Wandering in Anawangin

Anawangin Cove

I came across Anawangin Cove from Mabuhay magazine which I browsed one lazy afternoon at my Aunts house. I was wondering where I could find the place since internet at that time was not readily available at one click unlike today. I just seen a photo filler in the said magazine which has a beautiful white sandy beach, dark blue to greenish water with pine trees at the other side and almost surrounded by mountains. It was so beautiful that I can't forget the image for days and months. The only caption on that picture wash "Anawangin Cove, Zambales, Philippines"

Since that day, I promised myself I will go to Anawangin Cove once I have the budget and the courage to travel alone. So when I stumble upon an ad that caters tourist who wants to go to Anawangin with minimal pay, I immediately inquire, luckily they don't require large number of participants before availing the tour package.

When the day of the tour came, I was tensed because I didn't know what to expect. It's my first time to join a tour group without knowing anyone in that tour. The time of departure was 2 AM in the morning so I was so anxious and tensed. But when the van leave Manila I told myself to calm down and enjoy the trip. Nothing bad will happen so just expect a nice tour during the day. The trip gone smoothly so I was assured that the trip will be very interesting.

The van stopped at San Antonio Public Market to give tourist a time buy some food, and other necessities they needed, the tour itinerary included a stop at the market to buy things we needed for these travel. It's an hour stop for the tourist to have supplies they need for this trip.

Pine trees abound the area

this is where the tents are assembled

Barangay Pundakit, San Antonio, Zambales

We arrived at Barangay Pundakit at around 6:30 AM followed by a 30 minute boat ride going to Capones Island. Sailing to the area was fun and exciting. The water was a bit calm and mountains is seen from anywhere you look at. We hiked the Capones lighthouse and took a lot of pictures in the area. The view from Capones lighthouse was so stunning. The sea was sparkling like gem struck by the lights of the rising sun. It was a breezy hike along the grassy hills rising above the sea.

After an hour of walking, trekking, climbing and taking pictures we leave the place and proceeded to Anawangin Cove. The boat ride from Capones Island to Anawangin was almost an hour. the waves was bigger since its almost high noon but the journey was smooth and my eyes was captivated by the beautiful seascapes we passed through.

 

huts at the beach front. 

the only store available in the area

When we reach Anawangin it was 11 AM and I was hungry. I avail the tour package with food but I forgot to bring extra food because I expect that the tour will provide our lunch. Earlier activities in Capones Island which includes walking and hiking made me tired and hungry.

this is where guest pay the entrance and environmental fee

The Cove has a fine white sand when dry and turns to gray when its wet because its lahar content mixed in the sand. Hundreds of tall pine trees abound the cove which according to locals those trees grow after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo.



There is no high-end resort in the are so under the pine trees you can assemble your tents. Bath and restrooms uses deep well waters and there is no electricity, telecom and wi-fi connection in the area. Consider you trip to Anawangin as an immersion to nature. It's a total detachment from the usual city life for tourists.



Aside from swimming at the beach, you can also hike the hills around the cove to view the mesmerizing allure of the area. You can take picture of the cove from the top of the hill. Or you can visit the falls around the area. It's a 30 minutes walk from the the beach. There you can enjoy the cool water but trekking to the falls is not advisable without guide because of the wild carabaos that roam around the area. They say those wild carabaos are aggressive especially when there are young calf among the herds.

Tourist must bring water for rehydration. Do not forget to bring food because there is no big stores or restaurant around the area. There is a sari-sari store but the product prices are doubled. You can't evade the splashing waters during sailing to the island.  Don't forget to waterproof you things.




What does Anawangin mean?
Anawangin comes from the Ilocano word "nuang" which means carabao (Anawangin literally means "full of carabaos"), until now wild carabaos abound the island according to our guides during our trip to this beautiful enchanting cove.

Let's go to Calaruega

A friend of mine is bragging about a beautiful place she's been to when she attended a wedding. 

She told me its a beautiful place to unwind, walk around, relax, go on picnic, and meditate. Intrigued and curious about the place, one day I planned a trip to Calaruega. I want to experience the tranquil ambience to soothe my weary mind. I must say it never disappointed me. What my friend told me is true. The place is very serene, lots of greens and flowers abounding the area, relaxing, breezy and calming, if you are experiencing a lot of stress I recommend you to visit this place. 

