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As an annual family vacation every May, we went up North to Baguio City last weekend.

We haven’t been going to the usual tourist spots like Mines View Park, Botanical Garden, Wright Park and Philippine Military Academy (PMA) since we’ve visited these places a couple of times years before.

This time, we went to Tam-Awan Village for a different experience. I’ll post a separate article about that, meanwhile, let me tell you what I do when 0n vacation in Baguio.

One of the fun things that I always do when is going to Ukay Ukay stores to look for very affordable fashion finds.

Aside from the cool weather, Baguio City has also become famous for its Ukay-Ukay (probably derived from the Filipino word Hukay, or to dig) or Wagwagan (to shake) shops. Originally, clothes, bags, shoes are thrown in on a mat, table, or big boxes where you can dig to find your match, these were on small shops and  side walks.

Now there are several Ukay Ukay joints in Baguio, most famous are the Skyworld along Session Road, and Bayanihan, near Burnham Park. They have rows of clothes racks, and shoes are displayed in an organized manner.

I still do not know where the items come from, some say these are surpluses from abroad, maybe why some items are brand new and still have tags.

Most of the items are pre-owned goods and if you’re lucky, you’ll find new, branded stuff at very cheap prices.

Another place to visit is an area called Hilltop, behind the Baguio Market where they sell all sorts of clothes, accessories and even home furnishings like curtains and bed sheets. You can find streets and blocks of Ukay Ukay shops in Hilltop. A few years ago, I was also able to buy a couple of good finds in Harrison Building in Harrison Street, beside Burnham Park. At night, Ukay Ukay sellers would spread out their selling goods around Harrison Building, passing through Mabini Street going up to Calderon Street. Calderon Street is intersection Session Road. At the corner is Skyworld. So that’s a whole block of Ukay Ukay stuff!

Related Post:

Oh My Gulay! Baguio City
Filomena’s Restaurant and Bakeshop, Baguio City
Tam-Awan Village, Baguio City
Strawberry Farm, La Trinidad Benguet

This year at Puerto Galera, instead of the usual Coral Garden – Bukete – Bayanan island hopping, we only went to Coral Garden and Bayanan. We were supposed to go back to White Beach, where we were checked in, but the boatman was nice enough to wait for us while we have lunch at the nearby Aninuan Island. So instead of going to Bukete, we went to Tamaraw Beach Resort to have lunch.

We went to the small dining area and ordered for food.  think it took about an hour before our food was served. While waiting, I took photos around and surveyed the place. They offer different water rides: banana boat, glass bottom boat and wakeboarding, even. But a little pricey for half an hour’s worth.

There are lounge chairs in the shore, and ping pong table beside the coffee shop. The place is full of plants and flowers too.

I asked for their rates becuase Tamaraw Beach Resort seemed a nice place for families and honeymooners. The rooms look nice and clean too. They even have weekly and monthly rates for the units that have kitchennette.

It’s peaceful and quiet, with its quaint own shoreline. I wish to get away to Tamaraw Beach Resort soon!

Related Post:

AMCI Anniversary Weekend

Though the sun setting and fading out from the horizon is not visible from Anawangin Cove, you will surely appreciate the sky at dawn. As I have mentioned in previous articles about the cove, the sky that one sees from Brgy. Pundaquit to Anawangin Cove has a naturally beautiful blue gradation, fading to white as it touches the horizon.

As there is no electricity in the cove, no one will miss the vibrant colors of the sky as it changes from blue to warm colors, while the water catches and reflects the hues.

Related Posts:

Getting to Anawangin Cove, Zambales
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 1) – The Beach
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 2) – The River
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 3) – The Open Field
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 4) – The View Deck
Capones Island, Pundaquit Zambales
Camara Island, Pundaquit Zambales

Continued from Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 3) – The Open Field

I wondered why the photos of Anawangin Cove that I see online are shots from the top. I did not know that there’s actually a view deck. No one mentioned it in blogs that I’ve read. It always seemed like an areal shot from hiking Mt. Pundaquit. Truth is, the view deck is only about 5-10 minutes of trekking. Easy, breezy and really pretty. :)

These are what you see on the way to the top:

The view deck has two levels, the one steeper than the other. We settled for the lower deck. Enough to see the whole cove.

We would have waited for the sunset but we did not bring flashlights with us, and the group’s mainly composed of inexperienced hikers, so going down the hill would be difficult in the dark. Sunrise and sunsets cannot be seen on the cove because mountains and rock formations would obstruct the view. But the blue sky turning red was a wonderful scene.

Thanks to Reden, Redentor and Dave, our tour guides from Adventure Road Trip for the fun weekend!

