“Kuya Ced, nilalamig ka ba?” asked curiously by Joy one of our youthful guides.

It was close to dusk and I was sitting near the banca’s bow absorbing each and every splash as wave after wave pounded our wooden vessel. Without the benefit of a rain sheet, I was also being drenched by a freakish late afternoon downpour.

“Minsan. Halimbawa, ngayon.” I delicately replied.

At last, after a really long day, we finally parked our boat in Daraga, a small fishing village in Lahuy Island. This was where Leia, Mhef, Dondon and I were going to spend the night. We originally planned of setting up camp at one of the beaches we spotted but our guides insisted that we take up on their offer.

Several hours earlier we arrived at the town of Caramoan armed only with Mhef’s knowledge of the place having visited twice already and being a Bicolano herself. But Gota Beach, her usual go-to place was closed to the public because Survivor Asia was filming there. We found it kind of frustrating because the presence of a bunch of foreigners was denying access to travlers. It would’ve been okay if they picked an “isolated” island (true to the Survivor premise) but Gota Beach is what White Beach is to Puerto Galera. Puntahin kung baga. Even locals are barred from entering the premises. Even the fishermen who live there were rudely displaced. Something is seriously wrong here.

It’s a good thing there are so many places in Caramoan. All undiscovered.

We were instructed to come knocking on the mayor’s door. Unannounced, but having no choice, we dropped in anyway and came upon who probably is the kindest mayor ever. Considering we were total strangers, he opened up his home, fed us, gave us all the info we needed and even sent out his sister and 2 other municipal employees to serve as our guides. This was on a Saturday! Asking about the Gota Beach and the Survivor Asia issue, the mayor lamented that it was out of his hands as the orders are stern and direct from the governor himself, without coordination with the municipal government of Caramoan.

We were surprised to see the mayor and his siblings in Daraga. It turns out they had some sort of get-together at their ancestral home, a simple wooden house by the beach, also our shelter for the night. Famished from a whole day’s worth of island-hopping, we were thankful that we were eating hot rice, and ginataan at adobong posit under a roof instead of feeding on bread and canned goods in a cold, damp tent.

It was only when I looked at the mirror that I realized how burnt my skin was. And then I remembered how the sun worked its way starting from the 2-hour ferry from Sabang Port to Guijalo Port in Caramoan and continuing on to Lahuy Island and its surrounding islets, scanning for possible camp sites and places of interest for the Travel Factor group Leia plans to bring by the end of March.

We first stopped at the backside of Lahuy, where a gold panning community exists. Ate Weng, who seemed to know everybody led the way into the barrio and showed us how gold was sifted from the sands, cleaned and then heated to solidify into a golden ball. I never expected to witness this from this trip but there it was!

We visited numerous other places, all of which had fine white sand and gin-clear waters. It was ironic that the Caramoan’s pristine beauty was beginning to be repetitive and redundant. But when we saw Sitio Manlawi, even from afar, we knew that it was going to be our camp site. Sitio Manlawi is a cove on Lahuy Island which at low tide, becomes a barren desert of white sand sprinkled randomly with driftwood, dotted with rocks and its surface sculpted with wavy lines created by the receding water. At this time, one has to walk ridiculously far from the shore just to have water at waist level. If only the weather had cooperated. Hay. Babalik naman ako eh.

I can just imagine Manlawi during sunrise. The sun will rise on the horizon and the coast will be exposed with puddles of water creating a rich, colorful reflection instead of a dull, underexposed foreground. One more time. Hay. Babalik naman ako eh.

Most of the villagers, the mayor included, have converged in a small shack nearby. Made with the simplest materials of nipa and used wooden boards, the humble establishment boasts of an ubiquitous Filipino contraption: a videoke machine. There is actually no electricity on the island. The machine is proudly powered by a diesel generator. They can live without refrigerators, television sets or radios. But they can’t live without their videoke.

It’s no surprise that this Caramoanon community can carry a tune. Everybody seems to have their own masterpieces! Mayor Cordial’s seems to be Larawang Kupas as he didn’t even need to look at the lyrics, belting away like a pro. As the countless five-peso coins clinked to every well-performed song, so did the bottles of Gran Matador and Ginebra which almost surely, plunged the whole place into a drunken cloud. Us, most definitely included as there only about 3-4 of us downing two Ginebra 4×4s. Take this: no ice, no chaser.

