Anawangin Cove On A Rainy Season

 Last spurt to Anawangin cove before the summer season fully ends! But apparently, summer ended too soon for us. Two weeks before our planned date to Anawangin, we have reserved an all-in package to Nagsasa Cove including boat transfers, camp equipments, and van transfers from Manila to Zambales and back for P1600/head. Kuya Alan Arlantico is our contact and you can you can find his contact details here. But since it was already June and rainy season is just around the corner, Luzon is hammered with thunderstorms, and a typhoon just passed by Luzon.


Three days before our planned departure, Metro Manila is still hammered with rain and thunderstorms so we were contemplating whether to push through or cancel our reservations. We kept in touch with our contact Kuya Alan, asking them how's the weather out there in Pundaquit and if it is still advisable to ride a boat in rainy conditions. They kept telling us that there are just slight rain showers out there and the sea is calm so a boat ride to Nagsasa Cove is still probable. So with that in consideration, we just decided to push through with our planned getaway, hoping to have a relaxing and fun time at Anawangin Cove.

Our scheduled time from our very accommodating van driver, Kuya Jun, was at 3:30 AM in front of 7-11 near LRT Muñoz. Some of our friends arrived late, so we were able to leave Muñoz at 3:45 AM. Good thing is it wasn't raining anymore in Metro Manila so we have high hopes that we will be greeted with good weather in Zambales. We are almost near the municipality of San Antonio around 6 AM, and what greeted us was a moderate rain shower. As the rain kept going on, everyone's faces in the van looked gloomy thinking that we have to cancel our trip this time. The rain somehow lessened but the sky is still cloudy and dark as we arrived at San Antonio public market to shop for our supplies. What surprised us is after we finished buying supplies at the market, the sun was shining really bright! We all had happy faces, thinking that luck is on our side and we will have a peaceful boat ride going to Nagsasa cove so off to Brgy. Pundaquit we go!

We arrived at Pundaquit around 7:30 AM, it was still sunny that time but what greeted us in the shores of Brgy. Pundaquit were huge waves! Kuya Alan arrived short after together with other camping equipment and he assured us that we will be riding the boat at the southern part of the shores of Brgy. Pundaquit as according to him, the waves aren't as big in there. We find it hard to believe but we will still be pushing this trip anyway so we just decided to have breakfast in there by cooking pancit canton and taking out the pancakes that were prepared last night.

After cleaning up, we were brought by the van to the southern part of Brgy. Pundaquit where we will be taking our boat ride. We waited quite some time as Kuya Alan and his assistants will be preparing the boat and bring it to the southern shore part. It was already around 9 AM before they got the boat ready to sail from the shores. After some negotiating with Kuya Alan, our planned Nagsasa Cove getaway now became just an Anawangin Cove getwaway due to the size of the waves. He also said that the island hopping tour to Capones and Camara Islands are also impossible with the current condition of the sea, thereby reducing P250 to our original negotiated price so we now just have to pay P1350 for an Anawangin Cove getaway instead of a P1600 Nagsasa Cove together with island hopping :(

After the negotiations are done, we are now ready to sail and conquer the waves before reaching Anawangin Cove! The first part of the boat ride was still tolerable, though there some few big waves rocking our boat, it was still a pleasant ride. After we get farther and farther from the shore, the waves just kept getting bigger and bigger with our boat getting hammered by huge waves! To make matters worse, we all thought that the boat is a bit overloaded for its size, 10 adults plus our luggage and equipments!

Capones Island

Camara Island

Agnain Cove as seen from the boat

Thanks to our two boatmen who ferried us safe but disoriented to Anawangin Cove shores >.<

After enduring the 45 minute grueling boat ride, we all decided that were done riding a boat in those conditions. We asked our boatmen if we can just hike our way back to Brgy. Pundaquit and they said that it's okay as they will just be picking our bags and equipment in the next morning as we will be trekking our way up Mt. Pundaquit back to Brgy. Pundaquit. After the negotiations for the hiking guide which is P100/head, the two boatmen now helped us pitch our tents and attach flysheets as they said that it is for additional protection for the tents as they are sure that it will be raining in the evening.

