Life has been becoming extra toxic the past few weeks and I long to escape, not to the nearest mall, but somewhere I can sleep under a canopy of stars. With no network coverage. no electricity. Where I can have the luxury of shutting off my mouth and resting my weary spirits. Thanks to a post by blog-friend, Ferdz, I found the perfect place -- Anawangin. Just 4-4 1/2 hours away from Manila yet like the cliche, it is really seems like a world away. My travel buddy, Tinskie, was entertaining the same idea, as if by chance. Grabbing the opportunity last weekend, we went off to anawangin and momentarily left the world behind.
It is a piece of paradise found, indeed. we had a big chunk of the beach and forest just to ourselves. We lounged around, swam the afternoon away, reading, talking, catching up. When we were hungry, we just bring out the stove and our rations, cooked and ate under the stars. And the delightfully surprising part is that we did it on a backpacker's budget. It's true what Ferdz wrote (thanks buddy) -- see Anawangin before the developers spoil the simple beauty it has to offer. I pray and hope they won't as we're running out of nice places to escape to. If you're planning a trip, please bring trash bags and pack your trash out of the island. Mother nature (and future visitors) will thank you for it.
Details on going to Anawangin: Ride bus headed for Iba, Zambales (Victory Liner - P209, one way, approximately 4-4 1/2 hours), alight at San Antonio; ride a tricycle to Pundakit (around 15-20/person; approx. 15 minutes); hire a banca headed for Anawangin (prices vary from 700php up; approx. 15-20 minutes) • As there is no Globe or Smart coverage in the island, make arrangements for the bangkero to fetch you at a specified date and time.
Pardon my many posts on Anawangin. The experience still leaves me speechless everytime i view my captures. It is indeed a prized find. While I'm proud of decently capturing the beauty of this place for future visitors, I pray that they keep the place clean and pristine as they find it.
The morning sunlight casts long shadows on the sand, pointing one to the turquoise waters melding with the blue sky. A serene morning at Anawangin.
Escape to Capones Island and find the lighthouse (or let it find you). Bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Burgos lighthouse, it is also a weathered witness to many a storm. The mid-morning ride is smooth as our banca wih outriggers sail through turquoise waters. Next to churches and forests, i have a strange fascination with lighthouses. And I wouldn't pass up the chance to see this one. as Ferdz noted in his blog, there's a "backdoor" entrance that leads to a flight of stairs going to the lighthouse. Lucky us, it was a calm morning and the tide is high. Didn't wet my knees in disembarking with my camera. Going up the light area is a hellish experience though, nevermind the heat, it's the lack of air (and the stench of what seems to smell like urine) that made it a challenge.
Life has been becoming extra toxic the past few weeks and I long to escape, not to the nearest mall, but somewhere I can sleep under a canopy of stars. With no network coverage. no electricity. Where I can have the luxury of shutting off my mouth and resting my weary spirits. Thanks to a post by blog-friend, Ferdz, I found the perfect place -- Anawangin. Just 4-4 1/2 hours away from Manila yet like the cliche, it is really seems like a world away. My travel buddy, Tinskie, was entertaining the same idea, as if by chance. Grabbing the opportunity last weekend, we went off to anawangin and momentarily left the world behind. 
I longed to sleep under the stars again, with nothing but the canopy of trees between me and the skies. It's a privilege to experience it again in Anawangin. Even lacking sleep, I have to pinch myself waking up several times during the night as I brush away the small crabs that crawl across me and realign myself on my sleeping bag, looking contentedly at the stars peeking through the pine trees, hearing the lapping of waves on my left, the rustling of leaves on top of me, and the hooting of nocturnal animals to my right. This is bliss, indeed.
Seen this scene in Ferdz's blog and I really promised myself, I will go there soon. And it happened sooner than i expected. Anawangin has to be seen and experienced to be believed.
The inland body of water in Anawangin is hemmed by a view of the nearby mountains and pine trees. It really looks like it's not here in the Philippines.
The sunset scene at Anawangin. Raw beauty is the best way to describe it.