And then they began to play “Touch By Touch”, a quirky, somewhat irritating, ancient dance song. This drove the lolas to the “dance floor” grinding with reckless abandon. Pretty soon, they were pulling us in as they desperately needed dance partners. The village men cheered on, amused by the sight of pit-drunk Manileños who gamely drank with them. And then they played “Touch by Touch” again. And again. And yet again.

More photos at my Multiply account.

There isn’t really anything special coming up but I’m leaving for CAMSUR in three hours. Hastily, I’ve packed and I’m showing all of you what I’m bringing.

1. Nalgene Water Bottle - They say it’s tough as hell. It’s been with me for a while now and I’ll attest to it! You can even slam it hard on the floor with confidence. Just so you can see the reactions on your friends’ faces.
2. Deuter Wash Center - No. It’s not a washing machine. It’s my very own kikoy kit. Haha! Seriously, that’s where I put my soap, shampoo sachets, toothbrush, toothpaste, recreational drugs. Oops! That was a joke.
3. Sandugo Sandals - Tough! Tough! Tough! For impromptu and unexpected situations. You just never know when you need that added traction.
4. North Face Prophet 45 - What I like about this pack is that it’s so lightweight. Inside this pack is my sleeping bag, my 3-sleeper tent, 3L of water, 2 Gatorade bottles, clothes, a small pillow, a can of Purefoods corned beef and a can of Vienna Sausages.
5. N_k_n Electric Fan -Not that I’m really bringing it with me. It’s just a bonus item. Woot!
6. Canon 400D - I’m bringing an extra body for someone else to use. Attached is my brother’s 17-85 IS.
7. Extra Slippers - I have big feet! If my sandals give up on me, chances are I wouldn’t be able to find a pair my size. Especially in Bicol!
8. Shemagh/Scarf - All around pamunas,instant shade, camera protector/concealer, and accessory.
9. Tamrac Adventure 9 - It’s off to a Bicol adventure! A good backpack for one body, 2-3 lenses and some accessories.
10. 70-200 - Time to get worked out! This guy took a backseat in Anawangin.
11. Small Stuff - There’s a Stofen there, a Nikon lens pen, a flashlight, some batteries, a spork, Halls and some Loperamide tablets. You never, ever know.

Looks like I’ll be offline until Monday! Wish me well in my adventure.

Pinas or bust!

Dark cloud formations were looming ahead as we cruised on the North Luzon Expressway. When it started to drizzle which progressed into rain, I had a sinking feeling that we would get poor light for this trip. It’s already the end of February. It’s supposed to be summer already!

This would be my third trip to San Antonio, Zambales where Anawangin Cove, Capones Island and Camera Island are home to. The first time was when we shot our AVP for GO! Travel Magazine. Being enchanted by the barren beauty and simplicity of Capones Island, I went there for a second time, that time bringing along my high school friends for an epic beach camping trip. This time, I was with a group of about 30 city dwellers, most of which have already met in a previous trip to Ilocos.

Three vans. Thirty participants. Four Guides. Dozens of cameras. This is Photoholic 08: Zambales Beach Camp.

The San Antonio town proper hasn’t changed since then, except for some additional cement work in the public market. It was still as provincial as it could get. After grabbing a quick lunch, we then proceeded to Brgy. Pundaquit, a small fishing village which is the launching pad for the islands. Thankfully, the weather made a complete turnaround and we were now faced with searing temperatures. Which is great! Especially for photography!

Our first destination was Anawangin Cove, which isn’t exactly an island. It’s still part of coastal Zambales although there aren’t any built roads leading to it. Enclosed by the sea and the mountains, one can hike for about 5-6 hours instead. We took the 4-6 seater bancas. Travel time: just a mere 30 minutes of scenic views of mountains dipping in the sea with blackish, rocky faces to boot.

It was my first time to Anawangin Cove and approaching it is just unreal. Well, I’ve seen pictures of it online (as Anawangin is one of the photography hotspots these days) and boy, it sure does ask to be photographed. What greeted us was a big, blue sky, followed by a towering mountain, then a layer of lush pine trees, a dusting of white sand and finally emerald waters. Very promising.

