Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Zambales Camping and Island Hopping Adventure

Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
What happens when three girls go away for a weekend?



Pundaquit, Zambales
Bid civilization goodbye for a day when my friends and I went on an epic camping adventure last April. There were actually four of us, three unexperienced campers with a four-year old, but we managed. We left Manila at 5am and stopped over for breakfast along NLEx, arriving at Pundaquit, Zambales, around 9am.
Capones Island
We met with Mang Florante, whom we have been communicating with for the past week. He charged us P4,000 total, inclusive of food, water, boat, island hopping, entrance fees, and a tent. We thought it was a good deal (keyword: thought, because we didn't really have anything to compare it to), plus it meant less problems for us (cooking, setting up tent, etc.) Though I guess what we did wouldn’t be considered “roughing it,” since we weren’t exactly out in the wild and we had hired people to do the difficult stuff for us. But we did sleep in tents, so that’s still something! Haha!
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
The only catch is that you have to transfer half of the total via LBC at least a day before your scheduled trip, so he can finalize everything and purchase the food. We were iffy at first, but it all turned out well. Mang Florante seems to be one of those recommended guys when it comes to arranging trips in the area. If you're interested in going island hopping/camping, here's his number: (0917) 739-1949.
Zambales Adventure
For the island hopping part, we had four destinations - Camara, Capones, Anawangin, and Nagsasa – the last being our camping site. I have actually been to Nagsasa in 2010 and it looks a lot different now from what it did before. For one, I don't recall the island having numerous stalls that offered snacks and drinks. There weren't “resorts” that rented out huts and tents, too. Another huge change would be that restrooms are now available - I mean, actual restrooms with doors and running water! It used to be just an island where you can go and swim at. It’s definitely more developed now, but still maintaining the beauty of the island.
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Anawangin and Nagsasa have no cellular reception, though in case of an emergency, there’s this stall in Nagsasa with a satellite phone that you can use to text for P50. It might seem a bit scary for some, to not have access to the real world while being stuck on an island; we were worried, too. But the campers there mainly kept to their own, no one bothered us in any way during our stay. Plus, when we got there, we didn't really care for lack of signal anymore. It just meant we can focus on being in the moment, the entire experience, and the people we were with. Ultimate bonding experience at its finest!
Zambales AdventureNagsasa Cove, ZambalesAnawangin, Zambales
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
The kuyas warned us about how there were lots of rocks around Camara, so we ended up not going to avoid any accidents. I don’t know if it’s a trick that they say to lessen the islands you have to go to and save gas, but we didn’t mind missing a stop after our disappointment in Capones Island. There was trash everywhere. It was really disappointing to see people eating and having picnics, and just leaving their trash on the beach. People are so irresponsible. I've read articles about the trash situation in Baler and Boracay as well. People need to realize that we are the ones who need to keep our beaches (and other public areas) clean in order to keep its natural beauty and the country's tourism to boom. It's actually our responsibility.

I'm glad that Nagsasa is still able to maintain that cleanliness and that the "resort" we stayed in provided garbage bags for our trash.
Zambales Adventure
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Everything was smooth sailing.. until dinner, that is. While we were eating and minding our own business, a white beetle suddenly appeared (out of nowhere!!) on our table!! We screamed and panicked, but no one came to our rescue. Haha! We had to fend for ourselves, but of course, that’s part of nature, and therefore, part of the experience as well. We kept laughing at how ridiculous we were all being, so when the beetle disappeared, we tried to go back to our meals. But since we were already praning and every movement or sound outside of our own would have us jumping to our feet, we eventually moved our dinner in the tent! Hahaha!
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Sleeping in the tent is a completely different story. It was humid at first, especially with the entryway closed. Luckily, the weather turned for the better around 11pm. The next day, we woke up at 5:30am to catch the sunrise, pack our bags, have breakfast, and leave for Anawangin by 8am.
Anawangin, Zambales
When we got there, the first thing I noticed was that there was considerably more people in Anawangin Cove compared to Nagsasa. That's probably because Anawangin is closer to Pundaquit, hence, lesser travel time. The camping site there is situated further from the beach, separated by a stream, with lots of trees around the site itself. But if you were to ask me, I'd still prefer Nagsasa over it.
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Quick list of things to bring:
Overnight parking fee in Pundaquit (P200)
Sunblock and insect repellant
Water, soda, and/or beer
Food (lots of it!)
A great book to read
Flashlight / portable lamp
Fan (battery operated / hand operated e.g. pamaypay haha)
Beach shoes (the sand can get really hot in the afternoon)
Extra money (so you can buy from the stalls, rent kayaks, etc)
Speakers plus an awesome beach playlist
Pepper spray / taser (just in case)
Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
Nagsasa Cove
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Until next time, Zambales! :)