The church was erected on the hill which is the highest place on the compound. Inside the church is a colored glass mosaic and wood which makes the it very serene and quiet, It has a lot of pine trees, palms and flowery plants. It also has a ponds of Kois, and a hanging bridge. Many couples chooses this place to have their prenuptial photos and also tie the knot. No far away you can view the rolling hills of Nasugbu and Mount Batulao, the mountains that's frequented by hikers,

The landscape was superb.  The place is accommodating retreats and conventions according to the flyers they handed upon entering the place. I has an entrance fee of 30 pesos during our visit in early January 2016. 

Take the Nasugbu path. Just a few minutes from entering Nasugbu, you’ll see a right turn with signs and buildings going to 

Evercrest, turn right. Then follow the road and you’ll see a sign of Calaruega, take that. It’s a rough road by the way. 

Once you reach the church, proceed to the gate and there’s an entrance fee of P30.00/person that you will need to pay which will include your parking fee already.

Address: Caleruega, Brgy. Kaylaway, Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas

Phone:(043) 706 0348

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How to get there?

I you're commuting, From Manila, take a bus going to Nasugbu. Buses going to this route are in Buendia. Just ask the bus conductor or the driver to drop you off to Evercrest. It will take 2 to 3 hours commute going there if traffic was not heavy. Bus fare is 130 pesos. Upon alighting in Evercrest, take a tricycle going to the Church. They will charged you 50 pesos for one way. There's no regular trip going there so you can ask the tricycle driver to pick you, just tell them what hour you're leaving Calaruega so that they can pick you up.

I you're travelling with your car, take the route below:
From Manila, take South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and take the Sta. Rosa exit. Turn right from the toll gate and just follow the main road. Proceed towards Tagaytay market and turn right to reach Tagaytay rotonda. Upon reaching the rotonda, go straight until you reach the boundary of Tagaytay and Batangas. Keep going. Then until you reach the entry point of Lemery and Nasugbu towns. Take the Nasugbu path. Just a few minutes from entering Nasugbu, you’ll see a right turn with signs and buildings going to Evercrest, turn right. Then follow the road and you’ll see a sign of Calaruega, take that. It’s a rough road by the way so you better prepare yourself from dust and bumpy ride.

You can also bring food and go on a picnic at the area. Bring water to rehydrate yourself during a long walk if you're to explore the place.

Wandering in Luisiana, Laguna (Hulugan Falls)

Brief info on Luisiana, Laguna

Luisiana is a fourth class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 20,148 people.^[3] Locals call the town 'Little Baguio of Laguna' because of its high elevation and cooler climate like the City of Baguio. (credits from wikipedia)

One day while browsing Facebook posts I stumble upon a beautiful pictures of falls. I got curious of where can I find the place so I browsed a little more. Then I learned that the location is near Manila so search of how to get there. I learned that it's in Laguna but the town Luisiana is not familiar to me. I search the net for ways on how to get there, what to expect going there, what to bring and the safety of the place especially for solo backpacker. I have been to Laguna many times but the town referred to as the place of the majestic falls wasn't heard even before. Armed with braveness and determination, I preferred a solo trip not because its near but because my work schedule doesn't fall on a Monday-Friday so a company wasn't necessary. I gave myself a week to prefer for it, luckily one of my friend ask me to join for an adventure so I responded to his invitation and asked where might be the destination is? He said there wasn't a definite place yet but if I wanted I can suggest where to. I asked him to search Hulugan Falls and its a coincidence that he have seen it also in social media. The place is tagged as an "emerging local destination" for tourist who wanted a near getaway to escape busy life in the metro.

We agreed on the place and headed our way there one gloomy day in November of  2015. The place was somewhat known for tourist for two months but local residents of San Salvador, the Barangay where the falls is located had there weekly and holiday trips outings for ages (its just that it wasn't yet popularly published in different social media sites).