But we weren’t the only ones who had the same idea. There must’ve been around a hundred more campers, half of which were already in a drunken stupor. Of course, it was an omen of good things to come.

Leia, of Travel Factor (http://thetravelfactor.org) announced the tent assignments, the standard being 5 campers to one tent. Ours was the first tent to be announced: “Ced, Mac, Tino, Brian, Francis” said Leia, for everybody to hear. We exchanged perplexed looks as how we would fit ourselves into the tent. It would’ve been no problem if we were all small-framed. Basta, we were not. Thankfully, one of the campers brought his own tent so an extra one freed up. Thankfully.

Itching to get the signature Anawangin shots, we began dispersing into the “forest” but we soon found ourselves converging at the river-slash-swamp-slash-riverswamp. Wanting to get better angles, we entered the water and navigated our way, identifying the shallow portions, “establishing” a trail. We didn’t mind getting wet, all of us were focused on keeping our cameras dry. We were feeling hardcore! Feeling NatGeo! Haha!

Those who’ve viewed pictures from Anawangin will comment that it doesn’t look like the Philippines. I think it’s just uncharacteristic of having pine trees in your frame. That’s why we hug pine trees in Baguio.

Unfortunately, light was patchy that afternoon and we really didn’t have the patience to wait for better light. I know, I know. We are to fault. And we don’t have an excuse! But everybody was such in a vacation mode so what did we do next? Of course we feasted on green Zambales mangoes and hit the beach! Like a true, blue bakasyonista! ;p

At the hint of a setting sun, the photographers in us switched on and we scurried back to our tents to get our gear, walked to the rightmost portion of the beach and set up, waiting for that magic hour of warmth and silhouettes. I found a log by the beach but it just kept being drifted by the waves even as I stomped on it repeatedly to bury partially into the sand. I gave up and settled for rocks instead.

And it was a glorious show of light! For the sunset, I decided to avoid shooting RAW and challenged myself into playing with in-camera settings: White Balance, and my newly downloaded Picture Style from the Canon website, Twilight. It worked wonders, at least for my taste as it brought out the purples, pinks and violets. And just like that, the warm glow of the dying sun was eclipsed by the cool hues of evening.

But the sea claimed one casualty: a Nikon D40. It was standing next to me, mounted on a tripod when a big wave rushed in. Because the tripod’s legs weren’t mounted evenly on the sand, it fell down, camera faced down. It was a sad, moment but it even that opened opportunities as the owner is now contemplating shifting to Canon.

We walked back to our campsite in the pine trees, now illuminated with candles, headlamps and flashlights. Everybody was already gathering, a sure sign of hunger. Dinner was tinolang manok, inihaw na tilapia and rice. That night we all learned about the perils of eating without the benefit of illumination.

1. You will be forced to eat vegetable as you really can’t see what you’re eating. My palate was rudely introduced to sayote or was that papaya? All I know was that it was mushy and watery.
2. Eating fish is like love. Ang tinik ay parang pag-ibig, hindi mo nakikita. Mararamdaman mo na lang.

And we begin the drinking session with a Gilbey’s and Island Lime combo. One that was finished with lightning speed as Brian took the helm of tanggero and the group played a game of categories (One will give a category and the group, arranged in a circle will enumerate valid answers. Faulty answers will merit a shot.) Here are some of the bloopers.

Category: ST Films
Madz: “Troso!”

Category: Beach Resorts
Deneb Villanueva: “Villanueva Resort!”

Category: That’s Entertainment Stars
Francis: “Gilbey’s!”

The group thinned out as the night progressed and by the time we downed the second bottle of our Ginebra Cuatro Cantos (4×4) mixed with Fres-C Calamansi juice, there only seven or eight of us, all obviously buzzed and already sharing stories as if we were friends long before. Alcohol really is the lubricant of friendship.

It was when we lied down, facing the sky that we noticed how bright the moon was shining, how calming the lapping waves were, how cool the sea breeze was blowing and how the distant barks of the Anawangin dogs lulled us to sleep.