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| the summer sun |
It’s March
and summer is already in the air. Me and my friends always have our summer out
of town get together. And this time we decided to go to Westnuk Beach Resort in
Morong Bataan. Westnuk Beach Resort owned by the National Power Commission and
is located at the west of the Nuclear Power Plant in Bataan (hence it was named
as Westnuk), inside the premises of the Napocor.
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| the road to Morong, Bataan |
The travel
to Bataan is a 2 hours ride, but if you left Manila after five in the morning,
the two hour ride can become a three to four hours. We left Manila at past six
in the morning and reached Balanga, Bataan at 9a.m. We have a quick breakfast
at the Balanga town proper and then we head back again at the terminal to ride
a bus bound to Morong. The ride going to Napocor is a one and half hour ride on
a non-air-conditioned shuttle bus. Luckily, the
driver is nice and have us seated at the passenger seat. And the passenger seat
is the nicest seat in the bus especially if you are traveler because you have
a good view of the road. The driver kind to tell us of Westnuk and warned us of
the long walk we will go through upon reaching the drop off point at Napocor.
The bus ride from Balanga to Napocor is a 1 hour and a half ride but we enjoyed the curvy
road and the scenery.
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| Mt. Samat from a distance |
Upon reaching the gates of Napocor the guards
will already check your reservation and call at the resort to confirm your
reservation. The main gate to the resort proper is a 3 kilometer walk, but the
head of the security is nice to offer us a ride. Beside from the main gate
there is another gate for checkpoint inside the Napocor vicinity. SirRaul – the
head of the security told us that it is very hard to get inside especially if
you don’t have any reservations.
Upon
reaching the resort, Sir Raul introduced us to Kuya Teng, the head caretaker of
the resort, to check our reservation. Unfortunately there was a
miscommunication with our reservation as there are no available rooms left and
the only available are the open cottages. They let us use the cottage and guarantee
us that once there are cancellations of room reservation we will be informed
immediately.
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| the relaxing view of the beach |
The cottage
was nice and inviting. Once we settled at the cottage, we immediately laid down
at the wooden flooring to rest from the long travel. There was a cool air
coming from the sea plus the good scenery, we didn’t dare complain even we did
not have a room to stay. There was even electrical outlet at the cottage that
we were able to charge our cell phones and tablet. Lucky for us, there was a cancelled reservation and we were able to obtained a room for our group.
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| another view of the beach |
There is no
cafeteria inside the resort; they only have a small store that offers bottled waters,
softdrinks, cup noodles and junk foods. Guests are advised to bring in their
own food. If you were not able to bring your food, you can ask Ate Layka, the
storekeeper, if they can buy you food at the nearby market. You will just need
to pay for the gasoline charge of Php 250-300. You might think that it is too
expensive but if you consider the distance of the resort to the town proper it
is worth it, plus the food in Bataan is also cheap. For our Dinner and Lunch it
cost us only around Php 600.
The
best thing about Westnuk is that you will come close to nature. You will hear
geckos, birds chirping, see small crabs running at the sand, and hear the
cicadas sang their song. Also the staffs at Westnuks are all hospitable and
caring for their guest. As much as possible they will attend to your needs and
will always greet you whenever they see you.
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| The cottages at Westnuk |
On
our way home, we decided to walk the 3km road from Westnuk to the main gate of
the Bataann Nuclear Power Plant. We wanted to see the Power Plant for ourselves
as this is a rare opportunity for us. We never actually entered the Power Plant
as it is prohibited; we took pictures behind the no entry sign.
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| The road to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant |
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The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
We
officially left the premises of Napocor at around 3 in the afternoon. And as we
left the place, I realized that there are still unknown and hidden places in
our country. And these places can be found on the most peculiar spot. Who would
have a thought that hidden inside the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is where the
treasure of Westnuk Beach Resort can be found.
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