I was fortunate enough to find myself in Coron, Palawan, back in November when my boyfriend came to visit from the US. I adored Coron – and since then, Palawan had been beckoning me back, the pull especially strong from El Nido, at the northern tip of Palawan. Another stunning collection of limestone islands and clear waters. Well, lucky for me – I have now been to El Nido. And it lived up to my expectations.
Beautiful El Nido.
One thing I’ve learned living in the Philippines is that places are much farther away than they appear. If you draw a straight line between Baguio and Banaue, it seems like no big deal. But that’s not how you go between the two – in actual, there are mountain passes and sketchy roads and the best way is to go around it all. I know all about the inaccuracy of Google Maps’ estimated time when driving in the Philippines. I know this, but I never learn it.
That’s why we thought a three day weekend would be enough to visit Pulag and the Banaue rice terraces. As ill-advised as that probably was – I actually think we made it work – somehow.
Rice Terraces in Batad
Just two weeks after my first time climbing a mountain, I was ready for the next one – Mt. Pulag, the highest mountain on Luzon at 2,922 meters above sea level. Pulag had been on the “maybe” list for me since arriving in the Philippines – the infamous sunrise over the sea of clouds was attractive, but I wasn’t so sure about the whole hiking thing. After Aryat though, I was pretty much ready for anything. Mt. Pulag did not disappoint – the hike was slightly easier, more scenic, and exceeded all my expectations.
My crew and I.
We’re constantly looking for quick and easy getaways from Pampanga – Subic is definitely one of my favorites, it’s a short drive and easily done in a day. But Zambales has a lot more beaches to offer, especially on the side of the South China Sea, so we set our sights a little farther down the road to Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales.
Boats waiting along the beach.
Pundaquit is a small fishing village to the south of San Antonio proper, known for being the home of Anawangin Cove. There’s a beautiful beach, islands for hopping, hiking – a great little spot only a few hours away. We went for a quick overnight for island hopping, which is now my number one hobby. I’ve got to enjoy it while I’m still in the Philippines of course! We arrived in the late morning, and after a quick lunch we found someone to take us out on his boat. With a half day left, we stopped at the three main attractions of Pundaquit – Camera Island, Capones Island, and Anawangin Cove.
Caro the Expat 