Trip to San Antonio, Zambales

we finally had a chance to visit san antonio, zambales after searching online about their beatiful coves and beaches. target date: december 20-22, 2009. why december? because the probability of having typhoon in the country is less. not to mention the bonuses to finance the trip.

we planned to visit 5 places - nagsasa cove, talisayin cove, anawangin cove, capones island and camarra island. we would camp for one night at nagsasa cove, then go to the other destinations the following day and rest in a resort. our estimated budget, 6 thousand pesos.

we left victory liner station in cubao exactly 9am. after 4 hours, we arrived at san antonio in zambales. we had our late lunch in one of the carinderias in the place, then went to the market to buy other things we need - water, junk food, rice, dried fish, oil, 3-in-1 coffee mix, charcoal. just a note, the place was very quiet. it's not the usual busy and noisy marketplace.

around 2.15pm, we took a tricycle going to barangay san miguel. after 10-15 minutes, we arrived in the place where our boatman was waiting for us. we then went to the beach where the boat was ready. it's when i saw the big waves. it got me scared since i don't know how to swim! i immediately picked up the lifevest and wore it around my upper body.

once the boat started sailing, it made me feel relaxed. the boatman was good at maneuvering the boat. but it didn't stop me from saying a lot of prayers. :-) after an 1 hr, we were at nagsasa cove. we had the place all to ourselves. it's very quiet and peaceful. the view, simply amazing! it's as if we were in another country - new zealand?

nagsasa cove

nagsasa cove, early morning

early morning on december 21, our boatman came and took us to our second destination, talisayin cove. it's almost the same as nagsasa cove. but it has some concrete cottages. the caretaker said the owner of the "resort" only opens the place during holy week.

we then went to anawangin cove. this time, there were other campers in the place. this i think is the busiest in the 3 coves. camping won't be hard here since the place has pump wells and clean and concrete rest rooms. if you ran out of food, you can also buy some food in a small store.

i thought we would stay longer in anawangin, but after seeing that it's almost the same view we saw in nagsasa and talisayin, we sailed to our next destination - the capones island. the waves were bigger. i could feel the boat really shaking. but knowing that my boyfriend was with me was a great help to calm me. :-)

we arrived in capones island around 1pm. it was so hot, and the place had very little shade. since the boat was unable to dock in the area near the lighthouse, our other option was to trek to the area for an hour or two. but the heat of the sun weakened us. we decided it might not be the right time to see the lighthouse.

talisayin cove

anawangin cove

capones island

at least we still have something to anticipate when we come back - the lighthouse and the camarra island. all in all, the trip was great and very enjoyable. just seeing the beauty of nature gives me joy. thank God for his creation.

People's Park, Davao

davao city opened last 2007 a public park, called "People's Park", built in the old PTA grounds. hundreds of trees were planted around and inside the park. it has different sections like the rainforest and the children's grounds. aside from the trees, native sculptures made by mindanao's kublai khan can also be seen in the park.

since it's opening, it has become a favorite place of group and family gatherings. there is no entrance to the park, but guards will inspect your bags before entering the premises. the sound system in the park does not play foreign nor religious songs. it's to make sure the park becomes a place for every davaoeño.

when i and my friends visited the park last april 2008, it was still new and still have some finishing touches to be done. it's clean and i hope it remains that way.

welcome to people's park davao

colorful fountains dancing inside the park

a small pond inside the park

people's park shot from a higher ground

one of the features that's yet to be finished

Pasig City Rainforest

if you are near pasig city and would like to have some family time, go and visit the city's Rainforest park. there is no entrance free, and you can bring food inside the park. just make sure to take your garbage with you when you go home.

if you have kids, i'm sure they will enjoy the place. the park has a mini-zoo that houses some animals - snake, wild pigs, ostrich and more. it has ponds with fishes. it also has man-made waterfalls, that though small, still good to see.

it has well-maintained green fields and gazebos and cottages. eating, playing and taking a nap won't be a problem in this place. indeed, this is a great place for clean fun! (have very limited photos below:)

 

there are ostriches in the park

 

the man-made waterfalls

 

a very colorful peacock

A Visit to Tiendesitas

another place to have fun while in metro manila is tiendesitas, located in pasig city (that is if you find shopping malls too familiar).

if you are looking for a place where you can sit, talk and dine with your friends, this is the right place. its "food village" offers delicious filipino cuisine. some are pricey, some are affordable, depends actually on your choice of food. live bands and/or singers perform everyday (if i'm not mistaken, hehe...) - sometimes including popular names. that's what i really like with tiendesitas.

there are other "villages" in tiendesitas, based on what they offer - delicacies for gifts, handicrafts, bazaar, furniture, pets and accessories, and so much more. it's also a venue of activities every now and then. the last time i went there, they had a dog show.

live band performing (pardon the poor shot)

these lights caught my attention - so colorful!

if there's something i don't like visiting when i'm there, it's the "pet village" (sorry, but i don't like the smell). but overall, i always had nice experience in tiendesitas.

Global Fun Carnival

filipinos are happy people. we find happiness even in simple things. i'm not really a fan of carnival rides, but it's really fun to visit this place with family or some friends.

it was Christmas season in 2007 when we (college friends) decided to get together in MOA (mall of asia). we've been working in manila for years, but didn't spend time to meet and dine. and Christmas season just seemed to be the perfect time.

so after eating our dinner, we headed to the Global Fun Carnival, setup in a vacant lot near MOA. since rides make me sick, my plan was just to take pictures of them. fortunately for me (though unfortunately for them, haha!!), there were lots of people in the carnival that night. the line to the ride they wanted to take was long. so we all ended up just strolling the place. though it wasn't really an andrenaline-full night, we still had fun.

Trip to Camiguin

we had an educational trip way back 2002 or 2003 (it's been so long ago, i can't remember the exact year). digital cameras were not yet that familiar and cheap yet. i brought with me our camera (the one that uses films) and took pictures of the places we visited. unfortunately, i only managed to save the above 2 photos. :-(

we left davao at 10pm. by morning, we were already in camiguin. our first stop was katibawasan falls. the waters were very cold. i could not stay very long because i was already shivering. our next stop was the sto. niño cold spring. as the name implies, the water was icy cold. really! no exaggeration. but if you're with your friends, no condition can stop you from having fun.

 we then rode a motorboat to the white island. it's a small island with white sand, that's visible during low tide. the island vanishes during high tide. mt. hibok-hibok served as a beautiful background from the island. we finished the day with a stop at ardent hot spring. it's a 3-level tub of hot water - the topmost level the hottest. we went back to the resort exhausted and ready to sleep. that's it for our camiguin trip. i'm planning to go back to camiguin though. the trip we had was only for a day, so we spent very little time enjoying the scenic spots. hopefully, i could post a part 2 of camiguin trip. :-)