"Zambales.. volcano, beaches, mountains,... " a Province of Zambales Travel Page by birgitte

The first time I set foot on Zambales was last May 2003. It was a big family trip and an uncle was taking us to Capones Island. I brought along my camera and was hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. Pinatubo. But alas, we did not have a local guide to point to us which mountain it was or at least the mountain range it was on. So I just took pictures of every mountain I can find. We do know that the town we passed through, San Marcelino was near enough to it that lahar flowed through it during the eruption. There was no sign of lahar anymore. The highway has been cleared a long time ago and the plains are already covered in grass.

Zambales could be developed into a very promising tourist destination. We entered Zambales at the Subic, Olongapo side. I have a very limited map here as reference but from what I can see, Zambales is bordered by the provinces of Pangasinan (at its north), Tarlac (at its east) Pampanga (at its east) and Bataan (at its south) and by the South China Sea (on the west side). So you see, it has a very good combination of great beaches, spectacular sunsets, sea for sports and leisure fishing, mountains for hiking and trekking and plains (because you just have to have a level area for the restaurants, bowling… etc. etc. hehe).

Because I keep on opening the window to take better pictures, my dad turned off the AC of the car and we enjoyed the fresh country air on our drive towards the Capones area. Bad combination for me as after a few minutes of ecstatically taking pictures of the road, mountains, hills… all in a blur of course… the fresh air made me sleepy and I dozed off for a few minutes. And I was supposed to be keeping watch so I can text to my other cousins who were following from Manila how to get there. Oopsie ! hehe. I startled awake when my dad asked if I am taking notes. And so all I remember is, you stick to the main road until you get to that junction by the mountain where you have to take a left. Unless I’m behind the wheel, my memory is very faulty. Dante (D._Pepper) and Syl (syllybabe) would agree with this as I managed to get us lost twice in Morong.

This may be a picture of Pinatubo but I can’t vouch for it until somebody from Zambales can confirm it. Along the way, we passed a lot of beautiful jagged hills and mountains. These are the continuation of the mountain range in Bataan and Olongapo. It is amazing to see the other side of the mountain range you see from Subic. From Olongapo, the main road takes you along the coastal area (probably passed close to a hundred beach resorts) before snaking through the mountains and then emerging again on the coast of Zambales (again peppered with beaches).

Because my uncle thought the clan would be spending the night there, he took us to Megan’s resort which has modest accommodations (small, but air-conditioned rooms) and parking. There are about a hundred “resorts” or establishments along that stretch of beach. But most only offer sheds or nipa cottages for daytime renting (good enough for eating but I guess not for sleeping thru the night).

At first it seemed not so impressive because Megan’s seems so narrow. Later, you can see a picture in the travelogue) but once you get to the beach side, it turns out ok. You would notice that for a beach resort type attraction, the beach stretch seem to be full of parked boats. It is funny too how the beach is chopped up into mini areas by the resorts (some only 20 feet wide). But I guess, once you’re on this side, you can run along the whole stretch and nobody would mind…. Just that they want to secure entrance and accommodations from the landside. Then we found out the real attraction was the three islands on the horizon called “Capones Islands”. And they are the reason for the boats. Unlike the sand found on the coast we were on, the Capones Islands boast of white sand. I guess like Boracay, the sand at Capones is also made up of dead and powdered corals. Maybe their slight distance from the Zambales coast gave them an edge over better sand.

But ………. Sadly, you’ll have to wait til I really set foot on one of the islands before I can post pics and stories from that side. We had to turn back when we realized my grandma would have a hard time getting on and off the boat. And so it was an unfulfilled adventure. But I see it more as something to look forward to in the future.

We passed this scene on the bridge and it got me wondering if this is also an attraction (eat and swim in the river) or we just passed by an Aeta community. Zambales, prior to the Pinatubo Eruption, was ancestral home of the Aetas. The Aetas are one of the first people in the Philippines. After the Spanish occupation, and hundreds of years later…modernization, expansion of towns….etc… many Aetas found themselves out of place and at a loss at coping with the changing times. Either they adapt and assimilate into the general population thereby losing their heritage in the long run or they petition the government to give them protected lands. They asked for ancestral lands in Zambales and were granted the right to live in peace. In their isolation, they were able to safeguard their culture, beliefs and traditions. Prior to the Pinatubo eruption, they had big areas of Zambales to themselves. The Aetas had to flee to the surrounding provinces during the eruption for safety and because lahar claimed most of their lands, most are now living as nomads, wandering from place to place… at least until they can reclaim their lands after the lahar and ash still up in Pinatubo has run its course.

If you want to see or read a bit about the effect of Pinatubo in the adjacent provinces during the eruption, take a peek at my travelogue