Beach Bums in world-renowned Zamboanga’s Pink Beach

Part 3

The pink beach of the Great Sta. Cruz Island would be the highlight of our Zamboanga visit.  

This island has become popular after National Geographic featured it as one of the best 21 beaches in the world, with its rare pink sand. It was opened to public only in 2014.

We had our reservation weeks ahead by a friend who lives in the city. Early booking should be arranged because guests are limited only to 200 a day. 

(Tip #1: Ask Assistance from friends who live in Zamboanga City to personally make the booking in your behalf to make sure .) 

On the day of our visit, we were already at Paseo del Mar, (the port going to the island) even before the gates were opened. So, instead of being reserved for Boat 6 (meaning the 6^th boat for the tour, we were moved to boat no. 1! Just got lucky.

Zamboanga City’s Protected Area Management Unit (PAMU) Operations Officer Richard Aliangan gave a fun and quick orientation. It was a sweet reminder that the place is a protected area, that cleanliness must be observed and maintained. Trash in, trash out policy.  A “stern” warning though “it is illegal to take anything from the island, even a rock, but especially the pink sand."

(Tip #2: During reservation you can also arrange for a tour at the Sta. Cruz Island lagoon.)

Each boat is assigned at least two boatmen and one security detail. Joining us on this tour was Ramil another friend. (Lucky to have lots of friends here!)

After a ten-minute boat ride, the beautiful Great Sta. Cruz Island welcomed us with its serene and peaceful beauty. Its pristine water glimmers in shades of cerulean to turquoise as it forms soft foams on the beach. As we disembarked the boat, our feet landed on the soft sugary white sand with bits of pink pixels. That was gorgeous!  

The sand. (credit: National Geographic.
My own shots didn't quite give justice to it :)

The I “heart” Zamboanga   was standing on the ‘pink beach’ an attractive addition to what seem an undisturbed island, save the some cottages built since it opened three years ago. The cottages are for a fee, but very affordable. One would even feel to pay much more just to make sure the place is maintained. The bathroom, though, uses salt water. 

If you want the out-there rustic vibe, you can also stay on the makeshift table and stools from cut-down trees under the shade of the lush green covers of naturally grown trees. As it gave a more stranded-on-a-virgin-island feel so we settled on it. Best thing is, it was free of charge! Got lucky again!

Sta. Cruz Island has a long white sand embellished with red or pinkish particles. Those beautifully colored grain of sand were actually from the pulverized red coral washed to the shore by the tides. Over the years, it has made pink particle on the beach.

There are other two smaller islands near it. One is occupied by the Philippine Marines (or Navy) who stand as patrol around the area. And the other one is inhabited by the muslim tribe Samal Banguingui. 

Since we were the first ones to arrive, we had the entire island as beautiful backdrop to our pictorial, and unlimited selfie for my wife including the obligatory pose before “I heart Zamboanga.” The classic jumpshot, we sure did.

(Clockwise from the top: Me, on beach, the waters,
and holding the display of the red coral, source of the "pink sand"

The island has limited facilities but I liked it that way. It was more natural. As mentioned, it had at least 6 huts for a very affordable rate. There were lots of trees around which provide a large shade cover. At the back area were some stalls of persuasive Samal Banguengue women selling souvenir items.

(Tip #3: Buy souvenirs in the island as they are cheaper than those in the mainland or in the Barter Trading Center. Even their pearls are 50 percent lesser compared to the prices in the city.)

Luck stroke (again) just before noon. Even if we did not book for the lagoon tour, we were offered by sir Richard to join another two guests (as the other 34 members of their group did not pursue the trip). We did not let the opportunity pass. All in all, we were six guests for the tour, the two Librarians from Dipolog and Ozamiz (part of the original touring group) and the two lady-navy personnel stationed at Western Mindanao Command.

The tour was very cheap as well, one big boat costs P200.00 and another P200.00 for each yellow boat that can carry three people for the tour. 

