My La Playa Rosa

I wanna talk about my favorite beach.
Sure, I love Boracay forever.
But this is special. The sand is a rare white-pink. And it's fronting the Philippine Sea.





I hereby elect myself as Mayor of this awesome, unbelievable, lovely paradise island in Foursquare--- only there's no internet.





I will wholeheartedly adopt hermit crabs and sea cucumbers. As pets.





I can parade my tits and not worry if somebody will see me





I will gladly welcome my friends and their families.





I will not litter





I will rake the sand for free





I will overcome my fear of sea snakes for you





I will learn pagko-copra like The Coconuter





I will buy fish food for the fish at the fish sanctuary everyday











My kids love it here











I will still love all my sons even if they had leathery black skin like that kid at the back





I will hold art classes for the island kids every summer for free inclusive of materials





Marco loves collecting corals








Dawns are amazing





You can do embarrassing things and just laugh about it





I can camwhore all day





Or fish (rather unsuccessfully)





Or order this everyday without going fat or broke





Please, take me back, adopt me, my la playa rosa.





Disclaimer: Some of the photos are from Claire Raborar. Thank you, Claire. 

Pamarta Bali at Morong, Bataan

Every summer, my friends and I make it a point to go to a destination we haven't tried yet. This year, we decided on something a little bit closer to home since everybody has been to or has a booked trip to more popular places like Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, Camsur, Sorsogon, Baguio, Subic, etc. Nica saw this resort online and thought we'd give it a try. It is, after all, famous for attracting thousands of turtles to lay their eggs here, of all places!

To get here, ride an Olangapo-bound Victory Bus and take Morong Gate. A scenic 45-minute ride through SBMA and places like Anvaya Cove will take you to Morong, Bataan.



Pamarta Bali is a small yet well-maintained and beautifully kept resort. They have a very attentive, courteous staff which responds within a minute to guest demands, an alert lifeguard and security guards and some groovy beach sounds installed all over the place. It is very clean. Entrance fee is P300, and cottages are Php1,300 for small nipa huts, P1,800 for big nipa huts, P1,000 for open cottages and P400 for tent areas.



This is the big nipa hut (P1,800) with 2 single (super narrow) beds and extra mattress good for 2

If you're pitching your own tent, prepare P400 

The only downer was that there were no air-conditioned rooms, which is kind of a must for me. I always look for that cool comfort of a full-blast aircon after a day of soaking in the sun and seawater. Well, on second thought, in the end it didn't matter cos we got drunk and passed out the moment we hit the sack, so sleeping concerns melted into obscurity.

They also do not have a resort restaurant. It's either you ask the nice lady at the neighboring resort to cook something up or bring your own food. We cooked all our meals and bought ingredients at the nearby Morong Public Market, a tricycle ride away. Pamarta Bali is equipped with cooking utensils, stoves, grills and freezers, so storing and preparing food is not a problem. They were kind enough to even lend us their plates when we ran out of paper plates.



This infinity pool is clean, and it doesn't hurt to open your eyes while swimming in it, unlike other pools where you get shocked by all the chlorine and germs!









Turtles love this beach



Compared to the bigger resorts, I liked the privacy and security of Pamarta Bali. There's no overcrowding and there's ample space to just chill, relax and swim.



Ang lakad na ito puno ng pakikipagharutan sa mga jowa. Hahaha. Sorry po sa walang partner.









The night swim was enjoyable









We camped by the beach with our favorite spirit, good old Mr Cuervo





Body shots na nakakasindak, nakakaaliw at nakakatindig-balahibo



Puro landian at kung anu ano pang milagro. Scroll up and down para malaman kung sino pinaka-harot na magjowa.



May plakda nung gabi



Hanggang umaga



Oh, by the way, someone proposed







And she accepted! Sweetness. They're gettin' married!



Inked couple. Cool.



Scarcity of chicks





"Island hopping" na wala namang isla, sa "white beach" kuno kami dadalhin. P120 a pop.



Muro-Ami fisherman

A blue starfish that survived 24 hours of dehydration



Here we are at the "white beach." We can see the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant from here. For some reason, I couldn't find my photos of it! Sayang. It was a highlight of the day for me.





After that, we headed to the Pawikan Sanctuary in Pawikan Beach. I thoroughly enjoyed this eco-conservation visit, I have never gotten so close to pawikans of substantial size, and more so, touch them! I loved the Philippine seaturtle. Trivia: Illegal possession of pawikans warrants a 12-year prison sentence. P20 entrance fee



They released 50,000 baby turtles last hatching season





And no, I did NOT kill this turtle











A hunchback turtle separated by a wire mesh because he kept attacking the other turtles in the pen







Thank you Lord, for the blessing of friends.



Ciao!