Hundred Islands Adventure and Maxine by the Sea (Part I)

// May 19th, 2007

After lotsa debating, er, researching about where to go for a short but sweet summer vacation, dude and I settled for Pundaquit, Zambales but changed our mind the very day we’re supposed to go and opted to go to Alaminos City, Pangasinan in stead so we can see Hundred Islands National Park.

At 1:30pm we got to the Dau Bus Terminal where we boarded a Five Star bus going to Alaminos City. We reached Alaminos at about 4:30 pm.

All we had is a list of the establishments in Lucap, Pangasinan, where the Hundred Islands are the nearest and beach bummin’ stuff.

When we got to Alaminos, the tricycle driver which we instructed to bring us to Lucap told us that there won’t be any food or water available at the lodge areas. So we said yes when he suggested that we should buy something to eat from Jollibee. The too-good-to-be-true uber-kind tricycle driver also pulled over to a sidewalk near a store where he again suggested for us to buy some water from. We brought a large bottle of distilled water so we told the driver to continue driving.

I asked the tricycle driver if he knows where Maxine is because that’s where we planned to stay. He said it’s just by the sea, which made me remember the establishments full name is Maxine by the Sea Restaurant and Lodge. Logical! Hehe..

We thought the driver’s going to drop us to Maxine, but he tried to drop us to a shanty-like dwelling which he again suggested that we stay in since it’s a lot cheaper. Dude almost said sure but we saw a bunch of suspicious looking guys which the driver talked to in what I guessed as Pangasinense, which turned us off. See it’s a bad bad combination to keep on suggesting and talk in your native tongue sounding like your negotiating for your commission or something. That’s how we felt, at least.

So to get rid of the driver’s inkling that we’re heeding his advice, his last advice of settling to a not-so-safe looking place without offending him, we pretended that we have to go to Maxine because we have company and we already have reservations there, which is so untrue.

To be continued…