Sneak Peek of our Lagoon Tour. 

The Lagoon tour will be the 4^th  and last part of this adventure.

But while on the pink beach, you can enjoy the sand, the sun and the cool, fresh seawater!

Read other stories of our adventure in Zamboanga City. 

Ciudad de Zamboanga, Summer's last hurrah! (Part 1) 
Zamboanga's Best Eats (Part 2)

Davao Trending: Speed Kills: A tragic accident in Brgy. Bunawan

Davao Trending: Speed Kills: A tragic accident in Brgy. Bunawan: Official statement of Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte "The speed limit ordinance of Davao City is aimed specifically at putting an end to...

DOT ad, a copycat?

Is Department of Tourism's  TV Commercial "Sights" copied from South Africa ad?

The highlights of DOT's celebration of the 119th Philippine Independence last June 12, 2017 was the launching of its one-minuter commercial "Experience the Philippines: Sights." 

(UPDATE: THE "SIGHTS" VIDEO HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN BY DOT.)

Initially it was well received. Many appreciated how heart-warming it was. But hours later, netizens were quick to point out the supposed similarities in the new Philippine campaign to that of South Africa's "Meet South Africa" launched in September 2016. 

The similarities are there. The narrative of one's perception and experience in the country. Some shots are even almost the same, shot for shot they say. And the "reveal" in the end was a complete swipe. 

However, this is not the first time, DOT has "copied" tourism ad of other countries. 

In 2010, DOT launched "Pilipinas kay Ganda" campaign which was accused of plagiarizing Poland's tourism campaign, "Polska". 

This led a DOT official to resign from his post. 

Similarly, the 2012 campaign "It's more fun in the Philippines" was a mirror-copy of 1951 campaign "It's more fun in Switzerland."

But former Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. said the similarity was just "coincidence."

Copycat, now or in the past, tourism industry has been a significant contributor to Ph economy. I just hope, everything DOT does will increase tourists to the country and create more jobs for the Filipinos. 

#ExperiencePhilippines 

Zamboanga's Best Eats!

(Part 2)

Crabs, Prawns, Curacha and more! That’s what!

One thing we noticed in Zamboanga City was, it's dotted with many inviting restaurants that even by the looks of it you can already feel the ambiance they offer. Luckily, we were offered to try 3 of the Best Eats in Zamboanga.

Entrance to Alavar's (FB Page)

When in Zamboanga, you should not miss to dine at landmark Alavar’s Seafood Restaurant located at Don Alfaro St., in Brgy. Tetuan. This home-grown resto is popular for its delicious seafood treats including their specialty dishes of crabs and curacha (spanner or redfrog crab) in Alavar sauce. The famous Alavar sauce is sweet, mildly spicy, and aromatic recipe of Ma. Teresa Camins Alavar, a descendant of Filipino-Muslim and Spanish intermarriages., handed-down to generations. The most popular way of enjoying it is with curacha (sea crab), cangrejo (mud crab) and locon (prawns).

With our host, the Wee family, we had a platter of seafood consist of crabs, squid, tuna, shells and prawns. But the star viand was Curacha! We relished at its tasty meat and sauce.  For our drinks, my wife had Zamboanga White, while I ordered their avocado shake.

Curacha in Alavar Sauce (FB Page)

Hacienda de Palmeras Hotel and Restaurant is another popular dining place you should visit. We were served Filipino food, Special Bilao of assorted seafood and lechon kawali, Mongolian rice, and of course we will not miss another chance to have knickerbocker. Palmeras made the original Zamboanga Knickerbocker. It was such a hit that other restos copied the recipe.

Credits: wazzuppilipinas.com 

Special Bilao

Knickerbocker, a Palmeras original

Dining 

 Dennis Coffee Garden is your window to authentic Tausug cuisine. We had all assortment of kakanins which is called collectively as “bangbangs.” We had panpan, jualan, palikambing, pangi-pangi, panyam, and pastil.  We even ordered Satti, which is typical a breakfast food. Of course a must-try and should-not-to-be-missed here is the now becoming famous Sulu Coffee, a richly flavorful brewed coffee.  The place is homey and serene. All their staff belongs to the Tausug Muslim tribe.

