A Sound and Secured Zamboanga Trip

Lessons on the Road | Zamboanga - Basilan - Tawi-Tawi
Dont Tell my Mother I Spent a Summer Day in Basilan
Tawi-Tawi | A Trip to the Philippine’s Southernmost Province

After the heart-pounding trips to Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, it's finally time for a relaxed travel. The final leg of this Southern Eskapo is a visit to Asia's Latin City - Zamboanga. Among the 3 provinces we visited, this one brought us less worries. ^_^

Nothing is more remarkable to me but their dialect. Though it really is difficult for me to understand, Chavacano really sounds good. You have no idea how much I pity myself all throughout this trip. Haha Im a pure breed Manila girl and can only speak Tagalog. Oh well, I can communicate in English fluently so I may be able to visit English speaking countries with ease. I might check out Air Canada and catch a flight to the 2nd largest country in the world.

Pink Beach in Sta.Cruz Island
Anyway, Dom and I wasted no time and walked towards Paseo Del Mar. The place will be the jump off point to the famous Pink Beach in Sta.Cruz Island. (thanks to Marx for the booking assistance!) Boat rental is P1,000 - which is a bit steep for the two of us. Thankfully, ate Gigi and her kids joined us.

approaching Sta.Cruz Island

I told you, this Zamboanga leg didn't bring any worries at all. The place was surrounded by military soldiers. The place feels so secured.

Pink Beach in Sta.Cruz

pink sand because of these crushed red corals

The sand is fine and the water is clear. This beach is really a perfect place to take a dip - Im just not sure why most of the locals still haven't visited this place.

security issues? military men are on stand by.

While some are still have security issues, this family don't look bothered at all. I bet no grandmother would ever bring her grandchildren in a place where she thinks would not be safe for the kids.

family time in the beach!

Ate Gigi told us there's a nearby Muslim cemetery in the area so we checked that out.

pictorial in the Pink Beach with Van and her lovely sarong
photo credit: Dong Ho

We reached a strange place (at least for me). The tombs are not the ones I used to see in Manila. This Muslim cemetery looks more interesting. We asked some Muslims and found out that you could identify whether the tomb belongs to a Yakan, a Tausug, a Badjao, and other groups.

some prefer to have their tombs with textile

Usually, a person who's about to die will make specific request for his tomb. Upon his death, the relative will of course comply to his final requests.


The dead bodies are usually wrapped with clothes then placed sidewards. Interesting, bakit nakatagilid?

a tomb which belongs to a Badjao

The cemetery felt so peaceful. I think everyone would want to be buried near the sea as well.

a cemetery which is a step away from the peaceful beach

Moving on, we dropped by the mini-souvenir stores. It's ironic that they sell shirts, shells, corals, but not a food or water. Nakaka-dehydrate. This is where I tasted softdrinks again. Masarap pala ang Coke!

everything is for sale

including this black coral

Around Pueblo by Day and Night
After a quick rest (palit lang ng damit ang pahinga), we strolled around town. Like any other town, the streets get crowded on weekends. Families and friends get together to attend Mass, some spend the night to relax and unwind while having a beer. Pretty much a normal scene.

at Fort Pilar

bird's home at Fort Pilar

There's an ongoing mass in Fort Pilar. It's nice to see that this mass is well attended by the locals.
A very short walk brought us to the Museum. It's like a small Intramuros in some way.

bagets1: may janitor fish. ang laki!
bagets2: kinakain yan sa Maynila
me (biglang umepal sa usapan): hindi ah!

..and where is that janitor fish? na-curious ako.

30 mins before 6pm, we took a tricycle to Canelar Barter. The place is full of goods from Malaysia and Indonesia - the neighboring countries which are only hours away from Zamboanga.

cheap pashmina, sarong, and a lot more

and imported chocolates

The prices are affordable, you just need to name your bid. I bought Cadbury Drinks for P220, Apollo Wafers for P70, and a magnet for P20 only. I should've bought some pashmina too, kaso di na kasya sa bag ko. ^_^

Dom and I agreed to have our dinner at Alavar Restaurant. This place is famous for their Curacha dish.

