Destinations like these make me miss home and its proximity to a lot of points of interest. Of how spending a quick afternoon at the beach, or horseback rides up in a cold mountain that's just an hour away. The city life is as interesting as the "provincial life", but maybe at this point maybe i need more of the latter for now.

It was my very first solo trip as I went to take a hike in Anawangin Cove in Zambales. I was supposed to go to Mt. Pinatubo with a few friends but the stormy October got me somewhere else. I had my cousins to take the hike with me.

The cove was an easy 30-minute boat ride but we were forced to take the hard route because of the harsh waves. I had to do a last minute shoe shopping at an ukay-ukay near the Olongapo bus stop. the trail was so slippery there I had countless times my butt went straight to a rock once we went downhill. The sight of wild deers and pine trees from above just kept us from going, especially for me hiking for the first time. We waded in the river wrapped in pine trees while enjoying the rustic smell of the mud.

We made in into the cove after less than 5 hours of hiking (and the trekking guide 5 hours was the standard time. Little victories.). The place was empty since it was a Monday and most of tourists left on a Sunday. So we enjoyed the cove by ourselves with the local dogs to accompany us. We spent the night away listening to the waves while my other cousin was with the locals hunting for crabs.

Let me share to you the wonderful sound of the waves as it crashes on the shore.

At daylight, we enjoyed the sea all by ourselves. Walking from shore to shore, climbing on rock formations from Pinatubo eruption and pat the friendly dog before we set off to hike back again.
Check out this video to see my entire experience!