Anawangin-Capones-Camera Getaway

ONE STARRY NIGHT. TWO FUN-FILLED DAYS. THREE GREAT PLACES. SIX COLORFUL TENTS. TWELVE GREAT FRIENDS.

(it's not Bicol this time... it's Zambales!)

May 24, 2008, my THY Marketplace Family in Makati decided to take an adveture before the end of summer to Anawangin Cove, Zambales after a "canceled" trip to Puerto Galera. We got panicky as to where to go because the dates have been set already, but thank God we came to discover a summer getaway in Zambales through a local newspaper. After checking out a number of blogs of those who have been to the cove, we started preparing for the trip and looking forward for the camp-life experience.

There were about twenty-seven (27) who signed up for the weekend trip but due to the typhoon the Saturday before the 24th and due to some unexpected circumstances, not to mention the conflict to some company outings, we were down to 12. Thus, came the joke, 12 disciples- Greg, Joel, Roche, Tin, Jai, Klaire, Lulu, Kat, Honey, Harry, Athan and the blogger herself.

And since we wanted to do more with less time, we resolved to leave Makati City on a Friday Night (May 23). We carried with us sets of camping and swimming clothes, our tents and gears, cooking pot and frying pan, liters of water, food to munch (and 5 kilos of rice), pre-cooked food for lunch and dinner for the Saturday, and a lot more. Victory Liner (Pasay station) was our official carrier to San Antonio, Zambales for only just about Php240 (one way). We departed at about 11:45pm with much anticipation and excitement. We had a pre-arranged trip to Anawangin Cove with side trips to Camera and Capones Islands. We were surprised to arrive in San Antonio at about 3:30am because the bus ride was really fast. I remember talking with my bestfriend on the cellphone before we left the Pasay station, and as soon as we hung up, I was off to dreamland--to sleep supposed to be. But Mr. Speed-Racer-Bus-Driver drove really fast that before I could get myself to sleep, my friends were grabbing their stuff and started calling out everyone's attention, "we're here...check if we have left something... hop-off!"

There we were, in San Antonio, Zambales at 3:30 in the morning. Now what?! We stationed in a waiting shed for a few minutes then decided to go to Brgy. Pundakit by tricycle to meet our hired boatman. Good thing we did our research on the hows and whats and the whos for this trip. We took 3 "motorcabs" for Php80 each from the drop-off point of the bus to Pundakit beach where we can take a boatride to Camera and Capones Islands and the Anawangin Cove. It was more or less a 10-minute ride until you get to the fishing village. You can feel the cold sea breeze getting into you, so better bring a jacket.

Our motorcabs did a full stop and the captain boatman (together with his crew) came to meet us. My friends did some inquiries as to what time would be the best for us to start moving and rowing. We all agreed, 7 am sharp. As we were waiting in a small nipa hut, I pulled my easy-to-pitch tent and took a nap. Few hours later, we changed into our swimming outfits and hopped on the boat. The boatride costs Php450 for each person and we hired an extra boat for Php1,200 for our bags and other stuff. We also saw quite a few travelers along the shore, waiting for their hired-boats. Actually, this unregulated-tourism-system is helping these fishermen earn more than their fishing enterprise. No worries, there are plenty of for-hire boats in the village. Just ask.

First stop, Camera Island. It doesn't look like a typical SLR or your Point-and-Shoot, they just call it Camera Island. I was in awe of the beauty of the island and I forgot to ask the history of its name. We tried to find a perfect spot to take our photos, and good thing Captain Hook este Manong Vic, our boatman, volunteered to take our group picture. It's really a WOW. As in, WOW Philippines! Crystal-clear waters, amazing rock formations, warm sand, and of course, great friends to share the experience with.

Next stop, Capones Island. Don't ask me for the legend story of the Island. I heard there was a lighthouse built in 1886 and still operating until now. Sad to say, we were not able to dock on the area near the lighthouse because the water was really rough on that side. It was too dangerous to swim for the others. I was almost tempted to jump off the water but the all-for-one-one-for-all principle prevailed. We decided to go to another side of the island instead. There we spent 3 hours swimming, sunbathing, and staring at the horizon. I'm a water person. I started swimming at the age of 8... and I can say, it was one of the nicest beaches I've been..in the Luzon area! The best part was...we were the only people in the island at that given time. It was as if we owned the "resort". We were alone in the beach because we were soooooo early. We were enjoying the scenic view and quite wondering where did all this beauty come from... then a knock-out answer came, "Genesis Chapter One".

