Tuna Festival in Gensan City

           Every September many places across Region 12 or SOCCSKSARGEN are in festival mood. Among these is the City of General Santos which celebrates its charter day every September 5 and the week-long Tuna Festival.

        Among the highlights of the celebration are the Tuna Festival Float Parade participated by different companies in General Santos City and the colorful Tuna Festival Streetdancing Competition. - 

See more at: http://www.southcotabato.org/2014/04/tuna-festival-2014-general-santos-city.html#sthash.K29pwRik.dpuf

Anawangin Cove and Capones Island, Zambales

So it's here, we have set our foot at the Central Luzon of the Philippines. Zambales has become a tourist destination of the people from the North. Just 6 hours away from Metro Manila. Here are our itineraries.

the rock formation on our way to Anawangin shore

Day 1

We went off to the North of Luzon and stepped into the islands of Zambales. I and my travel companions geared up to conquer the mountains and the ocean. This travel was on a tight budget and on a last minute yet it was all worth it and a lot of firsts happened.

We rode the 11:30pm-bus bound to Iba, Zambales. We availed the discounted bus tickets (P220) just by showing our student ID. It’s a good thing that we still had it. We arrived in Brgy. San Antonio at 3am (earlier than we expected) and waited for the market to open. We bought all the necessary ingredients and drinks for our meals in 2 days. The vendors were so kind for giving us discounts, so we were able to fit our budget on food.

We have to ride the tricycle and reach Brgy. Pundaquit where we have to rent a boat. Boat rental was expensive (P1500 roundtrip) but we bargained too much to the owner and a little charm worked. Kuya Mike agreed to take us to two islands, Anawangin and Capones. He’s so kind that he even wanted to take us to another island but his boat can’t endure the strong and big waves that day.
Our first stop was Anawangin Cove. You’ll never get bored within that 45-minute boat ride. The scenery, the ocean, the sky and the mountains were majestic and exquisite. I have never seen anything like that before. I felt so overwhelmed. I can’t stop clicking my camera to take that beauty with me.

At last, we came ashore in Anawangin cove. Our boatmen helped us to carry our baggage, lent us some cooking utensils, and set-up the tent. We were so thankful that they took the initiative to set up our tent because we don’t know how to do it. Less worries and works in our part.

We settled in a camping site in the island. There were other tourists too but not so crowded. I observed that there were no houses around. The island was uninhabited. There’s only one sari-sari store which sells expensive goods, and spot for toilets and washing dishes. There’s no electricity and cell phone signal. The sand was made of white ashes from the erupted Mt. Pinatubo. There were also pine trees on the other side of the beach. The sunrays broke its way to the thick pine trees in the forest. It was nice to gaze at the sunlight and to feel the cool breeze. Day-trippers like us were encouraged to do outdoor activities like swimming, exploring, and hiking.

We cooked our breakfast, ate it and slept. Yeah, we dozed off because we didn’t have enough sleep. We were drowsy and we needed strength to trek the hills.
Later that afternoon, we asked a local guide to accompany us to trek. He was so shocked that we wanted to start right away at 12 noon. He suggested hiking at 2PM because it’s less sunny and less warm. That made us shocked! He’s more concerned with his dark skin and the heat. We were like ‘one-eyebrow-raised’. Anyway, we agreed to start later and then he offered different hiking destinations. Eventually, we chose the easier trek and paid him P300.

We wanted a short easy trek to the hills but we were in for rock climbing, hiking and bushy trail. It was exhausting, difficult, and scorching hot! For starters like us, it took 40 minutes to reach the peak (normally, it would only take 30minutes). Imagine how slow we were! hahaha… All the hardships on our trail paid off as we saw the beautiful sight overlooking from the top. The West Philippine Sea was calming and refreshing. The mountains were green and perfectly shaped across the sea. I was so mesmerized. Zambales was love at first sight for me.

