the Hundred Islands of Pangasinan

Ever since I was a child when I saw the Hundred Islands in a calendar, I was totally captivated. This natural wonder does invite some doubt. Are there really a hundred islands or is the name a hyperbole? The answer is yes, there are about 123 at high tide. Is the cluster of “hundred” really unique? Not really, Indonesia has a similar string of 105 islands called Pulau Seribu which in English means Thousand Islands.

Nonetheless, the the Hundred Island National Park is enchanting. Scattered over 18 square kilometers in Lingayen Gulf, they are tiny specks of coralline islands in Alaminos City of the northwest province of Pangasinan in Luzon. Three of the islands have viewing promontories and visitor facilities (Governor Island, Quezon Island, and Children's Island) but the rest can be accessed by boat.

I have never been there. I only had the pure luck to capture the Hundred Islands with my camera just one time in a plane, some 36,000 feet above land. Someday though, I really, really wish to see them for real.


an aerial over the Hundred Islands