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) X0 b2 B1 U0 `8 ], K& Otvb now,tvbnow,bttvbA paradise in peril because of unregulated and unsustainable tourism, Zambales challenges the traveler to uncover its secrets buried in its seas and deep in its jungles – before the ravages of man fully destroy its fragile but inconspicuous beauty.公仔箱論壇( a2 g' a$ o- ?9 y% \
Stretching 173 Kilometers on the Central West Coast of Luzon Island fronting the South China Sea, Zambales is the second-largest province of Central Luzon and has a one of the less densely populated areas in the Philippines – quite a surprise since the province is just 3-4 hours northwest of Manila. Most of its inhabitants are crammed in the lowland plains toward the coast – the indigenous Aetas (the earliest inhabitants) and the superstitious Sambals (an Austronesian group of people who displaced the Aetas and from whom the Zambales were named after) live in its mountain ranges.
) l. g. d y( D2 t7 @Zambales has great wreck diving spots and it is actually considered as the wreck diving capital of the Philippines – with most of it concentrated in the Subic area, the former site of one of the biggest naval bases of the Americans in the area. During World War 2, at least 25 Japanese ships were sunk off the Zambales coast – some of which were probably salvaged immediately during the immediate postwar period to open up Subic Bay for shipping. Rumors have it that there are at least 10 large ships or more that lie in its waters. Aside from World War 2 wrecks, the remains of the San Quentin (sunk in 1898), a wooden gunboat, lies nearby Grande Island. San Quentin is the oldest known wreck in the Subic area. Other wrecks include the USS New York (between Alava Pier and Cubi Point), El Capitan (Ilanin Bay), LST (near Grande Island), Oruku Maru (near Alava Pier), Patrol Boat (Triboa Bay) and LCU Landing Vessel (Triboa Bay).TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。) K- E! J4 s% ?9 ]$ c
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 Capones Islandwww.tvboxnow.com+ P# T2 _. o, Y- B0 T+ e3 @# Q* E
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When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, to say that Zambales was hard-hit would be a gross understatement. Not only did the ashes destroy a large portion of the reefs in the area, it buried entire towns in a thick layer of ash at least 1 meter deep – some of them basically wiped off the map. In recent years, the visibility on beaches is slowly returning, and the corals are slowly recovering with a few turtles nesting in some areas, a great majority of sharks and dolphins that used to call the coast home never returned. Hopeful signs are on the way though with a number of sharks in the area seeming to go up.www.tvboxnow.com# O% `9 S6 n3 X2 K7 X2 y8 P
Zambales was first explored and settled by the Spanish in 1572 and founded the towns of Masinloc (1607), Iba (1611 and the current capital) and Santa Cruz (1612). As I mentioned earlier, Zambales came from the word Zambal, a Hispanicized term for Sambali. Zambal or Sambal, also referred to the language spoken by the Sambals. One of the versions says that the name’s etymology was derived from the word Samba which meant worship as the Spaniards thought to have found the natives in the area highly superstitious and engaged in ancestor-worship.
