The initial idea was to go to Mt. Pinatubo in Pampanga and hike across its rocky terrain while singing to the tune of Imago's "Sundo."

I had this image of myself standing on top of a giant grey boulder and internalizing the lyrics of the song that I always listened to, especially during extended bus rides on the way home.

"Handa na sa liwanag mo/ Maghihintay sa'yong sundo," I would sing.

Unfortunately, the Air Force of the Philippines decided to conduct some sort of activity in Pinatubo (which I have yet to figure out) so we had to postpone our hike for another time. Stupid Air Force.

This led us to plan our trip towards a place even farther north: the beaches of Zambales. (May 23-25)

I met with Tin Dabbay and her UST Fine Arts friends at Galleria Suites in P. Noval at 4 in the morning last May 23. Talk about being an early bird, considering that I usually get up at around 11. There, Tin introduced me to Dimple (the owner of the unit in Galleria), Elaine (whom I had already met in the Varsitarian office last year), and Hazel. Apparently, they had decided to pass the night by talking about the Hayden-Katrina scandal and searching for the videos in the internet. It was my first dose of Kholili for the day. Haha!

We left Manila at around six and spent the next three hours falling to and rousing from sleep at the back of the bus. Upon arriving, we took a tricycle ride to the beach proper where we would look for a resort that would accommodate us for the night. There, we would realize our grave mistake: we did not make any reservations.

We had assumed that finding a place to stay in wouldn't be a problem because Zambales was a fairly undeveloped province, as compared to other beaches like Boracay and Puerto Galera. We were right, of course, but other people seemed to know that as well. A throng of people immediately greeted us when we arrived at the beach and every resort seemed to have already been fully booked.

The five of us walked around in semi-panic as we traversed the area in search of a decent place to spend the night in. Fortunately, a savior came to redeem us in the form of "Ate Jologs." Seriously, that's her name!

We met her at Wild Rose resort, which was also fully booked. A tall, very dark, and thin woman suddenly approached us, introduced herself, and asked if we were tourists. Hazel and Dimple had to stifle their laugh when she said her name was "Jologs," (which is a term used for uneducated and rowdy squatters). I raised an eyebrow myself but I stepped forward and talked to her anyway.

After we told her our problem, she immediately took her cellphone out and called the nearby places for available rooms.

"Punta kayo dun sa Luxury Villa! Sabihin niyo si Ate Jologs nagpadala sa inyo (Go to Luxury Villa. Tell them Ate Jologs sent you)!" she said as she enthusiastically pointed towards the villa. And just like that, we were saved. An eternal supply of thanks, Ate Jologs!

The villa we stayed in was luxurious, indeed! The air-conditioned room was spacious (regardless of the lack of a window), there were two major living rooms, and the bathroom even had a jacuzzi and a bidet. Not bad for a supposedly undeveloped province!

Luxury Villa is actually owned by a Canadian and his Filipino wife. The Canadian dreamed of retiring by the beach in a tropical island so he built a 2-storey beach
house in Zambales. During times when he is not in the country, his wife's relatives are placed in charge of the villa and they were given the permission to use it as a resort.

After unpacking, we instantly changed into our swim wear and walked to the beach for some island hopping. Camara island was our first destination.

Camara was perfect for single travelers or small groups. Smooth stones and big rocks dominated the surface of the small islet and the sea water lay perfectly still, making it conducive for walking and silent contemplation. Late in the afternoon would be the perfect time to go to Camara, thanks to the wonderful effect of the sunset on its rocks. I had my moment after all, only instead of Imago's "Sundo" playing in my head, "Champagne Supernova" by Oasis reverberated in my consciousness.

I spent most of the time at Camara away from the rest of the group, who were all busy taking nature shots. I deliberately did not take my camera because I knew the fine arts peepz would bring their respective Digital SLR's. That meant I could enjoy the experience with minimal luggage because everybody else would be taking my pictures! Wahehe!

Capones island was entirely different from Camara. If Camara was perfect for relaxing and thinking, Capones was the place for extreme physical activities. We even had to cross the rocky shores of the island by foot since the boat would be crushed if it went any nearer.

The waves in Capones were constant reminders that the sea could smother and consume you in a mere second. Forget about lying still on the beach and letting the water wash away your troubles. The water might just literally end your troubles in the worst way, if you're not careful.

There was a group of Koreans on the beach who were busy performing some unknown sport. I think it was their own version of Marco Polo. Dimple automatically squealed at the site of a cute Korean female toddler and took out her camera to take pictures of the child.

Meanwhile, Hazel and I faced the cameras of Tin and Elaine as we posed like there was no tomorrow in our own version of Century Tuna's "Superbods." I adequately named our session the "555 Tuna Sexy Shots!" Hahaha!

Elaine and I also acted out a scene from Titanic as we looked towards the sea with our hands held high, like Jack and Rose did in the movie.

