In the year 2013, as an employee struggling in the rat race,
I’ve been feeling an urgency to push through with all my plans. So, when a
3-day weekend came up, I was determined to squeeze in a trip to Ilocos, in the
towns of Vigan, Laoag and Pagudpud.
It was ideal to do a 4-day trip since Pagudpud is about 12
hours away from Manila. But I didn’t have the luxury of time or a vacation
leave, so I had to make do with a 3-day trip. So, with two of my friends, we
planned our trip to Ilocos.
We decided to start from the northernmost…. in Pagudpud,
then travel the way down to Laoag and Vigan. We wanted to take the Florida bus
to Pagudpud but when we tried calling for seat reservations, nobody was
answering the Florida telephone. So, we took the RCJ lines instead. An hour
delayed, the bus left at 9:30. The ride was long and not very comfortable for
sleeping but we arrived earlier than expected at around 8:30 in the morning.
Day 1: Pagudpud
We made arrangement for a tour by tricycle and when we got
to Pagudpud, the tricycle tour guide was waiting for us at the bus stop. The
first thing in our agenda was to find an accommodation where we can leave our
backpacks. The tricycle driver recommended that we stayed at Jun & Carol
Hotel at Saud Beach. Our only requirement was a private bathroom and
air-conditioned room.
After washing up and settling our stuff, we were prepared
tour Pagudpud. The first stop was at the Bangui Windmills. What’s so
special about these windmills? Well, they’re the only wind turbines here in the
Philippines.
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| Bangui Wind Turbines |
We visited the Kapurpurawan Rock Formations. Then, we headed to the Cape Bojeador Light House in Burgos, a cultural heritage site set on Vigia de Nagpartian Hill.
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| Burgos Lighthouse |
We bought packed lunch and took a 30-minute trek to Kabigan
falls. We had lunch at Kabigan falls. There were a lot of ants in Kabigan
falls so if I were to do it again, I’d probably have lunch before trekking. After lunch, we passed by the Timmangtang Rock and
the Patapat Viaduct, one of the projects of the Filipino dictator,
Ferdinand Marcos.
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| Patapat Viaduct |
We also visited the Bantay-abot Cave. Our tour guide-driver
explained that Bantay-abot used to be a cave but after an earthquake that
brought down most of the rocks, today, it just seems like a rock with a hole.
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| Bantay-abot Cave |
We ended our day at the Blue Lagoon. We originally
sought to enjoy the sunset at Blue Lagoon but we later learned that the sun
sets at the other side.
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| Blue Lagoon |
Day 2: Laoag
After breaking fast the next day, we hopped on a regular
(non-aircon) bus to Laoag. There are numerous buses from Pagudpud to Vigan and
most of them are regular. We arrived at Laoag in less than 2 hours. Our
tricycle tour guide, who was actually a relative of our tour guide in Pagudpud,
was waiting for us when we arrived in Laoag.
We started our sight-seeing tour at the Sinking Bell
Tower, situated at the middle of the city. Across the tower, is St.
William’s Cathedral. Then, we had lunch at Herencia Restaurant, known for
their pinakbet pizza and dinuguan pizza.
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| Sinking Bell Tower |
From the restaurant, we crossed the street to Marcos Hall
of Justice, where Marcos was tried before he became president. And in this
area, are the Ilocos Norte Capitol and the Monument to the Abolition
of the Tobacco Monopoly.
On our way to Paoay, we passed through Fort Ilocandia. The
last time I was in Ilocos was over 20 years ago. I was five and all I could
remember was the playground at Fort Ilocandia. After roaming a bit in the
resort and drinking some ice cold coca-cola to beat the heat, we headed towards
Malacanang ti Amianan, (Malacanang of the North) home of the Marcos
family.
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| View of Paoay Lake from Malacanang ti Amianan |
Then, we visited the remarkable Paoay Church, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also stopped by the Sand Dunes but it was too
hot to sand surf.
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| Paoay Church |
Then we headed towards, Batac and visited the Marcos
Presidential Center and Mausoleum. To most Filipinos, Marcos is known as the
dictator. However, in Ilocos, Marcos is well revered.
At around mid afternoon, we hopped on a bus from Batac to
Vigan. There were actually several buses to Vigan but we waited for a while for
an aircon bus to Vigan, which didn’t pass by too often. It was dark by the time we got off near
Salcedo Plaza in Vigan. It was drizzling when we arrived but I was happy it
rained because it was scorching hot the entire day.
We canvassed several hotels and inns near the popular Calle
Crisologo and we finally settled into Granpa’s Inn. The inn was interesting and had a quite some
character. After settling in, we pass by St. Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral
and we grabbed some empanadas at the Empanadaan at Salcedo Plaza. With
our empanadas in hand, we watched the dancing fountain under the rain.
After some drinks, we sauntered along the cobbled streets of
Calle Crisologo.
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| Calle Crisologo |
The next day, we took a Calesa to tour the rest of the
places in our list. We visited the Bantay Church and bell
tower. Then, we went to see
some jar-making before doing our souvenir-shopping.
 |
| Bantay Belfry |
After lunch, we took the 2:30PM ride from Vigan to Manila
via Partas. After the 10-hour ride, I slept for a bit and woke up a few hours
later to get to work--weary but happy.
Ilocos photo gallery
Ilocos photo gallery
Summary of Expenses
Item
|
Cost
|
|
Transportation
|
2,287.67
|
|
Manila to Pagudpod - RCJ Lines
|
550
|
|
Pagudpud Tricycle Tour (₱1300/3pax)
|
433.33
|
|
Pagudpud to Laoag - non-aircon bus
|
70
|
|
Laoag Tricycle Tour (₱800/3pax)
|
266.67
|
|
Batac to Vigan
|
111
|
|
Vigan to Manila - Partas
|
665
|
|
Calesa Tour (₱150/3pax)
|
50
|
|
Others (taxi, tricycle)
|
141.67
|
|
Accommodation
|
1143.33
|
|
Jun & Carol (₱1200/3pax)
|
400
|
|
Grandpa’s Inn (₱2230/3pax)
|
743.33
|
|
Food
|
710.5
|
|
Attractions
|
321.67
|
|
Gifts and Souvenirs
|
200
|
|
Others
|
36.33
|
|
Total
|
₱ 4700.5
|
|
