest, the scenery was fantastic. The water, although painfully lacking in marine life and corals, was calm, clear and comfortable. PLUS your eyes are treated to this wonderful encompassing view of the hills and tree forrest.

(photo: setting up camp, checking supplies)











I setup my hammock, mixed a cold alcoholic drink and relaxed. No sound but the wind and the sea - THIS IS THE LIFE!



The next day we decided to go and find the water source at the base of the mountains. I thought it was about half a kilometer from the camp but in reality it was about 3 kilometers east of the campsite. Needless to say we gave up before we found this water source. The local Aeta we met, mang danny, was friendly enough to guide one of our lost companions to safety and confirm its existence. He also helped avert danger by bringing our attention to the numerous snakes that came across our way.

(photo: river ran through this, careful! Watch out for snakes ! -rightmost image)








(photo: nice toilet, friendly native, poso!)












Anawangin cove is unique in that it has both fresh water lake river and saltwater shore side by side. The small hills that surround are safe and ideal for climbing. The scenery it offers after the climb is often too much a reward for the effort.


We packed our stuff and headed to the lighthouse at Capones island for some quick pics. Then off we went back to our insignificant lives in Manila. All in all another excellent vacation!

(photo: capones island light house, gate and final farewell to pundaquit shores)














More images of Anawangin here ALLAN'S FLICKR
and more stories here ALLAN'S BLOG

Tambobong and Osmena beaches in Pangasinan

UPDATE Jan, 2013:

Directions/Map: click this >> TAMBOBONGBOY
Things To Do! : click this >> TRAVEL GUIDE

sunset at Tambobong, Pangasinan Dec, 2007

The town of Tambobong lies in the western tip of Pangasinan. A quiet and sleepy town for the most part, it has beautiful powdery white sand and very clear waters. As is expected from fishing communities, overfishing has destroyed most of the corals. One can still see a few fishes and marine life here and there. In fact one of the kids, Christian, was able to catch a "pugita" (octopus).
(photo:rough road from Dasol, convoy, more rough roads ahead)











This town, small as it is, was divided further into two towns, namely, the town of Tambobong and Osmena. There is not much trade in this town and we even found it hard to get a couple of beers, if possible, bring enough supplies to last your stay.
(photo: Ui town, stop over, horsing around)












The current kapitana, Mrs. Arroyo, was really gracious and kind. She dispatched some barangay tanods to watch over our camp and keep us from probable harm. I suspect it was also partly to keep us from getting rowdy.
(photo: Tambobong at last, beach with powdery sand, local kids during dinner)












We setup camp on the beach and one of the locals was kind enough to lend us their poso(hand pump) and toilet. The locals are very friendly and their children often come to our camp to listen to our stories and tell us stories of their own.
(photo:breakfast the next day, camp wakes up, tranquil beach shore)











We hired a boat to take us to a nearby island called "Collabra Island" or otherwise called snake island. This island supposedly has lots of snakes which mostly come out at night. We made sure to visit early in the day so we did not see a single snake on the island or around in its waters. It was a beautiful island and we ate lunch and swam in its shores. I noticed that the waters in tambobong had better visibility than in this island though.
(photo: collabra island, snake island beach)












From the shores of snake island, one can see another bigger island. It was only later that I found out this was the famous Hermana Mayor Island.
I think we'll visit her next.
(photo: tambobong town, local kids playing)












Our route to tambobong took us up Subic base, then traversing the Zambales National Road, we slowly crept up to Pangasinan. When we reached Dasol, we took a left turn towards Tambobong by way of UI town(strange name for a town)

By public: Ride a bus from Manila to Sta.Cruz. You must arrive in the morning so take the 11pm bus in any of the Victory liner stations. The Caloocan Victory liner has the best schedule. Their last bus leaves at 12midnight (Php 384.00 one way)

CLICK HERE for VictoryLinerSchedules

From Sta.Cruz, ride a jeep or minibus going to Dasol (Php 35pesos approx.)

Then from Dasol market, ride a jeep going to Tambobong (Php 30pesos approx.)
The jeeps leave when they fill up with passengers so there is no particular schedule. However, you will get more chances of riding it in the morning rather than in the afternoon. Evening departures are rare.

A two way trip for 1 person will cost approximately Php 900 pesos.








VISIT the blog of one of the locals >> TAMBOBONGBOY

Cebu ! (Tarsiers, Nulusan Island, and Tabo-an dry fish market)

tarsier reserve, Bohol Island Sept 2007

I went on a vacation trip to Cebu last September 18, 2007. Cebu is a lovely city with a deep cultural and religious background. The following are some excerpts from this trip to Cebu.

WATERFRONT HOTEL CEBU
We stayed at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu. After you deplane, make sure you know which hotel youa re going to. One is in Mactan Island and one is in Cebu Island. Make sure you know where you are going and instruct the taxi driver properly.
(photos: rice all you can lady, quaint plates, sizzling food!)














Golden Cowrie
(delicious, affordable chinese/filipino food with rice all you can!)

Upon arriving in Mactan Internation Airport Cebu, don't ask for a taxi. Just go out of the airport and up that flight of stairs across the street. BIG price difference. We asked manong taxi driver for suggestions on good cebu food and Golden Cowrie Restaurant came up. So, after dumping our bags at our hotel, to Golden Cowrie we went(odd name for a restaurant).

Their blue marlin panga and shellfish in black bean was delicious! Plus its rice all you can kaya sulit talaga. Pretty reasonable prices too. Cheaper than gerry's grill.
(photos: pier4 air conditioned waiting area, weesam fastcraft, 1st class seats)












BOHOL
Cebu Pier4 waiting area for Weesam fast craft to Tagbilaran (350pesos one way 1st class, 300 for ordinary) Our target for this Bohol day trip was first the Tarsiers, then the Loboc River Lunch Cruise, and finally the majestic Chocolate hills in the center of Bohol.