Dennis Coffee Garden. Source: FB Page

Main Lobby of Dennis Coffee Garden. (FB Page) 

With with Avellaneda's. 

The Taste of Tausug Culture

Later, I learned that Dennis Coffee Garden is the upscale version of the original Dennis Coffee Shop in Jolo, Sulu started by the family of Imelda Ahalul-Dagus. Indeed, Dennis Coffee Garden is a taste of culture. 

We had a day full and so as our tummies! 

Visit them:

Alavar's Seafood Restaurant 
173 Don Alfaro Street
Tetuan, Zamboanga City

Hacienda de Palmeras

Pasonanca Road
Barangay Sta. Maria
Zamboanga City

Dennis Coffee Garden

Block 2, Lot 8, San Jose Road, Baliwasan

Zamboanga City

(You may also read part 1 of this story here.)

Ciudad de Zamboanga, Summer’s last Hurrah!

(Part 1) 

Bienvenidos! Arrival at Zamboanga International Airport

Sank deep into her dissertation writing, my wife envisaged a summer escape after the grueling academic requirement. And there is no other place she wanted to be but, Zamboanga City!

She wanted to explore a city that is not usually the summer destination of many, and the Latin City of the South is just the perfect place for the ‘Huling Hirit sa tag-init.’ It would not be our first time in the city. She’d been here for a convention which was so confined to the four walls of the hotel venue and embraced the long power outages at that time. That’s why she felt they need to explore and enjoy more this beautiful city.

Catching summer in the nick of time, off to Zamboanga we went. Luckily, some good friends who live the city had been more willing to accommodate and tour us around the city.

After we dropped our backpacks in Astoria Regency Hotel in Pasonaca, we skipped and hopped to nearby tourist destinations in the area. 

First stop was the popular landmark Tree House in Pasonanca Park.  Inside the tree house is a complete facility fro an overnight sleep. Just in sight also were the wigwams of campers which had also become a landmark of Brgy. Pasonanca. Few meters away was the government-managed pools, according to locals those were the first ever public pools in the city. We just passed by it since swimming was not yet in our to-do list then. Moving few meters forward was the Paseo La Jardin de Maria Clara Lobregat which gathers some good resto and bars, the Butterfly Sanctuary, the Zamboanga City Science Park and the statue of the late city mayor, Maria Clara Lobregat.

Then few minute’s drive was the place called helmet in at the foot of Mt. Abong-abong (an upland barangay. This park was dedicated for the late mayor Cesar C. Climaco.

Before the sun sets on our first day, we wanted to visit the Pueblo, the downtown area. The historic Plaza Pershing was hosting flower and plant exhibit staged by the local government and the Department of Agriculture. While the majestic façade of the city hall was so inviting for a selfie, it was difficult to find parking so we went directly to Paseo del Mar, the spacious plaza that highlighted by the view of Zamboanga sea waters, the port for, the view of Sta. Cruz Island and the silhouette of the island of Basilan. 

At around 4 PM the sun was still a bit hot for a stay by the bay of Paseo, we decided to visit Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar. As it was customary, we lighted the colorful candles which according the old woman each color has its meaning, but for us it did not really matter. After we said our prayers and adoration we wanted to see the Museum of Port Pilar but it has just closed for the day.

So we went to my wife’s first mission: Knicker Bocker!

After the days, hot and humid air, the refreshing sweet concoction of milk, fresh oriental fruits, some gelatin topped with strawberry ice-cream was just fitting to cap the day's tour.

Zamboanga City did not fail. It was surprisingly a beautiful jewel waiting to be explored. 

Hi there. A selfie from the entrance of the church. 

Lighting Candles at Nuestra Señora del Pilar 

Wigwams for campers

The Port view in Paseo del Mar