Memorable Road Trip From Quezon City To Burgos, Pangasinan: Cabongaoan Beach + Playa De Luz Resort + Death Pool (Certified Boracay Alternative)
Hi, folks! How are you doing? Wherever you are, I hope your day is going amazing. How's your weather there? Well, it's another rainy day here in Manila and I hate to say, but I'm fed up with it. It's been non-stop for more than two weeks and it's really hard to do your laundry. Drying the clothes and being punctual at work are my daily struggles. You know, I'm really trying my best to love this season but, on the other hand I can't wait for it to be over. Bring back the sun, please!
Deal with it, SuperMarkyMacky! Well yeah, perhaps I'll just continue singing in the rain and enjoying the thunder because for sure there will be more heavy rainfall in the coming months. On a very serious note, it's alarming to hear news about Leptospirosis (according to the World Health Organization, is a bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals) and Dengue (according to WHO, is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness and, sometimes causing a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue) outbreaks in the Philippines, these are just two of many common rainy day illnesses that the public should watch out for this rainy season. As a concerned citizen, let me share to you some easy tips to protect ourselves from these diseases. Are you ready?
Welcome to Cabongaoan Beach!
Listen! Two very important things we must always know people of earth, are? First, learn to love yourself consistently by taking a bath regularly, eating healthy meals, taking multivitamins, applying mosquito repellent properly, bringing umbrella and wearing rubber boots, if walking through floodwaters. Second, take the environment seriously by cleaning up the house and backyard daily, spraying natural and homemade insecticides, growing citronella plants in pots and disposing garbage properly.
So, there you go. These are just few of my straightforward and helpful tips in safeguarding ourselves from getting dengue fever and leptospirosis. You're welcome! Let's remember health is still wealth. For sure rats, mosquitoes and even cockroaches will somehow bid farewell to us. Just to share with you all, I always see them as our "indicators". Simply means, they exist because we're not keeping our surroundings clean and tidy. We're not doing it religiously.
By the way, before I move forward I hope you learned something from my tips. Anyhow, these monsoon rains are still pissing me off and perhaps, the only way to change my mood is to finish typing this new article. Guess what, it's about my summer getaway! At least on this blog post I can see sunlight and clear sky. Thank you, Creator!
Readers, first of, please accept my apologies for not publishing this early. I originally supposed to post this last May(of this year, 2018) but I was really busy and honestly, I couldn't stop procrastinating things, life or whatever you call it. Yeah, I'm still in the process of beating this "thief of time".
No choice, let me just call this new story "My Summer Throwback". I will tell you, this was not my typical summer vacation. My experiences weren't so bad and I guess the right expression to describe it? Unique yet fun remembrance. Oops, commercial!
"What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two: melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land"- Che Guevara
The quote is so perfect for this new blog post. Thank you Google Search! Are you fond of very long road trips? Have you ever been on a road trip? If yes, for sure you wouldn't want to be the driver. If no, you should try. It's more fun, daring and thrilling! Where would you like to go on a road trip?
Overnight Stay at Playa De Luz Resort
How about a 12-hour road trip from Quezon City to Pangasinan? Fun fact, I just did that with my workmates and this is how the story went. Open the curtains please! You may be asking yourself now, what took you so long? It's like a non-stop flight time from Manila to Los Angeles, what happened?
Well people, we simply avoided tolls to save on our travel expenses. We took the narrow and extremely time-consuming paths just to get to Burgos, a familiar municipality in the province of Pangasinan. Yes, the road trip was a pain in the butt especially to our friend Angel who drove us there but later on, we felt it was a very fun adventure. We had stopovers and very long talk about random topics inside the car. We had our big chances to know each other's stories. That's what you call, "#friendshipgoals".
Dear God, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for giving us a wonder woman driver and keeping us safe when we went to Pangasinan. Hopefully the next time we go, travel time would be shorter so that we could spend more time at the beach and we could rest more. That is because I believe destination is more important than journey. Do you agree?
For the record, it was my first long road trip and my first summer getaway in Pangasinan with newfound "super friends" at work. Why this province? Merely because like the province of Batangas where I often visit, Pangasinan is renowned for its outstanding beaches like Tondol Beach in Anda, Patar Beach in Bolinao, Tambobong Beach in Dasol and Cabongaoan Beach in Burgos. My beloved readers, you know how much I love the beach and how much I want to discover new destinations in my country. I'm always in it to win it!
At first I thought we would spend our summer vacay in Liw-Liwa Beach, Zambales but after weeks of planning, we decided to go to Cabongaoan Beach, in Burgos, Pangasinan. Oh, wow! Why? I'll tell you later, just hang in there. So, our meeting point was at Trinoma Carpark, we started the long journey before 1pm and arrived in Sitio Cabongaoan roughly 1am the next day. Honestly, we didn't foresee it and thank God we survived! It is true that every journey has its own challenges.
"Depth Pool" or "Death Pool" of Pangasinan?
