Rediscovering Zambales with the Nissan Almera
Nissan Philippines, in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), through the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) – DOT’s marketing and promotions arm – has been actively promoting local tourism under the “Visit the Philippines, Drive to Discover with Nissan” program. In line with this, Nissan recently organized a ‘Drive to Discover Zambales’ event last Labor Day weekend, that had a fleet of Nissan Almeras take on the road to the north, first to Pundaquit, Zambales with the mission of visiting the hidden gem that is Anawangin Cove.
“We at Nissan are excited to hit the road again and discover new destinations with the new Nissan Almera,” remarked Nissan Philippines Inc.’s General Manager for Marketing, SJ Huh. “Region III, particularly the Zambales area, offers a wealth of options by way of scenic destinations and interesting activities, such as clear waters, virgin beaches, organic farms and heritage sites. And what better way to enjoy all of this than by going for a drive in the spacious, comfortable new Nissan Almera with our friends from the media?”
The impressively commodious Nissan Almera was an appropriate ride for this northern journey, easily accommodating all our baggage and video equipment for the weekend trip. This B-segment car is a classic 4- door, 5- seat sedan with a fuel-thrifty 1.5-liter engine, whose main selling point is its whopping 2,600mm wheelbase – among the longest in its class. The car measures 4,425mm long, 1,695mm wide, and 1,505mm tall. The long wheelbase not only allows for excellent rear seat legroom, but also for a roomy trunk (at 490 liters) as well. The rear cabin knee room, in fact, happens to match, or even exceed the knee room that is offered in some premium D-segment cars.
Our convoy drove through the less traveled roads of Zambales, and the place greeted me with beautiful, mountainous views (which was a portrait of Zambales which I had not seen before) and a peaceful countryside vibe. The roads here were not busy—some parts of it dusty and still unpaved. And it seemed like not many people knew how to get here. Yet.
After driving through quiet surroundings, we landed on the seaside area of Pundaquit, where I observed a beach full of katig boats, parked one after another, all waiting for prospective tourists who might want to cross the sea and head for the nearby virgin islands. One of these is the celebrated Anawangin Cove.
Thus, we boarded our respective katig boats and took off to the rocky sea – eventually landing at the crescent cove with white sand and a surprising number of people frolicking the shore. The island is riddled with lines and lines of pine trees a few feet from the coast, and is in fact, a beach-turned-campground, with numerous tents spread all over the pine forest area. There are no hotels here—only a line of nipa cabanas, which one could rent out for a picnic, and as a rest area for the beach bums.
At the end of the day, we headed back to the beach of Pundaquit, San Antonio— where we had originally boarded—and went back to driving our Almeras all the way to our hotel in Subic. Although do allow me to point out, that should you have the extra time, another lovely virgin island to check out within the vicinity of Anawangin, is Capones Island – also known as Grand Capon or Capon Grande Island – characterized by steep cliffs and large formations of rock. It is a picturesque virgin island with a delightfully unspoiled beach (you don’t get too many of these, these days), and with a lighthouse located on the western side of the island.
The following day, we explored more of Zambales and got to experience some adrenalin rush from the ziplines and many other rides at Tree Top Adventure Park in Subic, and then proceeded to Castillejos, Zamabales, to visit the ancestral home of former president Ramon Magsaysay. We even squeezed in a short stop at Rosa Farms—a 12.5-hectare mango orchard in San Marcelino—famous for producing some of the sweetest mangoes in the region! Of course, the voluminous Nissan Almera easily accommodated all our pasalubongs!