All the Water Forms in Bolinao, Pangasinan Philippines (2019)
Are you in the Philippines, particularly its center Manila, and you do want some R&R but have limited time, budget, distance, and energy to spare? Also, are you feeling all the blues and you just want to soak it all in the sea (or by the beach, at least), but you’ve also seen this vlog with a gorgeous waterfall that really got you crave for a cliff-jump (because you’re one heck of an adventure soul), but then suddenly you just want to enjoy a calming river cruise while chowing on a big plate of seafood because you’ve realized you’re not into swimming in the rain at a beach with your best-kept swimwear? Then, I’ve got a place for you. I now sound like advertising it, but no, I’m not paid to do so. I just had the same questions to myself some weeks ago, with the answer YES to all of those questions. And if you feel a YES, too, then you’re at the right reading place.
Sea. Falls. River. If you are a water junkie (not sure if there’s such a term, and argh, such a hippie word), Bolinao, Pangasinan might be the one you should be heading to right now. Imagine those three bodies of water in just one town? Sure, other places have them, too, but not in a very close distance to each other, especially being close to Manila. Well, a 45-minute plane ride to some other provinces is technically, 45 minutes only, but we know the entire travel (and hassle, plus plane jitters) is not just 45 minutes.
So, Bolinao is a six-hour bus trip from Manila ( Victory Liner or Five Star Bus; the latter having more schedules). You can basically sleep through your journey if you want to miss the provincial scenery. Upon arriving, a tricycle ride (sorry, no taxi/Grab/Uber or what-have-you here) can take you to your resort. You may want to pay a visit first, though, to one of the oldest churches a few walks away from the terminal and eat in one of the eateries at the back of the church if you fancy a hot (really tasty) bulalo (beef soup?). Then, voila. you can now sleep at your resort! Kidding. Of course, no time to waste, start exploring!
You may ask the trike driver to have a quick sidetrip to the Patar Lighthouse on your way to your resort or when you’re heading to Patar Beach. The area and structure doesn’t look old and the facade is cleanly maintained.
So, the first water form– the beach. Patar Beach doesn’t boast of a fine white sand beach or an amazingly blue-green sea, but the colors the sunset brings is magnificent. You can just sit on the sand and wait till dusk swallows all the reasons why you’re here in the first place…if you’re in the emo mood.
The morning after, you should be more refreshed and energy-packed because you will really need some energy to climb up and down some trails to your next water destination: falls. But no worries, it’s just a five-minute trek from where the trike is parked. And when you finally see them, yes them, as there is a set of three nearby falls to swim your heart out or cliff-jump if you really must.
Once you get all the feels now from that waterfall love, you may want to eat. Eat seafood. And eat the best calamares and addicting chicharong shrimp and fat-in-belly-fat bangus/milkfish, and oh, crabs. Where? Just by a river. Your third body of water. On a floating resto or a cruise… while a live acoustic singer is patronizing your senti feels doing When You Say Nothing At All (again, if you’re in the emo mood). Sungayan Grill is the name of the place, by the way.
Now, if you still crave for some water after all that and a relaxing swim to end the day before you head back to the metro, you can book a semi-budget bed-and-breakfast accommodation at Casa Almarenzo. The catch? Infinity pool. Now you decide.
All in all, Bolinao is truly a smart weekend trip for anyone, whether Manila-based or not. Aside from those bodies of water I mentioned, there are other worthwhile places to see and activities to do here, like caves and coral reef sanctuaries. You can even head to the nearby town of Hundred Islands if you have a little more than a weekend to spare.
For some video about Bolinao, basically a summary of this post but live, you may want to watch this:
You’re welcome. And feel free to get back to me when you get there. 🙂
Hello, 2014: 14 (Un)Posted from 2013
quezon.manila.camarines sur.ilocos.rizal.bohol.PHILIPPINES.
i’m ready for you, 2014.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Community (The Departed)
six feet under. what do they have to offer?
is it the same with what they have above them?
blue, green, and serene?
or just the soil’s smell of nothing?
Life On A Day: A Twist On the Weekly Photo Challenge
I want to participate in this week’s “A Day In My Life” challenge; however, since a typical day for me is something that does not interest me so, i don’t have the energy yet to share about it. I hope though I could still share something about it that what is worth of words. I still have a week.
For now, I have a post about a break from my typical days, which gave a sort of life to my everyday living because this day gave me some joy being away from work, city life, and stress. I don’t hate my usual days; even stress drives me more, but that feeling of BEING away and not seeing the usual things gave me a sense of self-love. I so needed this break, too, after undergoing a minor surgery and surviving it, thank you Lord (I might also write about that ordeal as a follow-up to my ‘medical paranoia’ post).
So where did I spend that much-needed break?
