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| The Capones Lighthouse @ Capones Island |
After
Camara Island, our next stop was
Capones Island. Capones is the second location in our day's itinerary, the other two being Camara and Anawangin.
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| The rocky shores of Capones Island |
Capones is a rugged beauty. Large white boulders are scattered on its shores and a rocky mountain towers imposingly over our seemingly minuscule boats. It's like a scene from a pirate or an island cast-away movie. What makes the island special, however--in fact, the main attraction therein--is the Capones Lighthouse. Save for the lighthouse which is now a popular tourist destination, the place has that atmosphere of isolation. With its picturesque view, Capones is beautiful and serene but also rugged and desolate.
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| These girls are toughies as much as they are beauties :) |
In order to reach the lighthouse, we have to climb a flight of stairs on the side of the mountain. Stairs are not exactly my specialty hehe, and I quite expected
na what's going to happen once we start to climb. It was a tough moment for me indeed--I was all sweaty, hot and out of breath. If you are going to climb mid-morning like what we did, apply a generous amount of sunblock unless you want to get sunburned :) It may also help to have some
balabal (shawl) or any cover to protect your skin from the heat of the sun.
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| Standing Near the Edge |
The hike up the mountain is not yet the "main" climb, as we still have to tackle the stairs of the lighthouse. Though I may sound whiny already, in retrospect, it was actually fun as we laughed at each other's struggles and more importantly, helped and coaxed each other."No woman left behind", was apparently our motto :)
After the stairs, we walked through a narrow dirt path until we reached an old, old gate and then, there's the old, old lighthouse! Here's a bit of history. Capones Lighthouse was built during the latter part of the 19th century and went into operation in 1890. It has been guiding ships and other sea vessels since then.
Today, the powerful megawatt light bulbs are powered by solar panels.
Pretty high-tech right? But the actual building of the lighthouse needs
some serious repairs; the same goes to the ramshackle house of its
caretakers. I heard that Capones lighthouse was erected at almost the
same time as its look-alike in Ilocos Norte, the Cape Bojeador. These two lighthouses look as if they are long-lost identical twins hehe. And the
effort it takes to climb them is almost similar too!
The tedious climb has its priceless reward--an amazing vista of the island and beyond. And not to mention, the smug feeling of having braved that flight of steps :) I did not cower in fear or shirk from the challenge.
Yehey, another bragging right! I may not be a gym buff but, heck, can I climb a lighthouse hahaha...And finally, there's the feeling of relief of having reached the top (without any casualties or untoward incidents hehehe). Hay, the view there was truly relaxing that I'd climb another lighthouse anytime. In fact, I already made my quest to climb as many lighthouses as possible, so wish me luck on that. My next post: Anawangin Cove. This is it for now ;)
Overview of the Trip:
From Manila, Zambales is around 5-hour drive. If via a bus, ride the bus going to Iba or Sta.Cruz, Zambales. Bus terminals of Victory Liner are found in Cubao, Pasay, Sampaloc and Caloocan, MM.
Tell the bus conductor to drop you off at San Antonio, Zambales town proper. Fare is approx.P350. Upon reaching San Antonio, hire a tricycle (P30-50/head) to take you to Pundaquit Beach, and from there you will find boats (P350/head or depending on the number of persons) for rent for your island hopping. Enjoy!
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