Camp Anawangin

One usual dinner with Randy and Bobbhie, I blurted out that I want us to have a little trip for this summer. Ilocos, specifically, Pagudpud, was the initial destination but we thought it over and scratched it out as a lot of people told us that going to Ilocos without a car is pointless because tourist spots are from town to town. It's a waste of opportunity, not to mention money, to explore Ilocos by just going to Pagudpud.

I forgot how, but eventually, we agreed on Anawangin, a cove located at Pundakit, San Antonio, Zambales. I have always wanted to go there ever since I saw pictures of it on Tumblr. I love traveling around the Philippines. It gives me a strong sense of nationalism, in a way that, this is my country, it's only right that I know it by heart.

Here was the plan: 3 days, 2 nights. Stay overnight in Anawangin then head over to a resort for the last night.
Resorts in Pundakit were all fully booked so we settled in Crystal Beach Resort in San Narciso which is a 20 to 30 minute ride from Pundakit, San Antonio.
There are everyday bus trips for Zambales or other northern provinces in the Philippines at Victory Liner Inc. Sampaloc terminal doesn't do reservations so you have to be at least an hour early to get good seats.

So Saturday came, Aika, Bobbhie, Fong, Randy, and I met at around 5:00 am for the scheduled 6:00 am ride to Iba, Zambales. The bus fare is around 270 pesos for San Antonio. After 5 hours, we got dropped off at the San Antonio Municipal Hall and got a tricycle for Pundakit. Tricycle fare is 30 pesos per person. Tricycle drivers would recommend resorts if you don't have any reservations but in our case, Aika asked for a bangkero and they led us to Kuya Mike.
According to those tricycle drivers, Kuya Mike offers the cheapest boats to Anawangin. 1,000 pesos for a small boat and 2,000 pesos for the big one and that's to and from. Since we have a lot of bags, we decided to go with the big boat. We stayed at Kuya Mike's house in Purok Tres while waiting for the boat to get ready. Nanay Minda and Ate Sarah asked about our food. We bought canned goods and a pan and planned on cooking it while in Anawangin, you know, total camp feel, but while discussing it with them, we realized how much of a hassle it would be. They said they could prepare our food for us while we wait for the boat. Aika and Bobbhie fought over squid and fish and Bobbhie won. 2 kilos of squid costs 240 pesos and cooked adobo and calamari style. They also gave us cooked rice. When we asked for the service charge, they said they don't make people pay them and we were so surprised. They were so nice and the food was so delicious, of course we had to insist.

At Kuya Mike house.

L-R: Bobbhie, Randy, Fong and me.

Where's the boat? 

With Ate Sarah.

The boat ride to Anawangin was... Shaky. If boat rides make you dizzy like me, bring Bonamine. I almost barfed but the scenery kept me busy. It was ah-mazing. Amazing is an understatement, really. There are huge mountains spread across your eyes. The waves are kissing the bottom of the mountains. Different shades of green and brown are everywhere with a little touch of the shadows of the clouds. If I were a giant, I'd stare at that place all day.

First thing we did upon reaching the C shaped harbor that is Anawangin, was set up the tent (surprised it wasn't that hard), clothes-line and the garbage bag. Had a hearty lunch, the one Nanay Minda and Ate Sarah prepared and then we went swimming. The water was cold and I watched the sunset while floating in the ocean. It was so breathtaking. Colors of dark yellow to orange, light purple to dark blue. The surreal changing of colors and watching the sun go down, all I could do was smile.

Setting up the tent, yey!

Taking a bath after a swim was a complete hassle. But that's just me. There are public comfort rooms but with no light so I took a bath in the dark. Tip: Bring a flashlight. I did but I left it in my bag. The water in there is also salty so it's best to just wash the sand from your body and that's it. Also, don't take too long because a lot of people are waiting for their turns. Another tip: Bring mouthwash as you wouldn't be able to clean your teeth with salty water.
Back at the camp, we had dinner, same food as lunch, and yes, it was enough and then looked for someone who can help us with the bonfire. I forgot Manong's name but he's usually just around making bonfire for everyone for 100 pesos. If you plan on having a bonfire for long, if you can look for wood, just do so because the bonfire only lasts like, 30 to 40 minutes. Fong and Randy were our bonfire keepers. They looked for wood everywhere which was good for Randy as he got to see some cute guys, haha! But if you're completely lazy and you have lots of money, spend 100 pesos every 40 minutes, no big deal.
We laid on the sand, roasted marshmallows, listened to old school Indie music and Adele, Gotye and Foster The People. The bright stars above were like us. Spread across the sky. I hardly see stars in Manila so I cherished the moment.

Aika and the bonfire.

Woke up pretty early and ate breakfast, guess what, same food. It wasn't spoiled and it's still good but there's no hot water, we couldn't have coffee. No coffee means death to my friends. Anyway, we decided to take a stroll on the beach and take pictures. It was a long walk so we were exhausted, literally in dire need of water and cursing Randy because he was the one who made us take that walk. Tip again: If you can bring water, like gallons of water, do so. Water and ice there are expensive, like, 80 pesos per bottle and 50 pesos for ice. I think it was 8:00 am when we got back to the camp and we only had 2 hours left 'til Kuya Mike picks us up so gathered up our things, even the cigarette butts because we don't have to leave the camp dirty. Hello, little respect for Mother Nature.

Good morning, Anawangin!

Anawangin Cove.

From San Antonio to San Narciso it's 250 pesos per tricycle. We arrived in Crystal Beach Resort about lunch time. The resort was huge and the people are very accommodating. We even met the owner, the one they call "Big Boss" and he thanked us for coming over. After getting our room, we all took a shower and planned on sleeping until 5:30 pm-ish so we could explore the resort. But we all woke up at 1:00 in the morning, hell, we basically wasted a day. Aika, Fong and Randy played cards until the restaurant opened and we had buffet breakfast.
Seeing the blue water and strong waves, we contemplated on whether going for a short dip or just stay put because our check out time was at 12 noon. Of course the beach took over us so we literally ran towards our room, changed clothes and jumped on the ocean. Btw, I wasn't kidding about the strong waves. Those waves almost killed us. Well, we were constantly laughing all throughout that swim and we just realized afterwards that those waves could actually kill us, so be cautious, haha.

L-R: Bobbhie, Fong, me and Randy.

Aika.

Fongster.

Bobbhie and Randy.

The bus from Iba to Manila arrives in San Narciso at 1:30 so we got busy by eating and smoking. So busy that the bus passed us by, scrambled and ran for it.

Reality bites, guys. 

Waiting for the bus for Manila.

As friends, Aika, Bobbhie, Fong, Randy, and I, we know each other in and out, head to foot. We all never thought we would survive camp life but hell yeah, we did. I guess this is life's little way of showing us that there are more ways of knowing someone you think you know so well already. I couldn't imagine this Zambales trip without them. I wouldn't have it any other way. I had so much fun. On my list of places to visit - Anawangin, one huge check!

I mentally took pictures of the things that stood out to me on this trip. Everything is picture perfect. Yep, nothing compared to the pictures I posted here. And the best thing is, I don't need it to be printed. It's with me forever.