The Anawangin Cove: Sea, Surf and Sand

When I first saw the Anawangin Cove one evening while my friends and I were online, surfing for a perfect hideaway on the coming long weekend, I stared in awe and disbelief at my monitor. Pine trees along the seashore in the Philippines? That couldn't be! Those are supposed to be coconut trees!

With my curiosity piqued, we agreed to spend our vacation at the Anawangin Cove to see for ourselves how beautiful the secluded hideaway is. The place also boasts of two small uninhabited islands that would give the world-famous Boracay Island a run for its money. The cove with its own pristine, white sand beaches has a plus factor going to its advantage: it's only a three-hour ride from Manila.

And so, come weekend, we packed our bags and drove 150 km northwest of Manila to the little town of Pundaquit, Zambales. The fact that a typhoon had just recently visited the country and that another one was coming, didn't daunt us to go ahead with our rendezvous with nature.

As we got nearer, I could not help but noticed how idyllic the province of Zambales is. It was like a scenery from one of Fernando Amorsolo's canvas - nipa huts beside mango trees, carabaos grazing, rice fields bounty with harvest. Up in the sky, the clouds were caressing the mountains.

So engrossed was I with nature's beauty that I failed to see a big snake, about six feet long, crossing the street. I swerved the car but I still ran over its writhing body. From the side mirror, I saw the snake raised its head, whether in pain or in anger, I did not know. One thing I was sure, it wanted to strike back, to inflict pain to its tormentor. I just hope it didn't die.

We arrived at Megan's Sea Resort around 11 o'clock in the morning and surprisingly, the sun was out; hiding once in a while behind the gray clouds. There were several groups of surfers, foreigners and Filipinos alike, surfing the big waves to the open sea with much gusto. Little, did we know that Pundaquit was such a haven for surfers!

We occupied two air-conditioned rooms, each with two queen size beds, a toilet and bath and a terrace fronting the sea. We rented the rooms for two days and two nights. It was off peak season and we were able to get the entire package for a low price of US$100.00. The price could double during summer, though.

Due to rough water brought about by the aftermath of a typhoon, we were told by the resort management that we could neither take a boat ride to the nearby islands nor to Anawangin Cove where the pine trees lined the beach. We had to wait till the following day and see if the sea would be cooperative.

After a sumptuous lunch, together with our kids, we ventured on a short trek to Pundaquit Falls. It was a good experience for the children to have a taste of hiking and a bit of mountain climbing.

We spent the rest of the afternoon basking in the sun, strolling along the beach and talking about the good old days when we used to work together in one company. My colleagues and I are now working home-based as Virtual Assistants through the Internet. The night was spent in the resort's videoke bar where we sang to our hearts' content until midnight.

Early the next morning, the sun was up and the sea was calmer than the day before. The boatman, however, would not bring us to the nearby islands which were more than three kilometers away. He said the water was still dangerous but if we want he could bring us to the Anawangin Cove which was on the other side of the Pundaquit beach. That way, we did not have to travel to far out into the sea. Of course, we were all delighted especially the children who were all excited for their first boat ride in the open sea.

The trip going to the cove was quite uneventful. We hired two boats since each can only accommodate 5 to 6 persons. We enjoyed the scenery of the vast sea and the nearby islands as the two boats raced to the delight of the children; unmindful of occasional sea water splashing on their faces.

The Anawangin Cove was such a delightful sight. Tucked between the hills, the cove was so secluded and so eerily quiet. After lunch, the adults hiked up the hill to get better angles and views for the cameras and to enjoy the magnificent view of the cove and the sea. The kids swam and frolic to their hearts content. Everyone lost track of time and only when the boatman reminded us that it's time to leave that we hopped into the boat.

We left the cove much later than we realized because the waves were much higher and more frequent than they were in the morning. Our boat would rise three to four feet up in the air and would slam back into the water, only to be lifted up again and thrown back into the sea with the sea water draining us wet.

My three children started to cry while my wife and I started praying. It was at that moment that I promised God that I would serve Him if He would spare my family from tragedy. There would be lull in between and I never prayed as hard as I could. And then I started singing. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong." We safely made it back to the sea shore but that one-hour boat ride was the longest one hour in my life!

We have gone back to the Anawangin Cove since then just to take away the trauma the kids had experienced. The last time we visited the cove, we made sure there was no imminent storm brewing up in the sea.