Your next destination: Nagsasa Cove, Zambales

When hearing about the place Zambales, there goes Mt. Pinatubo or Anawaning Cove as the most popular recommended attraction. I have heard a lot from these two tourists attraction and most of my friends told me that it’s a must. So here I am dreaming, wishing and longing! Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to pass by these Philippine Beauty, instead I went with my Bisdaks family to Nagsasa Cove which is farther than Anawangin Cove. This seems not to be the usual beach destination in Zambales, maybe because of its distance which is twice from that of Anawangin and an hour boat ride from the shores of Pundaquit, Zambales. Hence, not so many people have been here but rather chose to drop at Anawangin Cove. Nowadays, Anawaning has been populated with guests coming not only from different parts of Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao but even tourists all over the world. So we decided to explore the hidden paradise of Nagsasa Cove.

Nagsasa Cove is not as popular as Anawangin but it shared the same scenery such as the pine trees by the beach and a camp site where you can set up your tents. Although I have not been to Anawangin, seeing from afar, Nagsasa Cove is also a perfect place to find serenity with its sheer beauty and pristine silence of nature away from the busy towns and cities. There are streams and waterfalls worth trekking from the mountains and enjoy the cool waters running from the falls. Here, you'll get to have a feel of living a life without convenient facilities such as electricity and mobile phone signals. However, there are also some few native inhabitants such as Aetas who occasionally travel around to sell drinking water and souvenirs. But then, knowing that people would always prefer a quiet place, it is most likely that this place will then be barge in by more visitors and guests. While it last, this place is another next destination and worth a visit before it becomes another tent city such as Anawangin Cove. 

How to reach Nagsasa Cove? If you are coming from Manila, you can go to Victory Liners at Pasay Terminal and take a bus ride to Pili, Zambales. Get off at San Antonio and take a tricycle to Pundaquit, from there you can arrange a boat off to Nagsasa Cove. Or simply you can take package tours such as:

http://www.philippinesbudgettravel.com/2011/02/travel-experience-nagsasa-cove-zambales-php2500/

Enjoy Nagsasa Cove before it gets too crowded. You will be amazed of how nature fills in more beauty to life and YES, we have it here in our own native land, one of the Philippine's fineness!

Little daisies

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.

-Dogen

I am still a tulip, I belong

Color has nothing to do with being a family. I am still a tulip, I belong

Tulips from a different angle

Beautiful tulips seeking for Mr. Sunshine

Florence, Italy

Wakeboarding, Camarines Sur Watersports Complex

 

A fan of water sports? Grab yourself and friends to experience the rush on wakeboarding! It is a sport developed to combine water skiing, surfing and snowboarding which involves riding a wakeboard over a body of water. This has been one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Ooppsss, wait! Wakeboarding in the Philippines? A big YES! To my knowledge, there were already different resorts all over Philippines (e.g Batangas, Cebu, Davao) offering this cool adventure to attract water sports enthusiasts, guests and tourists. The first to establish and design different kinds of exciting activities and water fun adventure in the country is the CWC Camarines Sur Watersports Complex in Pili, Camarines Sur.

I, myself was dreaming to explore such kind of sport. Why did I highly recommend it? Because I never expected that this image of me holding on to that cable, setting my feet on a wakeboard will be realized. Well, I did it at the beginners area! Hahaha...you may laugh at me but yes, at first I admit, I am so aggressive and confident that it was just easy and could go to the professional stage. It looks very easy. But man, it was not that simple as I imagined. You need to balance your body weight with the board and never to pull the cable towards you. Satisfied? No, so I went trying all over again so I can cross to the other end. Because I failed during my first visit, I went back for the second time around. Success! No sweats! Next step? To complete at least a round in the professional arena!!! But I guess, I can only have the guts when I get another chance for a third or more visits."It's a challenge!"

Me, on my second try , May 2010 

Photo by Christine Mae Edullantes 

Photo by Rafael Junnar Dumalan

Aside from wakeboarding, CWC has a lot to offer for your own convenience. For me who dares to be different and embraces any adventure, that was one of the coolest place and experience ever had. Want to know more about CWC? They also offer international watersports competition! Here's the website: http://www.cwcwake.com

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                       

Purple Lily

A stalk of lily with a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. 

 ~adapted from Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Traveller

Mobile Photo by JCEvangelio 2008

I need a map, a map? a MAP! Just like the famous “DORA The Explorer”, I always love to be with my backpack and wished to conquer the wonders of the world. From ridge to reefs, from the highest peak down to the deep. Travelling is not merely for fun, relaxing and feeling free but it can give us the opportunity to uncover the world's hidden destinations. Even as an innocent child, it is something that I always wanted to do, getting rid of my itchy feet! At my early age of 6, my parents already entrusted me to travel with my cousins from the Central Philippines (Visayas) to the Southern Island (Mindanao). I am always fascinated to ride a bus and cross the oceans with the ferry boat. My favorite spot will always be close the window so I can view the wonderful sceneries along the way and just simply observe what's going on in every place.This experience made me long for more adventures. Along with this, as I grow older, was the realization of capturing every road, moments and destination through photographs, for this documents a journey of our lives that we can look back together with our kids and more with our grandchildren. For me, it is a significant tool to turn back time. As an Asian drama quoted, "The magic that can stop time for a moment is through photography. Photographs take an instant and transform it into everlasting". This inspires me to do every single chance it takes. So every journey is worth exploring and preserving. As The North Face's famous slogan says "NEVER STOP EXPLORING". 

And for this, let me take you to some places in the world where I took some stops along the cross roads and feel the breeze of every moment. The places I've been.

Note to readers: More Photos will be posted soon under the Label "Places"