Max Touches My Heart

Having  pets is like having a friend  and a  new member of   the family.  Losing  them  is  just  as difficult   as  losing a friend.   I  knew how it felt  like  and  letting  go of  our  pet   who has been with us for  about  four years  and we went through a period of grieving.   He was my little guy.  I gave him my time,  love and  affection.  It  was hard  for  me  to  provide  him  a new  home and coping up  was difficult.  There's something inside me  that  tells  not to  give him up but  it only caused much pain to myself  too.   I want to think  I'm   that  bad  letting him go  but   keeping him longer means  risking my older daughter's  health condition more.   The doctor advised us  to get rid of  pet  and  that made me decide to finally  have someone to adopt him.  If you're going to ask me how I feel now?   It's been many months ago  and yes,  I  still  miss him.

Okay.  That was my story and my pet.    The story  I would be pressing  now  is also about the  two fur babies  that  welcomed us at  Dive and Trek  last  summer.  Probably, you were thinking who they  were and how they've become a part of our life just for a day.   We just met them at the resort.   They're not actually babies anymore.  Bogart, the white furry dog,   is almost in his senior years and could hardly walk.  He's a little overweight  and  his aging years  prevent  him to move fast.

The black furry one  is  Max.   Both dogs kept us company the whole day and became our tour guide,  security  force  that team  up together and  instant  friends  at the resort.


My older daughter is not really a lover of   petite  dog.   She never ever once cuddle our pet  but  she  never  hates  our pet shih-tzu.  She doesn't like a  toy breed kind of pet.  She would always tell me that she wants to adopt  a sporting  dog  to  be her  jogging buddy.   During our stay at the resort,  we  felt at home and comfortable with these two doggies.   She   had  this  instant connection with them and  wished  we could  take these two doggies  home.

The whole day at the resort  was made fun  with both  Bogart and Max.   Bogart  even swam himself and joined with us  to the raft.

Max  was sweeter and would always impressed us by rolling himself  over the sand and doing some tricks. 

We  knew  that these two doggies felt  that  they're loved.  The Mendiolables however are dog lovers.   They own a dog named Dengue.

This is my daughter with Max up close.  

Bidding goodbye was such a hard thing to do.  In our whole day trip, we felt like we knew him  for life. What could this doggy telling my daughter a   few moments before we left  the resort?   Sometimes the dogs try  to speak for themselves and figure out how to express their feelings  by growling, barking or rolling on the ground.

We bid goodbye to all the staff at the resort.  We  looked into Max's eyes and said goodbye too.   He was  deeply  sad.  We probably couldn't  hear him say a word but  we  knew what he exactly wanted  to say.

Off  we  went  on the boat one by one.  When  we're all  boarded and   the boatman started to sail  the boat away,  we we're surprised because   Max   jumped off the water and  swam himself  heading  to our   vessel.    

The  boatman  instructed him to swim back the shore  because we were  already  moving  away and getting deeper in the sea. We we're touched by his gesture and  left the resort  with our  heart badly broken.   As I zoomed-in my camera,  I  saw   Max's eyes  in tears.

Oh,.. Max,  you just don't know I  feel .. 

Falls of Bolinao

This is another long overdue post as part of  our  Pangasinan Tour - Bolinao series.   It  just sitted on my mind  and my draft page for more than a month  now.   If you're lost with the topic,  hover your mouse to the  right side bar  and check the label,  Bolinao.  Oh sorry  if I am saying this,    I was just assuming  that this post  has  been stored  and  long preserved   due to  my over crushing. 

So here's our trip to the falls of Bolinao.

Tara Falls

We've lost our way  and entered the wrong unpaved road  twice.    Because we ended up a dead end,  we asked the farmer  that we met   which way to take  to reach  the Tara Falls.  We went back to high way again   and asked   some locals  that pointed  us to another direction.  The road  was narrow and  rough and it was already starting to get dark.   We were rushing because we still need  to go to  another falls, that is  Bolinao Falls by which the owner of  Bing's Resort  told us to be early because it was an off road and there were no electricity  along the way.

This is the  stiff curve and rough  road going to Tara Falls. 

Look at the photo above.   How did we get  there? :)     There were no people around except us.    We all thought we were lost again.  We just followed the sound of  the  water and there we reached  Tara Falls.

