Backpacking: Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte (Part 2)

Hello again, friends! It's been a while since my last post. I didn't have any blog-worthy adventures until last weekend.

I spent more than half of my summer planning a trip to Ilocos with my relatives. Yes, you read that right - Ilocos! I fell in love with the north too much, I just had to go back. Haha!

Since I was the only one who's already been to Vigan and Laoag, I took it upon myself to do all the planning. And it was nerve-wracking, I tell you. I had to book a hotel, rent a van, reserve bus seats and budget the expenses. I used to love travelling when all I did was tag along. Haha. But the weird part was, I loved every minute of it. I even found packing the best part of the trip.

I patterned our trip after my Ilocos adventure with my friends from law school. We left Manila Friday night, arrived in Vigan early Saturday morning, spent most of Saturday going around Vigan, left for Laoag, checked in to our hotel, spent Sunday morning swimming in Pagudpud, toured the rest of Ilocos Norte Sunday afternoon, took a bus back to Manila that same night, and arrived in Manila Monday morning. Whew!

Calle Crisologo at dawn is a sight to behold.

We took the same bus, but checked into a different hotel - Mira de Polaris Hotel. For a cheap hotel, it was very nice ha. The staff was very accommodating. The rooms were clean and spotless. I also managed to rent the same van and enlist the services of the same driver - Kuya Mario! Visit Ilocos Travel if you want to rent a van or go sand boarding. The owner, Ms. Marie, is the sweetest! She gave in to my every request and even prepared our itinerary. Haha.

So, since I've been there already, I served us our pseudo-tour guide. I took them to places I've already been to, but added a few stops on the way. We visited a pottery-making establishment where they allowed us to try our hand at pottery. But we found the mold sticky so we just posed for pictures. Arte lang. Haha. We also went to a placemat-weaving place where they taught us how to "manually" weave placemats and blankets. I took videos which I've tried countless times to upload, but it refuses to work. Don't know why. Sad because I actually took the videos with the intention of posting them here for all the world to see. Oh well. I guess pictures'll have to do.

Unlike last time, I was able to go to Pagudpud. Finally! My cousins and I went swimming for two hours in the Boracay of the North. I actually forgot to apply sunblock on my shoulders so now I'm nursing a major sunburn.

Sun, sand and sea in one photo. I've never seen clearer water before.

And I finally have a decent photo of the Bangui Windmills. Haha. Last time I was there, it was already past five o'clock in the afternoon. I wasn't able to take good pictures 'cause it was already too dark.

This statue is the latest addition to the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation. It's Ang Biag ni Lam-ang. If you look it up, it's an Ilocano legend/ epic poem about an extraordinary being who battled a huge fish. But if you ask me, it looks more like a crocodile than a fish.

This last photo was taken at the top of Cape Bojeador Lighthouse. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this view. I kept wishing I could put the view in a box and bring it with me back to Manila. 

Ilocos is simply breathtaking. No words can describe how blessed the Ilocanos are to have such beautiful scenic spots. Makes you believe in God's greatness even more.

I can keep coming back to Ilocos. Never mind the seven-hour bus ride. Somebody from Ilocos adopt me, please.

Throwback: Kalesa

Backpacking: Ilocos Norte

So here's the second part of our great Ilocos adventure. I loved Ilocos Norte better than Ilocos Sur. But don't get mad, 'cause that's just my personal opinion. And I'm sure nature lovers will agree with me.

Ilocos is so beautiful it's just breathtaking. So far, the most beautiful province I've been to. Now that doesn't count much because I haven't been to that many provinces in the Philippines. Haha. What I'm saying is it's worth the nine-hour bus ride all the way from Manila.

Once you see the sights there, you'll wish you're a professional travel blogger. Or that you have all the time and money in the world to visit other places as beautiful as Ilocos. And I am not exaggerating, trust me.

Anyway, here's the story. We left Fort Ilocandia at around three o'clock in the afternoon. We were ready to leave after lunch, but we couldn't get a ride out so we had to wait for over two hours. Good thing the security guards in Fort Ilocandia were kind enough to introduce us to someone who can give us a tour of Ilocos Norte. In case you find yourself lost there, give Ilocos Travel a call. They have the warmest, kindest tour guides and drivers there.

