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MTB Pursuits 2016

balaki island, pangasinan

12:11:00 AM
to Read (
Words)
Last weekend was a very very long weekend - 4 days of Pangasinan's sand, sea, and sun :). Our group's initial plan was to camp at Hermana Mayor (a.ka. Miss Universe Island because of the 1979 Miss Universe swimsuit photo shoot there) for 2 days. Although we know that the island is privately owned, we decided to take our chance and head there. We have some fisherfolk friends in Tambobong who know the caretakers of the place and they MIGHT let us stay there for a couple of days.

Hemana Mayor
Hermana Mayor

Unlucky for us the owners are flying in for the weekend (the island has its own airstrip) so off we go searching for another island. Its a great thing if you are friends with the locals, you'll get to the real nice places. And thats how we "discovered" Balaki Island.

The island is about 30 minutes from Hermana Mayor or about 1 hour from Tambobong. There is a resort at the western tip but we decided to head for the undeveloped north side. We don't fancy resorts that much, we would rather rough it out ( read: cheapskates :D )

Island Taxi
Balaki Island


Balaki Island
our interisland taxi

The beach was nice but the thorny bushes there are a real pain in the ass, literally :).

Thorns
Thorns everywhere

Some folks come here all the way from Tambobong just to spearfish. Less than an hour of spearfishing the shallow waters yielded enough bounty for a hearty lunch.

Balaki Island
After lunch, some of our companions decided to take another shot at spearfishing.

Eel for Dinner
Moray eel for dinner

It was a fun day, all worth the 303 km of paved road and 18.2 km of punishing rough road from Manila to Tambobong (we left Manila at 11:00PM and arrived in Tambobong at 6:30AM). As the sun sets, the sky flaunted its surreal evening colors. It was such a show, especially that I can now smell what my friends a cooking just a few meters away - eel simmering in thick soup!

Just the Two of Us

Tambobong Afterglow
Sunsets in Tambobong Beach


More stories later. We will be exploring great rock formations, a sunken ship, and a great pool inside a cave.

How to get to Tambobong (from Manila)

Bus - Victory Liner bus to Sta Cruz, Zambales (380+ pesos)
Jeep - Sta. Cruz to Dasol Market. (35 pesos)
Jeep - Dasol Market to Tambobong (30+ pesos)

How to get to Balaki Island

Boat - 1 hour from Tambobong
You can also get to Balaki from Infanta.

I'm not sure about the boat fare from Tambobong to Balaki. We have some friends in Tambobong who let us use their banca for free. We just paid for the gasoline (about 350 pesos)
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Lantaw
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9 comments:

  1. BingApril 15, 2008 at 6:40 AM

    Darn it. Pangasinan is supposed to be my turf! It is my province. And now you show me this? Waaaa! I don't even know where Dasol is! Huhuhu.

    ReplyDelete
  2. cedsaidApril 16, 2008 at 8:36 AM

    When I go back to Tambobong I'll surely check out the Balinmanok wreck. Awesome photos bro!

    ReplyDelete
  3. estanApril 16, 2008 at 8:21 PM

    is that moray delicious?

    ReplyDelete
  4. beckaApril 20, 2008 at 1:02 PM

    my friend knows how to get there in hermana mayor and hermana menor and pulo as well.ganda raw ng place na un but it's along trip.love ur pics kuys.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aurel CortezApril 24, 2008 at 10:11 PM

    Actually there are a lot of ways going to Hermana Mayor. And the shortest path I know is by way of Sta Cruz, Zambales when your coming from Manila by way of olongapo Gapan road. During market days (tuesday and friday), people from that island goes shopping in this port near Riverside, Sta Cruz, Zambales. You can hitch a ride from here for a nominal fee. But it sure is nice if you have friends from the area because the island, like everyone said, is really private.

    ReplyDelete
  6. risaimperialApril 30, 2009 at 8:11 PM

    hey allan are you sure of this?

    "There is a resort at the western tip but we decided to head for the undeveloped north side."

    sounds a little comfy for our kids :)

    risaimperial
    thobsimperial

    ReplyDelete
  7. LantawMay 2, 2009 at 4:57 PM

    risa, yup, its owned by a foreigner. I remember seeing some beach umbrellas there and a small catamaran. If you want to head there, its best you go via Sta. Cruz or Iba since the island is closer to their shores that it is with Tambobong. I'll try to get more information about that resort later...

    ReplyDelete
  8. risaimperialMay 5, 2009 at 7:31 AM

    thanks again in advance allan.

    risaimperial
    thobsimperial

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousFebruary 5, 2010 at 8:16 AM

    nice site! keep it up! ;)

    ReplyDelete

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