We couldn't do anything here. The water  was  not ideal to swim.  We  just  came here for  photo ops and to  see what the place can offer.   There were some picnic tables nearby and  we saw some disposable utensils around.  We  just took some photos and quickly left the place.

Bolinao Falls

Our next destination, Bolinao Falls was another rough road trip.  We  just  asked some locals and gave us a direction to get there.  We couldn't see any  sign.  We  were already near the falls  when we saw  this, see photo below.  You wouldn't notice it unless  you're eyes are good in it .

And a few more meters away,  we saw  another signs again.   There, we knew we're on the right track and  near the place,   at last!

And a few more trekking to reach the falls, about 250 meters away.
 

And finally..  Hurray  Bolinao Falls!

There were some people swimming at the falls.  It was nearing dusk so we just took some photos and did not explore much of the place.

The clear water  and the sound of  water  at the falls  were just so refreshing.

The natural pool..

We struggled  hopping from one rock to another.  The water was clear, however,   the rocks were  slippery and  we  needed  to walk carefully and slowly  for  accidents may happen  when we step on  mossy and slippery rocks.  I say,  the place is not ideal for little kids or even adults  if clumsy  like  me. 

After a few minutes of   trekking, we were like running out of breath and took some cold refreshment as soon we reached  the uphill side of the falls ..

Our  Bolinao adventures ended here and rushed to go back to highway.   Joy's son's craving's  was infectious that  spread  to us  and we're all   like little kids craving  for simple joy,  dining-in  Chicken Joy  at  Jollibee.

I will post a separate entry  of  the places to visit when  you're in  Bolinao and  my recommendation where to stay  in Pangasinan.  I  just  hope I'd be able to post  it  before Christmas. :)

Caves of Bolinao

Part of our  Pangasinan  Tour  is to  explore the caves of  Bolinao.  On the second day of our trip,  we headed to see these caves which  are  just a short distance away from each other.  We  were already tanned   but we made sure we're still  protected with sun block lotion  because  we're going around Bolinao.   The caves  naturally have fresh  water  and    serene so  we  expected a cooler  day  ahead  us, with   shelter to completely protect us from harmful rays of the sun.  And the  adventure continues..  

And so..  without further ado,  let me introduce  you the  three caves  that we explored,  their character,  looks  and beauty.   Sounds pageant, Huh.



Cindy's Cave

Upon entering the cave,   I  noticed  a  different  look of  a cave  that  I normally  see on  TV or  books.   It was already   cemented and developed   like you  are in the  park or  at the terrace of your  house.  The cave should look natural  but  not  this one  and all the caves that  we went to.   I told my kids that  the natural formation of cave  doesn't look  like  this and  what they saw  was not  the original cave because  the mystery and the natural charm was already  ripped off.

There's  a  part   of the cave where the owner told us not to go to  because it's quite deep and advised us  to be very  careful  with the electrical lights  with the ceiling that's too low.   He  shared us  a few  information,  rules  inside the cave  and  reminded us  to  take care  of  our belongings  just in case   other  visitors come in.

Nevertheless  even without  splashing  and playing inside the cave,    the kids  enjoyed  the cool water a lot, while we  kept an eye to them and reminded  to just swim in shallow water.

I asked the owner   about   the distance of  the cave leading  to the open sea and he said that  "Born to be Wild"  travel show already explored the cave in the  episode,  "Cave Diving,"   but the passageway was  quite narrow  to  squeeze themselves and   so they did not continue the  exploration.    If  people could explore  some unimaginable  space to be reached,   outer space or  some areas  of  the cave,   there is  certain part   of  the world  that  is yet to be  included in  the map  and  the nature  simply  wants  this part to be left  unexplored.

The high tide  that  night  washed away  the old water and  that turned the water in the cave  new  and  clear in time  of our  visit.     .

There is a public CR and a water pump for shower outside the cave.

Of the three caves, this is where we stayed longer where our kids got to swim in fresh water
.
Entrance fee to the cave is P50/pax if not swimming  and P70/pax if swimming  good for two hours. They have spacious parking area and you'll pass by a little trekking, I mean a pathway  about a  few steps away.

Wonderful Cave

Marian-like smile. My model for the whole cave  trip. :)  I was behind her  all the way and that results..  my cave photos are now watermarked with her charming face.  Now, this is natural.  Untouched. Unexploited.

