Tambobong Beach – Dasol, Pangasinan

Ano’ng lakad n’yo ngayong long weekend?

Wala… Kahit saan, bakit?

Tara Tambobong!

Ok. Kelan aalis?

Ngayon na!

And just like that, we had a plan. That was 5 hours before our target departure time. I’m so lucky to have travel buddies that are easy-going. Well, if I have the same flexible schedule that they have I’d be as carefree. I dunno why I mentioned Tambobong Beach but after our Patar Beach trip the month before, I’m now eyeing Pangasinan for my quick-fix beach trips.

My buddies have already been to Tambobong Beach and I trust their gut feel on our 3-day stint there. With only a few hours left to hit the bus station, I quickly threw my stuff on the first rucksack I saw and headed to the bus station at around 12 midnight-ish.

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We arrived at Victory Liner Bus Terminal in Cubao and waited for the bus that will go to Sta.Cruz via Alaminos, there are no prior reservations needed for this bus route. This will pass by the town of Burgos that will be our jump-off point to the town of Dasol (around 420-450 pesos for the bus fare/aircon). Unfortunately, the bus was filled in a matter of minutes after it started to accept passengers. The next bus will be at around two in the morning, we can’t wait that long.

The group moved to Five Star Bus Terminal where an Alaminos-bound aircon bus was ready to depart. We immediately got in with a plan to just ride another bus going to our final destination. We shelled out 393 pesos each for the bus ride (314 pesos for students with ID).

I slept all throughout the trip and when my buddy brought me back to consciousness I scampered to fix my stuff which literally were everywhere. It was five in the morning and we decided to have a quick bite first before heading to the town of Burgos. It didn’t take long before we could catch the bus going Sta.Cruz (30 pesos each).

Burgos market was our bus stop where we bought some stuff for our 3-day stay in Tambobong Beach, I spearheaded the idea of doing some shopping at the market for our shindig at the beach. From there, we rented out a tricycle for 300 pesos to bring us to Tambobong Beach in the town of Dasol, still in Pangasinan.

The road to the beach was scenic. The different hues of green dominated the grazing lands. Herds of cow, goat and horse were starting the day right. And then bumps everywhere. I dunno if it’s the rain during the past few days but the road started to get really rough and bumpy. There were road works everywhere and hopefully these would soon ease out the literally butt-numbing rides going to the beach.

Our refuge for three days was the R Paradise Resort which was arranged by Julius. Our gracious host, Ate Vi, made sure that we’re all taken care of (she’s actually based in Alaminos City) by her trusted caretaker, Ate Nora (complete all-star cast eh?). The beachfront property (forget about the road cutting between the shore and the resort) was basically our home for three days. With no guests in sight we practically owned the resort and the beach for those days – the pros of going to the beach during rainy season.

The three-year old resort has the perfect setting; lush trees surrounding the area, wooden benches rested on the lawn and the view of rice paddies were all in tune. We were provided with two similar basic rooms. 

Each air-conditioned room had one queen-sized bed, TV, mini fridge and an en suite toilet and bathroom. The theme of native and countryside echoed inside the rooms; and then the lovely bathroom, oh how I love the intricacy and the details of the bathroom. Stones and pebbles were meticulously arranged and put together as flooring and as wall accents which doubled my shower time. Water supply was very reliable and the hot shower was such a luxury.

There are other room types that would surely fit in to your budgets. Room rates are from 1,200 pesos to 2,500 pesos depending on the season and the number of occupants. Further improvements on the resort are on its way and expect to have a more pleasurable stay there in the future (me imagining a hammock and a bar on the second level of the main house).

On our very first day, I decided to grill some marinated pork on the cooking area. A fresh catch of fish was also brought in by Ate Nora and everyone agreed that they would be perfect partners. After two grueling hours of ultimate cookout (my buddies checked me out every once in a while), we feasted on the grilled fares on a small native hut near the beach.

On our next few meals, I gave up on the long hours of grilling and cooking and just sought the help of the ever-reliable Ate Nora for all our meals. We bought some stuff from a nearby store and let her do all the cooking while we enjoyed the beach. There’s this one meal where she prepared fried fish freshly caught that same day. She’s the bomb and from then on, I promised myself to do away with preparing and grilling and cooking that eats up so much time, time that should be used in other worthwhile activities like boozing up perhaps?

Fresh catch of the day

Our first afternoon was spent on lounging and chilling on the beach. Tambobong Beach is calm and beautiful. I could imagine the clear waters and the clean shore during summertime (sea grass are everywhere due to the storm that had just passed by). We walked on the sand and reached the farther end of the stretch with some nice rock formations. Resorts were quite empty at that time and it seemed that we’re the only guests in Tambobong Beach for the weekend.

