The Malabrigo Lighthouse (Faro de Punta de Malabrigo)

From the Andrea Beach Resort, we took a 15-minute drive to get to the southernmost tip of Lobo to take a glimpse of the Malabrigo Point Lighthouse.

The drive was mostly on narrow winding roads along the coast of Lobo. The view of the deep blue sea was simply breathtaking.

As with most lighthouses, the Malabrigo Lighthouse sits on top of a hill. This particular parola (the Filipino word for lighthouse) is situated on top of a cliff overlooking the Verde Island Passage in between Batangas and the island of Mindoro.

A short climb on a steep winding unpaved road leads to a glorious sight. True to the words of Rosanna Harper Alonso, editor of Faro de Malabrigo: Story of a Philippine Lighthouse,

"... the lighthouse looked like a grand lady dressed in her white finery. Under a blue and cloudless sky, she was a striking structure surrounded by an ocean aura of romance."

Built in 1896 during the Spanish colonial period, the lighthouse has been declared as a national historical landmark. It is one of the only 24 remaining lighthouses which date back to the Spanish era.

Below the cliff, the sight of clear blue water was awesome.

Sea below the cliff of Malabrigo Point in Lobo, Batangas

Of course we didn't leave without getting our souvenir shot.

Mi tres ninas en Faro de Punta de Malabrigo

Sunset at Lobo, Batangas

One highlight of our Lobo trip was when we sat down on the shore to capture the sunset. A couple of my friends had their DSLRs to take that perfect sunset shot.

photo courtesy of DH

I, on the other hand, had my reliable and ultra-handy point-and shoot Canon Ixus 100 IS. I tinkered with the settings and came up with these shots. (I swear, no enhancements were made. Photos were just framed and watermarked using Photoscape.)

These first two pictures were taken on auto mode.

The Canon Ixus 100 IS comes with preset modes of shooting situations. I just clicked on the sunset mode and proceeded to shoot.

This is my personal favorite.

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Andrea Beach Resort in Lobo, Batangas
The Malabrigo Lighthouse

Andrea Beach Resort in Lobo, Batangas

Lobo, Batangas is a not so popular beach destination but that's where our barkada ended up last Thursday. Getting to Lobo was an adventure in itself. Google provided very little and vague information about Lobo. The website of Andrea Beach Resort (where we stayed) said that the resort is 45 minutes away from Batangas City. In reality, it was about an an hour and a half drive of mostly winding (read: zigzag) and unpaved (read: rough) road traversing Mount Liguayen.

The resort had very basic amenities. But the best thing was that the rates were very reasonable. They had air-conditioned rooms ranging from Php 1,500 to 3,500. Best of all, they allow guests to bring in and cook their own food for a minimal corkage fee. The resort owner's daughter who manages the resort and the local staff were all very pleasant.

The resort also offers dive packages. Boat rides to dive and snorkeling sites could easily be arranged with the local boatmen.

The beach was rocky but the water was crystal clear. Aqua shoes are a must. We laughed our heads off as we recounted that while we arranged for the reservations, we were told over the phone that the sand was neither white nor black. Indeed, there was very little sand!

But the sun and sea were picturesque.

That, coupled with good company make for a nice getaway.

this photo is courtesy of DH