Wings of Night

In the wake of another storm my friends and I started on the long planned trip to Subic. We were going to ride a ferry to Orion Pier in Bataan, Grab a bus to the Crown Peak Hotel where we had free accomodations, check out the JEST Jungle Survival Training camp and hit a few beaches. But things don't always go as planned...

The ferry was no longer operating. We took a bus to Olongapo instead. Had to get another one to take us to the city proper. Turns out it would take us more transfers to get to the hotel. Along the way it started to rain and when we got to the Victory Liner Station at the city, the thought of overnight at Subic lost its luster. We had plenty of food, enough money in our pockets and a yearning for adventure. A few minutes later we found ourselves on the bus to San Antonio, Zambales, once again on the road to Pundaquit and the Island of Capones.

Last I was here with this group, there were a lot more of us. Twelve to be exact. The four I have with me this time seem to be the most daring of the lot when it comes to nature trekking. It was easy finding accomodations as it was no longer peak season. The first order of business once we settled down was food. We brought plenty of cold cuts, canned meat, bread and greens to make ourselves gourmet sandwiches which are going to be our staple for the next 24 hours or so.

Then, we took a swim. The sea was a rougher than it was last summer. There were plenty of surfers taking advantage of it. We let ourselves be carried by the rolling waves until their beating and the strong undertow tired us out. We were swimming near where the Pundaquit river joined the sea so the water wasn't very salty.

Drinks and music served for desert as the cottage had a videoke machine. So true that some alcohol can help loosen vocal chords. Or is it just that we no longer cared too much about how we sang? Maybe it was both.

Rest and sleep. And snores and blanket pulling. Still it was restful and plenty.

We had broke our fast on egg, corned beef, and sausage sandwiches. Lathered with plenty of mayo or liver spread . And don't forget the onions, tomatoes, cheese and lettuce. Sometimes all of them together. Each to his own.

We had to cross to the beach on the other side of the river to get to our boat. We crossed where the river was thigh deep. Not surprising that the current was very strong there. Enough to carry one away if not careful.

The sea was not calm still though the storm has gone. The weather was perfect though; bright and cloudy with a gentle breeze. The beach at this time of year was on the other side of the island from where we stayed last summer. The sky cleared towards noon. At least this side had lush vegetation and plenty of shade. We had Capones Island to ourselves. We swam, played in the water, the sand and on the stream flowing from the cliffs then down to the sea, explored the length of the beach, sunned ourselves, troubled some hermit crabs, took lots of pictures, collected plenty of sea shells and contemplated serenity while lying on the sand in the shade of the trees. It was bliss.

Our last stop was the falls. I knew the trail from when I was here last. We had it to ourselves, too. It wasn't very high but the broken in stages and steps. Fed by the rains the falls' waters were fast flowing. The fresh water pools were as clear as ever. A lot of great photo-ops. We climbed the rocks and boulders on our bare feet for better traction. They were slippery at points and couldn't be trusted. We were surprised to see how effortless we seemed to be clinging to them in the pictures we took.

The waves have sealed the river's mouth with sand making the river was eat away at its banks and the beach in its effort to meet the sea. Left alone it would collapse more of the beach and take with it the nearest huts. So the village folk dug a trench to let the water out in the middle of the dammed river mouth. We swam a little in the calmer parts of the river before crossing in the now chest deep waters to get back to our lodgings.

This trip is a lot better than the one we had last summer. We didn't have to trouble with cooking. We got to sleep better. We were able to do a lot more exploring. The sea was more exciting. We had a lot of the scenic spots to ourselves; as if we had a private island and falls. We were better prepared in a way. And every one was game and up to the challenges of communing with nature. All in all very invigorating.

Photos at: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ugor43r.9vs6o7av&x=0&y=uxslzh&localeid=en_US