Anawangin, Finally

Punta de Uian's Picturesque Beauty

It’s better late than never so, Happy Holidays everyone! Tried to stay away from the computer as much as I could during the holidays and I’m afraid I left this blog (and my 3, possibly 2 readers) sadly neglected. No matter, though, coz I have great stories and photos to make up for it!

This Christmas was the first one I spent away from home. It was exhilarating and liberating but kind of bittersweet, too: till now, I spent every Yuletide season of my life with my mother, with whom (until recently) I live alone with. Though she encouraged me to spread my wings live my own life yadda yadda, I did get the inkling that she felt kinda happy/sad, too. We both knew it had to happen though, and I guess it was about time. I needed to do it and I’m glad I did.

I went on my last out-of-town trip of the year with K to celebrate our first Christmas (after 6 years) together. I’ve been aching to go to Anawangin Cove ever since I saw Ironwulf’s post about the place. We were with a bunch of K’s cousins (some of whom were kids and toddlers), so we decided to stay somewhere in Pundakit and set out for Anawangin in the morning.

A home away from home

We ended up in this beautiful place called Punta de Uian. The place was breathtaking–their lovely houses and log cabins were set against a gorgeous brilliant green mountain backdrop. The have their own fishing lake (where you can catch your own fish for 200 PHP per kilo), kiddie park, bonsai garden, and some other attractions that I think are no longer open to the public (motocross track and horseback riding ranch). The air was fresh and cool and the duplex we rented was clean and homey. It had a beautiful beachfront view, too.

View from our room

Our duplex cost 12,000 PHP. There were 19 of us in total and we fit quite comfortably inside the two rooms. They provided some cushions so some people can sleep on the floor and not have a backache, so that’s good. We also had two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a back patio (perfect for barbequing). Their meals cost between 150-250 PHP per dish. It seems pricey at first but if there are a bunch of you, you can rent the duplex for roughly a thousand bucks each person. They have other types of rooms that are smaller and probably cost way less, but I don’t know how much they rent them out for, exactly.

The beach near this resort was incredible. The sand was white and clean, not very fine but not too rocky, either. And I don’t know if it’s like that all year, but the waves when we visited were enormous! It’s a pity we don’t have surfboards and no one was renting them out. I’ve always wanted to try that and the waves were perfect. It took me less than a minute before a huge one knocked me off my feet. We felt like castaways haha! We were literally rolling on the beach and we keep getting bowled over. I got bruised and scratched within 5 minutes of staying on the beach, but I had the best fun I’ve had in a quite while.

Sunset in Punta de Uian

No need for words here. Sunsets are nearly always a quasi-spiritual experience. At least, for me.

To Anawangin! Charge!

We set out very early next morning for Anawangin Cove. We had to go someplace else to get a ride, the people of Punta de Uian refused to take us there because the waves on their side of da hood were too big. Luckily, Pundakit is peppered with boatmen who were willing to take us there. We paid 200 bucks per head for the boat, which they said was the standard price.

The sea was a brilliant royal blue and it was really, really pretty. It was the first time we went out to sea that the water was blue. It’s usually sleet gray or greenish. We’re lucky to have had a clear sky that day (so clear that the clouds were casting shadows on the beach!!! Wow).

I don't know why Ariel wanted to trade this for legs

Rage, rage, against the dying light

Maybe the place was not quite as breathtaking as it used to be, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The pine trees were there, the water was very clear. The fishes weren’t suspicious enough, one actually swam right up to my chest and I had to dart away from it in surprise.

Pine trees will forever remind me of Katniss Everdeen

And I saw Mr. Krabbs! There were tiny, gray-and-white crabs crawling all over the beach and I was lucky there was this one who didn’t get as easily spooked as the others. He stayed still long enough for me to snap a photo (albeit not a very good one)!

Look for Krabby

And tide pools are

Tide pools at Anawangin Cove

Look closely and you'll see a tiny fish peeking out from the kelp

There was a little cave off to one side that we explored, sort of.

View from the little cave

And of course no beach trip is ever complete without a jump shot:

Ohhhhhmmmm

Dorkface!

More photos!

Pundakit wind thingy

Make a splash!

Social networking will never leave me

So that was Christmas. I guess a New Year post is in order? Haha! Hope you all (three) had as much fun as I did on your vacation!