Zambales, Iba Ka Talaga!

Tutubi's memories of Iba, Zambales include his visits to the pink sand beach-fringed Potipot Island in Candelaria where he just passed by the capital town with it's church (St. Augustine), old houses and large public square. This time, however, Tutubi found himself adrift for a day in Iba and Palauig towns where he visited a black sand beach with few people frolicking early in the morning yet too late for the "Golden Hour" that landscape photographers seek.

Zambales has around 100 kilometers of coastline facing the South China Sea where you can also see (and buy) beach front property for sale plucked by foreigners looking for a nice, retirement place.

the approach to the beach after the tricycle ride from Palauig.


a family frolicking in the early morning waves on the beach's fine black sand
picture of butterfly on a mango tree. Butterflies are cousins of Tutubi :P
here's a rare picture of Tutubi, a self-portrait

The trip was just a short one so Tutubi didn't have the time to explore more of Iba and Palauig since his main purpose was to visit a relative and check out a piece of land in Bangkal, Botolan he wants to acquire someday.

Zambales remains off the radar of most tourists but it holds much promise. Only Subic Bay seems to be promoted and developed for mainstrean tourism which is good for backpackers looking for secluded places away from the crowds.

---

Notes and Related Posts:

Other Zambales "places to see" include the white sand beaches of San Antonio (Anawangin and Pundaquit), Cabangan (where Mango Camp Adventure and Leisure Farm is) and Subic where White Rock, The Lighouse Marina Resort and others are located in addition to Ocean Adventure and Zoobic Safari. Other natural attractions are Balon Falls, Sto. Nino and Sagrada Familia Caves, and Baloc-baloc Springs. Historical marker of the birthplace of Ramon Magsaysay and ancestral house in Castillejos.

Similar to Corregidor Island guarding the mouth of Manila Bay, Grande Island acted as sentry to the entrance of Subic Bay with bunkers and batteries for defense.

San Salvador Island, off Masinloc town, is a white sand beach island similar to Potipot Island in Candelaria.

Capones Island and Lighthouse Pundaquit, San Antonio,
Ocean Adventure, Subic Bay

How to go to Zambales, the commute way:

At Victory Liner bus terminal on Rizal Avenue (Avenida), Caloocan (near Monumento LRT station), buses bound for Iba can take you there and will pass by Double Happiness for a stop-over, Olongapo, Subic, Castillejos, San Marcelino, San Antonio, San Narciso, San Felipe, Cabangan, Botolan, Iba, Palauig, Masinloc, Candelaria, and Sta Cruz (which is the northernmost town adjacent to Pangasinan). Bus fare from Manila (Caloocan) to Iba, Zambales is P371.00 (as of posting time) while commuting time is around 5 hours, 3 hours to Olongapo City from Manila.

If you're looking for directions to Potipot Island, board a bus to Sta. Cruz, Zambales and ask the driver to drop you off at Dawal Resort in Candelaria where you can hire boats for the 15 minute ride to Potipot Island.

"Zambales, Iba Ka Talaga" means "Zambales, you're really different!" in Pilipino.


Tags: Zambales Travel, 菲律賓, 菲律宾, 필리핀, フィリピン, Filippine, Philippinen, Filipinas, Filippijnen, Paradise Philippines