Pagudpud Trip

This Part of the trip is somewhat tiring because it's high noon. Along the way, we passed by coastal waters and the view was breathtaking. We were so excited at the site of Pagudpud arch. Pagudpud is the mountainous part of Ilocos Norte and the boundary to Region 2 's capital province of Cagayan Valley. If you see the map, Pagudpud is at the tip of northern Philippines. We easily found our hotel.

The room that I booked was not good. My brother told me that because of being stingy, we got what we deserved. I immediately request for a room transfer and it's good that they have available units for 4 persons.

After checked in, we explored the beach and the surrounding areas. There were lots of people at the beach. Ingrid, Carlos and Tito Father swam and played on the sand. My daughter who has a phobia of pools and beaches suddenly became so fond of swimming- which leads to her swimming lesson during the school break.

The place is modest with it's price. The beach is not long and wide but the sand is like White beach in Boracay.The price of foods are reasonable. I am so happy  that their bottle of softdink is only 15pesos. There is free wifi connection, though they don't accept credit card payment.

I hope to be back in Pagudpud for a longer time to enjoy the beach and the food.

Paoay, Laoag, Batac

On our way, we went to Batac to visit some relatives, which we have not seen for years. It was good to see them again. We also visited the wax museum of Ex-President Ferdinand Marcos where his waxed remains rest. Beside the wax museum are his ancestral house and museum which were being renovated during our visit.

After Batac, we went to Paoay to visit the UNESCO HERITAGE Church. Paoay is very laid back, but I want to live there if given the chance.

Then we went to Paoay lake and to the Malacanang of the North which is the residence of the Marcos family when they go to Ilocos during their regime.

You can see here how they lived during their times.

On our way, we passed by Northwestern University, my mothers Alma mater. I am not so impressed with Laoag, it is a typical city.

We dropped by to find an optical shop and an ATM. We visited the St Wiliams Cathedral and the sinking bell tower beside it.

From Laoag, We continue our trip to another relative for lunch. After lunch we proceed to Pagudpud.

We passed by the famous windmills of Bangui.

Those windmills are intimidating. They are big and lots of them.

What made me smile is my daughters reaction.She was awed and even played with the waves. Big waves really.

We continued our travel to the haunting but very historical Cape de Boraduer.

They say that this is the tallest light house in the country. We climbed the lighthouse but winds are so strong that we were all breathless.

Ingrid was screaming that we go down. We are the only
people and I had an eery feeling.

The climbed to the top was worth it.....

The caretaker said that the lighthouse is still being use up to these days.

Vigan Trip

Our trip to Ilocos was just a thought. I am not excited  to go because of the long distance trip.wWjdn my brother arrived from Hawaii, I happened to mention that I want to go to Vigan,Pagudpud and Laoag. He told me that he will drive! That is what I like about him. Always ready to say yes without any ifs! he told me that we will go when he arrives from the province.

I begun planning and Surfing the net for possible resort and hotels in the area. I also planned the itinerary in Vigan, Laoag and Pagudpud.

On the day of the trip. we left Bacoor Cavite by 4AM and by 630am, we are having breakfast in Palaisdaan in Tarlac. It is our second time to have breakfast in this place, the other one when we went to Baguio.

Next to Tarlac, is the province of Pangasinan. We had so much fun guessing what is the next town that we will pass by. My brother bought a map before we enter the province of La Union.

La Union is the longest province in Ilocos region. It is also the regional seat of offices for Region 1. But there was not a boring moment. The roads are well cemented, good traffic, very clean surroundings. We always say that if Jollibee is in town, it must be a progressive town.  We passes by a lot of Jollibees.We planned to drop by Poropoint in San Fernando but the place is close because of the wedding of John Estrada and Precilla Meirelles. Among the towns, San Juan is the most coastal. I hope to be there and poro point in the near future.