How to get there

From Manila, ride a bus bounded for Sta. Cruz. Tell the conductor to drop you off to Pagsawitan jeepney terminal where jeepneys routed for Lucban, Quezon is located. When your there, ask the driver or the dispatcher if they will be passing trough Luisiana and tell the driver to drop you off to San Salvador. The place is 45 minutes to an hour away from the Santa Cruz jeepney terminal. You will not be lost because the entrance to the barangay has an arc signage of "Welcome to San Salvador". There is also a tarpulin with signage and pictures of Hulugan Falls.

(Disclaimer: this trip is easy for adventurous people, hikers but difficult for city dwellers who are used to riding vehicles even on a short distances)

- Ride a bus from Buendia or Cubao (if you're from Manila) going to Sta.Cruz, Laguna alight toPagsawitan jeepney terminal

- From Sta. Cruz, ride a jeepney bounded for Lucban/Luisiana, alight at San Salvador (ask the driver or conductor to drop you at San Salvador)

- from the where you alighted go to the waiting shed for a tour guide, ride tricycle going to Barangay Captain's house. (Pay the entrance fee to the falls)

Pansawitan Jeepney terminal

Just before you alight from your jeepney ride a tarpulin signage is seen leading you to where the Barangay Captain's house is located. This is near a waiting shed where trekking guides are assigned to assist tourist going to the Falls.

Habal-habal ride going to Barangay Captain's house where you will pay the entrance to the place

What to bring?
- bring an extra clothes , medication, alcohol, bandaid and toiletries
- bring trail foods (candies, jelly ace, nuts, chocolate (m&m, cloud9), chips, etc.)
- water and food (you'll get hungry for sure. the place is good for picnic)
- bring cash, there is no atm machine in the area.

roadway to the Falls

Posing with our tour guide Kuya James before trekking to the falls

Our very accommodating tour guide"Kuya James" who also volunteered to carry my backpack during the trek

Our journey to the Falls

capturing more pictures to commemorate our adventure

short stop during the tiring trek (Take note: not advisable to use slippers during the trek especially when raining because the path leading to the falls was so muddy and slippery)

the steep pathways descending to the falls.

The site is flocked with a large number of tourist since the popularity of the place surge in social media, and some irresponsible people just leave their trash in the area. Good thing the tour guides are also volunteering to picked those trash bringing it back on their ascent, but I urged everyone, whenever you go to a tourist site, please don't leave your trash. Take them back with you and throw it properly. We need to train ourselves to be responsible so that we can preserve our mother nature. Remember in every places we visit we expect a clean environment. If we will just drop our trash just anywhere we like it will spoil the place. Please keep our surroundings clean. #BEaHERO, #Beresponsible, #PreserveNature. We must apply the quote "take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints" to every place we visit so that the future generation will also see beauty of the place.

ascending from the falls is equally difficult because its deep and steep

What to expect during this trip?

- Before descending to the falls, expect a slips and fall especially if its raining and the road and pathways are wet. The road leading to the falls is not yet paved, so you will be muddied along the way.

- Trekking is difficult when you're wearing slippers so better use a pair of comfortable shoes. Take note the pathways descending to the falls is very steep so don't expect an easy trip.

- Once you're on the falls you will get wet no matter how, so waterproof your things before descending.

first glance of the majestic hidden beauty. a photo-op is inevitable

capturing the craziness and smiles of  my travel buddies

first pose at the site with our muddy shoes

falling for the beauty of place

taken from the cave near the falls

Fees:

Bus Fare (back and forth)                                                    260.00

Jeepney from Pagsawitan to San Salvador (back and forth)    60.00

Tricycle to Kap's house (back and forth)                                20.00

Entrance                                                                                 15.00

Tour guide (600 / 4pax)                                                        150.00 each

Shower                                                                                   15.00

We are lucky they assigned a very generous guide during this trip. He let us take a shower at their house, serve hot coffee, bread and espasol and all of it are complimentary, he even made sure that we catch the last trip to Santa Cruz (we got there in San Salvador at 3 PM in the afternoon and reached the falls passed 4 PM. We ascended almost 6 PM, cleaned up at Kuya James house, we finished 7 PM. We almost miss the last jeepney trip in the area.)