Happy Holidays, everyone! This is indeed the season of sharing, love and happiness! How could we forget the very special moment our baby Jesus brought into existence. The time when we honor the holy family as we celebrate our own. If ever there was a time to eat, drink and be merry. It's today!!!
DAY 1: ON OUR WAY TO SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES.
It's
the most wonderful time of the year and a perfect one to go beaching
with the Santos Family. We've been planning our trip in Anawangin Cove
since October, each family has an assigned food and materials to bring
and considering I've been there before, it became quite easier for us to
plan this escapade. Knowing that Anawangin Cove is one of the famous
spot for camping, I just can't hide my excitement for my first ultimate
"Camping experience"!!
24th of December, Saturday, left Bulacan at Five, total of three vehicle: Mutya, tito Jaime's pick-up and a rental van. I was the one who drove Mutya with JV and daddy. Tito Jaime was accompanied by her wife: Tita Liza, and two children: Jethro and Janella; and the adopted, Victor. While the rest of the bunch rode in the white Toyota Hi-ace, Relix and Jaina, my Mom Lucy and sister Ruby, Tita Gloria with her children: Richard, Seriffa and Gioser; and Tito Boy. After thirty minutes, we took the San Simon Exit in Pampanga to pick up Tito Eric, Tita Helen, Kuya Jason and Ate Giselle then went straight to the route going to Zambales. We were 30 minutes away from Pampanga, aside from the GPS which is forcing us to make a U-turn, Tito Jaime apparently following the wrong van which led us to the road heading to Bataan! What the heck! We woke up daddy to take over the driving and in an hour or half, we've reached the Subic town proper and there's the rest of the team waiting in vain. Convoyed ride on our way to Zambales and had a quick stop-over in San Antonio wet market to buy fresh seafoods and fruits. Dad also asked Tito Boy to buy an additional liquor and ice for their inuman session, as expected. We went straight to Pundaquit Port which we were welcomed by Kuya Reynan, my contact, and guided us to a resort to park our cars.
CHRISTMAS CAMPERS MODE: ON
It's
almost Eleven, imagine the
supposedly-two-hours-of-travel-turned-into-five, ugh, the struggles of
having old people in a trip. They don't mind the time, they're very very
slow moving and a sure cause of delay but definitely more fun to be
with. Kuya Reynan and company with the help of the rest of the boys put
the baggages in the boat. We rode in a larger boat while Tito Jaime,
Kuya Jason, Ate Giselle and Dad rode in a smaller one. We had a hard
time clambering in the boat because of the waves which is very opposite
from our thirty minute smooth boat ride to the main island. Almost
quarter to twelve when we touched down Anawangin Cove. Just like the
last time I was there, it's not crowded provided that it's another
perfect day to go beaching. Everyone jumped out of the boat with
excitement. I am happy to see my family looked so amazed with the
beautiful scenery of this cove.
*boat ride-Php200/head
*Entrance fee for overnight stay-Php100
*kids-free of charge
*rental tent- Php300
*cottage- Php150
We
quickly find a perfect spot for our tents with two cottages on the
side. Kuya Reynan provided a rental tent for the families of Tito Jaime,
Tito Ric and Tita Gloria; since JV brought his own tent to share with
Victor and I've decided to buy our own tent as well. It's lunch time!!
We prepared rustic table with lunch meal consisting Tito Boy's sisig,
Tita Helen's pata tim, shrimps by yours truly, and Tita Liza's freshly
grilled fish. We devoured with bare hands because we were able to wash
our hands with the free water. A moment of silence is respectively given
to the hungry squad. After lunch, everyone find their perfect place to
have a rest. The kids, Relix and Jaina, were very excited to go swimming
that they even refused to change swimming outfits for this activity!
Our boy still wearing his khaki shorts and polo shirt while the little
girl was still on her long dress, both happy and...wet! Haha
The sunny, windy weather attracted us to sit in one of the cottages instead. Jethro borrowed Kuya Jason's guitar and plays acoustics with Janella. My sister grabbed a caramel and cheese flavored popcorn, while my man get some pitcher of juice. On the other side of the cove, there's the elderlies who already started their drinking session. Tita Glo's got a couple of Champagne soda, while we also brought a bottle of Mojito and Dad's strong liquor. Too early to start though, but they seems having fun talking about nonsense stuffs and so on. After some time, we had a girly bonding inside our tent with my sister, Janella and Seriffa. I brought a huge handkerchieves to style our head with a boho. Took a never-ending photoshoot and then quickly changed swimming outfits. We went to the beach afterwards. It's very calm and cold! But when you dipped into it, you wouldn't want to do more but to swim!
We stayed in the water in a very long time until some elderlies came to join us. Tita Glo prepared spaghetti for our afternoon snack perfectly partnered with a cup of coffee while the breezy fresh air's kissing our wet bodies. We also grabbed the chance to took afternoon nap. My man and I tried their halo-halo for Php40 while exploring the cove.
All
of us enjoyed the saltwater the most in the late period of time which
I've realized a very lovable moment. My family in a beach while there's a
view of sunset on a Christmas day. My heart melts with love. It is
indeed the more, the merrier!!
It's
almost dark when we got ourselves off the water. Quickly took a
refreshing shower. The boys started the grilling job with hotdogs, fish
and liempo; while we reheated the leftovers using Tito Jaime's portable
stove. He's the most prepared person in this trip, actually, he's got
very useful flashlights and solar collector device which we used to
charge our phones. Dinner is ready, served with grilled liempo, hotdogs
and fish; Pata tim, shrimps, sisig, menudo, spaghetti and some fruits
such as watermelon, bananas and pomelos. We considered this dinner as
our "Noche Buena" because obviously we can no longer afford to wake up
and prepare foods during midnight.