Everybody cheered when we saw the welcome arch of ILOCos Sur.  From thAt point we again started counting towns before Vigan. It is past noon but no one is hungry. I think because of excitement.

Like La Union, Ilocos Sur is a very progressive province. We can see corns, tobacco, garlic and onion plantations. Almost all the houses were made of concrete and are beautifully architectured. My mom told me that ILOcos region is the extension of the USA because  many ilocanos are living there.

Alas, our first stop. Vigan. The place is very quiet, very provincial but progressive. We went directly to Crisologo Vilage to check in at Cordillera Inn which is a moderately good hotel. It is an old house converted to an inn. They have maintained the Spanish and antique motiff of the hotel. It is owned by the politically prominent Crisology family, who once the governor and congressman of Ilocos Sur. After settling down, we had our lunch at the famous Cafe Leona, they are known for their bagnet and pinakbet pizza. After lunch, we rented a Calesa to tour the town. We started with the bell tower and San Agustin church. The place is not well kept though we have to give donations upon entering the place for maintenance. I was not able to reach the top of the bell tower but Carlos, Ingrid and Fr did! from there you can see the
whole area of Cordilera province. WE also visited San Agustin.I got scared because I saw a snake skin. After that we check on the Crisologo Museum which housed the artifacts of the Crisologo family. We also drop by a small pottery making area. It was so admiring to see how the magbuburnay molded a pot out of his bare hands. Our last stopped was the Baluarte of Chavit Singsong. It is a mini zoo and the entrance is free. On our way back to the hotel, our coach driver passed us by the houses of Congressman Ronald Singsong  and Elpidio Quirino.

Subic Trip

Subic is known to be the first Economic Freeport in the Philippines when the US Forces left the country in the early 90's. Today it is considered as one of the prime tourist destination. Aside from it's accessibility by all types of transportation, it is surrounded by good beaches and scenic places.

I have gone to Subic many times. My first time was when I attended an exhibit at the Subic Convention Center. I also stayed in some of the good resort and hotel in the area.

GRANDE ISLAND

Grande Island can be reached via 15 minutes company owned ferry ride from the Subic Port. The ride to the place though short gives me a feeling of peace from the hustle bustle of the city life. When we arrived at the small landing area we were welcomed by the good people of the place. We had welcome drink and welcome leis as well. We were toured around the area. There was a lagoon and man made beach ( though they have a real beach) and their newly constructed hotel building.

We have to ride an ATV because the place is so big and not compact. The reception is far from the Casitas and hotel Building and so is the restaurant.

When I saw their beach, there was a lot of wood planks scattered, I don't know If those planks are needed at the beach. It has small shoreline and I saw black like mud at at the bottom of the landing area.

I felt that the place is not child and senior citizen friendly.

CAMAYAN

I first visited Camayan when it was still being developed. Their beach was still open to everyone with a very cheap entrance fee. We have visited the Ocean Adventure which is beside
Camayan. They have a wider beach shoreline than Grande Island, picnic huts for day tour and the hotel building. They have also swimming pool. Aside from swimming, they have special arrangement with Ocean Adventure like discounts and freebies.

OCEAN ADVENTURE

Ocean adventure housed the famous dolphins and false killer whales. There is also a restaurant inside and you can't bring any food, only water. The are dolphin shows, animal shows, Oceanarium, gift shop and huts for big groups. The place is very clean, clean restrooms and restaurant.I found their restaurant a little expensive though the food is good.

ZOOBIC SAFARI

On your way to Camayan, you will passed by Zoobic safari s be sure to drop by to this big jungle where you get to experience being haunt by a Tiger. I enjoyed it but it was scary. There are small museums on animals. My daughter never forgot the moment when she got to feed the crocodiles with chicken meat. She was so happy.

Trip to Subic was never boring

Laguna Trip

The first time I visited Laguna was in San Pablo city many years ago. I really enjoyed that long trip because I was so amazed with the scenic view along the way.

After that trip, I promised that I will go back again to visit the famous area of Laguna.