6 `4 h) x2 o# ^. M/ O# kTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。www.tvboxnow.com6 @0 Y. z( F) B5 F5 E; N
 Anawangin Landscape- W% L3 H: B: U2 I/ S
Photo by Xave Ignacio
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The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo changed entire landscapes in Zambales. A famous destination amongst campers is the Anawangin Cove near the coastal village of Pundaquit in the town of San Antonio. Anawangin Cove is a curious aberration, it has rough, ash-colored beach (it is not white sand as a lot of people claim it to be) lined with Agoho Trees (Casuarina equisetifolia l.) – a large, evergreen, straight and tall tree resembling a pine tree. These trees stretch inland and the seeds of the trees were said to be brought by ash expelled by Pinatubo. We wanted to go further inland but our local guide said that wild buffaloes usually come down the mountains after a rain and they DO attack people. There is a river a few meters away from the beach and this connects to the sea. tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb% r& E% S* C: r7 @
Anawangin is perfect for campers and it does look like a miniature tent city during weekends when hordes of people spend their weekends here. The best time to come to Anawangin is during weekdays at the beginning of the summer months – February-March. The problem with Anawangin was basically it did not live up to its hype. There were no lifeguards (swim at your own risk- I would not recommend the beach for children as there are immediate steep drops, the waves were extremely rough during the rainy season and the rough sandy bottom is too shifty); we were disgusted to see that there was garbage everywhere (the cove has no system of proper garbage disposal at all) which came as a shock for us, as we initially thought that the cove was a clean and peaceful area. We were dead wrong. There was barbed wire and rope fences as well. After the spectacle of having Agoho trees lining up the beach instead of the usual coconut trees (as it is for most tropical countries) wore out, we were ready to leave Anawangin.* D& K, S. N: q' P7 J! X
Similar coves exist further south of Anawangin like the Nagsasa Cove which hardly ever gets tourists. If wave conditions are tolerable, head to Nagsasa instead of Anawangin. We spied a better beach, around the bend of Pundaquit, just before you turn towards Anawangin. The beach is of course of the same sand quality as Anawangin minus the Agoho trees and the crowds (and hopefully garbage). The main feature of the unnamed beach was that it has the massive mountains close to the shore with two very tall waterfalls (must be at least 100-400 meters high) that then meet somewhere two-thirds down. According to our boatman, you can take a dip in its waterfalls. www.tvboxnow.com4 {5 b x1 N1 a2 _
Visible from Pundaquit are the islands of Capones and Camara. Capones is a 2 kilometer long bone-shaped island and famed for its lighthouse which is one of the oldest in the country. The lighthouse is inaccessible during the rainy season due to rough seas. During the rainy months, the boatman would usually drop you off around the middle and possibly the narrowest point of this island. The middle has a multi-story abandoned skeletal building that looks like it will collapse anytime. The island is volcanic in origin and possibly remnants of an enormous eruption thousands, if not millions of years ago. It has beautiful cliffs and short stretches of white sand beaches- the island is romantically referred to the Ko Phi Phi Leh and Jeju Island of the Philippines – through its cliffs, beautiful rock formations, and patches of green shrubbery strewn with volcanic rocks – (reminded me of a scene from Easter Island minus the statues). I guess the sweeping vista encouraged some couples in my tour group to sneak in a quick nookie by the cliffs. Now that is some scene that I do not ever want to see on my vacation. Like Anawangin, Capones Island suffers from a lack of environmental concern from the visitors, the locals and the local government – we were greeted by trash on a short trek up the middle of the island – flip-flops are everywhere. The locals told me that the trash came from nearby Subic and washed into the area by big waves. WHATEVER. The trash is in your backyard now, do something about it and clean it up.
4 i: r8 y# Z5 f0 e% C7 z4 R8 STVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。
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Camara Island
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* e7 ~3 t/ z& V) AThe neighboring Camara Island has the better beach in the Pundaquit area. It is composed of two islets, one smaller than the other and connected by a sandbar (okay well, mostly it was corals and stones) during low tide. The smaller of the two has a quirky looking form, on its side it looked pretty much like a huge stone piranha. The waves come from both sides and crash on the sandbar, which was quite entertaining for a bit. Some people camp out here during the day – pretty much noticeable with the amount of trash lying in the area and some people grilling in one corner under the shade of the low-lying trees that cover the island. We also noticed that there were big chunks of broken corals in the island leading us to think that either the waves were exceptionally strong or these were remnants of dynamite fishing in the area.! o$ E& O$ n/ I& [& M
Most of the boats going to these areas are small and can only properly seat 3 people – and most don’t have a cover to protect you from sun nor rain nor the waves that are usually twice to thrice as big as the boat during the rainy season. And yes they charge heaps and a tad overpriced –Pundaquit boats are generally a big rip-off. A boat to Camara would usually cost you PhP600 pesos (we haggled and settled for PhP500), If there are four of you, a trip to Capones and Anawangin would cost you about PhP300 per person. Camara plus the unnamed beach I mentioned earlier would set you back PhP1000. If you want to arrange for a boat ride, talk to the boatman directly and avoid the additional fees latched on by the crappy resorts in the area. Demand a working life vest. The waves can get pretty freaky.