It was a simple candle-lit dinner, barehanded for the second time, this time we added some sodas. We're about to finish our meal when a group of local kids approached us while singing Christmas songs and we couldn't hide our happiness to feel the completeness of Christmas spirit in this island by simply hearing those little ones carols.
BONFIRE, S'MORES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
The
cove was entirely dark and the camping experience became more exciting
when they lit up the bonfire. This time, we're complete..we're reunited.
We asked everyone to sit and form a circle surrounding the fire. My
sister bought plenty of Marshmallows for s'mores. Kuya Jason bring out
his guitar and started playing it while everyone's singing. In a moment,
when the s'mores almost done, we distributed the sticks of mallows and
started the games to have some fun. We begun with the "guess that job"
game where a player must act a specific job or profession on how they do
its work and let everyone guess. Some of it are easy to guess and some
are very difficult as well. But the most entertaining actress was Jaina
when she tries to imitate and act the work of a fireman. Five star for
our little lady!! The next game was "Kantaririt" where a player has to
sing the tune of a song they have to guess using the sound of a cat,
"meow". There are songs that requires so much effort and a deep
understanding to music while the others are as easy as ABC. We moved on
to the next game, the national game: Pinoy Henyo and so on. It was
indeed a good and a happy night. Would you believe that a simple bonfire
with matching acoustic songs and random games can make our Christmas
very memorable. Aside from tummy-aching laughs and genuine smiles; the
real spirit of this season was just around the corner of this place with
the presence of family.
It
was a long tiring day and we're about to sleep until we decided to have
some beachside walk and feel the sands once again with our bare feet.
It was a very peaceful and silent night. The repeated sounds of waves
just made it more pacific, make you love nature even more. We lay down
in the sands while feeling the air and staring at the stars that
twinkling on us. One of my favorite moment that happened in our trip. An
hour of loosen-up and relaxation.Was
my first time to sleep in a tent. It's not that bad, actually, it's
awesome! It a bit hot at first but became freezing cold with each
passing hour.
DAY 2: CHRISTMAS DAY!!!
Woke
up with the noise of the elderlies who seems preparing for breakfast at
five in the morning. Sun is about to rise. Did some wash-ups and after a
cup of coffee and bowl of macaroni soup, I invited everyone to do
morning trek to the hilltop. *Php50 per head for the tour guide fee but
the local gave us a big holiday discount with Php400 only for the total
of eleven persons. Sun is already up when we started trekking.
Difficulty level: Easy to moderate. It was thirty minutes of hike to
reach the hilltop. Such a lovely view of Anawangin from the top. Gio
and Victor trekked up to the second hill which is way higher and reached
the green flag. We left the hilltop after almost thirty minutes of
rest. It's a really good morning in the lap of nature. The fresh, free
from pollution air and far away from the urban noise. It's another
thirty minutes walk going downhill then we joined the rest of the team
in their morning swim when we get back.
Water is cold and very
refreshing for the sweaty hikers. Everyone are having a good time on our
last day in this island. Playing with the big waves, chatting on the
beachside, snorkeling and think nothing but to seize the day.Took
shower afterwards, did the exchanging of gifts, grabbed our lunch and
packed things up and we're ready to go.
The boatman, Kuya Reynan, told
us that waves might become larger and dangerous if we stay little longer
and we better get off the island before twelve and so we did. It's a
bumpy thirty minutes boat ride heading back to Pundaquit. We're all wet
and scared to death! But thank God we reached the port, safe and sound.
Left Zambales, dropped off Tito Eric and his family in San Simon
Pampanga where we also had our dinner and headed back to Bulacan.
Christmas isn't a season, it's a feeling. A very good time to forgive the ones who hurt you; to forget what had just happened in the past; to share and to spread happiness. The season of giving which not merely the gift of materials but the gift of what everyone really has...love. Let us all give it up to our Jesus, the reason why we celebrate this day because the magic of Christmas is not the presents but His presence. Thank you, Jesus, for the wonderful life you've showered upon me, my family and to this world. We don't deserve your forgiveness but you accepted us because you're our Father. We will celebrate your birthday not just today but everyday as you love us endlessly. You are the star of every Christmas Tree. Happy birthday, our savior!
This holiday is unforgettable. A very rare chance that Santos Family reunites. We might have differences and similarities, but our love for each other stay vibrant that keeps our bond stronger. It's more than a pleasure, but an intense gratification for my family to have organize this kind of trip, especially for Mom, who's always the happiest when she's with her siblings and the rest of Santoses. A sure proof that family is everything. Extra effort for a happy trip is just a bonus because being together is more than enough to be prosperous and glad. The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. Everyone is looking forward for another out-of-town trips and I am pretty much sure there will be another one coming up after this.
Camping adventure in an island with the gang is a hell of solid adventure. I can't wait to have another camping experience this year! It might not the one which offers convenience but a trip you will learn a lot from. Not the one which requires lot of money but an experience undeniably more than any expensive gadgets can give us. Adding the beautiful scenery of Anawangin cove with its clear water and the view of hill on its side. A very nice place to chill out, perfect season, worthy of time, above all..together with the Family. Certainly, one for the books!
One
family. One trip but thousands of sentiments. One happy camper. Taking
another step, it's journeying Rochel with the Santoses.
