We reached Laoag in the evening, that’s a couple of hours drive with a few stops coming from Adams. For dinner in Laoag, we were honored to join Mayor Farinas at the Laoag City Hall. It was my first time to enter that nice looking terracotta building which I used to admire outside. Presentation while dinner over tasty langonisa, chicken and bagnet was about the Tourism in Laoag and a short presentation from Cebu Pacific which is one of the sponsors of the Lakbay Norte 2 tour. We took an empanada each on our way to our hotel after dinner.
Category: Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte: Hiking the Adam’s Trail for Anuplig Waterfalls
Just hearing about a valley with 18 waterfalls, 10 hanging bridges, intersected by a flow of crystal clear waters from a river already gave me a sense of fascination about the place. Adams, at the northern edge of Ilocos Norte, mid forehead of Northern Luzon, is one of the destinations I was really looking forward to during the Lakbay Norte 2 tour. No somber weather could stop us from coming as we prepared ourselves for the rain by waterproofing out gears and donning raincoats. From Kapuluan Vista Resort, we took a 15minute coach ride to Panchan Junction, just past a bridge where the Bolo (Bolu) River flows and a dump truck was waiting for us to take us to Adams.
In Transit: Passing Through Claveria and an Overnight at Kapuluan Vista Pagudpud
Buguey’s seafood buffet was more than enough to fill us during the two hour journey to Claveria, the last town in Cagayan next to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. I was enjoying the view from my window despite the rain while sliding sideways from our seats as we traverse the twisting highroads to the town of Claveria. A coastal town where the river flows, numerous blue boats parked on the shore and people in their blue rain coats were tending their nets were seen. It was really interesting.
Three Days Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte Chronicles
I’ve been up north several times already but it’s not often I get to tag the family along. The Ilocos Region is probably one of the easiest place to travel by road and add to that, it has a number of sights from beautiful old churches, heritage houses, delicious food, mega structures and wonderful beaches. Even from the several times I’ve visited the place there’s always something new to try and discover. This trip was last September 14-16, 2010. It’s a bit cramped and covers the ‘usual’ sights first timers in the region and more manageable sights.
Ilocos Norte: Revisiting Cape Bojeador Lighthouse and Bangui Windmills
We only have a few hours left in the afternoon. And bringing in people along for the first time in Ilocos Norte, it’s hard not to show them the mega structures which has defined the place. Particularly, these are Cape Bojeador and the somewhat new Bangui Windmills. From Bacarra Church we drove the scenic coastal road up to Burgos for our first top, the lighthouse. It’s comforting we have a Van now, first time I went around Ilocos Norte, we did it by public transpo, meaning, from Burgos Highway, we had to make our way up there by foot.
Ilocos Norte: From Batac to Bacarra Chruch and Domeless Belfry
It’s a good thing my sister have a wealth of friends. In Canada, she also has a friend whose family hails from Laoag. She requested my sister to check out the house she has been funding to build for at least a year now and take pictures. So from Loaog, the family of my sister’s friend drove to Vigan to fetch us and also took us on a road trip to some of the popular places up Ilocos Norte.
Lakbay Norte North Luzon Tour Chronicles Summary
It was 7 days, 1798 kilometers, 9 Conventions and Visitors Bureau (CVBs), 8 provinces in 4 regions, 26 people on one bus on a trip around Northern Luzon. This is the Lakbay Norte Familiarization tour held January 24-31, 2010. I’ve always wanted to do a horseshoe loop of north Luzon and I was glad I was able to do it with the help of North Philippines Visitors Bureau. It was packed, tiring but also fun and exciting. For those who would like to try the similar route, this would be a great reference on what to expect.
