Part 1.2 - Typhoon?!? What Typhoon?!?

The trip took a total of 6 hours passing through 4 provinces. We only woke up when we finally reached the province of Pangasinan where the town of Bolinao is. It was a very scenic ride, with the road going parallel with the sea in some parts and zigzag-ing through the mountains on others. At times, the mountain and the sea merges into view, and together with the clear blue sky, created a perfect backdrop for the big windows of our bus. Too bad it's air-conditioned, so we weren't able to open the windows (not that they can be opened) and take in the fresh breeze coming from the sea and the mountains.

When we entered the province of Pangasinan, we thought that we're close enough to our destination. However, 2 hours out of the total travel time was spent on traversing Pangasinan alone. Apparently, and this I didn't know before, Bolinao is at the very western end of the province and directly faces the South China Sea. Sounds perfect, but our butts were starting to complain. I swear if mine could talk, it would have. Would've been scary though!

We called Richard up when we reached the town of Alaminos, and he said we still have quite a long way to go before we reach his town. Anyway, when we realized that we're in Bolinao (finally), Richard picked us up at the bus station on his bike, and all three of us sped off to his mother's house. But, since we haven't had breakfast AND lunch, and it was already 3PM, we stopped by a restaurant (the only decent one in Bolinao, Richard said) and had our fill. Afterwards, we dropped our stuff off at the house, then proceeded straight to the beach for some sunset watching. Yay!!!

The trip to the beach by bike was a lot of fun. We're able to go fast enough and at the same time get a full glimpse of the beautiful scenery. Again, the road, which was un-paved in some parts, ran parallel to the beach, so we managed to fill our Manila-polluted lungs with fresh air. The whole trip took a good hour, but this time, we didn't mind as we were busy chatting away and taking in the views. Bolinao was perfect, just what I had in mind for a weekend getaway!

Before heading to the beach itself, we stopped by the lighthouse where a lot of local movies were filmed. Upon seeing the location, I knew why. Sitting atop a low hill, the lighthouse provides a perfect spot for viewing the entire town in all its glory. Although we're not able to climb up the lighthouse itself (it was closed), there's a deck that gives a panoramic view of the sea to the west and the fields and mountains to the east. After taking it all in, we wasted no time doing what we do best, and you all know what it is. Say 'Cheese'!!! Then, on to the beach!

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the beach at first, but only because I had very high expectations. I really thought the beach was like that of Boracay minus the crowd. However, although the sand was fine, it's neither white nor powdery like Boracay, now was it long. I was thinking of taking a dip, but just decided let the fishermen have the sea by themselves and us to enjoy the moment. We walked most of the length of the short beach until the rocky part, and then Jenny's cam started clicking again.

We sat among the rocks for a while, resting our feet and feeling the cool ocean breeze while listening to the waves crashing down on the rocks relentlessly. The whole thing perfectly captured our mood at the moment: happy, sad, confused, in turmoil. There's just something about a rugged coastline that stirs someone's soul more than a smooth, fine beach could. Throw a setting sun in the mix, and you're in heaven. Well, almost.

At 5PM, we decided to go back to Richard's place before it gets dark as the road wasn't really smooth all the way. So, we got on the bike and left the beach. However, seeing the sun starting to set beautifully, we couldn't resist it. So we went back up the hill towards the lighthouse instead of going straight home. We sat for a while and waited for the sun to do its magic in the skies and the sea. And it did! The sky became one breathtaking canvas. I'd rank it as one of the best sunsets I've seen in my life.

Afterwards, we went back to town to eat dinner, then proceeded to look for a karaoke bar. There wasn't any that's still open and near enough to Richard's, so we just sat in one of the benches next to the plaza while Richard and Jenny enjoyed eating Pinoy favorites like barbecue and isaw. Then, not wanting to sleep yet, we went to a bridge where one could see the river and the sea merge. After that, we went to a different part of the beach in pitch darkness, talking and just enjoying the moment. By 10PM, we decided to call it a night.

We all enjoyed our day. Being at the beach again (albeit a rugged one) and watching the sunset has to be one of the best ways to spend a weekend. It's quite hard to believe that just several hundred kilometers away, a typhoon was raging. Our friends back in Manila even started asking us how we're holding out knowing that Pangasinan was hard-hit by the previous typhoon. What did we tell them? TYPHOON?!? WHAT TYPHOON?!?

Sorry, we couldn't help but gloat. There we were in Bolinao having a perfect weekend, while the rest of our friends were stuck inside their houses in the city bwahahaha!!! Little did we know that we're going to eat our own words the next day...