You cannot really see the magic of a place unless you wake up early for its sunrise, or stay out late for its sunset. It is in these fleeting moments that a place will reveal its true self.

At first I thought that Silanguin is going to be just "another cove" in Zambales: a stretch of white/gray volcanic sand beach and pine trees, just like the other two more popular coves (Anawangin and Nagsasa). But Silanguin proved me wrong; she did have those ... and more.

I let my first sunrise on the cove pass without shooting. I was dead tired from the midnight bus ride and the early morning boat trip. But by mid afternoon, I was ready to explore. We trekked to the southern end of the cove, a good 45 minutes away from our camp site, in search for a good place to shoot the sunset.


The beach there was rocky and we came upon this silent crystal pool beside a small hill. From the distance I could see more rocks, huge ones, and a karst-like rock formation that tapered sharply at its top end. It is in places like these that you can hear nature speak, and it's saying: "you ain't seen nothin' yet".


Everything turned golden an hour or so before the sunset. The fast moving clouds made the lighting even more dynamic, changing by the second. One of the photos I took suited a black and white processing. Devoid of colors, it can show more effectively how dynamic the tones (light and dark) were that afternoon.


The location we selected had an unobstructed view of the sunset. There also was a good variety of rocks to use as foreground. I fancied one that looked like blocks of chocolate, and another one that has a peculiar "sea monster" shape. I did my best to make efficient use of the few minutes of amazing light and capture a fraction of Silanguin's moods and colors.


We were blessed with a gorgeous the sunset that afternoon. We were able to see the cove, or more precisely a part of it, in a beautiful light. I know we were just starting to scratch the surface as I viewed what my companions were able to capture that afternoon. Each of the photos was totally unique, even when the spots we had selected were just several meters away from each other.


Dawn the next morning was an epitome of serenity. Nothing stirred; everything took its time before coming to life.


I walked by the beach north of our campsite as the first rays of the day hit a distant hill. The sight was nothing short of grand. Even when the mountains on the east blocked the sunrise, the cove had a way of showing great light.

See my other photos of Silanguin here. The cove definitely has more to offer, and I hope be back there soon.