' i" Z* @$ Z, L3 _* N9 s4 bTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。公仔箱論壇9 M1 _% G# D. m& z% J) G
 Pundaquit Waterfalls% W( N3 Q" A9 {# |6 m( |7 L- E
Photo by Dave Ryan A. Buaron TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。+ d2 |" R- R! t) T7 e/ a7 M/ }
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8 b5 d3 N( C% f+ Y) nwww.tvboxnow.comUnknown to many, Pundaquit (with all of its trash-strewn beaches) has some noteworthy waterfalls that are often overlooked by people who are mostly excited about going to Anawangin. A short 15-minute trek from the main resorts of Pundaquit reveals unnamed, refreshing waterfalls. There is significantly less trash in this area and an eccentric American was damming some parts of the waterfall (he asked me for some weed too – too bad for him, I am a good boy, hehe) – he put up a sign asking visitors not to throw trash in the area – although I saw one guy pissing in one downstream part of the waterfall – seriously dude, that’s not even close to competition! Warts and all, we were really grateful that our Tour Coordinator Chris from Discover Asia International Travel and Tours suggested the waterfall-hopping on our second day, we really enjoyed the dip and were really happy to be away from the garbage dumps of Anawangin, Capones and Camara. North of the town of San Antonio, San Narciso, offers good surfing spots with one reportedly having a 30 second run. Crystal Beach Resort is a favorite hang-out for the surfers in the area. The surf in this area breaks left and right and has a sand bank. Under the right conditions, the waves can be pretty big but pretty much inconsistent especially during the months of November to May. Your best bet would be to go from late May to October for better waves. At the mouth of Macolcol River, there is more reliable surf. The High 5 Lahar whose breaks are formed on the lahar, or the pyroclastic material from Mt. Pinatubo, rather than by the sand bottom. There is also surfing at Capones Island, however, its recommended only to advanced surfers due to its reef breaks.
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Potipot Island& k( C- O1 p* {1 }% U J
Photo by Meanne-Angelbear
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Other notable islands on the Zambales Coast are the islands of Potipot, 1 kilometer away from the mainland shore of Uacon, Candelaria, further north of Iba (roughly over an hour away). The island is reached by 5 minutes by boat and it has lush vegetation and white sand beaches as well. Grande Island in Subic Bay is great for wreck diving as well as if you want to increase your count of the number of islands you have been to in the Philippines- you might as well drop into Snake Island also in Subic and Hermana Mayor Island in Santa Cruz. Panatag Shoal (also known as Scarborough Shoal) 137 miles off the coast of Palauig town offers diving opportunities. As early as the 1500s, Filipinos have used this shoal to fish and seek shelter during bad weather. While being ridiculously claimed by China and Taiwan (Manila is heaps closer to the shoal than Beijing or Taipei), the shoal is being administered by the Philippine Navy and Panatag shoal falls within the baseline limits of the United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS). Topographic, scientific and marine studies have been conducted by University of the Philippines and the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the area. Chinese poachers continue to harass the area.公仔箱論壇: _8 g4 z' h% ~
For hikes to Mt. Tapulao (2037 m), Koto Mining River and its numerous waterfalls and the Aeta village of Cabatuan, the best towns to base yourselves would be in Botolan (whose beaches are cleaner than the ones in Iba and Pundaquit) and Iba. While in Botolan, you may want to check out the Botolan Wildlife Farm owned by Swiss Zoologist Martin Zoller who created a sanctuary for a collection of rescued animals like a Siberian Tiger.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。: M9 x# l7 ]7 W& f
Discover Asia International Travel and Tours organizes trips to Anawangin, Camara and Capones with the trek to the nearby Mt. Pinatubo included. If not for our really good tour coordinator and drivers, our trip to Zambales would have been more underwhelming than it actually was.