Rizal province. A little more than two hours away from Manila, specifically from Shaw Starmall where my brother, our cousin, and I kick started our mini-day-tour with a commuter van costing us 70 pesos each to our first destination, Daranak Falls in Tanay. I just want to put the photos now before this post is again taken over by my usual wordiness.
the one where we were here looked the same as that one before us.
we had some more meters to walk after the trike driver, whom we paid 150 pesos, dropped us off saying he couldn’t anymore go farther. we thought he was just lazy since there were still vehicles passing our way. dusty (especially the uncemented part), sweaty, me panting. but i welcomed the walking since it’s still exercise.
… and this beauty erased that resentment we had toward the driver.
a staircase to the Grotto of Mama Mary. we didn’t attempt to go there and climb it since i know it would cause me a day or two of being bed-ridden. my legs are old for climbing. they’re even hurting as of the moment of writing because of all the walking we had on this day.
finally, we reached the main entrance and proceeded to paying 20 pesos per head. the picnic huts and tables were already full and rented, so we just looked for a place where we ate and rested for a while before heading to the falls. and discovering other areas.
I thought we were still early coming in at around 8 AM, but the place was already crowded. It was a holiday, so we expected this. I myself was making the most out of the holiday that was why I still decided to go. The noise was a bit frustrating because I didn’t feel that much the serenity I was craving for, but the feeling this natural beauty gave me overshadowed that minor setback.
I wasn’t able to go to main part of the falls though since I was afraid to make my way to it. I can’t swim. I wouldn’t trust my life on the “salbabida” I rented. Just the part of passing and walking through the slippery rocks almost made me give up to even touch the falls’ water. I overheard the policeman telling a guy asking that the water on the main part is 30 feet, or 13 feet maybe… either one of them, it is still way more than twice my height. I just contented myself feeling the moment of being close to that natural wonder, shooting anything that caught my eyes, and watching some people with their “tricks.”
satisfied on the side where my feet can still feel something underneath them. it’s strange because 5 more steps away from the side, then it’s already 5 feet deep.
I left the place with a satisfied feeling. I might visit Daranak again (or its sister falls, Batlag) on a less crowded day. So far, this is the most affordable and nearest tour I had.
I didn’t forget that this Friday was also the Lord’s Day. When I was a child, my folks told the children to just stay at home and sit on this day because Jesus died for our sins. I saw that that tradition was totally different now based on the people in Daranak maximizing the day taking their vacation and the busy streets and roads we passed through going home. I don’t know how to feel about that since I myself was not anymore just sitting on this day, but I would never fail to thank God for His love and sacrifices on any days. Before we left the province, we went to Antipolo Church and I thanked God for giving me this day to be closer to Him through His gift of nature, to feel His presence in His home, and to appreciate His gift of life more.
preparing for the procession.
I hope everyone has a fruitful Holy Week. God Bless.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward (Like Stripe Does)
Sometimes, you join them go up the trail unsure why you do it and what awaits you when you get there. There- somewhere unfamiliar, something that brings a sense of thrilling anxiety.
So, you go forward.
And what do you find?
Sometimes, nothing… or almost something, but then you’re not allowed to get to the beautiful part of that something. or at least, not yet.
So, you content yourself standing, viewing from afar, taking all bits of that beauty-from-afar that your limited 360 degree-view can get and hoping that that glimpse satisfies you enough. And you dare take a picture of it to savor that ‘I’m almost there’ or ‘I almost get it’ feeling. Even if it says, “No picture, please.”
Because you have to capture some reminder of your almost-glory. To remind you that even if you get somewhere, you know you still have to join the others and continue moving. forward.
I was actually reminded of the inspiring message of the book above (Stripe’s journey) when I learned this week’s photo challenge theme… the message that has always been a reminder for me to fear not, to not lose hope along the way, and to continue moving without stepping on anyone because somewhere someday, something beautiful awaits.
travel it home.
one, or make that two… two of of the boons of living in the city are going to your home province and traveling far doing so. in my case, doing both takes eight hours of butt-burning, leg-cramping, and body-freezing sit-down inside a bus. but i’m not really complaining. i prefer the bus actually. i can say that that is the third advantage of living in the city. a trip by bus is a “vacation” in itself. or more like, a retreat. i get to be literally speechless (except when some fellow dares to chit-chat with me and if he or she gets carried away, will narrate his/her entire life story, or when i’m luckier, meet someone who can make my trip “sweet”; but that’s a different story and not for this time). i don’t put earphones to deafen myself with my usual music, but instead, embrace those played on the bus (michael learns to rock, air supply, hotel california, and freddie aguilar- a local artist, a great one- and they are on the repeat, too; music with lyrics i have come to memorize because of my trips like these). and i get to do a lot of self-evaluation, which is always part of my journey home.