Related Posts:

Getting to Anawangin Cove, Zambales
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 1) – The Beach
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 2) – The River
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 3) – The Open Field
Anawangin Cove, Zambales – The Sunset Skies
Capones Island, Pundaquit Zambales
Camara Island, Pundaquit Zambales

From Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 2) – The River / Swamp

Dave took us to the Anawangin Cove’s open field at the back of the island. It’s a nice place to play frisbee! He said wild tamaraws roam freely there. Too bad they were not around when we came. But there were a lot of dungs and mud baths. Since there’s no electricity in Anawangin, and the open field reminded me of the UP Sunken Garden, but much wider, and Jma said it’s like a “party place”, I named the area as “The Anawangin Concert Grounds”. We would have a blast mosh pitting in the mud baths! Haha.

The open field is like a challenge in Tomb Raider, you can see a vast open field, and the trees that surrounded it. You can run towards the trees, but some are dead ends, some are opening up to unknown forests.

The golden Mt. Pundaquit more visible in the open field.

After taking photos, Dave led us back to the beach. Crossing the shallow river once more, I did not pass the chance to experience it more than dipping my feet on it. I laid down the shallow flowing water. It was soothing. I did not want to leave, but we need to go to the view deck to see the whole island.

Related Posts:

Getting to Anawangin Cove, Zambales
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 1) – The Beach
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 2) – The River
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 4) – The View Deck
Anawangin Cove, Zambales – The Dawn
Capones Island, Pundaquit Zambales
Camara Island, Pundaquit Zambales

From Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 1) – The Beach

There were barb wires fencing off the river or swamp of Anawangin Cove from visitors. Red2 said there used to be no fence there. The fence is probably because of the Frank incident where the river rose and produced massive flash floods.

Red2 checked the river, it was only ankle deep, sometimes knee deep in some parts. One member of our group went in, I did too. A little later, everyone was in the river, taking photos of each other. The setting was like the in the movies where you see a fairy in the wild, nearby a beautiful river.

The river was calm, clear and glistening. From afar, green plants and shrubs, sun rays penetrating the leaves of the taller trees. We walked a little farther, in the mini forest, then met another river. We followed the river’s current. And it led us to a wider opening, to a white sand area at the end. A river with white sand, yes. It turned out that this area is connecting to the beach, and to the first river that we crossed. Anawangin’s layout is really amazing.

If I had more time, and if I had my life vest with me, I would have explored that area with the wider river more. I was taking precautions because I don’t really know how deep the water ahead could be.

Of course the river is shaded by the Agoho trees that dwell well in Anawangin Cove.

We came back to camp for lunch. We had a feast, of course. We took our time eating and digesting our food. It seemed that Anawangin has this calming breeze that made us slow down. I wasn’t even in a hurry to go the water, I even took a nap at around 3-4 PM. Ktin woke me up and it’s time to explore the island, again. Next destinations: the open field, and the view deck.

Related Posts:

Getting to Anawangin Cove, Zambales
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 1) – The Beach
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 3) – The Open Field
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 4) – The View Deck
Anawangin Cove, Zambales – The Sunset Skies
Capones Island, Pundaquit Zambales
Camara Island, Pundaquit Zambales

It is really beautiful. I’ve been to a lot of beaches before, and this, by far, is one of my favorites. Imagine the layers of Anawangin Cove: alighting the boat, the water touches your feet – it is really calm and clean. Then walk towards the sand that is white at high sunlight. After the clear shoreline, rows and columns of tall Agoho trees (which look like pine trees), behind them, a river, only ankle deep, with brown flat stones. Surrounding the sand, Agoho trees and river, as if embracing them, are green and yellow gold mountains.

We arrived at the beautiful cove at around 7:30 AM, there were only about three groups that were already there. We chose a table nearest Aling Ligaya’s kubo (nipa hut). Aling Ligaya is the caretaker of the island. We then set up our tents, in the sands. I helped set up two tents :)

There are no resorts or lodges in the cove and the only way to stay overnight is by tent camping. There’s also no electricity. It’s a good thing the cove is not infested by mosquito and other insects or bugs. You have to bring your own drinking water, or arrange for delivery from the barangay/mainland. If it’s peak season or weekend, the locals may have a few gallons to sell.  I only saw one make shift store there and they sell beer at double the price, so better bring everything you need. If you’ll hike and would camp overnight, you can send your stuff (tent, gears, food, water) via pump boat, make sure someone comes along with your stuff to prepare/unpack because the pumpboat ride is only 30 minutes and the hike is about 6 hours, you do not want to spoil your food.

After setting up the tent, some of us started to prepare the our stocked foods in the table, some surveyed the place, some looked for a spot to set up our grill and cookwares. I walked away from the sands to be under the canopy of the Agoho trees, picked a table in the middle of a wide human trail, and lied down on it to relax. This was my view above:

Tall Agoho trees that are probably in the family as the pine trees:

A few minutes later, I went back to our camp to check on the group. Some were already grilling pokchop and chicken wings. Our tour guide Dave was preparing his SuperKalan (a small stove). Our two other tour guides namely Red1 and Red2, were also busy preparing other stuff. Before lunch, Red2 invited the group to walk deeper into the woods to see the river.

