This tourist destination is NOT actually in my list of places to visit. It never amazed me (from the pictures I saw and posted on the net.) But I have to take back my words. I was really surprised that somewhere in Pangasinan there is a paradise called “hundred islands.”
We started the journey 7PM one Friday night of May. We rented a van c/o my Ofismate Munik. It was a smooth journey. We were laughing and telling stories inside the van. It was fun and we almost forgot to eat dinner. After a few hours in the expressway, manong driver stopped at a station along NLEX for dinner break. We went inside Mang Inasal and ate. Suddenly two military men entered the fast food chain looking for the driver of our rented van. They were carrying fire arms. No they’re not the pistol or the Lito Lapid famous caliber .45. They were carrying armalites! (Those big guns that can fire a “sawa” of bullets carried over the shoulder and can go bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Unlimited.) The manager of Mang Inasal hesitantly asked our group who owned our rented van. I was like, “Ano meron kay manager?”-looking at his facial expression. Our driver spoke and everything is like “WOW! Kami na ang hinahabol ng mga naka-armalite!”
I was not afraid at first because I know we did not do anything wrong. I was not just sure with our driver though. (Har har har!) I’m sorry kuya driver. I don’t know you personally.
A police patrol (I mean a lot of policemen) arrived a few minutes, ready to apprehend our driver. I began to feel nervous when they started questioning him for papers and other documents. What if our driver is a kidnapper? What if he is actually a rapist? (Oh dear Lord please save us.)
After a few minutes of investigation our driver was cleared and the policemen explained the situation. They told us that a lot of van driver and van passengers were kidnapped along Bulacan lately. They received a call that our van was suspected of kidnapping someone because when we passed by the toll gate we were loud and laughing while our driver and our officemate “Jem” wore poker faces in front. (So much for not reacting to the Jokes and the stories JEM! Hahahaha.)
So there’s the story of the armalites. We can now go back to the real thing.=)
We arrived at our destination around 3AM and went to sleep right away. Thanks to the friend of Utsi we had a place to stay.
Utsi and I woke up early and went to the market place to buy foodies for the day. I was amazed how cheap things can be in the province. I bought “tupig” and “puto” for the team since I know some of them are not yet exposed to Pangasinan delicacies.
After a big breakfast we went to the Lucap wharf to buy some “pasalubong.” We had to do this before our island hopping because the shops will be closed at 5PM and we didn’t know what time we would finish the island tour.
At exactly 8AM we loaded our boat with food and some personal stuff then off we went to the islands. I did this in Coron and in Surigao del SUr. So I want to pose in front of the boat again – now in Pangasinan.
It was a few minutes before we reached the spots. I was not good at memorizing the names of the islands so I will just post a photo.
Most memorable experience:
Nope it’s not the close encounter with the armalites!
The most memorable experience I had was experiencing “cliff diving.” Yep! I jumped not once but twice! Ha ha ha! If only we had enough time I will jump 5 times to overcome my fear of heights. Well I guess it’s a to-see-is-to-believe kind of thing. Unlucky for me I was not able to photograph myself jumping. He he he. Next time I’ll bring an underwater camera. (Oh! I need to buy an underwater camera first.) I’ll just bring a friend who has an underwater camera instead. (Insert BIG smile!)
Cliff diving was a rush of adrenaline. That was the longest 2 seconds of my life. The moment you decide to jump and the moment you jump only take a split of a second. But that split of a second is very important. I had to shout before I jump to release the tension. Then when my body reached the water, I knew I was safe. PS: Don’t try this at home.
Till next time guys. I don’t have a “sulit” trip today because almost everything has been paid by our team budget.
Hoping to travel with Team Injury soon. :D
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