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Why Not Go0 R0 J2 E# A* L/ b( B4 A1 M
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Skip Zambales if you are looking out for pristine, clean beaches. The local officials, the resort owners and the locals in the area do not have any clue on how to properly maintain the beauty of most of its places. Our boatman even peed in the ocean in Anawangin and bottles of liquor and trash all over the beach in Pundaquit were just plain disgusting- that showed a lot of respect for the environment. For honeymooners, steer clear of the beaches of Pundaquit – get your peace and quiet elsewhere. Do not go to Zambales during the rainy season. For the island-hop in the Pundaquit area, you will miss out on most islands and coves as the waves are plainly colossal and the currents are too strong.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。2 K1 v% @- |+ ]. v7 \' |4 b* @0 t
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If you are a group of college kids or twenty-somethings eager to rough it out and camp then the Zambales Coast offers a lot of camping opportunities. Make sure you dispose of your garbage properly, or better yet bring your own trash bag. Zambales is also perfect for people who want to surf closer to Manila as well as wreck divers who can’t make it to Coron. There is hiking in the north and the promise of finding that secret waterfall tucked somewhere in the cloud-covered Zambales mountain range is an exciting prospect.公仔箱論壇5 A* F; H: i+ o& I h9 }
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Best Time to Visit
. A6 k' }. y' b6 [! Htvb now,tvbnow,bttvbBest time to travel and island hopping is during the dry season (November to May). For surfing, late May to October is the best time to head out to the surf in San Narciso. Check with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAG-ASA for updates on any weather disturbances before you go.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb5 a* R; w6 s/ N5 w6 T
# f/ j0 T$ Z4 c5 M. f/ s: X# mWhere to Stay
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 Camping at Anawangin
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9 s/ I" q( t9 vwww.tvboxnow.comFor people planning a trip to Anawangin and the other coves, skip out the hotels and resorts in Pundaquit. Pundaquit hotels are a steal. Literally. We stayed at apparently the best hotel on Pundaquit beach – Canoe Beach Resort. For PhP1500 a night – we were promised hot and cold shower, a queen-sized bed and an air-conditioned room. The hotel got one out of three. The room was very small and boxy, there was only a cold shower, which was not working for most of our stay because of the very low water pressure (they only have a single line for a stretch of several rooms), the air-conditioner wasn’t working and was very noisy, and the queen-sized bed was hard as a brick. There were no toiletries, and you pay extra for a towel. Power isn’t guaranteed, there was no proper check-in, and the beachfront room has no good views of the sea as it was blocked by other cottages and a bamboo fence. The fan-rooms have a great view of the parking lot and the pool-area rooms front a miniature pool which can get pretty noisy with screaming kids during the weekend. Apparently, the other hotels in the area are dirtier, a group of 5 people from our tour group asked to be transferred to our hotel because their room in Wild Rose Inn was disorganized and dirty. It has to be said that even if you are a guest at Wild Rose Inn, you have to pay PhP50 extra to use the pool and pesos more to use the tables. So ghetto and so disgusting. To me this echoes of the greedy innkeepers of Les Miserables.
_) u3 G( m5 s5 x0 x; v" jTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。Your best option? Camp out.3 q5 h1 T' w/ ?7 f* U5 T- f- C, H
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Where & What to Eat
* s& Z1 L6 c: o9 _0 o0 a! f, Y: y1 `公仔箱論壇Bring heaps of your own grill food and all the camp-out chow when camping in Anawangin or Nagsasa. There are no restaurants in those coves at all and the closest are in Pundaquit which are mostly overpriced. Our hotel in Pundaquit charged us PhP40 for a jug of hot water and our PhP200 pork sinigang has a measly four bite-size pieces of pork swimming in vegetable extenders, mediocre soup and alas, a strand of hair. For that amount, we had to wait for a good 30 minutes because they do not have enough cooks and they don’t even have the simplest thing of all- a cold San Miguel Pale Pilsen- a major sacrilege. We had to settle for a lukewarm bottle of San Miguel Light. Great! The better eating places are all located in Subic with Pier One (Filipino Cuisine) having the most consistent service. Zambales mangoes as well vie to be one of the sweetest in the Philippines, second only to the Guimaras mangoes and are definitely worth a try. The mangoes are in season from January to April.
