October 7, 2018

Pangasinan 2018 Travel Diary: Cabongaoan Death Pool

"At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun." - Anonymous. I just love this quote that pertains to the beach and the sea. Unbeknownst to some, I consider myself a thalassophile. I just love the sea, the beach, the salty air, and the feeling of soft sand under my feet.




There's a certain depth of contentment that I feel whenever I am any place by the sea. I consider all my beach trips always one for the books. Every trip is unique and gives me a whole new experience everytime. The sand may brush off, the salt may wash clean, the tans may fade, but the memories I have on every beach trip will last forever.




Last month I went on another beach trips with my friends to Cabongaoan Beach located in the municipality of Burgos in Pangasinan. Like I said a while back, all my beach trips are memorable but this one is something special because it involves something romantic and tear-jerker. But we'll get to that later. 




We embarked on a long journey up north of Luzon at dawn on one Saturday morning. It was a loooong drive, like seriously. Good thing that I'm just a passenger hahaha! We drove along towns of Pampanga, Tarlac and Pangasinan and at one point we were in the middle of nowhere and then onto unpaved roads that don't seem to end. There wasn't a cell signal at some parts during our journey. We were asking one another, is there really a beach around here?



And then around noon time we finally arrived. The sky wasn't that bright as there was forecast of rain for that weekend. But the moment we saw the beach and the sea and set our feet on the sand, almost all the worries and weariness left our bodies. My friend even sat down straight on the sand and gazed right on the blue sea before him. It seemed that he was on a daze. I felt the same thing and would have done similar if not for my phone ringing because our other friends seemed that they lost their way.




We finally got together and decided to stay at Roven's Place. The owner gave us a pretty good deal for the two nipa huts and an open cabana that we occupied. The nipa huts are big with verandas, beddings and electric fans. They were clean as well. The comfort rooms are shared and you have to get your water from the water pump but that was ok, no one minded that as long as the comfort/bath rooms were clean. The owner is even super helpful in assisting us with our every need especially those things that we needed for cooking. Roven's place is nothing luxurious, it was so rustic but comfort was sure.




We settled down, had our late lunch and then prepped for the highlight of the day. Besides getting some much deserved R&R my recent beach trip with my friends is a special one. One of my good friends planned a marriage proposal to his long time gf and asked us to be part of it. This is my first time to be involved in such a special event like this. Being the hopeless romantic that I am and someone who cries over wedding and proposal videos on Youtube, I know for sure I will get emotional. True enough I shed a couple of happy tears while this was all unfolding.




After the surprise and the feeling of elation somehow subsided, we had dinner while we drunk down beers and whiskeys. Later on we moved to the beach, talked with just about anything while we continue drinking. We also decided to fly the sky lanterns that we brought. I love that part as well. At first we struggled to make them fly but when we discovered how, we were like maniacs setting off one after another. I had my own and I said a prayer and a wish just before I let it go. 




The following day, after our breakfast we made the 20 minute trek to Cabongaoan Death Pool. It is on the far end of the Cabongaoan beach and can be reached by trekking on a very rocky path or by boat. It was expensive to rent a boat just to get to the death pools plus it was a mini adventure if we do the trek. The rocks were sharp and we have to go down the cliff just to reach it but it was all good and all worth it. Funny that one ofmy friends decided to go live on Facebook to document our hardship hahaha!


  

It was named as such to describe the natural swimming pool that forms near the beach whenever the tide comes in and fills it with saltwater. The hole fills up with water and invites beach-goers to jump in. When we were there, the waves were a bit strong but not to the point of being so scary and that will compromise our safety. It was also a good thing that it was low tide so we were able to walk around and stay for a while. 



It reminded me of the Magpupungko Natural Pools in Siargao (which you can read here: Siargao 2015 Travel Diary - Magpupungko Rock Formations And Tidal Pools). But I have to say that the one in Siargao is more picturesque because the water was clearer and the bottom has white sand. With Cabongaoan Death Pool, it was purely limestone rock. My guy friend even jumped into it as captured by the Boomerang video below:



Either way, Cabongaoan Death Pool has its own charm like Magpupungko Natural Pools in Siargao also has its own. It was nice to finally see it in person as I’ve been wanting to go there after it went viral on a Facebook DIY travel page. I’m also glad that there weren’t much tourists when we visited so we got to enjoy the place and that there’s a place like it in Luzon where we can enjoy such magnificent nature-created structure without having to ride an airplane. 




Up until now I am still reveling about this beach trip I took with my friends last month. To be honest I was surprised to still find a beach in Luzon with fine creamy sand and clean waters. The vibe was rustic and very chill. We all wanted to stay longer and almost didn't want to leave. But we will definitely go back one of these days. It was indeed a weekend full of fun, laughter, happy tears and of course love.


ROVEN'S PLACE
Cabongaoan Beach, Burgos, Pangasinan
Contact No: 0995 3368553
Email: rovensplace@yahoo.com


Read more of my Pangasinan 2018 trip:
Pangasinan 2018 Travel Diary:  Cabongaoan Beach
Pangasinan 2018 Travel Diary:  Cabongaoan Death Pool



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