Peculiar Pangasinan

Peculiar Pangasinan

And on the third day, God created dry land and filled it with all sorts of plants.  Also, for some reason, he decided to put a hundred and twenty-three islands in the province of Pangasinan. Odd it may seem but it was incredible to be seen. It surely made waking up tremendously early and traveling for more than six hours so much worth it. But, the famous Hundred Islands was just the tip of the iceberg because there is so much more to discover in Pangasinan.

Our first destination was the City of Alaminos where a huge church was located. There, we also found some yummy Pangasinan Longganisa which for me was a lot like Vigan Longganisa but less spicy. Anyways, after a quick stop in that city, we head on to a wharf where we had lunch in Ted’s by the Sea which serves good food as well. Following that satisfying meal was a boat ride going to an island called The Governor’s Island.

The Governor’s Island was popularly known for the Governor’s House which is where we stayed in for the night. The island was nice and had a lot of tourists. It also had a clean shore although; the sand was not really soft that it made walking barefoot really hard. The Governor’s House would have looked really nice but sadly, it was not well maintained. Nevertheless, it still offered a view that is simply priceless. It was not much of a view but rather a painting of the Great Creator; a sky so perfect with birds flying by, a sea so calm and islands so peaceful.

As the sun rose the next day, we prepared for our next destination. Before we left that Island, I had the chance to climb up to the viewing deck where a lot of Islands could be seen. From a scale of one to ten, I would rate my exhaustion as an eight but the beauty of the view was a ten. There were so many tourists in the viewing deck which reminded me a lot of the viewing deck in Chocolate Hills. Even the view itself looked a lot like Chocolate Hills except this one was still filled with water. It was something peculiar yet beautiful.

From left to right: Dad, Mom, Dom, Nikka, Me and Ate Pie

Next stop was a unique Island Hopping that offered a trip to about four islands. First, we arrived in an Island named Children’s Island. It had a really shallow beach which is perfect for children to swim in hence, the name Children’s Island. There, I got the chance to watch cute little kids play in the sea before we left for our next island. Next was the Cuenco Island and it took no time at all to get there from our previous island. In Cuenco, we were greeted by a tunnel that goes through the island and it looked marvelous. Also, here we found a diving platform about ten feet above the sea. Of course, I didn’t let that experience slip away. It was scary at first but once I jumped, I wanted to do it again.

I apologize for my facial expression.

We left Cuenco Island happily and excited for the next island. Marcos Island was the name given to an island that has soft sand and a really cool cave. We were told that in that island, they offer cliff diving but we were surprise when we had to climb up and literally into the island for the said “cliff” was actually the edge of a cave. From that edge, we jumped into the cave and fell to the sea. It was an odd and different experience yet incredible and exciting beyond what I can put into words. After our dives, we left Marcos Island to supposedly have lunch in Quezon’s Island but when we got there, it was packed with tourists so we decided to head back Cuenco Island where we did enjoy a delicious lunch and a few more dives.

After that unique island hopping, we did another unique activity; helmet diving. Honestly, this is what I’ve been waiting for. We docked by the helmet diving station and took note of a few reminders such as hand signals. Finally, the time came for us to go fifteen feet under the sea wearing our helmets. I’ve never been that deep under the sea ever in my life and being there was wonderful. It was delightful in every way. We had the chance to touch giant clams, fishes and corals. It looked like a garden underwater.

Following those tiring yet amazing experiences, we left that side of Pangasinan for another; Bolinao. It was a city in Pangasinan that also offers a nice beach and here we luckily arrived in Puerto Del Sol Resort. It was one of the nicest resorts I have ever stayed in. It had great service, food, rooms and the facility was at its finest. We spent a night there and left after breakfast the next morning.

Our last stop was a place called Enchanted Cave located also in Bolinao. It was a small resort that had an enchanted cave. Why enchanted? Well, it doesn’t have fairies and princesses hidden in it as I have secretly expected. Instead, it has a nice freshwater pool inside that had the depth up to twenty feet and yes, people are allowed to swim in it. Again it adds to the odd yet astonishing things we have discovered in Pangasinan.

Our Pangasinan experience has been exciting, relaxing and mostly peculiar. It offered us a different kind of vacation but also a more exciting one. Still, it proves that my own country is an evidence of the beauty of God’s creations and there is nothing peculiar about that. What is truly peculiar about this trip was discovering that odd things could be beautiful. A hundred and twenty-three islands placed in one place may be strange but that’s what made it beautiful. I guess that’s why God decided to make them.

Photos by my amazing Dad, Junep Ocampo.