Zambales Trip: Standing on Top of the Lighthouse in Capones Island

“There’s an earthquake!” I heard a girl panicking as she felt a sudden shake from where she was standing.
“It’s just me guys.” I replied hastily to calm her down and show that it was just my legs that were trembling which produced the sudden movement. I was on top of the lighthouse in Capones Island during our Zambales Trip, literally.

Capones Island, Zambales
February 22, 2011

capones island
view from the top of Capones Lighthouse, Zambales

They were also wondering where the voice came from as they couldn’t see my face. One of the men in charge of the lighthouse pointed his finger towards me to reassure the girl that there was no natural calamity happening at the time.

capones lighthouse lighthouse capones
lighthouse in Capones | my feet on top of the tower

We were trekking after a photo op with golden cogon grasses in the island of Capones in order to see the lighthouse as this has been a famous landmark which my companions wanted to visit since they’ve never reached the tower.

capones turtle island
looks like dinosaur to me

The sun was scorching hot and it didn’t help that I didn’t bring any sunblock with me – a thought I regretted later on when after the trip, a simple twitch was agonizing because of how burnt my skin was.

Rummaging through trees and bushes to get to the lighthouse, I was happy that there was already a trail left by other travelers so it wasn’t so difficult for us to get by.

trek capones capones pose
trek to the lighthouse | inside one of houses

Ruins of Capones

We were welcomed by a gate which gave me flashbacks of ‘The Adams Family’ or those Hollywood flicks wherein ruins caponesprotagonists would have to enter in order to defeat a dark lord and finally get rid of a curse that’s been plaguing them from the beginning of the story – seriously, I should stop watching B-rated movies.

It did not help that the ruins at the base of the lighthouse gave an eerie effect especially with broken shards and glasses that were left to deteriorate.

The tower was the only structure that was renovated and replaced with a modern set-up in order to serve its purpose; to steer seafarers that a body of land is nearby.

The houses, probably where the caretakers lived, were left to decay in their natural form. One of the things I found fascinating are the red bricks used to construct these houses. Beautiful how they give a contrasting view of the green and blue background.

capones brick house
red bricks

On Top of the Capones Lighthouse

We went up the tower using the stairs. Some parts were wobbly due to lack of pillars but they still seemed sturdy knowing how many tourists were also climbing their way up and down.

 

When we reached the top, the lighthouse gave us a scenic 360-degree view of the island and the waters; breathtaking to say the least.

When I found out that there’s another ladder to the roof from where we were already standing, I asked one of the guides if I could climb up. When he gave the go signal, I immediately went for it and had my photo taken at the highest peak of this beautiful island.

What made the situation crazier was how I managed to stand on my feet, and still felt like everything was okay when in reality, it wasn’t. My knees were shaking badly that I even caused other people to worry. What if I lost balance because of the strong winds?

Nevertheless, it was another one of these attempts to find something exciting to do while going out on an adventure trip in this part of the country. By the way, what I did is not recommended, just to clarify things out.

island capones bloggers capones
View from the top of the Capones Tower

capones top
ruins in Capones Island

I stooped down in order to get off the roof. After a few more photos, we finally descended back to the shore. We advised our boatman that we’ll be gone for a few minutes but it turned out to be more than an hour considering all the things we did. I was too careless to notice that the boatman didn’t have any shade so he was there under the heat of the sun for a period of time. But he didn’t complain. He must’ve been relieved when it was us he saw going down.

capones trek
going down

Capones Rock Formations

Our last stop was the other part of the island so we could sit down and have lunch on the beach. We still had grilled fish from the night before in Nagsasa Cove, plus some bread and crackers. We were happy that we bought a pack of hotdog as it was more than enough to keep us full in the next few hours. Only dilemma at the time was our liquid as we only had a liter of water (or soda) left. We were still able to manage our intake, I think.

Most of the tourists took cover underneath the big rock because of the sun except for a few foreigners who were enjoying the rays. We managed to strike a conversation by offering our chips to which they gladly accepted. They were foreign exchange students from France who stopped by Zambales to take a break from school.

capones rocks
big rock

I spent the remainder of this two-day Zambales adventure soaking up and having conversations with Anton and Doi while Teresa was busy taking a few more pictures.

A bright and sunny day at the beach is what I needed prior to our Sagada trip the next month.

island capones rock
rock formations I saw only in Facebook two years ago, now I’ve finally witnessed them on hand.

I arrived in Capones Island with no expectations, no idea even, of a lighthouse. But this island took me by surprise. I still have yet to write articles about the other destinations that we visited (Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove) but knowing that I wrote about this one first just shows how interesting it was for me.

 

I guess it’s because of golden cogon grasses, standing on top of the lighthouse and the rock formations. Or maybe because this is where I got all my sunburn which left me in pain for about a week? Me and my masochistic tendencies.

All in all, I wouldn’t have had a swell time if it weren’t for Anton and Teresa whom we just met in Zambales. This trip was truly worth it especially for how much we spent. Will talk about expenses soon.

Our guide’s contact number:
0920 222 4687 – look for Mang Johnny
——————————-

Side Note: Just for laughs as what I always try to put in my posts. There was a well on the base of the lighthouse which spooked me out. I’m a fan of ‘The Ring’ which means I haven’t watched the movie in its full form because of being too much of a scaredy cat. Was trying to emulate the famous “Sadako” pose but it didn’t work out as planned. I’m thinking it’s because of the hair. hehe.

capones well
Well, well…

The well was murky and full of algae. It got me thinking though, what if somebody was truly inside and grabbed my feet while doing this pose? – again, I’ve been watching too many movies.