Ooops.. be careful of the rocky ceiling..

Like the other caves, this one is developed too.    The stairs at Wonderful Cave are quite steep.   There were some tourists when we arrived.  When we asked the tour guide who own  the cave,  he said  that it's a  family owned property  like the Cindy's   and Enchanted Caves,   wherein they just discovered the caves  in their own backyard. 

Entrance fee to Wonderful Cave is P50/pax.  They only limit a number of person for 30 minutes during summer to accommodate  other visitors.



Enchanted Cave

Of all the three caves,  Enchanted Cave is the most developed.  As soon as we entered, we heard some people  screaming, I mean singing  with videoke machine at the picnic hut.. Oh.. in a place like this?  That scene  I've witnessed made me think the place less enchanting.     

Oops, careful again..  low beam..

There were some tourists swimming  inside the cave.  The  water could reach up to  14ft  during high tide in some parts of the cave.

Enchanted Cave has man made pool with the water coming from the cave too but it is strongly sanitized with chlorine as I could even smell it even from afar.

What makes me curious about the enchanted cave are the  rocks that surround the place. I  asked the tour guide  how these corals went up the hill.and he said that  it wasn't actually rock but dead corals.  The whole Bolinao  was believed to be  underwater  million years ago.  Now, that is enchanting!

See more corals...

I mean dead corals..

and  dead corals..

and a proof other than dead corals  that the province was once  under water is the giant clams found on top of  the coral  hill.

Giant Clams Fossils from coral mountain up 2KMS  away
Estimated age: 2-3 million years
carbon date: (not yet available)

The cave is enchanting as the name implies.    If not developed,  it could have been more enchanting. 

Just a little  note. It is best to bring aqua shoes, because the cave's floor is not sandy but rocky.
Entrance Fee is P90/pax if not swimming,  P120/pax if swimming.
There are tables available for rent outside the cave.  There are hammocks too,  I am not sure though if  they are also for  rent.   Above parking fees apply.



Of the three caves,  Wonderful Cave is the most appealing to me.  I based my opinion only on one criteria,  clear  water.    All the caves  were already  developed into tourist attractions  that look like  man made cave now,   thus  they  lost their  natural  beauty and  charm.  Honestly,  I  was  a  bit  disappointed  in this  cave trip  seeing  these natural wonders  in manicured path,  cemented  and  exploited.


Location:   Brgy. Patar Bolinao, Pangasinan

Bolinao Rock Formations

Rock formations,  a haven for landscape photography.

The sun down would be the best time to feel its majestic sight  but  those minutes when the sun is heading the horizon  weren't ours.    The sun was at its peak  when we reached  the place.  We  have other   sights  to  visit and  we're due to go back to Manila  on  the same day thus,  a quick glimpse is all we need.   Two more falls  were waiting  and  we need to go back to resort  to pack  our things before heading to next destination.

 

The fine white sand greeted  us but we came here for rock formations and not the sand.  Definitely  it has own magnetic charm  with young coconut palm trees,  not grown up but an added  attraction,  but we have enough  of   these  in  Hundred Islands  and Patar Beach.

 

And  this  main  view  startled  our  wandering thoughts.  This view of rock formations.    My imagination worked again with no limits  how  Bolinao looked like million years ago.  Picture this  in your mind.   A  view of  coral stones  underwater  with abundant fishes swimming and nesting  in  these  corals.

I was already tanned but my camera setting  was  in opposite color and the results were these bright photos.  The sun directly  hit my  body and  face and I couldn't stand  the hot temperature anymore. 

A  little bit to perfection  if only  with  sunset view  but I couldn't  wait  for  that majestic  time,  when the wind  creates  wave to crash the rocks and the sun goes down  the western horizon.   I wanted to stay a bit longer   and feel  the highlights  too.. fall in love again and be hurt to leave this place of  wonderful  sight.

Just natural. The blue corner over there looks likes  a man made pool.

I walked farther to investigate the seabed and found a few seaweeds that were abundant.  There were  some deep  holes in in some parts so I was  very careful in every step I  made.  Even very quick,  I did not let the chance pass  without stepping my feet,   with  the sun's zenith angle..  I touched,  felt and explored  a  place  believed to be the  seabed   during  ancient  times.