I really enjoyed the ride back to the villa. We made a lot of splashes and the water was constantly hitting our faces. Tin and the others didn't enjoy it but I actually had fun getting wet from the ride. Hehe!

When we got back to the villa, Hans was already waiting for us. He was also part of Tin's group but he had to come later than the rest because he had to convince his parents to allow him to go to Zambales. That night, we were so hungry that we ate dinner twice!

Hazel and I promptly fell asleep at around ten at night while Tin, Dimple, Elaine, and Hanz made a bonfire and drank alcohol by the seashore. I wanted to join the bonfire but my body still had not recovered from waking up too early. The bonfire team finally came to the room at around 5 in the morning.

I woke up at 6 am and discovered that the rest of them were still sleeping soundly. After taking a bath, I strolled along the beach and had a burger and egg sandwich for breakfast.

When the fine arts team woke up at around 9, we prepared to go to the main attraction of Zambales---Anawangin island.

The boat ride to Anawangin took a lot more time than the ones we took to Camara and Capones. I think we spent almost 20 to 30 minutes on the boat. Along the way, we passed by the breathtaking green mountains of Zambales, which Tin dubbed as "the 'Mordor' of the Philippines." (from Lord of the Rings)

Anawangin was unlike any beach I've been to before. From afar, one would immediately see the cluster of pine trees that line the soft gold-colored ground of the island. I was convinced we had passed an inter-dimensional portal along the way and ended up in Baguio instead!

Although Anawangin was undoubtedly the biggest among the islands of Zambales, commercial construction was impossible. The soft ground of the island prevented anyone from building anything that would not fall over in a week's time---which was a good thing since it would always stay the way it is and resist the negative changes of industrial development.

The only way to spend the night at Anawangin is by camping, which explained the vendors who were selling tents and hammocks for affordable prices. Our group first ate lunch and lazed around under the pine trees before we trekked towards the Anawangin river.

I have to say, arriving at the Anawangin river was the peak of my Zambales experience! The water was cold, clean, clear, and ankle-deep. Gold-colored stones filled the base of the river, inviting us to walk across and spend some Zen time in the shallow flowing water. The best part was that we had it all to ourselves!

Dimple found a heart-shaped rock that embodied what I was feeling at the moment: euphoric and connected. I couldn't help but smile as we followed the flow of the river, occasionally sitting down and letting ourselves bask in the transparency of the substance that comprise 70 per cent of our body weight.

Tin and I took turns taking vanity shots of each other with her camera. With her flowing skirt that had blue flower designs, she looked like a river nymph who was looking for somebody to play with.

What creeped us out was the sudden gust of wind that permeated the air and made tiny ripples in the water. It made a strange howling sound as it passed by the pine trees, like a scene from a horror movie just before a deranged psycho-maniac comes out of the woods and impale the innocent hikers with his cleaver. That was our cue to go back to the beach hurriedly and join the rest of civilization.

After arriving back to the mainland, we hiked towards the mineral falls with the teenage JD as our guide. At the risk of sounding redundant, the mineral falls was full of...minerals. Seriously, the water was brown with what looked like a concentrated mixture of ground rocks. Dipping in it felt like I was in a spa. It was great! It was my first time to swim in a natural body of fresh water.

Hans and Elaine took turns jumping towards the pool from the top of the falls. Kudos to them for braving the height!

Our last official beach activity was actually swimming on the beach. There, we met Gavin, a loquacious American man who was planning to build a resort in Zambales. He promised to give us discounts if ever we come back there next year. Hmm... I might just hold him to that. Haha!

After sunset, we left to Manila after having our dinner. We realized our second grave mistake after waiting for about three hours at the bus stop: we left the resort at too late a time. There were no more buses that would take us to Manila! The next bus would come by in the morning.

In another streak of panic, we asked a couple of tricycle drivers to take us to a cheap inn where we could wait until morning. I think they took us too literally since we ended up in a REALLY cheap motel called "Sampaguita Inn." Just a glance of the room made me think, "So this is where scandals are made."

Tin was scratching her head in exasperation since she couldn't sleep because of the lack of space on the bed. In the middle of the night, she would nudge my leg and whisper, "Move." But I really had no place to move to. If I did, I might have crushed Hazel with my weight. Haha! (Yes folks. The five of us, minus Hans who slept on the floor, slept on the same bed.)

Finally, we were able to go home to Manila in the morning by going to Olongapo and taking a bus to Sampaloc! So endeth our two-day turned three-day trip to Zambales!

Although it ended in a weird and semi-compromising note, I'm glad I said yes to Tin's invite. The old Raydon might have turned it down out of self-consciousness due to the prerequisite of travelling with strangers. But I'm saying yes to life now, especially because of my dream to travel the world.

Thank you Fine Arts peepz! I had fun! Haha!

Next stop, Pinatubo!

For the rest of the pics, go here: http://solarlantern.multiply.com/photos/album/8/Yes_to_Zambales#

Thank you Tin, Elaine, Hazel, Dimple,and Hans for the pics!