Ours for the weekend

We met a few kids whom I thought were just playing on the water but after checking them out I noticed that they were picking some edible seaweeds, just like what I usually eat in my parents’ hometown in Zambales. With my very basic Ilocano language, I tried asking them on their names and stuff and then I gave up and spoke to them in Tagalog. After a while, these kids followed us on our stroll on the beach. Another bunch seemed to be catching some fish with their makeshift fish rods. They’re the cutest and I love their huge playground.

The sun was still trying hard to show itself with the thick clouds blocking the sky. With our good old banig with us, we lazed around with a few bottles of beer and our endless stories of, well, nothing in particular. That’s what I love most about my buddies, we needed no itineraries and plans, as long as we’re together, with maybe a cool booze to finish, we’re all okay.

Chill

The sun finally showed up the next day with vengeance and with this, my buddies decided to do some island hopping around. They both have done it in the past and they’re just showing me around. 

Our lovely Ate Nora looked for a fisherman who’d agree to take us around. She found Kuya Bong (0948.596.3432) and after negotiating with the itinerary, we settled at 800 pesos for 4 hours. The places to cover were vague to me at that time. I really just wanna go out and enjoy the sun. The sun’s still shining at its best and off we went to the adventure for that day.

Balinmanok Wreck

First stop was a shipwreck in Balinmanok. Kuya Bong narrated that many years ago this Taiwanese vessel was shipping almost 600 kilos of methamphetamine (shabu) and got towed on its present site. I really wanna swim to check out what’s underneath this wreck but dismissed the idea right away for we only have a few hours to spare and would want to laze around the nice island they’re telling me about. And so we moved on.

Colibra/Snake Island

Next stop was a happy island. The Colibra Island (or Culebra, or Snake, or whatever the name is) is a popular destination for the island tours around Dasol. Seeing the clear waters and the white sand as we approached the island made me immediately restless on my seat. I kept my calm and waited for the boat to clear its way through the huge waves that seemed to be preventing us from docking on the island.

Super wild waves

Kuya Bong stated in a very calm manner that we cannot dock for the boat will capsize if we pursue it. He even said that if we wanna check out the island we could swim our way off to it. Without thinking any further I jumped off the boat and braved the huge waves to get to the shore. And then happiness.

I ran towards the shore and slapped my back on its white sand. After which, I rolled over and checked out if there’s anyone, like anyone, around. And there’s none. I ran like a kid around the shore totally forgetting about the guys on the boat. After a few minutes minutes, I realized that I needed just one decent photo of this island and then decided to swim back to the boat to get my camera.

In the middle of my a la Survivor swimming across the huge waves, I noticed that the boat was slowly getting near and on its way to safe docking. Apparently, they asked Kuya Bong to look for a way to safely dock for my buddies were too envious seeing me on the shore. And they did! Good job, Kuya Bong. With the three of us finally reunited, we enjoyed the shadeless island all to ourselves. After feeling a little sun patches over our shoulders, we decided to head back to our boat and went on to our last destination.

Balas Nagtaros

Passing through the Crocodile Island, we went to the much calmer side of the sea. The island of Balas Nagtaros houses the Cabacungan Cave. During summertime, the usual docking area to get to this cave is on the shore leading to it. But due to the wild waves, we headed to the backdoor and entered this calm lagoon-like area of the island. We fell in love with it instantly.

We found refuge underneath the trees and started the boozing up session with Kuya Bong at noon. We tried snorkeling on this side and found some interesting underwater creatures. With so much stories to share, we had a nice session of non-stop, tell-all about politics and stuff, with Kuya Bong sharing his narratives too.

We found our picnic spot!

An hour passed and we already downed our stash. We then decided to hike going to the cave. The view from the top of the island was lovely. I guess you wouldn’t get to see it when you dock on the ‘normal’ docking area. We reached the cave in no time and upon seeing the waves splashing through the huge rocks inside, we ditched the idea of swimming inside.

The beach on the other hand is promising. I could imagine snorkeling during summertime with all the nice rock formations around. But then, the huge and wild waves were such a deterrent. After a couple of photos taken, I heard the waves calling me and immediately decided to, again, brave the waves.

I crashed myself on the huge rocks twice while swimming but that didn’t stop me from enduring the waves. I stayed inside, over and underneath the waves for a good 10 minutes and I’m done. It wasn’t as death-defying as my buddies thought it would be but it’s really breath taking, literally, just being there.

My favorite travel buddies!

We went back to our side of the beach in R Paradise Resort in one piece. Ate Nora, as always, was ready with our lunch and then hit the shore again for another boozing up session, the sun setting on the horizon.

Again, without the perfect company everything will be different. I couldn’t imagine this trip to be as fun without the care of Ate Vi, Ate Nora, Kuya Bong and the wonderful kids of Tambobong. Everyone was so great that even if the sun didn’t show up I’d still be happy. As for me and my buddies, just give us some booze and we’ll all be fine.

R Paradise Resort

Brgy.Tambobong, Dasol, Pangasinan

Contact Number: (+63) 995.458.3539

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