Another part of the package from Kuya Alan is a small hut which accommodate at least three persons inside. It also has a table which we used to prepare our food. After taking a quick rest, we now started our preparations for our lunch. Others cleaned the fishes that were bought from the market, some washed the plates and utensils that were lent to us, some sorted all our supplies that were brought for this trip and some of course were assigned to do the cooking. We only have one butane stove so it took us quite some time to get the food ready as we finished cooking around 12:30 PM.

Lunch menu of buttered shrimp and fried fishes

One of the tables also included in our packaged deal

Takot magutom hehe :)

The not so clear waters of Anawangin Cove during rainy season :(

The not so fine volcanic ash sands of Anawangin Cove during rainy season :(

One of the two huts that were also offered to us by the bangkeros in case the weather turns worse

Definitely not the same Anawangin Cove I see in other pictures :(

Flooded part of the cove, it makes you feel like you're back in Metro Manila :p

After cleaning up and resting for a while, we now have our free time to go and explore Anawangin Cove. Anyways, there's not much to see as the sands are not as fine as what they are supposed to be, the water is not clear because of the heavy rains and the waves are so strong preventing you from swimming leisurely.
 

Five tents for nine people O_o

Since there isn't much swimming we can do, we were able to finish taking a shower early and start preparations for our dinner early because we only have one butane stove. Around 6 PM, a light drizzle was starting but we didn't mind it much and we still continued our preparations. But after around 30 minutes later, the rain turned became much more intense and the wind started to pick-up, blowing the flysheets of our tents. At first we thought it was just fine because a tent should still be waterproof, right? Well we are wrong, and water started leaking into three of our tents so the guys in our group struggled to attach the flysheets back while getting soaked in the rain. And just when we thought that it couldn't get any worse, one of tent's zipper for the entrance broke, and guess what, that was my tent >.<
Since the tent has became literally useless, I will now have to spend the night inside the hut's papag instead of lying in a tent on the cold ground, lucky me? haha you betcha :p

Anyways, at around 8 PM, the rain completely stopped and we were able to dry out the water leak in the other tents so they are all still usable. We all ate our delicious dinner after that and after the food comes the booze of course :p

Dinner menu of fried chicken and fried tilapia

We were supposed to wake up early at around 5 as we will be hiking up Mt. Pundaquit, and we would like to avoid being under the sun at noon but our plan failed because some members of our group kept drinking even after 12 midnight so we had a really late start. Anyways, morning came and luckily, it didn't rain for the rest of the night but still, the waves are the same as yesterday. Some members started to prepare breakfast and some started to break camp as we have to arrange our stuff because that the plan is that they will be picked up by bangkeros at around 8am. We were supposed to leave at 7 but it's a bit impossible as some members are still unprepared. Our bangkero came at around 7:30 AM and so, he instructed as to just leave our equipments inside the hut and they will take care of the rest.

A simple breakfast menu of hotdogs, scrambled egg and bread

The hut I stayed in for the night as we were preparing our stuff inside

Some of the other huts near ours

Still as flooded as yesterday :/

You have to dip your feet into the flooded area in order to reach the washroom/restroom

After we were all set and ready to go at around 8 AM, we will be now commencing our traversing of Mt. Pundaquit from Anawangin Cove to Brgy. Pundaquit! We will be together with a lot of first timers but they all seem to be physically fit and another good thing is we won't have to carry heavy backpacks along the way.

Water? Check!
Sun protection? err.. some little leftover sunblock from yesterday will do..
Footwear? ..flip flops..!! :p

Check out the next post for the continuation of the story :)

Upcoming post: Our Mt. Pundaquit adventure :)