Alavar Restaurant

Curacha is a deep sea crab, and because of scarcity Curachas are a bit expensive compared to regular crabs. We just didn't expect that a piece of large Curacha Dish would cost us P650! Ang mahal!

Curacha in Alavar sauce for P650!

Actually it tasted like a regular crab. I dont regret ordering this anyway. Famous dishes in a place are always a must try.

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a week after this trip, the ultimate Nomadic Pinoy invited us (with the big time bloggers Nina and Ferdz) for a buffet dinner at Marriot Hotel.

surprisingly, the expensive Curachas are being served! well of course, Dominic and I grabbed our chance to eat as much Curachas as we wanted. ^_^

thank you Dennis, it's a great pleasure to meet you. im a fan!

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Okay, going back. Like other locals, we headed to Paseo del Mar to spend the night. Faith, Zyrene, Tanggera.com and her friend joined us.

dancing fountain at Plaza Pershing

Among the many memorable things in Zamboanga, this one really amazed me big time. These Badjao kids showcased their deep sea diving skills and superior night vision! They could even dive without goggles for a precious coin! Ha-meey-zing!

badjao kids and their great night vision + deep sea diving skills

I have no coins left in my pocket (and Dom only gave me a coin to throw tapos ayaw na nya kong bigyan ulit) so my amusement with these kids ended immediately. Haha Siguro nga ako lang talaga nag-eenjoy sa talent nila. ^_^

Another must try in Zamboanga is the Knicker Bucker. It's just basically a fruit salad, with watermelon, buco, and ice cream.

a knicker bucker for P60 (sponsored by Faith)

It was the night to chill and relax, and so we did.


Taluksangay Mosque
The next morning, we headed our way to the oldest mosque in Western Mindanao - the Taluksangay Mosque. Muslim religious missionaries from Arabia, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Borneo have been visiting this village to see it.

The inhabitants of this area are all Muslims so we took extra precautions. It's important to ask permission first before you do anything inside this village.

i really salute these Muslim kids for wearing this outfit.
the sun is unforgiving yet their bodies were all covered.

Someone approached us and asked our purpose. We told the care taker of the mosque that we're tourist and we just wanted to see the place. He gladly opened the gate and let us in.

Taluksangay Mosque
being repainted at the moment

all mosques all over the world are built facing the direction of Mecca

polished and well maintained

I believe this is the first time I entered a mosque. Most of the time I would just be contented to take a photo from the outside. For me, a house of prayer is sacred - so it is a disrespect to walk around the area or/and disturb the worshipers.



Islam means to submit freely to The Commandments and Will of The One and Only God (Allah). This submission should come from within, from sound belief in and conviction to Allah, with no doubt. It should also come from love, trust, and affection.

This religion is interesting as well. I would love to learn more of it in the future.
As a bonus, we had the chance to hitchhiked and talked with a Hajji on our way back to the city.


Metropolitan Cathedral
There are still lots of tourist spots to see in Zamboanga City but I choose to visit the Metropolitan Cathedral.

The cross in Metropolitan Cathedral is exaggeratedly built to be huge to emphasize that Zamboanga is a Christian dominated city. 60% of the population here are Christians.

The military men are just around the church entrance for security purposes. I told you, this Zamboanga trip is so sound and secured.

not only that i found this place safe, my heart and soul felt peace to be in the House of our Lord

This well-attended Catholic Mass was indeed a great sight. It's nice to know there are lots of Christians in this part of Mindanao. Throughout our Southern Eskapo, this is the only time I felt inner peace. Finally, Im in a familiar place.

the beautiful altar

Secured, not exactly safe.
Again, bad things can happen anywhere at anytime. Zamboanga City really aims to protect and secure the people from any attacks that might happen. Military men can be found everywhere!

Malaya ang matapang.
What can I say but I really admire those people who are willing to take risks. Their adventures are limitless, and their lives are well-spent.

To be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is even greater.

again, thank you Dom for the company. enjoy ang trip na to! saan tayo next? =)