First Stop: Cape Bojeador Lighthouse. The lighthouse wasn't really included in our itinerary. Come to think of it, we didn't really have an itinerary. Hahaha. But I've heard about Cape Bojeador from friends, and they were simply awed by it. So I suggested we make a quick stop just to see for ourselves. 

  

It's so beautiful, no? I'm actually thankful we made a visit to Cape Bojeador 'cause I got to conquer my fear of heights (again). If you've read my post on Ilocos Sur (shameless plugging. haha!), you'll know I first beat my acrophobia when we climbed the bell tower. 

Seeing how old the lighthouse is gave me goosebumps. It's a bit eerie 'cause it's really old. Some parts of the roof are already dilapidated. But they say the lighthouse still works just fine. If it weren't made of bricks, it would be long gone by now. I'm actually thankful we came by in the afternoon. Who knows what we'll see there at night. Haha.

  

  

The climb to the top was worth it. Just look at the view! We weren't allowed to reach the highest point 'cause it's off-limits to tourists.

Second Stop: Kapurpurawan Rock Formation. I wasn't really looking forward to this part of the tour. I mean, what's so great about big rocks and white sand? Boy, did I regret what my sentiments. Haha. Our visit to Kapurpurawan was actually one of our best stops. If you're one to be easily amazed, you'll agree me.

According to the tour guide assigned specifically to Kapurpurawan, the Rock Formation was supposed to compete alongside the Puerto Princessa Underground River for a slot in the list of the new wonders of the world. Sadly, we were allowed only one entry so Kapurpurawan had to give way. O diba, ang selfless lang. Haha. That just goes to show how beautiful Kapurpurawan is. Level sila ng Underground River.

Quick Trivia: Some of our local films have shot their scenes here - Si Agimat, Si Enteng Kabisote at Si Ako and my favorite, Suddenly It's Magic.

See how chalk-white the sand is? It's like Boracay sand turned into a huge boulder. Haha. We were scared to touch it for fear of ruining this God-given gift. No words can describe how pretty Kapurpurawan is, and I'm sure our photos didn't do it justice. You'll have to see it for yourself.

Third Stop: Bangui Windmills. Who goes to Ilocos and passes up the chance to drop by their famous windmills? No one. An Ilocos Norte trip is incomplete without a stop in Bangui. 

They might look like your ordinary electric fans, albeit a thousand times bigger in size, but the windmills are simply stunning. Up close, they're more than huge propellers. They 're overwhelming, your heart will skip a beat when you see them. Again, this is no exaggeration. It was just sad that we got there while the sun was already setting. If we got there five minutes later, we wouldn't have been able to take photos. 

Fourth Stop: Laoag City Sinking Bell Tower. It was already night time when we got back to the city. So we had no choice but to visit the bell tower while it was dark. Surprisingly, it was a blessing we got there precisely at that time, or we wouldn't have noticed the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the side of the tower.

Do you see the image? Amazing, right? This bell tower is the only part of the cathedral that's still standing up to this day. It's said to sink at a rate of an inch each year. It'll probably still be there on my next visit, though it wouldn't be as tall as it is now. Haha.

My relatives are planning a trip to Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte this summer. If I tag along, hopefully I'll get to visit some of the stops we missed, like the Paoay Church and the Marcos Museum. Keep you posted! 

Credits to my friend Tracy Leaño for some of the photos.

Check In: Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel

You know you've checked into a great hotel when you want to stay there more than you want to explore the world outside. Haha. 

I think it's a blessing in disguise that my friends and I failed to make a reservation at any hotel or inn before traveling to Ilocos. We spent a good two hours deciding on - more like arguing about - where to stay. Most of the inns there are fairly priced. Some are even cheap and backpacker-friendly. But, a lot of them are fully booked already. 

While searching the net for hotels in Laoag, my friends came across Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel. At first, we thought it would be absurd to check into a hotel as luxurious as that, considering that we were on a "budget vacation". We allotted less than a thousand pesos for our hotel. But after a while, we realized that it's probably okay to splurge on our accommodation since we saved a little from our discounted bus fare. Besides, touring can be really exhausting and we deserve to relax after going around two provinces in one day! So it was settled. We placed the call and made reservations at Fort Ilocandia.

Almost two hours after leaving Vigan, we found ourselves in front of the "Welcome to Laoag" arch. We rode a tricycle - yes, a tricycle! - to Fort Ilocandia. We were actually hesitant to get off right in front of the lobby! Imagine a ritzy hotel with guests alighting from tricycles. Haha. 

