zummer zamwer in zambales :zzz

I can't get enough of Zambales. The first time, I was saling-ketket with Ate and her friends. I was a bit frustrated with outings na hindi matuloy-tuloy kaya naki-outing ako sa kanila. The trip was fun, but so bitin. I said to myself that I'm going back there with my kabagangs!

3 weeks later, I was indeed back, with my college friends. It was so nice to be with them after long long months. There were only 8 of us, but it did not make our trip any less fun. We still wished that more people from our class joined though. I have been missing these people every single day since graduation day. No halong charchar!

I did not want to sleep on our way to Zambales because I never wanted to miss stories, knock-knock jokes, gossips, panlalaits & asarans. It was exactly what I got. :)

After sunblocks had been put on, the adventure at sea began. Maybe I was a mermaid on my past life, or okay, a shokoy, or maybe a tahong. Of all the creatures in the sea naman! :D I love everything about the beach - the waves, the sand, the heat of the sun, the sound and the feel of the water splashing to the boat and to our faces. They are all beautiful to me.

First stop - Camara Island. I could not contain my excitement to test the waters. Right there and then, I changed to my panglangoy clothes and took a dip. Felt wonderful after being all sweaty from the Manila to Zambales trip.

(from upper left photo: Camara waters; Hasper with his pacool pose :D; the gang posing after climbing the steep rock; me, couldn't contain the excitement)

Moving on to Capones Island! The last time, I fell in love with the clear water and beautiful rocks of Capones. This time, we went on the other side of the island, where the lighthouse is. The long walk and all the climbing was worth it after witnessing the breathtaking view from above.

(group shot. yey!; the long and winding staircase; nice shot of the lighthouse by Lowe the great; naval force :D; Miss to whom we owe our relaxing weekend; me with my travelling yellow towel; us on top of the lighthouse; us girls with our pang-McDo shot.)

Nagsasa Cove. I got so amazed when we were nearing Nagsasa. One moment, the boat was going along with the waves, the next, the water was so quiet and calm. Only then did I understood what a cove is. Anawangin is the more famous camping site but I think it is more serene in Nagsasa. Good thing we got to the site before the sun sets, giving us enough time to set up our tents, prepare our dinner and swim like crazy.

Night time. There was no electricity in the island. We ate our candlelit dinner altogether, took a shower and changed into dry clothes and requested that a bonfire be set up. It was the most relaxing part of our weekend getaway. We were cooking hotdogs and marshmallows by the fire (a dream-come-true beach moment!), drinking a little, seating close altogether. Later, we were on our backs lying on the cool sand, gazing and making wishes upon falling stars, talking about life after school, future plans, anything and everything. I just wish we did not run out of beer. (Hi, I am Sharry and I'm an alcoholic.) Haha! Nah, joke lang! After a day-long adventure, most of us fell asleep right there on the sand and Ye had to wake all of us up to go inside our tents. Sayang naman pagset-up NAMIN noh kung di naman gagamitin. :D

(approaching the campsite; sunset :) ; council of Mekeni hotdogs; to life, to laughter and to future getaways, cheers!; on our backs.)

Day 2: I lack sleep but what the heck! Miss had beautiful things in store for us. And beauty it was, that greeted me. Wahaaaaw. :)

I could imagine myself waking up to this every morning. Negative siguro ang stress level ko. I wasn't sure I'm fully awake that time but when I looked at the mountains of Zambales, I noticed they were sparkling. The place took my bad breath away and wiped the panis na laway off my face. Just, WOW.

After equipping ourselves with all the things that a mountaineer brings with himself into the mountains, we went trekking. Wait, does a mountaineer wear pyjamas paired with slippers, bring a shoulder bag with Chips Delight inside, to the mountains? I think so. :D

Again, I was just WOW-ed by the place. The place was even more breathtaking from where we trekked up. Shouted a Happy Mother's Day to our amazing mommies back home.

(mountains; choy posing before a picturesque view; the jejeboys; the nymphs :))

We went back to the camping site after and enjoy what's left of our time in there. Swam for another hour. Another thing I like about Nagsasa was that I could swim far from the shore and still feel the sand on my feet. Made me feel like I'm a pro mandaragat! :D

Just like every single time I go home from a trip at the beach, I felt bitin. I won't ever get enough of the sun, the sand and the shore. Special thanks to Miss for being the organizer of this trip, to Doy, to Doy's dad for lending us his van and to Ka Migs for getting us to Zambales and back home safe & sound. :)

(another reason why I try to keep myself awake on trips with FRIENDS) :D

Here's more of my favorite pics from our Nagsasa trip.

photos grabbed from Miss, Ye, Hasper & Lowe.
Camara Island, Capones Island, Nagsasa Cove - Zambales, Philippines
May 8-9, 2010
:)