Magalawa Island Revisited...

So after only about three months, I'm back! Only this time, I came with my friends. I was actually debating whether to stay in Ruiz or book with Armada again but then I decided to go with the latter since I enjoyed myself immensely the last time I was there. Besides, it was to be another breather from our "grueling" day jobs so we couldn't risk stressing over travel arrangements. Prior to the trip, there was the usual "who's-gonna-buy-the-bus-tickets", "is-xx-coming?" brouhaha and all that drama but eventually, it all came down to three: myself, Frencel, and Malou. I actually just got to thinking I've been friends with these people for nearly twenty years now and while it's nice that you're almost family when it comes to level of comfort, they're also the ones who knows how to piss you off the most. Thankfully, there was very little drama, diva moments, and power struggle this time. It was a very chill weekend.

Eiga Sai 2013

I always enjoy film festivals, not only are the films of excellent quality, they're free! plus the crowd is really enthusiastic and responsive. Last year, I had a really great time during the Korean Film Festival, so much so that me and my friend ended up attending two days in a row. I was just disappointed that I missed that of Japan. So this year, I made sure to "like" The Japan Foundation, Manila's facebook page so I'll know ahead of time once they announce their annual film fest. True enough, I was ecstatic to find out the festival will run from July 4- August 25.

My friend and I checked out Kamui on July 13 in Shang Cineplex and I was extra excited because the movie features Kenichi Matsuyama. Yup, L himself. Although I did my research and knew we had to be there 1-2 hours before movie starts, I wasn't expecting the queue to start 3-4 hours before the schedule. Wow! My fellow Japanese movie fans' dedication is amazing! or crazy, depending on who you'd ask lol. Good thing we made friends with a nice lady and she held our line for us while we go visit a friend who lives nearby. The movie was good, although I wasn't really blown away by it. Maybe because I've seen the actor in better movies, i.e. Death Note and Detroit Metal City. It was weird to see him wielding a samurai ^.^

Although we were only able to catch one movie, I still enjoyed it tremendously and would definitely go back next year. After all, it's almost near impossible to watch those movies on the big screen.

all camped out for Kamui!

So here's the movie that we watched....

credit: AsianMedia2010

beach bummin'! Magalawa Island, Zambales

My sister lured me into taking this trip by sending me the link to the resort's website.. Actually, it didn't take a lot of convincing on her part since I was aching to be on a beach anyway. So we boarded the 11pm Victory Liner bus bound for Sta. Cruz and was at the cor. Radio Veritas Rd in Palauig around 4am. From there, we rode a tricycle and even though the resort's website listed the travel time to be around 15-20 minutes, it felt more like an hour. It was a bit weird to be in the middle of nowhere at such an ungodly hour, breaking the night's eerie silence by the deafening sound of the motorcycle's engine. By around 5am we were at the wharf and we spent the better part of the early morning staring out into the sea guessing which of the islands shrouded in darkness is Magalawa. Anyway,  I think this is getting to be such a boring post so I'm just gonna share this link on how to get there:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/magalawa-island/how-to-get-to-magalawa-island/412075288687

I super loved the island though and it quickly became one of my favorite beaches in Luzon. The five hour travel was sooo worth it. It was also exciting since it was my first time sleeping on a tent although I'm not sure I'm gonna do it again. It was soaking hot during the day that I had to crawl out of the tent to sleep in the shore underneath the shade. I woke up and opened my eyes to this view... It was heaven.

At night, the wind was too strong that I thought only our weight was keeping it from being blown away. hmmm I think I'll sleep on a tent again on a mountain. But on a beach during summer? I'd think twice.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

This is what greeted us as soon as we arrived on the island. I think these images will forever remain as vivid as that day in my mind. I couldn't even begin to describe the way the sunlight shone through the leaves, kissing the ground, and bathing the tents in soft early morning rays. And it was dead quiet. 

On one side of the island, you'll find plenty of star fish. My sister and I would joke about it and kept on calling them school of star fish lol.

Another amazing thing on the island is while you'll find star fishes and seaweeds on one side, the other side is perfect for swimming, no seaweeds at all.