To be honest, there's actually one other reason why we chose to stay at Fort Ilocandia. Remember Thai actor Mario Maurer's movie Suddenly It's Magic? Well, some of the scenes there were shot in this hotel. And the die-hard fans in us wanted to see and experience where Mario had been. Pathetic, no? Haha. From then on, we started calling our tour the Suddenly It's Magic Tour or the Mario Maurer Tour.

It was a long - and I mean really long - walk from the hotel lobby to our room. Talk about a very sprawling hotel. I'd actually get lost if I try to take a walk all by myself.

The red brick facade and interiors gave the place a very homey atmosphere. It also gave the hotel a very vintage vibe.

The rooms are all neat and very cozy. They say all the rooms come with cable televisions, air-conditions, hot and cold showers, and individual balconies. The very cute balcony drove us all crazy! Haha. We were given a room with the perfect view of the pool and the rest of the grounds. Too bad we didn't have time to swim or even lounge in the pool.

The hotel also looked great at night. If you've seen the movie, you'll know this is where they shot the wedding scene. We were all shrieking with amazement at being in the same spot where Mario and Erich were. The hotel personnel were starting to give us their knowing looks. Haha. Apologies for being really big fans.

Our one-night stay at Fort Ilocandia was a once in a lifetime experience. It's actually one of the best hotels I've ever checked into. The next time I pay Laoag a visit, I'll try really hard to convince my parents to make us stay there. But next time, I'll make sure we bring our own car. Commuting from Fort Ilocandia to the city proper is next to impossible. And I don't plan on going back to this hotel by means of a tricyle again. Haha.


Visit Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel at
Barangay 37 Calayab, Laoag City,
Ilocos Norte, Philippines
www.fortilocandia.com.ph 

Dine In: The Hidden Garden

Like I said, The Hidden Garden deserves its own blog post. It's 'cause I think food is serious blog material. Haha.

The Hidden Garden is not just a restaurant. It's where tourists (and probably natives) go to dine and shop for clay pots and plants. As implied by the place's name, the Hidden Garden is hard to spot from the highway. Duh, hidden nga diba? You have to go through a maze of potted plants before you reach the main restaurant.

 

Because we were on quite a tight schedule, we didn't get to explore the restaurant as much as we wanted. We just went straight to the dining area to order lunch. All five or us were really hungry already. Plus, the Ilocos weather didn't help the situation. It was scorching hot outside!

We tried to order all the Ilocos specialties, but we only ended up with these:

Poqui-Poqui. It's a native meatless Ilocano dish. If I were to guess how it's cooked, I'd say they grilled the eggplant then sauteed it with onions, tomatoes and egg. It's not the best-looking vegetable dish in the world, but I think vegetarians will enjoy this one.

Bagnet. Ahh, the much talked about dish of the North. I was actually looking forward to tasting authentic Bagnet from Ilocos to see if it's any different from what restaurants in the Metro serve. Frankly, they don't differ much. They just have more generous servings in Vigan. And an order of Bagnet there comes with a plate filled with tomatoes and onions. You'll have to pour lots of Ilocos vinegar on this plate to enjoy your Bagnet better.

Ilocos Pinakbet. It's cute that they serve this dish in small palayoks. It's your typical pinakbet, but with more string beans mixed with small servings of Bagnet. Pair it with rice, and voila, you're good to go.

Vigan Longganisa. Aside from the Bagnet, Longganisa is also one of Vigan's specialties. Their Longganisa is different from what we have back home 'cause it's bigger and, I think, juicier. Though I believe the secret lies in the sawsawan - again, their famous Ilocos vinegar.

We also ordered one more dish which I failed to take a picture of. It's the Ilocos Dinengdeng (served in a small palayok just like the Pinakbet). The name sounds funny, right? Haha. From what I've read, it's made with boiled vegetables, seasoned with bagoong. The dish is completed by adding fried or grilled fish.

The Poqui-Poqui and Dinengdeng aside, these Ilocano dishes are not-so-new to me 'cause most of them are served in restaurants in Manila. Nonetheless, it was fun trying out their authentic dishes. I'd say Vigan is quite blessed in the culinary department. It's a must-visit for food lovers and adventurous eaters.