“10 minutes! 10 Minutes Everyone!” I heard Ivan yell in the bus as we sped through the bus exit to head to our rooms at Islandia Hotel in Alaminos. They said to no longer wash up but I can’t stand the salty grime and sticky hair after swimming on ocean waters at the 100 islands. A quick shower and throwing in clothes, gears into my medium sized duffel bag and I’m on the go. I’m sure it’s more than 10 minutes but hey it’s a long road going south to Subic so I better get comfortable in the bus as much as I can.
Tag: North Luzon
Lakbay Norte: Morning at the Hundred Islands Pangasinan
It’s our 5th day on our Lakbay Norte Bus which is fast becoming our mobile home after staying inside it on the road for days. On my little corner of the bus I already know the idiosyncrasies of my reclining seat, how our bus help Kenneth know I prefer Fit & Right Pine Orange and like the spice of Labzter snack than Tempura, and how I can efficiently arrange my stuff whenever we leave and board the bus. We got a few more days to go and this time, we found ourselves in Lucap for the Hundred Islands Tour.
Lakbay Norte: Ambuclao Adventures and Impressive Pangasinan
Day 4 of Lakbay Norte finds us waking up to the cool crisp mountain air of Baguio. It’s always a pleasant experience to just breathe in the pine fresh atmosphere in this highland city. Our group stayed at the uber-comfortable chiropractic beds of Microtel. From there, we moved to Baguio Country Club for our briefing and much sought after breakfast.
Lakbay Norte: Paoay Lake, La Union Surf and Baguio Dinner
It’s time to slow down after an adrenaline filled morning with the 4X4 thrill ride and sandboarding at Paoay Sand Dunes. As we head back, we stopped by the glimmering Paoay Lake. Again it’s a place I’ve been to several times but it must be the time and the lighting because I have never seen the lake as tranquil as this.
Lakbay Norte: Paoay Sand Dunes 4X4 and Sandboarding Adventure
I try to hold on tight to the loop bars at the back of 4×4 jeep we were on but the large un-even size of the bars which are both larger than my grip were already a challenge. Besides, there was another person in front of me hugging the bar tight while screaming her head off. I let-off a scream as well as soon as I saw our way down the high ridge. Then it’s a strategic balance of rooting my legs inside the jeep to keep me from flying out as our jeep descends. The brief landing didn’t give us enough time to breath as our jeep make its way up the ridge and there are more ahead. Of the many times I’ve been to Paoay Sand Dunes in Ilocos Norte, it has never been this fun until now.
Lakbay Norte: Ilocos Norte Blue Lagoon to Paoay Sand Dunes
From our last church stop in Cagayan Valley, it was a smooth ride going along the coastline heading to Ilocos Norte. It did help that we had a police escort vehicle on our way there but even with that we were behind schedule already. There were unexpected long stops and even the pull of local food was hard to resist further delaying us. Its Filipino hospitality at its best, it’s just hard to leave.
Lakbay Norte: Cagayan Valley Church Hopping
It was still dark when we left Hotel Kimikarlai hopped in our Lakbay Norte Bus at St Peters and St Paul Cathedral grounds. We’re on our way up threading the north-west route of Luzon to Ilocos Norte. Our bus rolled on and I could hear sirens right in front of us. At first I didn’t mind hearing the repeated “weng-weng” sound but realized sooner that we have a police escort with us. Our first stop was the house of Region 2 Director of Tourism, Bless Diwa for our much needed breakfast.