One of the perks of living in a country with over 7,107 islands is having access to the most beautiful beaches. And by access I mean driving 30 minutes outside the city will give you the luxury of lying on white sand while sipping on ice-cold beer and getting drawn by the sound of the waves.
A year ago, my friend Peach and I decided to see for ourselves what we could get out of an overnight quick getaway. We’ve been reading about these nearby beaches and we figured it’s about time to see them for ourselves.
With just 48 hours to spare and combined cash-on-hand of roughly 5,500 pesos, we channelled our YOLO selves and just went for it.
How us Filipinos would put it, BAHALA NA!
So we hopped on the bus and made our way to Zambales to see the islands of Pundaquit, Capones, and Anawangin.
Ha! Okay, we hopped on a different bus since we missed the one we were supposed to take.
So there we were. I had to sit on the conductor’s seat by the door and she had to sit on the floor. Yeahp. It was going to be a bimbo getaway.
DAY 1: PUNDAQUIT, ZAMBALES
We got off the bus at San Antonio, Zambales and rode a tricycle to Pundaquit. We didn’t make any reservations and we had no itinerary on hand. Playing it by ear like how we have been doing it so far, we scouted for a nice resort where we could stay for the night.
And we finally made it!
It was already late in the afternoon so we had to postpone island hopping to the following day. In the meantime, we settled for having drinks and pigging out by the beach.
DAY 2a: CAPONES ISLAND, ZAMBALES
We dragged ourselves out of bed just in time for sunrise. First on our list of islands to visit was Capones Island.
This. This is what I was talking about. No one has to go far to see wonders. ANG GANDA NG PILIPINAS!
Instead of spending the whole weekend at the mall, why not see and discover more of these? It was exactly what we did. A getaway on Valentine’s weekend! Ha!
DAY 2b: ANAWANGIN ISLAND, ZAMBALES
We’ve heard about this place and read about it online. It’s an island with no electricity, mobile signal, and rooms to stay in. We would’ve camped out if we weren’t going back to Manila the same day. Funny thought though.
Boracay and Palawan aren’t the only must-see beaches in the Philippines. The clear water, the white sand, this island is as beautiful.
We got back to the main island early in the afternoon (we would’ve gotten back earlier if we our bangka didn’t break down in the middle of the ocean.)
Normally, if Peach and I would want to unwind, we’d have a few drinks on a Friday night. For that week, we opted to do something different. We braved commuting to the province without having an itinerary. No nothing, just winged it. All for the sake of seeing the beauty of Zambales.
And for an overnight stay with less than 6,000 pesos, we accomplished and discovered a lot:
-The Philippines really is rich with wonders. Some are even just outside the city.
-48 hours is enough to experience them.
-Never get to the bus station less than an hour before departure.
-Figure out how to get home beforehand or else you’ll end up riding a non-air conditioned bus for more than 2 hours.
-When your boat breaks down in the middle of the ocean and you get stranded, there’s no point in panicking.
-Always be prepared for unexpected short hikes.
–ANG GANDA LANG TALAGA NG PILIPINAS.
-There’s nothing you can’t do. Even if you’re two clueless shizzes.
And that, ladies and gentlemen was Sam and Peach’s first Bimbo Getaway.
(Pundaquit + Capones + Anawangin, Zambales | February 2014)
*Photos taken by Sam and Peach
@samanthaawrites 