The Beaches of Zambales

25 years ago the province of Zambales was mostly known by travelers for its Subic Bay Freeport Zone (formerly Subic Naval Base, the largest American naval facility outside the United States at the time) and Mt. Pinatubo, whose eruption in 1991 was the second largest volcanic eruption of the century. There were beaches along its...

Start of Summer at Hermana Menor

Last April 10, PAGASA (the Philippine government weather bureau) announced the termination of the northeast monsoon. This is usually taken as the start of summer or the warm and dry season in the country. A day later we were off and driving, heading for the beaches. We stopped briefly at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone...

Magalawa Island: Can’t Wait for Summer

There are only two seasons in the Philippines: wet and dry. The dry season typically runs from November to May, with the wet season – usually the time for rains and typhoons – picking up the rest. Filipinos often refer to the dry and hot months from April to May as summer, an attempt to identify it with...

Potipot Island: Better the Second Time Around

Our visit to little Potipot Island in Zambales was supposed to be just a side trip on our way back from our stint at Cabongaoan Beach in Burgos, Pangasinan. We were not even supposed to spend a night at Zambales but originally planned to stay at Cabo Beach for two nights before proceeding to Zambales...

Serendipity in Zambales: The Bacala Sandbar and Rest House

Leo likes to do a lot of research before going on a trip but no amount of scrutiny will cover everything there is to discover about any given destination. Many of the highlights we’ve had in our travels over the years belong to the categories of the unplanned and the unsought. Those are some of...