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Nightlife公仔箱論壇# ]9 ^9 X6 |( \; T& d
Bonfires by the beach in Anawangin as well as the evidently ghetto attempt towards style and class in the beaches of Pundaquit and the red-light districts of Olongapo practically sums up the nightlife in Zambales, which if not for the decent restaurants in Subic, would have been altogether considered inferior.
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; `) q' j5 q0 @/ D( g6 t) z6 Gtvb now,tvbnow,bttvbMy to do List
; s, P* ?( a( E4 jwww.tvboxnow.com1. Check out the Wildlife Farm in Botolan.*
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- F! d2 M9 q. ^& \0 j1 P: v4 }tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb3. Do a quick island hop – Camara and Capones Islands; Snake and Grande Islands. **www.tvboxnow.com) d* r, u' b& @, q* {% U( L
4. Chill out at the unnamed beach between Pundaquit and Anawangin.*
, f8 m5 F0 i9 o0 QTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。5. Visit the local Aeta village.*TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。+ S% g( A2 r }% N
6. Go waterfall-hopping.*tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb. f- |6 K7 ^" t) ~, c ~+ d* U, i
7. Surf in the High 5 Lahar in San Narciso. *
$ R1 B4 m( j7 X" h1 @8. Organise a beach cleanup with friends. If the locals wont do it, do it yourself!*TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。7 @5 B+ H9 o- O B. a
9. Eat famed Zambales mangoes, the sweetest mangoes in the Philippines after Guimaras.*www.tvboxnow.com) M& v f# Z' R6 V
*- Highly Recommended
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) f( o0 R! B) z$ J- RStay Away FromTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。# A0 B4 Y# \& F6 D6 E
1. Pundaquit hotels – they are a major rip-off and I would never recommend any of them.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。6 @& B/ [: G, |) f
2. Mosquitoes, ants and bugs! – bring a hefty tube of bug repellent to be sure especially if you plan to do a side trip to the beach.
# c8 G3 y3 a" N2 r: ~: f3 s" o* t3. UV rays and a hat– Apply ample sun protection and sunglasses as the sun can be strong during midday.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。/ e' G+ L8 |. w. k3 T# I
4. Keep a watch on your possessions and don’t stray too much from your group.www.tvboxnow.com, |4 V- O* X" f5 v' b7 ~& q2 }( G
5. Dehydration – keep yourself amply hydrated with ion-based drinks and with trail-food as well as never forget to bring a towel and a change of clothes.
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If you are not going with a tour group, you may try taking the Victory Liner going to Iba, and they leave every half-hour from the terminals in Pasay, Sampaloc and Caloocan via Olongapo. Travel time varies between 3-4 hours to 6 hours. TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。: ]& V& V8 C0 z* a7 C
If you are driving, you may want to grab an updated road map. You should drive through NLEX and then connect to SCTEX and then go through all the way to Subic. If you want to head further north to Pundaquit, drive past the cemetery in Subic to head to Subic Town. Past Castillejos Market, you turn left on the road to San Antonio after the municipality of San Marcelino. You go straight, make a left from the fork with T.R. Yangco Elementary School, turn right to Evangelista Street and then cross the bridge. The Pundaquit Coast is on your right. If want to go up further , skip the left turn to San Antontio and go straight north to Botolan and Iba. |
發表於 2011-8-20 01:11 PM
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