We promised to lessen our travel this year, but the itching of our feet was quite unbearable that we needed to go someplace. Any place would do just to satisfy our wanderlust.
We agreed on going to Tondol Beach located in the municipality of Anda after we read from a blog that it is the best beach in Pangasinan.
Full of excitement, we took the bus headed northwest around 11PM, with the plan of arriving early to enjoy what Tondol Beach has to offer. There were no direct trips to Anda at the time so we took the advice of a bus conductor to ride a bus until Tarlac bus stop and from there, catch another bus bound for Anda. We waited for an hour but no Anda-bound bus arrived. As an alternative, we took the bus bound for Bolinao and went down in Tara (the junction going to Anda) around 5AM. From the junction, we chartered a tricycle to bring us to Tondol Beach. The driver charged us Php250. It was a long ride, 17 km to be exact from Tara to Tondol Beach.
Our tricycle driver brought us in JCT resort. It was still dark then and you can hardly see anything in the vast sea.
When the sun started creeping out from the sky, we caught a glimpse of the ocean and saw nothing but the floor! When you say “low tide” in Tondol Beach, it literally means no water! There was this barren sandbar extending from the shore to the ocean, far and wide. If you wanted to take a swim, you had to walk several minutes away from the shore and I do not think that is fun. Tondol Beach reminds me of Cagbalete Island, only the latter is much better.
We agreed on going to Tondol Beach located in the municipality of Anda after we read from a blog that it is the best beach in Pangasinan.
Full of excitement, we took the bus headed northwest around 11PM, with the plan of arriving early to enjoy what Tondol Beach has to offer. There were no direct trips to Anda at the time so we took the advice of a bus conductor to ride a bus until Tarlac bus stop and from there, catch another bus bound for Anda. We waited for an hour but no Anda-bound bus arrived. As an alternative, we took the bus bound for Bolinao and went down in Tara (the junction going to Anda) around 5AM. From the junction, we chartered a tricycle to bring us to Tondol Beach. The driver charged us Php250. It was a long ride, 17 km to be exact from Tara to Tondol Beach.
Our tricycle driver brought us in JCT resort. It was still dark then and you can hardly see anything in the vast sea.
When the sun started creeping out from the sky, we caught a glimpse of the ocean and saw nothing but the floor! When you say “low tide” in Tondol Beach, it literally means no water! There was this barren sandbar extending from the shore to the ocean, far and wide. If you wanted to take a swim, you had to walk several minutes away from the shore and I do not think that is fun. Tondol Beach reminds me of Cagbalete Island, only the latter is much better.
 |
| (Taken 11:20AM) Where did all the water go? |
Frustrated that we cannot actually have a good ocean bath, we just pitched our tent and rested our tired bodies, comforting ourselves that maybe later in the morning the sea water will appear and show itself and let us dip. We woke up an hour before noon and the water was still far away. The sea looks more like a desert than an ocean. It totally lost its charm on us. There were also dried debris, sea weeds, and some thrashes speckled in the area. Stray dogs are very unlikely to the sight as well. Our excitement had died down and frustration took over; more so when they charged us Php75.00 for a cup of rice, an egg and three tiny-awful-tasting hotdogs.
We know we had enough so we decided to pack our bags and find another place to go. Anyways, there are lots of beaches in Pangasinan and Tondol Beach did not agree with our fancy.
The above travelogue is a collective thoughts between me and my travel partner Jim Bryan of Psychedelic Imbecile. We both agreed that Tondol Beach is not worth the long travel and hassle.
How to Get There
By Private Vehicle
Tondol Beach is located at the northern tip of Anda, Pangasinan; five to six hour drive from Manila. It is an island municipality which you can reach by crossing a bridge that was constructed to connect the island to the mainland. Head to Alaminos first. From Metro Manila, take the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) through Tarlac via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). From Tarlac go through Camiling and pass by Lingayen continuing to Alaminos. It is on the way to Bolinao after the town of Bani. After Bani you will see a junction that leads to to Anda.
By Commute/Public Vehicle
By Private Vehicle
Tondol Beach is located at the northern tip of Anda, Pangasinan; five to six hour drive from Manila. It is an island municipality which you can reach by crossing a bridge that was constructed to connect the island to the mainland. Head to Alaminos first. From Metro Manila, take the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) through Tarlac via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). From Tarlac go through Camiling and pass by Lingayen continuing to Alaminos. It is on the way to Bolinao after the town of Bani. After Bani you will see a junction that leads to to Anda.
By Commute/Public Vehicle
- You can take a bus at Victory Liner Cubao Bus Station going to Alaminos. Bus leaves as early as 4:30am. You can also try Dagupan Bus Lines also in Cubao. For both you can ask the driver to drop you off at Tara junction to the municipality of Anda.
- The best option I can see is by taking Five Star bus bound to Anda Public Market. From There you can take a jeepney or a trysicle to Tondol Beach.
Andamas Hotel and Restaurant
Luna St., Poblacion, Anda
Arnold Borres
Landline: (+6375) 557-5124
JCT Beach Resort
Tondol, Anda
Landline: (+6375) 658-6419
Mobile Phone: 0921-494-9248
Tondol White Sand Beach Resort
Tondol I, Anda
Landline: (+6375) 619-541
(if you can add more from the above list to help other travellers, just leave a comment or send us a message so we can update this entry)
Travel Tips
- There are Five Star buses bound directly to Anda, Pangasinan from Cubao. This route is more comfortable and cheaper.
- Arriving too early or too late has downsides. Our tricycle from the junction to the resort at 5AM cost Php250 but we were only charged Php180 on our way back at 1PM.
- Foods at the resort are expensive. If you can, bring your own baon.
Tondol beach maybe beautiful to some, but definitely NOT THE BEST BEACH THAT PANGASINAN CAN OFFER. The place is a mess. Everything are not in order. Planning is non-existent in this place. It seems that they create cottages whenever they feel like creating and put it anywhere they want. I see no coordination and harmony. Scattered thrashes are visible and stray dogs are roaming around. There are seaweeds and debris spread out by the shore. Very unlikely sight.
Cabongaon Beach by far, is still the best for me and I am pretty sure there are more better islands and beaches out there. The Hundred Islands alone offer outstanding picture-perfect views.
------
For more virtual and interactive live updates, you can check our FACEBOOK PAGE or follow us on TWITTER.
It looks like beautiful place for a relaxation. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving some comments.
ReplyDelete