We went downhill after seizing the moment at the peak. Finally, we succumbed ourselves to the sea. The water was cold, refreshing and so blue. It was also literally very salty which irritates our eyes. We enjoyed the big waves and screamed like children as the waves hit us. We had swimming until the sunset. We ate halo-halo and sat peacefully as we watched the orange sky and the sun setting down. It was so carefree staring at the sunset. I love this feeling and I couldn’t trade it with anything in this world. *sigh
At nightfall, we prepared our dinner and our tent. As we drifted ourselves to sleep, we could hear the ocean waves and the sound of the forest. Indeed, we had a good night rest.

Zamboanga City

"The Asia's Latin City!"--- as they call it. And here I am in the beautiful Ciudad de Zamboanga! This trip gave me a glimpse of the Spanish era and memoirs of the Spanish language. The one whole month of waiting was finally over. At last! My friend and I boarded the plane and off we went to Zamboanga City, Philippines. We got the PISO fare airline ticket in Cebu Pac. We bought it for 1500 round trip and stayed there for 3 days and two nights. 

Up up and away!

The flight going to Zamboanga was delayed for 15 minutes as I expected. Yet, the boarding time back home to Davao was half an hour earlier! Good job here Cebu pac guys! 

touch down Zamboanga Airport!

solemn mass is held at The Fort Pilar Shrine regularly

the wall of Fort Pilar Shrine

Sarangani Bay Festival 2014, Sarangani Province

This is my first time to attend a beach festival and I'm just so glad to flock with other beach-goers. I believe that this is the biggest and most awaited beach festival in the whole Mindanao island. This is surely a long weekend to remember and the grandest ever! 

The organizers were all prepped up for the event and even surpassed the projected 80, 000 of guests from the whole Philippines. The numbers have gone up compared to last year's 75,000 attendees hitting 100, 000 this 2014. Isn't it amazing?! It has become popular and anticipating to all white beach lovers out there. 

Sarangani shore

 Sarbay Fest is held at Gumasa Beach, Glan (south most trip), Sarangani. Tourist can get accommodation in 3 beaches which were lined up across the bay, e.g Rosal beach, Coco beach and White Haven resort. Each beach resort has its positive and negative reviews. I personally advice to get 1 (more) month reservation if you choose to stay in Coco beach (cheapest one). Rosal beach is quite pricey but the staff are really accommodating and they have a cafe within the resort. White Haven also offers cottages and rooms at a very reasonable price and walking distance to the stage, food tents, and other sporting event (very crowded here!)  

sand sculpture winner

pose with the body paint models

picturesque sunset

foam party at night (don't mind the detergent smell,just party!)

We were such a party animal as we plunged into this crowd. The experience could have been better if it weren't for those perverts. So, it was boobs&butts grabbing game they want, I slapped one of them on the face and grabbed his balls too! It's harshly rewarding and crazy.

tent city next to Coco beach

We found this place because of Kuya Manong (whom we didn't know the name) He's wandering around the island and we were looking for a place to stay when he suggested this place to us. It's far from the main event area but cheaper and more peaceful than the official Tent city set up by the organizers. This is still along the seashore and much more organized.

after party scene

And all ends here. Next year would be its 10th Sarbay Festival so I believe it would be better and greater. Looking forward to that!

Maasim, Sarangani Province

Let's go to the west of Sarangani Province, the town of Maasim. This beautiful town is located along the shoreline. Travelers can have sightings of the scenic view of the ocean, the white sand beach and mountain ranges along the road.

sunset in Maasim

mountain view from the top of the resort

We were off to visit IML Eco Park in Brgy. Lumasal, Maasim, Sarangani Province. We stayed there overnight and so satisfied to spend the weekend there. The staff were very kind who made sure our stay is comfortable.

IML Eco park resort

Iloilo City and Guimaras Island

Touchdown in the Heart of the Philippine island, Iloilo city! This is a business trip though. I didn't have much time for sightseeing and enjoy the place. Anyhow, I was able to fulfill my senses with the new environment, breathe fresh air, listen to soft spoken Ilonggo language and taste local Ilonggo food.

Welcome sign! 

Ruben Gonzaga at  Molo Church

Ruben Gonzaga, our Agri Tayo Dito host, posed in one of the Must-see-Churches in Iloilo city. We were able to look inside. Blimey! How I desired time permit us to attend the holy mass but we just can't. Off we went to the next location shoot.