When we Rocked ILOCOS!

My fondness to travel, adventure and photography (to some extent) inspired me to come up with this idea of creating my own blog. Although it took me so long before I decided to pursue it :-). 

My first out of town trip with my friend's company happened way back in June 2008 in Ilocos Sur/Norte. And yes, it took more than 3 years before I was able to publish my own blog entry for this very memorable trip. Here are some of the places we visited during our 3 days trip.


Note: I lost the raw copies of all the photos I have for this trip so i just grabbed it from my account on various social networking sites. So please bear with me if you find the images blurred. 

Day 1 

The rest house where we stayed during our Vigan tour. This is where we headed immediately after very long hours of travel from Manila to take our shower and prepare for our whole day Vigan experience. Thanks to our former colleague, Angela for allowing us to stay here.

Early morning in Vigan. These preserved old Spanish-inspired houses were converted into souvenir shops.

Calle Criisologo - name of the street comprising the whole stretch of the heritage village of Vigan.

Rainy night in Vigan plus a perfect lighting brings colors that blended with the rich antiquity of the place. For me this shots gives a very romantic atmosphere :-)

Spending time on a place like this with your friend's company is indeed a very memorable experience. I really missed this! This picture makes me a little bit sad.

Another place that we visited on our Vigan trip is Baluarte. This place is actually owned by Chavit Singson, a well-known politician and the current Governor of Ilocos Sur. The Baluarte is approximately 20 hectares with a mini zoo, shooting range, and a chapel, among others. Access to the mini zoo, where Chavit’s numerous pets can be found is free for everyone. We didn't spend too much time here due to heavy rains that day.

Day 2

On the second day, we dropped by first to Pagburnayan (also in Vigan) before we start our tour to Ilocos Norte. This is one of Vigan's must see attraction. This is where traditional burnay jars of varied shapes, designs and sizes are made. It was also here that we got a chance to meet and talk to Vigan's pride, Philippine's National Folk Artist, Mr. Fidel Antiporda Go.  He's the one who demonstrated the traditional way of making this jar.

Huge Burnay (unglazed earthen jars) - used for fermenting Basi (local wine) or storage of rice, vinegar, water etc.

We started our tour at Ilocos Norte by visiting the famous old church of Paoay. This church is considered as one of UNESCO's World Heritage site.

Another place that we included in our itinerary is the Malacañang of the North or Malacanang ti Amianan in Ilocano also in Paoay. This is one of former president Marcos' rest house in Ilocos Norte. Overlooking from the balcony on the second floor of this mansion is the Paoay Lake.

Our next destination is the Marcos Museum. The Marcos museum that housed all the memories of his reign is the president's former house in Batac, Ilocos Norte. It has been renovated and still preserves its Spanish look. The house contains the huge memorabilia and collections of the late president. Also found here is the mausoleum of the former president. All visitors are not allowed to take a picture inside the mausoleum.

We also dropped by at Fort Ilocandia Hotel and Resort to have our lunch. It is one of the famous place in Laoag City and the only 5 star hotel in Northern Philippines.

Another must see destination in Ilocos is the Bangui Windmills. This is actually one of my favorite destination in Ilocos Norte during our trip. Looking at these windmills at far really amazed me. They are huge, powerful, and modern-looking. These 15 wind turbines (on the time we went there) installed along the shore of Bangui Bay are considered to be the biggest in Southeast Asia.

My humble attempt to capture the beauty of this giant structure - very up close and personal. :-)

And for our  final stop, the very beautiful and famous beach of Pagudpud. We stayed at Polaris Resort. This is actually one of the cheapest in the area.. If you're travelling in Pagudpud with a tight budget, we certainly recommend this resort. It has the same shoreline as the famous Saud Beach.

Day 3

On our last day, we spent our time enjoying the beach. This photo never fails me to laugh. My friend Trish edited this photo just to include Domz (the one in the center) in his infamous cheerleader's jump. He really jumped very high! Isn't it amazing? hahahaha!

Morning at Pagudpud - This uncommercialized place looks so clean and serene. It's very relaxing!

Second to the last pit stop of our Ilocos trip is the winding Patapat Viaduct. This is a snake looking elevated highway located along the tortuous roads of Ilocos Norte leading to the province of Cagayan. The view of the South China Sea from the Patapat viaduct is really breathtaking.

Another cool jump shot with my friends.

Last on our list before we head to the airport for our flight back to Manila is a quick stop at Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. It is set majestically on a hill called Vigia de Nagparitan overlooking the West Philippine Sea. This is my first time to see a lighthouse! And the view from the top is really awesome! It is definitely one of the most iconic views in Ilocos Norte that everyone should visit while you're in the province.

Looking up, you could see the tower as if it was moving and falling down on you. But in reality, it's the clouds in the background that were moving and gave us that illusion.

The whole trip brought so much fun and excitement to me and to my friends. Though it's a little bit tiring and uncomfortable due to hot weather but with all these refreshing sceneries, everything is worth it!

I can say we really rocked Ilocos and we want to come back!