Pico de Loro is quite popular among my mountain-climbing friends. I don’t have any narratives to share. During a recent visit , I only saw the beach and the vantage point of a couple of mountains from the viewdeck. Going here certainly took a long time. Pico de Loro lies at the edge of the coastal town of Nasugbu, Batangas which is peppered with lots of ritzy resorts, among them Punta Fuego, Tali and now Hamilo Coast of the SM group, of which Pico de Loro Cove is a part of.
We counted almost three hours to reach the destination and the sea was serene. Smelling the fresh breeze and seeing the greenery never fails to soothe this tired city dweller’s soul, as these pictures would show….
It is quite hard to imagine that in a few years (or maybe now), Pico de Loro will be cordoned off to hikers and mountain climbers, as the area gears up for tremendous development. Here is what it will look like in the future….
I don’t know whether to be sad or happy. The reality is that beautiful places like this get to be discovered in due time. They can’t stay “open secrets” forever.
We are just glad that they are trying to save the giant clams over there, also known as “taklobos,” the world’s largest bivalve mollusk. The clams sustain the marine environment by providing a nursery for small fishes and seeping planktonic debris from the water, thus saving the oceans in their own special way.
Here, Lory Tan of Worldwide Fund for Nature Philippines , SM’s Jess Lucas and Dr. Suzanne Licuanan of UP’s Marine Science Institute hold the clams before they’re submerged again in the water for propagation.
My companions and I agreed that the tip of Nasugbu is far by our standards. Certainly, Pico de Loro Cove will be more accessible when the ferry coming from the BayCity near Mall of Asia will already be operational.
What made the trip hard was that the driver of our shuttle bus didn’t have an interest in stopping on our way back to Manila. Sitting behind him, I told him in Tagaytay that I would like a CR break, to which he replied “Sa Expressway na!” which was a good 40 or so kilometers away! When the bus finally stopped at a gas station near Sucat, a lifestyle writer commented that it was plain torture holding his bladder for so long in silence, as it seemed nobody wanted to stop for a break. Truth was, we were all screaming for one. It was only the driver who was damn insensitive.
Public Relations Rule No. 13 should be: care to ask if anybody wants a CR break, especially if it’s a long trip!
We want to help you guys save the environment, but we want to save our bladders too. 😛
Photos show the initial batch of shots I took with my gratis Verzio digicam … whee.
Where’d the beach go? Oh man I hope the development they’re planning doesn’t deprive normal people a view of the beautiful beach. I hate it when people start developing in places that obstruct the public’s view of national treasures. It should be illegal and the government shouldn’t allow such sites to become exclusive to people who have money only.
Is that an artist sketch or a scale model? I love scale models. Great shot, parang postcard.
will it be open to the public soon? i’d like to visit the place if it is.
I don’t think they’re doing away with the beach and the ocean Ruy. They’re just adding the beach club and the swimming pool.
That’s an artist rendition I think Em:)
Will make sure you get invited to the next trip Arpee. Will pass on that one 😛
that\’s a really cool place!!! another place that\’s gonna be on my possible list to visit the next time around!
ei! AJ, if you\’re into meme, I tagged you here: http://reynaelena.com/2007/11/26/the-twelve-months/#comment-20000
Why was the shuttle driver in such a hurry to get back to Manila notwithstanding the bladder discomforts of many passengers? Unless the bus is fitted with a CR, there should be scheduled bladder stops along the way. All I can say is your driver was a “hole at the end of a forward moving ass.”
I can tour you there Reyna..and I will check the meme!!
Thanks for the sympathy Bert. Ang driver na yun ay walang Christmas gift saken!!!! 😀
6000 hectares Six Thousand!!! hectares of Philippine public land was bought by this company! This area used to be a protected area and should belong to the philipine people. Now it belongs to a few rich people, most are even non- Filipinos. How could our government let such thing happen? This makes me so angry. In the future our lands and forests will belong to foregners.
i purchased a small one bedroom unit here and to tell you the truth I am not rich. Pico de loro is so beautiful that will definitely a nice place to go on vacation. The price of the condo is comparable to the condo prices in Metro Manila.