Hi there!
I have just been on a little trip to Zambales with my good friends and my kids. We went to Anawangin Cove and stayed there for two days and a night. Well what can I say - it was an enchanting place. Just off Pundakit on the boat, everything just started to look and feel majestic. The waters were high when we went there and my fears of the open sea were just compensated with the beautiful scenery. It’s like being in a live postcard.
The drive was smooth and easy. But it wasn’t short, no. Plus I was not driving that’s why it was easy ;-) I’m sorry Mike that you had to drive all the way and back. Well, you were never a passenger since the first day we met a few (read: many, many, many) years back. So anyway, from South Luzon Expressway to the North Luzon Expressway and still all the way to the new Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, we hit Pundakit and parked at a little barrio with the friendliest people. Romy, Mike’s contact person and our new friend, couldn’t hide his sheepish grin on our stuff alone – it needs a whole boat by itself! But they were very nice and helped us carry all our shhhtuff. You’ll guess we’re the people who definitely don’t want to get hungry.
We were greeted by Manang Ligaya and her son Max and her apo Robert. They set up our table, benches, and we started putting up our respective tents while having our coffee. We are not really campers nor mountaineers so we made a lot of big fuss about setting up our newly-bought tents but sure did have a lot of fun (and pictures) out of that task.
We then started preparing our lunch – grilled tilapia, chicken barbeque, hotdogs for the kids, ensaladang talong, and of course rice. And as Pinoys as we are, with that tinge of Spanish blood and influence, we had our siesta. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ………
Come mid afternoon we started trekking the woods – there’s a forest of pines at the back and streams. We walked along the stream while (of course) taking pictures of every tree, every rock, every flow of water, every puff of clouds, and every step of our way. At the end of the whole stream you will see how the river meets the sea. From that end you can see and feel and majestic presence of nature. The waves are great and fun. The mountain peaks make a bold statement. The ocean reveals its grand existence. And our joys can never be kept.
We bathed in the entertaining dance of the surf until dusk and took our baths at the good old poso. We prepared our dinner afterwards – sinigang from our neighboring campers (these are the experts – they are hard core mountaineers), more grilled tilapia and chicken barbeque, grilled zucchini (yes you read that right – z-u-c-c-h-i-n-i), green bell peppers, tomatoes, and of course some of that tender juicy hotdogs. We had stuck marshmallows on sticks and burned them over fire for dessert – this time Joel had quickly set up a bonfire at the front our tents. Afterwards, we walked in the shallow part of the woods to greet the fireflies and revel in how they lit up the tree tops. And before we scare ourselves in the woods, we headed back to the beach and just listened to the growling waves hitting the shore. The air was sweet and the night was indeed lovely.
Waking in the cool morning breeze is certainly my most favorite part of being away from the city. I cannot help but remember spending our summer vacation in the valleys with that distinct fresh scent and sweet gusts of wind.
We did our little trekking back again and even hiked up the mountain on the side. I am blessed to have adventurous children who just love and appreciate the beauty and gift of nature. We played with the exciting waves until it exhausted all the coffee, the cereals, the sardines, the danggit, the wheat bread, the peanut butter, and the fried rice we had just a few hours earlier.
It was heartbreaking leaving the shores of Anawangin. It was hard to smile and wave goodbye to Max and Robert, and later on to Manang Ligaya. It was not easy to go back to reality and snap out of the Anawangin enchantment we had for two days. But the memories will always be great.
Until we meet again…