We went swimming in PANSOL. Pansol is very famous with exclusive swimming pools and private house for family and group outing. We wenton night swimming passing by the newly opened SKYWAY to SUCAT. The house that we rented was two bedroom with complete amenities.

The next visit was in LAGOS DEL SOL and PAGSANJAN FALLS. Lagos del Sol is a resort in Cavinti Laguna beside LAKE CALIRAYA. The weather in Cavinti is like Tagaytay. It was so cool and windy. There were trees around and the Lake was so calm. The place is known for their watersports activities and team building facilities

From Cavinti we dropped by PAGSANJAN where the famous PAGSANJAN FALLS is located. The falls is famous of their SHOOTING THE RAPIDS where you will ride a banca and the boatman will follow the fast directions of the rapid. I never dare to try the SHOOTING of the rapids though many enjoyed it.

We also passed by the town of PAETE which is very famous of their wood carvings from house furnitures to statues of saints, JEsus and Mama Mary. Most of their wood works are export quality.

Don't ever go home without buying their locally made BUCO PIE. You can get them along the way. It was my regret that I was not able to try their HOT spring resort which you can find mostly in the ares near MT Banahaw.

Baguio Trip

Summer is not a summer without going to Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines. We passed by the ever famous Kennon Road.

Breakfast in Palaisdaan sa Tarlac
Arrive Baguio
Visit Mines View Park
Lunch in Minesview
Visit Mansion/ Wright Park
Visit Botanical Garden
Check inn hotel
Visit Session Road for Ukay Ukay
Dinner at SM Baguio

Visit Strawberry Farm in Pico in Bengeut
Visit Pink Sisters
Visit St Joseph 
Boating at 
Go Back home
Arrive Manila

We left Bacoor at around 4am. By 7am we are having breakfast at Palaisdaan in Tarlac. This is my first time to eat here and I am impressed with the place. Before, the place was featured in TV regarding their taksiapo, where you will throw plates and glasses on the wall to release your anger. Though I was not able to experience it because I am not angry during our breakfast. 

Instead of passing by the Marcos Highway, we passed by Kennon Road because I want to experience the thrill of the road. Kennon Road is narrow but very picturesque. Mountains, waterfalls, deep ravines and forest areas and of course the big LIons head We stopes to have a
picture as remembrance of the trip. We proceed to another place but I forgot the name. It was
located below the road. We have to take stairs going down. 

By lunchtime, we are entering Baguio proper. We went direct to Minesview. We had lunch and bought some pasalubongs and strawberries. We have pictures at the Mansion, Wright park and Botanical Garden. We visited St Joseph to buy Ube jam which is the best in the area. After the tour, we checked in. The hotel is not what I have expected. But it is near Brent and Pink sisters. We went to Session road for the Ukay Ukay shopping, then dinner in SM Baguio.

The next day, we went to Pico La Trinidad to buy fresh strawberries from the strawberry farm. I was so amazes of the bulk of fruits and vegetables in the area. We drop by session road to buy bags from the Ukay Ukay.

On our way home we ate lunch in Pangasinan. It was my first time to taste Goat meat. I almost throw up. We passed by Tarlac in going back to Manila.

It was the first trip out of town that my husband is not with us. I hope to go back to Baguio again with him.

Bohol Trip

On our 2nd day we had our day trip to Bohol. We were at the Supercat terminal at 6AM. The Supercat station is located at PIER 4 in Mandaue. It is 15 minutes travel from Tambuli Beach Resort. The ferry terminal was very clean and orderly. We had our breakfast before boarding. Inside the ferry was like a plane. The attendants were all hospitable and attentive to our needs. The ferry trip to Tagbilaran was approximately 1 hour.Supercat is the safest and fastest ride going to Tagbilaran.

When we arrived at the Tagbilaran Port, our rented van and driver was waiting already. Our driver's name was Jun and he was a good tourist guide and driver. I learned about him via DOT Tagbilaran.

