Category: Cagayan

Divilacan Isabela, a Wonderful Diversion

Post author By Ferdz
Post date October 9, 2012
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At the Dicatian Mangrove Forest in Divilacan

It’s a shame it took us a delayed flight to visit this gem of a place. “Of all the places we’ve mapped in the coastal towns, Divilacan Isabela is the most beautiful and is our favourite!” said one of the NSO Mappers we met at the flight check-in counters in Maconacon. The working duo has been mapping Eastern Isabela for months already and are ready to go home. But the fickle status of our flights had other plans in mind. Our flight was cancelled and had to stay here for another day which is not unusual for this region. But wonders never cease as we met the cheerful Tourism officer of Divilacan, Natalie, who was also waiting for the flight. In no time she quickly whipped up an endorsement letter and then found ourselves riding a motorcycle to Divilacan.

Tags Divilacan, Eastern Isabela, mangroves, Town

Cagayan Philippines Rivers Travel

Maconacon Attractions and Nature Regeneration

Post author By Ferdz
Post date October 2, 2012
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Sea engulfing the shore at Dimanok Beach

“Nung dumating yung mga rescuers dito, di sila makapaniwala sa lakas ng hangin. Yng mga puno ng niyog di lang nabaluktot, naputol din sila at maraming nabunot. (When the rescuers came in, they couldn’t believe how strong the wind was. The coconut trees were not only bent, they were cut in half and many uprooted.)” Narrated our 60-year old forester guide with us, recalling the harrowing experience with the 2010 Typhoon Juan as if it happened only a few days ago in Maconacon. Almost a couple of years have passed, Maconacon is showing signs of revival despite the scars left by the typhoon. The houses and government buildings have been rebuilt and they now have electrical power (albeit only 7 hours a day). Nature however is slow to recover, the once bold wall of a mountain-face still shows significant scars and the landscape changed as we have discovered while exploring some Maconacon attractions.

Tags Beaches, Eastern Isabela, Forest, Hikes, Maconacon, Nature

Cagayan Isabela Philippines Travel

The Dumagat of Isabela, of People Living Close to Nature

Post author By Ferdz
Post date September 24, 2012
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In the age where the world is getting smaller because of technology, the sense of authenticity in travel is also slowly diminishing. Part of the attraction of Eastern Isabela is its remoteness. Cut-off by the great Sierra Madre Mountain Range to the rest of Luzon, the region is a place where cellular signal is almost non-existent, electrical power runs at most 7-hours a day or none and where indigenous people are still closely linked to nature like the Dumagat of Isabela. Here in this remote land, I somehow found a sense of authenticity meeting these indigenous people.

Tags Divilacan, Eastern Isabela, Maconacon, People, Tribes

Cagayan Isabela Philippines Travel

Maconacon Isabela, A Gateway to Coastal Isabela

Post author By Ferdz
Post date September 19, 2012
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I could see the cellular tower standing like a centrepiece of the town. Despite its signal lights on, it’s just a static display as my phone shows no signal even if I’m just a few hundred meters away. I fan myself up as I wipe-off beads of sweat trickling from my forehead caused by the mid-afternoon heat. There are no electric fans around as there are no electricity to power them yet. That is part of the story of this town Maconacon Isabela, somewhat cut-off from the rest of Luzon but roughing it out in this region does yield some memorable travel.

Tags Airports, Cagayan Valley, Eastern Isabela, Maconacon, SkyPasada, Transportation

Cagayan Cagayan Chronicles Philippines Travel Video

Claveria and Tuguegarao Side-trip Cagayan Chronicles 2011

Post author By Ferdz
Post date September 22, 2011
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Our group shot at Ubing-ubing Rock at Sentinela Beach

Let’s literally go beyond what North Luzon is mostly known for. Go past the borders of Ilocos Norte and step into the neighboring town of Claveria in Cagayan. I was awed by the raw beauty of Claveria even under gloomy skies on my first visit that I immediately planned a return trip soon after I got back to Manila. I was able to spend a few days here with my friends and found it as a destination in itself. Here you can find a dedicated video, the itinerary and travel budget chart for claveria and a side-trip to Tuguegarao.

Tags Chronicles, Claveria, Itinerary, Travel Budget, Tuguegarao

Cagayan Cagayan Philippines Travel

In Transit: Tuguegarao to Manila via GV Florida Sleeper Bus

Post author By Ferdz
Post date August 25, 2011
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When we did our Backpack Photography Banaue 101, we took the GV Florida and was surprised to find that there are actually sleeper bus here in the Philippines. I had my share of riding a sleeper bus when I was in Laos, journeying from Pakse to Vientiane and finding them here made me excited. We were joking then that we should try for the heck of it. Being in Tuguegarao, we now had a valid reason to try it out on our way home. So after a day of spelunking in Callao and Sierra Cave, we trooped back to our hotel and prepared for the ride home via GV Florida’s Sleeper Bus to Manila.

Tags Bus, Florida Bus, Transit, Transportation, Tuguegarao

Cagayan Cagayan Philippines Travel

Cagayan: Going Subterranean in the Living Sierra Cave in Penablanca

Post author By Ferdz
Post date August 22, 2011
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For the more adventurous type, Sierra Cave, which is a very short distance from Callao Cave offers a lot more excitement with numerous cave formations in its pitch-black environs. We had our lunch after the Callao Cave exploration and then set off for a short hike up from the road. The cave mouth is barred with gates but since we informed them ahead, Ted was able to secure the key. Sierra Cave is one of my favorite caves because it’s a perfect example of a living cave which is ideal for studying various rock formations. Below I’m sharing an excerpt from an article I wrote back in 2005 for a magazine. It was my first visit to the cave. Nothing much has changed since then which is a good thing.

Tags Caves, Nature, Penablanca, Tuguegarao