Getting to Anawangin Cove, Zambales
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 2) – The River
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 3) – The Open Field
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 4) – The View Deck
Anawangin Cove, Zambales – The Dawn
Capones Island, Pundaquit Zambales
Camara Island, Pundaquit Zambales

I’ve heard about it so much. Friends recommended it to me several times. They showed me photos of the beach. Yes, it was lovely. Since it’s only in Zambales, I decided to go for it. I was determined to conquer Anawangin Cove, until Frank happened.

It’s a known story in the mountaineering community. Typhoon Frank killed three mountaineers in Anawangin last year. My trip was postponed right there and then.

Last month, Ktin, one of my best friends in college sent me a message saying that she’ll be organizing a tour to Anawangin. I’ve booked all my weekends from 3rd week of March to end May, except for two weekends — May 9 and 10, and May 16 and 17. Luckily, Ktin’s scheduled trip is on May 16 and 17, I said yes in an instant.

I was looking for Anawangin articles and photos to excite me. Wow, Anawangin has white sand, pine trees and yellow mountains surrounding it. Is this really in the Philippines? Then I stumbled upon several blogs that said that Anawangin is dangerous, and notorious for several drowning incidents, even on a good weather. It’s been raining the past few days, and a couple of storms have been passing by Luzon recently. As a safety precaution, I decided to buy a life vest. I’m not fond of life vests because I cannot move or swim with ease when wearing it. But since I travel and go snorkeling on open sea a lot, I have long decided to buy my self this very useful gear. But never had I imagined that I will be buying it under panic mode. My selection process in buying gears and gadgets is really long. But with the beauty of Anawangin in mind, and the danger it poses, I have got to get a life vest ASAP!

So I got myself a yellow Speedo life vest on Friday night, four hours before boarding a van to Zambales, went home and packed my stuff.

At 2 AM, we were meeting up with the group. Every one was excited, and wished for no rain for the whole trip. We stopped over at Bonjour somewhere in Pampanga and arrived at San Antonio at around 6:00 AM when the sun was already rising. We could see Mt. Pundaquit from afar. It was majestic. The sun’s rays bouncing yellow gold colors in the mountain’s grasses made it really beautiful, almost surreal. As if it’s not in Luzon, Philippines even. I wasn’t able to take a photo of the golden mountain because I was on the other side of the van, and it’s got tinted windows. But the fresh morning sunlight really makes Mt. Pundaquit a golden treasure.

We had breakfast at Nora’s Beach Resort. We only ordered coffee from Nora’s because we brought our own cooked breakfast. Nora is open to visitors who bring in their own food. Maybe as long as they don’t stay too long so other customers could be accommodated.

We then went to Apo Baket Resort to rent the boats. While boarding the boats, we could see the pretty Mt. Pundaquit.

There are only two ways to reach Anawangin Cove. One is to hike Mt. Pundaquit at 5-6 hours (some say 3-4 hrs.) or ride pumpboats for 30 minutes. Although treks and hikes are mostly more scenic, the view via boat was actually good too.

Amazingly, this area of Zambales has its naturally magnificent blue skies. The gradient fading to the horizon is natural, really beautiful, and the water is clear.

It was a fast and calm ride. We passed by Camara Island, and Capones Island. It was easy to tell when nearing Anawangin Cove. For one, your boat will pass by low rock formations in the middle of the ocean. It’s like a breakwater, but almost just sea level, and made of natural rocks. And two, yellow mountiains and giant pine trees surrounding white sand and light blue waters will be seen from afar. That is Anawangin Cove.

Related Posts:

Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 1) – The Beach
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 2) – The River
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 3) – The Open Field
Anawangin Cove, Zambales (part 4) – The View Deck
Anawangin Cove, Zambales – The Dawn
Capones Island, Pundaquit Zambales
Camara Island, Pundaquit Zambales

Hedgren is a “Belgian manufacturer of female, travel & business bags. Bags & Travelgear which are functional, comfortable, qualitative with an innovative design.” And I love quality travel gears like Hedgren and The North Face.

When I went to the Singapore IT Fair last March and ended up buying a White 320G My Passport Essential and a Function HGA 16 Hedgren Travelgear (check it out at page 5). It is designed by Xavier Kegels, the founder of Hedgren and the previous owner of Kipling. This could be why there’s a certain similar detail about Kipling and Hedgren products.

HGA 16 is a lovely backpack with a laptop divider, ample pockets and cellphone container at the shoulder strap. I love big, versatile bags because I can use them everyday, or when I travel as this bag has expandable compartments for overnight trips.

Here’s a link that shows its every angle.