my trip last weekend beat my record last year of having only two visits to the province. unfortunately, the approaching christmas holiday is not really a holiday for my work, so the trip was also our pre-christmas celebration. good thing i do not have any more homesickness issues (but there’s always a serious reason every time i come home, and family better not know each; being with them overcomes whatever “reason” it is). my family is still always excited though to learn that i’m coming with the hope that i finally bring a guy along. they never quit with that. and of course, they’re excited for my pasalubong (any food or items brought home for the people who are awaiting the arrival; in our place, a box of biscuits is an infamous pasalubong).
being away for quite a long time makes me appreciate home more. fresh breeze. colder temperature. the greeneries. old reading materials, old photos, and old writings. mama’s food. and the best thing, family, which includes a set of its own– the bickering, the when-are-you-having-your-own-family interrogations, the stories that were told before and told again, but somehow still sound new, nanay’s (grandma) amazing strength being 90+, and just the mere presence of each other.
suddenly, things that were ordinary or were of less value before become special and are seen with a different perspective. i can say that some of the things i saw touring other places are also available in our own place, in our own backyard, and even inside our house. i don’t renounce going on trips to other places because that’s a different experience altogether and a different set of learnings. but traveling home the weekend that passed opened my eyes to things i didn’t give close attention to during the days that i was living here.
i am no photographer, and photos below might just be plain and simple. but they made me happy. and that’s the simple reason why i came home.
first morning of december. by the sea.
strolling. and church (been a while).
no other pictures of the good food i enjoyed. here are random ones though.
so, here’s what i think should be my subject if ever i pursue being a photo hobbyist. with a more legit and expensive (cough, cough) camera. (credits to my cousin Ling’s caring hands in growing such lovely flowers.)
and of course, my homies.
home? check. now, i’m all set for the world… or maybe, just some other places around here. :p
and thanks to you who have just spared me with precious time bearing with my “clicks” viewing all of them (i know, they might be too many already, but i couldn’t help posting all). would love to get a peek of your own “home,” too, or of any of your travels (better if with the sea). can’t wait. 🙂
Weekly Photo Challenge: it’s the “green” that counts.
green will always be associated with nature. it will always be of plants and leaves and of hills and rain forests. with all the advocacy for healthy and organic living at present, green is surely leading the race ahead of all the other colors. i like green more than the color in my name (you know, pink?). green is just stable, calm, and does not seem to seek any attention but you can feel her presence. i think i would have been more grateful to my parents if they had named me “green” or “greeny.” it would have been an odd name, but i would have surely avoided side-comments like “huh, you don’t actually look your name” everytime i need to introduce myself. although i have overcome that sometimes-cruel fact the color in my name brings, i have still pursued to be green. one of my frustrations is being a green thumb. my mother, grandmother, aunts, and cousins are, and even my brother is. i, on the other hand, just don’t know how to grow a single plant. when one of my officemates left the company, she left me with her bonsai plant. i was hesitant at first to accept the responsibility since i was scared that it would just die in my hands. telling me that i would just need to make sure there’s water in the pot, she eventually convinced me. i was somehow excited though to keep Sab (the plant’s name, which is short for “sabog,” the Tagalog slang for “messy” for the plant’s messy leaves) alive having that adage in mind from that Sandra Bullock movie saying that if one can keep a plant alive for some time, then he or she can get a pet, and if that pet stays in good health, too, then the person can already get a boyfriend or a girlfriend. so, i just looked at having Sab as my attempt on the first step. almost three years has passed and i still have Sab in my life. i never tried my hand though on a pet. maybe skipping on the second step is the reason why the third thing, the “boyfriend,” didn’t work out. anyways, since Sab’s good health has boosted my confidence that i can somehow take care of another being that has life (and as my first step of moving on from that “boyfriend” failure), i decided one day to have another bonsai plant. this time, it was to stay with me at home because Sab was with me in the office. unfortunately, it was a different case. i always forgot to check if she still has water, i sometimes dropped her when i got stuff near her, and i just seemed to forget that she was existing since i wasn’t seeing her often. this action, or non-action, of mine made her lose the stones in her pot and her once many leaves and twigs. i have thought many times of just disposing her to cover up my humiliation and failure and because i’m not sure anymore whether she will still survive or not. but she has managed to hang on, barely standing on her few stones. i also decided to hang on to her, and see where this will lead us both. she might die eventually, but i know at least, i didn’t give her up by putting her inside the garbage bag. i decided to take Sab home to be with her. i’m hoping that Sab would share her vigor with her and help me keep her alive. and i’ve just realized now i haven’t given this little green a name yet. any suggestion?
Check out other Weekly Photo challengers @ http://dailypost.wordpress.com/category/photo-challenges/
in the pink of 
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