Oh my, I will never forget that night when we were driving on a rough, narrow, lonely and creepy roads going to Sitio Cabongaoan. It was so dark and the headlights were the only medium to see the lanes. There were times that the Waze and Google Maps would not work because of weak cell phone signal. There were also times that we would need to drive carefully and blow the car horn because small herd of cows and goats would just cross the road surprisingly. We felt like we were in the "Wrong Turn" movie. It was suspenseful and risky.
Another difficulty we had to face in the middle of the night was the "resort hunt". Yes, we didn't make any prior reservation and we're very brave to do walk-in amid the darkness. We knew it would be an extra challenge to inquire because everybody was sleeping but great thing Mommy Luz, owner and caretaker of Playa De Luz Resort answered the phone. We tried to call other resorts like the Roven's Place and Amayaj Bora Beach Resort but none from them answered. She was really our savior that time.
Fyi, Playa De Luz Resort in Sitio Cabongaoan, Burgos, Pangasinan is formerly known as Luzviminda's White Sand Beach. Mommy Luz was very accommodating and easy to deal with. We thought we're so lucky that she welcomed us warmly even if we checked in very late. She showed us different types of rooms in the resort and their rates per night. As a budget travellers we just chose to stay in the Kubo/Nipa Hut with one simple bed inside good for 5 persons, electric fan and cute cottage where we put our groceries, for only 2000 Pesos/night(roughly $38). It's very convenient to stay in this resort because of the Sari-Sari store(aka neighborhood sundry store) where you can buy soda or liquors for the night party, rent a very Filipino Videoke machine, simple kitchen where you can cook and clean shared shower rooms.
The room rates of Playa De Luz Resort are very affordable especially if staying with a group. Check these out!
- (2 Regular rooms available) Air-conditioned room good for up to 6 persons with open cottage-3000 Pesos/night(roughly $58)
- (2 Family rooms available) Air-conditioned room good for 5-7 persons with open cottage-3000 Pesos/night(roughly $58)
- (4 Kubo/Nipa Huts available) With electric fan, one simple bed and cottage. Good for up to 5 persons-2000 Pesos/night(roughly $38)
- (2 Big Tents available) Good for 5-7 persons with table-1,500 Pesos/night(roughly $26), in excess 150 Pesos/head(roughly $3)
- Check-in & Check-out Time: from 11am to 11am the following day
- For reservations and inquiries, please call Mommy Luz at 0917-787-6918, 0977-429-4605, 0927-429-3762, 0930-302-2687
Oops, wait! Rates may vary depending on the resort's discretion. Much better to always inquire first. They also do promos on their facebook page, so make sure to hit like Luzviminda's white sand beach. Welcome!
According to the Province of Pangasinan Official Website(pangasinan.gov.ph), Pangasinan is the third biggest province in the whole Philippine Archipelago, derived its name from Salt or "Asin" in the vernacular. Owing to the rich and fine salt beds which were the prime source of livelihood for the province's coastal towns, PanagAsinan or Pangasinan which means "where salt is made" came to be its name. Aside from beautiful beaches, this huge province is also well-known for Manaoag Church, Milkfish or Bangus Festival, Cape Bolinao Lighthouse and Hundred Islands National Park. Lovely! I'm excited to go back!
Cabongaoan Beach, why Cabongaoan Beach? Let me give you three answers. One, it's a continuation of my "Mission 101: Find Awe-Inspiring Beaches You Can Explore As Boracay Alternatives". Technically, it's my second exploration after Sampaguita Beach in Bauan, Batangas. Most of us know that Boracay, the "Philippines' Most Famous Island" and also named as "One of the Most Beautiful Islands in the World" is still closed due to sewerage problem. Hence, as a Filipino blogger, this mission is my simple way to help boost Philippine tourism by seriously blogging about other stunning beaches in the country, aside from Boracay and sharing these to you, my reader, whether you're a local or foreign tourist. Do I sound patriotic? Two, it's because of the so-called "Death Pool". Oh, don't get me wrong! It's not as morbid as you think. It's the famous spot of the beach. Thank you viral posts on Facebook and last year's episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, a Philippine television news magazine show. Do you know the Queen's Bath, on the island of Kaua'i, Hawaii? It's like that, a tide pool. Sadly, we didn't see it when we were there because of the high tide but at least now, I have a good reason to go back. Three, why not? If you don't try, you'll never know and if you don't go, you'll neither see nor experience its beauty. Folks, this beach is not yet well-developed and there are only a handful of resorts to choose. Many parts of it are rocky and a bit grassy, so make sure to wear your aqua shoes when swimming. On the other hand, it's unquestionably promising. The cotton candy sky in the morning, picturesque view of golden to white sand, several interesting rock formations, alluring coconut trees, helpful locals and the sparkling turquoise waters at midday. Furthermore, it's the best place to start Island Hopping! Okay, our next destination is? Colibra Island. Sorry, this is already too long. Let's continue the story on my next blog post. See you there!
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