I didn’t know about this until I was approached by Abby Ramos during our second day at Crystal Beach Resort in Zambales. There weren’t any waves that day and we were just bumming by the shore. Abby told us that their friends were holding an event in nearby Liw-Liwa in San Felipe, a few towns from where we were in San Narciso.
We had nothing better to do and I’ve never been to beach events in Zambales save for La Union’s parties which I avoided during my stay there last year during PSCT because just so many people. Call me your millennial tita but I valued my beauty sleep especially if I’m surfing the next day.
The drive going to Liw-Liwa was short and wasn’t that eventful. The sights were iconic of the Zambales province – rice fields and no coconut trees in sight. It was so unusual for me who was used to seeing coconut trees in every corner. Instead of coconut trees, it was pine trees that dominated the sights in Zambales, especially upon arriving in Liw-Liwa.
Driving to the beach front from the highway was a maze that needed your full attention or lest get lost in the maze of pine trees and endless rows of identical bamboo fences that divided beach properties. Parking was difficult if there was an event that brought a lot of people. The access roads were really small and could barely fit a huge car. Thank God we were able to find a space to park our car and we headed to the beach front to where the Earth Fest was held.
To my surprise, the people I’ve been looking for were all here. My kind of people, and of course, my good friend Maru who I haven’t seen in ages since our schedules never matched. I’d be in Manila when she’d book a flight to Davao.
The Earth Fest that brings together people of the same mindset and goal – to promote living a sustainable lifestyle. No entrance fees and no blaring noisy speakers that pump electro-indie music or whatever that was the latest musical craze in city clubs.
I loved the bazaar area where you could buy anything from organic desserts, tie-dye hippie clothing and my favorite – a little company encouraging you to switch from plastic straws and disposable utensils to a more eco-friendly choice of metal straws and bamboo utensils.
Around the onset of the sunset, the event proper started with opening remarks from the organizers and the local government unit, followed by a stream of acoustic performances from amazing indie artists that really fit the vibe. There were great indie artists that we discovered that day like Meg Fernandez, JM Quiblat, Martti Uy and much more that I wasn’t able to write down since I got too preoccupied with a guy proposing to his longtime girlfriend before Meg Fernandez’ set.
We didn’t want to leave the event area on the beachfront but our tummies were starving. Maru and Abby knew this amazing foodie place called Sakk Tree. They don’t have take outs because they don’t want to add to the plastic waste from the food industry. They serve amazing gourmet dishes at a lower cost! Their veg triangles were my favorite! Definitely would go back to Liw-Liwa for this. We also ordered their pasta and I was just blown away by the food. They do take a long time to serve your food especially if they’re packed but it was definitely worth it.
We spent the remainder of the evening hanging out at Sakk Tree’s wonderful area. There were lights that gave the ambiance of the ultimate chill. If you were a big group, you can have your meals under a big tree with incandescent lights.
Writing about this now makes me want to just transport myself back to Sakk Tree so I can just order five orders of the veg triangles. Maru, if you’re reading this now please know how grateful I am to you for bringing me here. Definitely going back to Zambales for this, their sunset and hopefully next time with waves!
So whenever you have extra time when you’re in Manila, hop on a bus and get yourself to Zambales and experience this side of paradise for yourself. Check out more stories about my trip there on the blog: www.millennialmermaid.com!
