If there’s one place that I would always want to go back to despite the very long drive, it’s probably the Ilocos Region. As a matter of fact, driving up north and re-visiting all those exciting and breathtakingly beautiful places alone or with my “barkada” is included in my bucket list which I intend to do before I turn 30. Though the only reason why it isn’t happening yet is because of our busy schedule or because of our financial incapacity.
So a big thanks to our company annual summer outing which was held last March 30 to April 2 of this year, I was able to go back to Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur without worrying about my savings (which is why I won’t be mentioning any helpful facts about my trip like the transportations fares, entrance fees, hotel accommodations and other things since the management have already taken care of those details of our trip) Plus this time, I got to go with my colleagues, which is almost similar to going with my friends. And since this is the first time that I’m doing a travelog or travel diary, I’m not quite sure on what to say or how to begin. But let’s just start with day one…
Our journey started on the eve of April 30 as we boarded the tour bus that will take us to our destination. To my dismay, I was sleeping the whole ride to Laoag City, which is our first official stop. After taking pictures to the giant letters posted in the center of their plaza and having our breakfast inside the bus, we head off to the La Paz Sand Dunes for an early ATV rides. The sand dunes is actually one of my favorite place to go whenever I visit Ilocos Norte for it features exciting attractions. It is perfect for those who travels with their friends or family. The ATV ride can accommodate four to five people per ride. Riding the ATV makes me feel like I’m back to the desert of Dubai which in my opinion is a great deal. So as soon as all the groups are done with riding the ATV and doing sand boarding, which is the second attraction of the La Paz Sand Dunes, we headed to Marcos’ Museum. Honestly, I will never grow tired of seeing the late president Marcos. I just admire him and his legacy so much. Also, the location of the Marcos’ Museum is near to the store that sells the Ilocos Norte’s famous empanadas. So after you visit the late president and the Marcos’ memorabilia, you can also stop there for their local snack.
After that, we went to a church which I cannot remember the name since I did not bother to go down ‘cause I’m not really interested in seeing catholic churches aside from the bell tower of bantay church in Ilocos Sur. During our stay there, we received a very bad news from my uncle who was in our house that time. He told us that all of our lady house helpers snuck out during the night and left with no intention of going back. So my mom, which is also my boss, was raging mad. I mean, they could have told us earlier if they want to leave so we can look for their replacements. That’s why even when we arrived at the Malacanang of the North, we’re no longer in the mood to go out of the bus and do what tourists normally do. The only time that we left our seats was when we have to take our packed lunch in a cottage along the road with an overlooking view of the famous paoay lake. And that is the end of our first day since we had to retire early so we could settle in our lodging arrangements.
On the second day of our trip, we headed up north to visit the famous pagupud beaches to do our team building activities. It was really funs since my group won the challenges. We stayed there for the rest of the morning to enjoy the northern beaches and of course, take pictures. After that we had our lunch in a restaurant located at a different beach. When everybody is full and ready, we head straight to the famous Locos Norte’s windmills. But before we actually reach the place, we stopped at this very unusual road. It was beautiful but I just couldn’t remember the name of the place.
So after taking pictures, we bounced back to the bus to continue our drive to the Burgos Windmills. As soon as we arrive at the location of the windmills, I jumped out of the bus to be greeted with a really strong wind, that is why it was hard to take decent pictures plus I was being upset for feeling and looking haggard. Particularly because I can still smell the salt water on my skin. That is why if you’re planning to do a day tour to Pagudpud, make sure that your last stop is the beach. Because their toilets have a bit of salt water that makes your hair and skin sticky. But I made sure that I will not go home without at least one decent photo with the windmills. So after enjoying the giant windmills, we went to the Kapurpurawan rock formation which is one of the most beautiful place I’d seen during the entire trip. In order to go to the rock formations, you can either walk a few meters or ride a horse for 100 pesos. The rock formation is powdery white which makes it perfect as a background for our photos. There is actually three spots that you can go to, the first one is like a viewing deck wherein you can see from afar the white rock formation, the second one is you have to go down rocks, and lastly, the white rock formation itself.
Honestly, If there’s anything that you cannot miss when you go to Ilocos Norte, it’s the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation. So after beating the scorching heat just to take pictures, regardless whether they are decent or not, and enjoy the beauty of nature, we head back to the bus to go back to our house. And that’s the end of Day 2.
On the last day, we finally drove to Ilocos Sur leaving our beautiful house in Ilocos Norte. I was seriously regretting the fact that I did not took pictures of the house, it was a duplex but it was the best duplex that I’ve ever seen. It is in a quiet, safe and secluded location, but it is still near the city center. As far as I can remember, it’s around 12, 000 to 15, 000 per night. But seriously, it is worth every peso.
So going back to my story, after the long drive from Ilocos Norte, we finally arrived at our first destination for the day which is the Bantay Church. Even though it is a catholic church, I always make sure that I get to have my picture taken with the bantay church’s bell tower. It was a cute bell tower on the top of a hill, and you can actually go inside the tower unlike most towers we’ve seen. After that, we went to the secret garden restaurant for lunch. It is quite famous, even though their location wasn’t that good. But maybe because they really have the best food and ambiance in Ilocos Sur, that’s why every time I eat there the place is filled with families and tourists. After lunch and before going to Baluarte, we stopped by at a factory of native products of Vigan. After shopping for woven bags and blankets, we went straight to Baluarte to see the animals that were being shown there. I even bought a lion head designed backpack which costs me 1,500 pesos. When everybody is in the bus, we immediately went to the caburnayan place which means pot making place, though I wasn’t really interested in pot making so I didn’t bother to go out of the bus.
And for the last and our final destination for this trip, we went to the famous Calle Crisologo, the famous street wherein all the old houses of vigan stood. It is truly a remarkable place to see, and it is also a great place to shop at since most of the houses’ are actually souvenir shops. Though I cannot really claim that they have the best deals, but I can definitely say that you can buy your pasalubongs there as long as you have the patience to look for the shop that will suit your needs. After our dinner at Max’s, we were given enough time to roam around to buy pasalubong, take pictures or ride the kalesa that goes around the whole plaza for 100 pesos. Some of my colleagues even tried their local delicacies at a nearby eatery. And by 7 o’clock, we’re all waiting for the newest attraction of Ilocos Sur, the dancing fountain. After watching the beautiful show, we all head back to the bus to start our journey back home.
I cannot say that this is my best Ilocos trip yet, but I really had fun with my colleagues. Though if I will rate this trip from 1 to 10, and 10 is the highest. I will probably give it a 9. So I hope you guys will visit the Ilocos Region soon, because you will surely enjoy what they have in store for you.
Also, please forgive me for my crappy attempt of writing a travel diary. I’ll make a better one next time, I promise! xx