its been a while since i've been wanting to go to anawangin. i would have absent myself from work if anyone would just invite me to go explore anawangin. it was timely that i had a weekend off-request when SERVE had an anawangin adventure. (oo steve, SERVE ako. hehe!)

i was quite worried when we reach anawangin because it was drizzling. but as soon as we got off the boat the sun started to stop hiding from the clouds. it took us quite a while to pitch our BIG tent. someone forgot to bring some ropes and pegs. good thing there were 10 of us so we could each hold the poles/post while matt was trying to figure out how to pitch our tent. we all thought that he knows how but only to find out that he only saw the pic. matt..matt..matt. but then no one really stayed on the tent. it was just an option in case it would start to rain again. most of us opted to stay outside even when we sleep at night. after all, its not everyday that you get to sleep under the stars. it was ALWAYS my desire to sleep under the stars. so its another activity that have been just crossed out from my bucket list yet i would always still sleep under the stars whenever there is a chance. i dont really care if it's mahamog outside or its nippy cold basta ba kaya ko pa eh! ehehe! i was waiting for some falling stars but i already fell asleep before i could even see one. at around 2am, i was awaken by kuya nard's loud voice. i took it as another chance to wait for falling stars because he said he had just saw one. i was all excited when i thought i saw a falling star but to my embarrassment, it was a firefly! at least i made them laugh. ehehe!

hunger was never an option to us while we were in anawangin. it was actually a feast! for the menu, we had footlong, adobong paksiw, chippy errr... haystack i mean, buyayo, stapaghetti and much more. boogie had really put the kitchen on his pack! there were at least 3 burners and as for the cookset we really had big casseroles! after finishing a meal, we would again cook another meal. i dont even know what meal are we actually eating, like is it breakfast, lunch, dinner or merienda. it was a non-stop eating at all!

it was a cook-eat-sleep-play-swim routine for us. oooppss..i forgot that it was also a photo-op adventure. the place is really a picturesque. i took some shots but of course their shots are more better than mine. yet, no matter how good their pictures are, the beauty of anawangin could never be put into pictures. it is a must-see place. i would have called it paradise. however, the big waves of anawangin is not swim-friendly. i have also heard that some unfortunate incidents had already happened in anawangin. so i took this caution before we left manila. with all those stories, i was really afraid to go swimming on the beach but then i still join the group when they swim in the beach. we actually had fun "riding" and "fighting" the waves! but most of the time we were swimming in the river/canal/delta or whatever you call that fresh water behind the beach.

sunset cannot really be seen from the shore as it is being blocked by the mountain. so it is best view, if one would climb the cliff on the left side of the cove. the view above is really better than when you're on the "ground". you get to see the beach, the shore, the lake and "the other side" once you climb the cliff. well, you dont really have to climb that high to have a great view but matt's panoramic shot from above is really awesome.


i actually had my mobile phone, ipod nano and watch with me while we were in anawangin. but i decided to keep them all in my bag. for one, i could not really use my phone for there is no signal in any spot in anawangin. i decided not to wear my watch because its better to get lost in time when you're not in a hurry at all! the sound of the waves, the chirping of the birds, the sound of the crickets are enough music for me.

we didnt camp where most of the pine trees are. primarily because we have to pay the entrance fee of 150 each. nku, we could use the money for some other thing. hehe! and most importantly, a lot of other groups are camping there that could break the serenity of the place. im not really into crowded places kaya ka nga lumalabas ng manila diba. ehehe! it was like it was still only us in anawangin because of our area.

my favorite sabbath are sabbaths that are spent near on God's nature. it feels different. you get to appreciate the beauty of His creations and realize how He really blessed us. as we were having our "sharing" doc jojo had mention that it was actually in the bible that God created as His steward for the nature. Anawangin is not spared from its visitors waste. you can see some cigarette butts, candy wrappers, bottles and other things scattered in the area. it would not be long that the beauty of anawangin could be ruin by these things. so let us be a responsible visitor of anawangin. ika nga: "explore..discover..and PRESERVE".

i dont think i would enjoy anawangin better than i had it now. i still believe that nothing beats the first time. my parting sms to them says:

beautiful anawangin + great company = superb weekend. thanks!

note: original post from my other blog.

footnote:
travel dates: june 15-16, '08
travel buddies: serve
travel budget: Php 1000
travel pics: here, here, here