Beach: Talisayen Cove
Sidetrip: Camara Island
Location: Brgy. Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales
April 27-28, 2019
Zambales holds the unique beauty of its every beaches. From its coves to islands, we can all agree that Zambales is a true home for beach lovers and mountain hikers. And Talisayen Cove lives up to that unique beauty.
The Planning
Jay and I have not yet tried going to San Antonio’s coves by a boat. We usually hike the mountains first before traversing to the coves so this was a first time and we have finally visited the four coves of San Antonio.
It was decided to visit Talisayen Cove with Jay’s friends, well technically they were already my friends, too. Since we were 12 in total, we availed the Commuters’ Package by Zambales Tour Packages which was an exclusive one.
Day One
Going to Zambales
The night before our trip, we already bought the groceries for everything we needed especially the ingredients for our food, except the wet goods. (And we watched Avengers Endgame, too! My heart was so devastated. I was even crying as we went out of the cinema. Bring back my Iron Man!)
We were picked up by our van around 3:00a.m. on April 27th at the Jollibee near St. Francis Square. We arrived at San Antonio, Zambales around 7:00a.m. and went to the market immediately to buy pork and chicken and other ingredients we needed for our two day-stay at Talisayen Cove. Oh, I forgot. I really looked for a comfort room as soon as I got out of the van. My stomach was in turmoil. Haha.
Sidetrip at Camara Island
Camara Island is a small island parallel to Pundaquit Beach. Its sand is white and there were big rocks that were perfect for pictures. We stayed for only 20 minutes because there was really nothing to do but take pictures (which we did) and swim (which we did not).
Talisayen Cove’s Beauty
My heart broke upon seeing Talisayen Cove from afar. Not because its hideous but because we saw the forest fire going on the day we visited. But aside from that, the view from afar was spectacular.
The clear turquoise water of Talisayen reminded me of Borawan Island. They were kind of similar with the color of their water. Though the sand at Talisayen was white whereas Borawan’s golden brown. Its campsite was wide and there were a few tourists, so we were far from one another.
We set our tents first then got ready to prepare our lunch because we were already starved. After eating, we decided to have a little jamming here and there. Yes, our friends brought two guitars. It was a new experience singing with your friends, sitting on the sand, under the shade of trees and the sound of the waves crashing with the shore. A calm.
Around 2:00p.m. and even the sun was up and angry above, we decided have some photoshoot at the beach and then swim. Haha.
When we were scorched from being under the sun for too long, we went back to the camp and do nothing for a while. Some even took a bath already so they could sleep. After a while I dozed off at the table, too. I guess we were really tired after all.
When the sun started to set, Jay, Maine and I went back to the beach again. Of course, to photoshoot. Haha.
Unfortunately, sunset can only be seen when you climb up the hill which on my estimate is about 300-400masl. So Jay went there instead. But I did not know it because Maine and I were too busy taking pictures. Haha. When we were tired being vain, we started looking for Jay. Just when we were about to go back to the camp, we saw him and told us that he went after the sunset but he did not make it in time.
As we were going back to the camp, we noticed that the forest fire was spreading. It was a sad thing to see.
At the camp, our friends started making dinner already. So we took a bath first while waiting for the food to be cooked. Yeah. We were lazy. Haha.
It’s dinner and bonfire time!
At this point, the fire at the forest was crazy and seemed so near at the campsite. There was no wind and our bonfire just added up to the heat we were feeling. Around 10:00p.m., we went to the shore to lie around and get drunk and talk about the things that matters. Until it got to the point where ghosts were involved. Oh men, ghost stories made my imagination crazy. And just when the timing was right, the lights went off at exactly 12:00a.m. We were scared as hell and I was firmly holding onto Jay because I cannot see anything. Going back to our tents was the funniest thing that happened the entire day. My stomach hurt from all the laughing I did. Haha.
Day Two
Setting all the drama aside…
Jay and I woke up around 4:00a.m. with the sound of crickets and silence of the surrounding. It was still dark so we waited until 5:00a.m. to get out from our tent. Then we waited for the others to wake up, too. Around 5:30a.m. we started preparing for our breakfast and after we all have eaten, we went to Talisayen Cove’s view deck which was located at the farthest end of the beach.
While others went back to the beach, Jay and I continued to trek up to the top of the hill which only took us for 30 minutes. The trail was evident and has safety ropes up to the top. And even the sun was blazing, we enjoyed it and the view that was breath-taking.
Going down took about 15 minutes and we had a little side trip at the river where Jay took a very nice picture of me. Haha.
We joined our friends at the beach and took more pictures. The water was crystal clear and the sun added a beautiful effect on it.
We went back at the camp around noon when the heat was already unbearable and just lounged around. We went for a walk at the farthest left side of the beach to buy Halo-Halo. Haha. Then spent the rest of the remaining hours at camp sharing stories and being happy. We had a great time really.
Around 3:00p.m., the boatman arrived and its time to go. I will surely be back at Talisayen Cove.
How to get there:
- From Cubao, ride a bus going to Olongapo. (Victory Liner) — P285.00/head
- At Victory Liner Olongapo terminal, ride a bus going to Sta. Cruz, Zambales then ask the driver to drop you off at San Antonio. — P45.00-P60.00/head
- From San Antonio, ride a tricycle going to Pundaquit. — P15.00/head
- Going home, ride a tricycle going to San Antonio.
- At San Antonio, There were buses passing by going to Olongapo, Cubao and Pasay. Just choose. Haha.
Note:
We availed the Commuter’s Package at Zambales Tour Packages and paid the amount of P1,400.00/head. It included a roundtrip van, boat, kitchen utensils, logs and mineral water. I highly recommend Abby and Tita Olive’s tour. You can view their boat packages and can message them on their Facebook page or directly contact them on the following numbers:
- Abby Agasa — 09166891133 / 09194075942
- Tita Olive — 09065156823
Until next trip!
Meandering Cloud 
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