Hi steemians, let me share and take you all a free tour to one of the most touristy beach destination here in the Philippines.
We are going to explore the paradise of Potipot Island also known as Boracay of the North which located at Candelaria, Zambales. Take your set and join us on our adventure. Let's break away first all the stress and have a moment of relaxation and enjoy life.
Along the ride, you will enjoy the scenery in the window and you will pass out several tourists destination like the Sky Ranch of Tagaytay City which also known as "Sky Eye", the tallest Ferris Wheel in the Philippines. In hours goes by you will get bored and sleepy because the travel to go there is almost 7 hours. To make all people alive we played UNO cards, Lucky 9 and my favorite we do is the jamming someone playing guitar.
Late afternoon when we arrived at Candelaria, Zambales the group decided to stay in first to the house of our friend and spent a night there. We ate lunch first prepared by the family of my friend and have taken some rest. The foods and fruits are delicious that gives a refreshing feeling. The ambiance of the province is very relaxing from the refreshing air you breathe and the environment is full of green unlike in urban the air you breath is from the vehicles and full of buildings. To maximize the day, my friend tours us to the community and go to the nearest beach. I like the way they live because it's simple but full of happiness.
Along the way we saw different people who greet and welcoming us to their place while walking to our destination, we saw men fishing beside the river, we confused what kind of fish can catch them and we want to try. They allowed us to try fishing for just a minute because we don't have enough time. The beach is not good, the sand is like mud already but we enjoy it. We give a try the buried sand like we saw in televisions, see the photo above for the output. The most enjoyable thing we did is throwing sand to each other like a little kid playing with no stress and worries.
We also give a try some of the popular alcohol drinks in the province and how they party. Seriously, I didn't enjoy the clubhouse because most of the music is the little bit too old already and the drinks are not my taste. But overall enjoyed the night with their company because they are so friendly and accommodating.
This is it! The preparation is all done, to able go to Potipot Island we need to ride a boat. The boat costs of Php400 (good for 4 persons or maybe more), it will take off around 10-15 minutes travel time. Before to go there you must have a bunch of foods, gallon of drinking water and make sure your cell phone battery is full or have power bank because the Island have scarcity in electricity and don't have merchandise. Also, bring headlamps or whatever light source you prefer if you're staying overnight in the Island.
The Island will greet you with beautiful views. It's surrounded by white sand, crystal turquoise water, blue skies, cotton clouds and full of huge trees. When you land off to the Island, people need to register and pay for entrance fee which cost of Php 50 for day tour and Php 150 for overnight campers. The Island offers wood rental nipa hut also known as "Bahay-Kubo" with the cost of Php 1,500 for a duration of your stay and also a tent for Php 350, it's located at middle area and you can also build your own tent beside the shore. The Island is not much big unlike other, you can explore the whole of it within an hour. From there, you can see the verdant mountains of Zambales that gives you a beautiful background for taking pictures. The island is so beautiful you’ll have fun exploring while snapping it and yourselves some photos.
We ate our packed lunch in the Island, the nipa hut is quite big and has a table outside with wooden chair it's like we're in the house. The Island has free grilling area for those who want to cook their foods and you can also ask someone from the island to cook your food with a minimal fee. Also, there is a store on the island but they not have everything you need and the price is doubled compared to buying in the mainland. The food is so good when you added up beautiful views and refreshing air.
The powdery fine white/brown sand is so smooth on your feet. We really enjoyed the white sand of the Island, you can lie down to the sand under the tree and feel the fresh wind blows, sounds of waves and the humming of trees. The place is so relaxing and loving the nature, it's far from the pollution and noise of the city. We love also finding some sea creatures like fish, starfish and luckily we find a seahorse but we set it free because we feel guilty.
We explore the whole Island in an hour, I enjoyed the views while walking beside the shore it feels like new to me. The place has stunning spot that fit for your perfect photo shoot. I really like the spot of the tree lie down, you can go up to the branches and strives for a pose with a background of formidable mountain, cotton clouds and blue sky. The Island was relaxing or good for chill because it wasn't crowded when we visit. The sea was just like staying in a salty swimming pool with soft sand as the floor. You could swim with some fishes because the sea is shallow in some areas but be careful it's getting deeper within just a step.
Potipot Island is a paradise with a lovely sunset and a beautiful sunrise view that worth our visit. The best time to explore the Island is when the sun getting down to will witness how to beautiful the sunset along the sea side. The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught a fire. The night in Island is really like in the movie, your light is just the moon, lights in the city and bright stars. It's perfect for seeing millions of bright stars while lying on the sand and some talks to your friends.
Thank you for joining us to our adventure
ALL PHOTOS ARE ORIGINAL