TARSIER RESERVE
"Day-old monkey" has become a recent popular replacement for the "day-old chick", delicacy in the Philippines.



How to eat day-old monkies
1. Act like you care.............. 2. Look closely for pests............. 3. Pumili at Pitikin para mahilo

4. Then Bite!

5. and BITE!

(Joke lang: no animals were hurt in making this blog)

The tarsier reserve is truly concerned about the welfare and future of these small gently creatures. I have heard that some illegal setups have begun to pop up because of the popularity of these local fauna. The taxi drivers are in cahoots with local cafe and restaurants who illegally catch tarsiers and put them on display in their respective restaurants. The tarsiers often end up in a box either taken home by foreigners or because of death due to mishandling. To those going to Bohol, please report these establishments and help stop these shameful acts.
(photos: loboc river cruise boats, jofel seated, song and dance entertainment)










LOBOC RIVER CRUISE
After petting the monkies, we went rode on the wooden bangka to eat lunch while we cruise the river. The fee for this buffet lunch was 250 per head and consisted of bbq, fried veggies, rice and pansit. There was a new treat that did not used to be there a few years ago. Near the end of the river run you get to be serenaded by groups of singers along the river.
There are number of groups along the river and each have a different set of singers and dancers. I guess the boats dock according to preference of the boat owners. They both sing and dance and you are encouraged to make donations. The river cruise culminates near the small falls called Tontonan Falls. The whole trip takes around 1hour.
(photos: chocolate hills bohol)










CHOCOLATE HILLS
More than 1500 of these uniformly shaped mounds can be seen from on top of the view point. It is amazing to realize that there ARE NOT MANMADE as the task would be impossible and even harder than making the pyramids in Egypt. Moreover, these hills are composed of fossilized corals which means they were once submerged under the sea. Truly a breathtaking and amazing place to see.
(photos: Loboc church and museum, church front, Bohol tricycles)









LOBOC CHURCH and the MUSEO DE LOBOC
First established in dedication to San Pedro Apostol. The church, however, was badly destroyed by fire sometime in 1660. But the parishioners did not lose hope. In 1670, the present church was built from the ruins of the old church, and it was completed in 1734.Inside the church, remarkable native paintings on the ceilings and walls tell fascinating stories of the past. The Spanish coat of arms can also be found in the stone wall near the entrance of the convent. Snugly nestled in the compound of the ancient building of God is Museo de Loboc where the well-preserved historical artifacts and a few old statues of saints are kept.
(photos: huge crab, crab choices, waiting for our food)










ALAVARS RESTAURANT
Alavar's Restaurant in Salinas Drive Cebu reopened in October 2006 after a lull of 8 long years. I knew that their signature dishes involved prawns and crabs, both of which were in abundance in cebu. The high prices of these precious commodities in Manila was probably one of the reasons they closed their Manila franchise. The current managers of Alavar's Cebu, Mr. Allan Uy and Maritess Alavar were very accomodating. They personally attended to each one of their patrons and talked to us about the history of their restaurant. They even gave us a complimentary dish of their golden crispy crablets which were crisp and it was so delicious that we ended up ordering another dish. I especially liked their Prawn Alavar and Crab in Alavar Sauce. As expected, the bill was a bit hefty since crabs are priced per 100grams so we ended up paying 8k for 6pax... ouch!
(photo: long boardwalk to island, seafood buffet!, everyone's happy)















NALUSUAN ISLAND (KR travel & tours)
On the second day we left the hotel at 8am for our island hopping tour. We were picked up by service cars arranged by KR Travel. (We got a 7hour island hopping tour + lunch for PhP1,660 pesos from KR Travel&Tours)
Be advised that the boat trip from Cebu to the coral garden is both rough and very wet. Do not wear any electronic items as you will be thoroughly drenched at the end of the 45minute ride.

The coral garden was terrific. The waves were a bit rough but there are a lot of live corals and marine life to see. I saw a small school of gigantic trumpet fish, about 40 to 50 in all.
(photos:nalusuan island boardwalk, lunch at the island, volleyball game)











After that we headed straight to Nalusuan Island for lunch. We were served a buffet of crabs, tiger prawns, bbq chicken, bbq pork and mixed fruits dessert. Everyone had fun snorkelling and playing volleyball on the island. There was also a captive sea turtle in their pond (illegally?).



GRAND MAJESTIC (chinese restaurant)
This chinese restaurant on Archbishop Reyes Avenue is where we held our final banquet. It is just a few minutes walk from Waterfront Hotel Cebu. They serve good chinese food and the price was very reasonable. Our 7 course meal for 12people costed 4000 pesos only. Drinks are additional
(photos: TABO-AN mountains and baskets of dried fish!!!)











TABO-AN DRY FISH MARKET
Before going to the airport, we took some time to go to the famous TABO-AN dry fish market in downtown Tres de Abril, Cebu City. It took about 15minutes from our hotel(no traffic) and about 70pesos. This dry fish market had HUGE stockpiles of various dried fish! I have never seen anything like it before in my life. My suggestion is DON'T go there on your way to the airport as the smell of dry fish sticks to your clothes. The red fish you see in the pictures are Isdang Tocino and they taste great. The tinderas will cook samples of all the fish for you and even offer you some rice to go with your taste test - instant breakfast! sarap!

A good guide and list of establishments....
http://www.asiatravel.com/cebu/cebugui.html