Up Northwest: Zambales II

DAY ONE was Anawangin. :)

DAY TWO. After our satisfying breakfast at Nora's, where we had a yummy and generous serving of tocilog for only P100, we started our itinerary before 7AM— Capones Island then Camara Island. [Sol and her friends weren't able to find a bus ride to Zambales.]

First drop was Capones Island.

Nice fine sand and shoreline. But we couldn't see the famous Faro de Punta Capones (Capones Lighthouse). Manong informed us that it's on the other side of the island. Hay, bat di nga naman namin nilinaw. Pero di ba yun ang main attaction ng Capones? The other boatmen told him to bring us there and let his "assistant" guide us to the trail. "Entertain the visitors, " sabi pa nung isa. So there, sakay ulit kami ng bangka.

[We had another option: to treck from the east side of the island to the lighthouse. But it will take us an hour or so to reach the place. And since our time was limited and we only had our flip flops, we opted to ride the boat again. Oh, they say that some scenes in the TV series Marimar were shot here as well as in Punte de Uian Resort back in Pundaquit. :D ]

The ride to the other side was a challenge because of the strong waves and rocky shore. [Boats cannot just dock there.] The treck to the Capones Lighthouse was not easy either. The way up is a bit steep and, during that time, slippery because it rained the previous night. Aside from the uneven rock surfaces, there were too many leaves scattered on the unmarked trail, making the treck more devious.

[We wouldn't recommend taking the treck to the lighthouse during rainy days, unless you have the right trekking gears.]

But when we got there, worth it naman yung less than 20-minute climb. The spot was romantic and peaceful. A 360-degree view of Capones and the nearby islands boasts a good photo-op material.

My buddy was persistent to resolve his kite flying frustration from our Rizal Park's visit. Dala dala ang P60-saranggola all the way from Manila, hehe.

We went down and returned to our boat at around 830AM.

Our next stop was Camara Island.

We were welcomed by a picturesque rock formation, and fine off-white sand. The island somehow reminded us of Shimizu Island in El Nido, Palawan. And like Anawangin Beach, it also has strong undercurrent but with gradual rocky slope. My buddy had his chance to snorkel. I didn't; the current was too strong for me.

We had the chance to use the Flip-float that I got from my WWA 2009 coverage. Imagine the effort it took us to inflate that raft manually. :P

The sun was already piercing at 10AM. After several camera stunts, we went back to the main land.

By 1230PM, we hired a tricycle back to San Antonio then catched a bus heading to Caloocan. It took us four hours to reach Manila. Oh, our bus ride was fun. :)

*****
We're both beach persons. And our recent coastline trip is not one of most favorite beach destinations. Most probably, not his, too. But what I appreciate about it was our attitude towards the whole thing. We didn't take the flaws of the trip as off-putting. Rather, we found ways on how to inject gratification into each downside we met by chance. I think, this time, 80% of the trip's fulfillment came from each other's company.

Are we coming back? For a trekking and camping adventure, yes. But for a good unruffled swim, we both think one visit is enough.

Thank you very much for the weekend, buddy ko. *kugos*

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Day 2 Overheads (for two persons): P2452

Anawangin-Capones-Camara Island Hopping = P 1500
Food = 400
Tricycle fare from Pundaquit to San Antonio = 50
Bus Fare from San Antonio to Manila = 502