Check out articles about my Zambales adventure trip here:


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
For updates, Like his page on Facebook or Follow him on Twitter.
For questions, advertising, and other concerns, shoot an email to ed@soloflighted.com.


33 thoughts on “Zambales Trip: Standing on Top of the Lighthouse in Capones Island”

  1. Only you could think about that "well" photo ala "The Ring" nice view from the top of the lighthouse. I've been to Capones thrice but its always a blast going there.

    Reply
  2. @supertikoy; Lol. i thought you meant me na 'natuluyan nang sira' haha. thanks.

    @marky: it was creepy; it's a good thing the weather was sunhy. Seen your posts about Capones too, Marky. Nice that you had models doing a photoshoot. 😀

    Reply
  3. Haha! You caused an earthquake, Ed. Nice shots of the rock formations. Seriously, ngayon ko lang napansin yang formations na yan. When we went there I was too busy complaining about its lack of a nice beach.

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  4. @pinaytraveljunkie: haha onga. sabi nga ni AJ, I rocked her world. hahaha! I thought the rock formations were in Nagsasa Cove that's why I was constantly searching for it there. Glad to see it here!

    @neldeleon: haha, thanks! you should drop by Capones Island! It will be worth it! 😀

    @AJ: strong talaga? strong na matatakutin. my knees were shaking so bad at the time. nice way of putting it AJ! 😀

    @dong ho: true, that's why most of the time I let other people do the itineraries and just welcome the place without any preconceived notions.

    @Jonna: you should go back and trek to the lighthouse! that’s what my companions also did to make sure that they get to the top of the lighthouse and see the view!

    Reply
  5. Hi Ed, 
    I visited Janelle's blog where you recently commented. I got your link from there.
    Those rock formations are interesting. I'm going 'solo flight' as well to Ilocos in a few days, how far is Zambales from there?

    Reply
  6. Grabe ka Ed, nadagdagan na naman ang listahan mo ng stunts at acrobatics. (merong headstand, jumping from the cliff at ngayon ito naman) Parang nakakalula tumayo sa maliit na space ng tower. Ikaw na ang daredevil ng PTB 🙂

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  7. its real daring move standing on top of the lighthouse… just seeing your pics makes my palm sweat and shake a bit because of heights! But the view from top is so nice… I love the first pic from the top.

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  8. @cherrey: thanks for dropping by! Ilocos is one of the places I still have to visit. Not too sure how far though. I think you'll be satisfied with Ilocos. So long as I can see the windmills, I'll be good. 😀

    @lakwatsera de primera: haha, kakatakot noh? wala pa namang insurance! kakatakot talaga ng pagtayo ko nyan. I have yet to post my Guimaras lighthouse one where I did the same stunt. hehe. 😀

    @carla: hahaha carla! balik ta didto! 😀

    @leave the cube: haha, lakas loob pero mahina ang utak kasi padalos-dalos mag-isip. hehehe. thanks!

    @ian: thanks ian! you should try it some time — err, wait. scratch that. climb at your own risk! haha – thanks for dropping by!

    @thepinaysolobackpacker: gael! ako po yun ate. hahaha.

    Reply
  9. @christian: yes, beautiful Zambales indeed! you should check them out, I'm sure the photos would look awesome in your blog!

    @robbie: ayan, masaya rin ako kahit alam kong di ka masaya. hehehe. celebrity ba? kaya nga nagpapicture ako ng signature headstand para dumami ang hits ko pagmapost mo sa blog mo. hehehe.

    @tripper10: yes, you should visit the place one of these days! 😀

    Reply
  10. I have a thing for lighthouses, I just love learning about the history of the people who worked and lived in them. However, I've never been at the tip top of one! Your knees might have been shaking, but I never would have been able to get out there!

    Reply
  11. @vin: haha, i didn't know what came over me.

    @miranda: you should try it one of these days! oops, wait, i won't recommend it. haha.

    @pinoyboyjournals: jerik, haha. yeah. i like the brick stones kasi red na red. 😀 you should check out capones one of these days!

    @eric: no problem, bisita ka dito one of these days eric!

    Reply
  12. you know what's spooky ed?.. it's when someone (or something) comes out through that opening (on your last photo) and then jumps off to the well and taking you with him.. 😛 blame the movies I've been watching.. lol not to mention the news I saw earlier in Ch. 2.. hindi man lang binlur ung mukha nung bangkay sa loob ng kotse.. kulay violet na, tas dilat pa mata.. at closeup shot pa.. yay.. buti na lang gutom na gutom ako to finish my breakfast.. wehehehe 😛

    Reply
  13. @jeffz: don't remind me jeff. haha. Was also thinking of the same thing if something was really inside that well. I checked the water below and it was murky and full of moss, yikes. the ring again… heheh. what the, they didn't censor the corpse on tv? weird. hehe

    Reply
  14. Did you know that this place is haunted? At least, that's what our guide told us after we got back to the beach.
    We didn't know there's another trail pala. We used the one on the other side, mas malayo pero we got to see interesting stuff like an old building where a number of army spent their late afternoon siesta.

    Reply

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