Final stop, Anawangin Cove. From Capones Island, it took us 45 minutes to reach the most awaited moment of that weekend. The place was a paradise. First rate. From a distance you can see a very long shoreline and the most famous pine trees. We pitched our tents as soon as we arrived, that was about 11:30am. We were so hungry despite of our morning snacks, and so some of the girls started preparing and cooking for lunch...in a conventional way. Camping life!

After our lunch, we headed toward our tents and rested for a while...the nap turned into hours of sleep. Yes, we got tired. We tried to walk along the shoreline and did little discoveries of what the place has to offer before the sun would set. Take note, there was no electricity available in the beach. It's good that we brought with us an emergency light and a bunch of flashlights. We cooked our food using charcoal and some twigs, and I say, "it was super fun!". It brought back memories of my girl scout days. We only brought one lamp so we had to eat before it gets dark in the woods. By 6pm we started having our scrumptious dinner (thanks Jai!).

Then we headed for the beach...night swimming! We had so much fun swimming, star-gazing... and singing! We got so amazed by those glittery particles in the water and wondered if they were bubbles or just the sand reflecting the light. The night was so asthonishing that we couldn't contain our joy and thankfulness to the Creator and Sustainer of Life, the Maker of heaven and earth. We started singing, "How Great is our God" and everyone kept on singing one song after the other until we moved up to shore singing, "...and I will rise on eagle's wings".

We took a bath in a nearby water pump to wash off the sand and the after-sticky-feeling of the seawater. It became another bonding session especially for the "sisterettes". Don't worry, there's also an available facility for bath and to-do-your-thing. See for yourself when you get there!

Everyone was in their PJs and was getting ready for a good-night-outdoor-sleep. Yes, camping life! Joel, Roche, Honey, Jai, Klaire and I were all set-in-tent but the others, Greg, Athan, Harry, Lulu, Kat, and Tin, were still chitchatting outside. Unfortunately, we were so exhausted to do the bonfire so we settled with an omni lamp. I can hear the sound of the crickets and the sea breeze, the conversation and giggles of my neighbors, and not to mention some guys snoring. Guess who?!

May 25, 2008, Sunday morning was beautiful as ever. Everyone woke up very early but me. I’m not a morning person..and everybody knows that. The girls did the kitchen thing. And the boys, what do you expect?! (Peace!). In fairness, they helped in and yes, were forced to wash the dishes (Ha!). It was a heavy breakfast, and the only food supply left. Our improvised-kitchen became another getting-to-know venue. One thing I learned in all my outdoor and ministry experiences, you get to know people better when you live with them, even for just a short period of time. The truth of the matter is that, their true characters are being revealed especially when they are tired or HUNGRY.. in this case, BOTH . (Ha!)

Our agenda for our last day: go trek in the woods and after that swim to a very fascinating spot where the river meets the sea. So everyone got themselves armed with… a bottle of water and camera!

Campers ready?! Onward march! Not far from our campsite, we saw a beautiful spot--a stream of water. It was so clear and cold. We were crossing over and realized that it was a perfect spot for photos..and so we stopped. Thank God for tripods! Then we moved on. Up, up, up to the hills and jungle. We crossed 4 streams of water (Greg blurted out, "it's like crossing the Jordan river!), struggled with weeds and strange looking plants and trees, bitten by ants and insects, and we got lost for a few minutes. After a 20-minute trek, we reached a majestic place in the middle of the forest. It was surrounded by mountains and trees. It was super green..and magnificent. I couldn't even describe what we saw in words . God is really a God of wonder.

After resting for a few minutes we decided to head back "tent" (head back home?). We were earnestly looking forward for another swimming experience...yes, to that place where the river meets the sea. Everything was washed out when we dipped into the cool waters of "river-sea". Aaaaaahhhhhh... For me, it was the best place to swim in Anawangin Cove. We did some sort of sea-water scrub for free that you normally pay for over a thousand pesos in Makati. While the girls, of course, took advantage of the natural spa...the boys, enjoyed swimming! (oh well!) The view from the river-sea was awesome. Indescribable.

After our last swimming activity, we got ourselves ready for home. (Sigh!) We waited for our water vessel to bring us back to the mainland. The water was rough and it was drizzling but it was part of the adventure...and it was fun! We arrived safely in San Antonio and took a bus to Olongapo City and from there homeward bound to Manila.

I had sooooo much fun that weekend. So, if you have the time and the resources, and great friends and family to be with you in a quest of a lifetime, explore Zambales and discover not only one of Philippines' best but one of God's best.

And I thank the Lord for not allowing us to go to Galera (all things work together for good), He opened a wide door for us to take pleasure in His beautiful masterpieces in the Province of Zambales.

Until the next trip...

(for more photos, please check http://pinoynga.com/thumbnails.php?album=101)