We first visited the BLOOD COMPACT. I thought it was a big place but it was only a statue of the blood compact. Then we go to the BACLAYON CHURCH and MUSUM. After Baclayon, we went directly to LOBOC for the lunch river cruise. The ride along the way was very scenic. There are no trash that you can see along the way. When we arrived, there were lots of travelers around. There are different lunch cruises and you will just have to choose the best. We were
able to choose a small cruise for our lunch. It was such a different experience. You will see

the LOBOC RIVER CRUISE CHOIR serenading the tourist and you got a chance to interact with them.

After lunch, we went to Carmen to visit the CHOColate HILLS...the very famous one in Bohol. It was such a magnificent view! There were hundreds of the chocolate hills and we have to climb to reach the top to view all the hills. It was amazing site.

From CHOCOLATE Hills we visited the TARSIERS- cute species like the kangaroos but very tiny creatures. Due to my Childs request, we also visited the Butterfly Farm and the phython snake believe to eat a whole pig for it's lunch.

We also visited the church with a miracle well.

The tour commenced with Pasalubong shopping. We left Tagbilaran at 6PM.

Cebu Trip

I was planning for my daughters 8th birthday and we decided to have an out of town trip instead of a party. I looked for different place but my husband suggested that we go to Cebu and Bohol.

We left Manila via morning flight on PAL and we arrived by 10am in Mctan International airpot. This is my second time to visit Cebu and basically I know the ins and outs of the airport. We hired a taxi going to Tambuli Beach Rsort in Mactan. The trip to the place took us 30 minutes via cemented road and a few meters rough road. We passed by Maribago Blue Water, Cebu Beach Club and then Tambuli. Both Tambuli and Cebu Beach Clun are on the same area and same owner but they have different buildings.

Tambuli Beach is very modest resort. Their reception is a big gazebo building. It housed their al fresco coffee shop, gift shop and their offices. Our concierge help us to our room. We have 2 rooms beside each other. The rooms met my expectations of course. Our rooms are a few steps to the pool and beach. They have good swimming pool but the beach shore is vey small.There are 2 boats anchored on the shore. It is white sand but not sandy.

After few minutes settlement, we hired again a taxi going to Cebu City. From Tambuli, we passed by Mandaue bridge-which connect Mactan to Cebu City. It took us 45 minuets to reach the TAOIST TEMPLE in Beverly Hills.

picture

After Taoist we went to Magellans Cross and the STO NINO Church.

Pictures





We also visit the Provincial Capitol and the GOLDEN Magellan...it's a Magellans statue made of gold. We also drop by the PARIAN of Cebu then hopped to lunch at their SHOTOKIL ihaw ihaw area. the place is not so conducive to eat...it was hot, theres a lot of flies but in a way, we want to try their famous SHOTOKIL. After lunch we went to TABUAN Market to buy dried fish and other pasalubongs.Tabuan Market is very famous for their dried danggit and pus it and other dried fishes. We also bought the famous dried mangoes and shamrock products.

When we leave Tabuan Market, traffic around the city was building up. It as very nice that our taxi driver was very patient and kind. It took us an hour of trip going back to Mactan.

We had dinner at the al fresco restaurant of Tambuli Beach Resort and their was good specially their SHOTOKIL. WIFI is available at the reception area.



Basically Cebu is connected by the Marcelo Fernan bridge to Mactan. Beaches and the big resort hotel like Shangrila Mactan, Cebu Hilton, Plantation Bay are in Mactan area. If we only have the convinience of time, we could have visited more resorts.

TIPS IN VISITING CEBU
1. Booked the earliest flight so you have time to roam around the City.
2. If you are on a leisure trip, booked in Mactan for more options like beach, boating, island hopping, snorkeling and just pure relaxation.
3. If you are on business trip, booked in the city.
4. It Is cheaper to hire taxi from one place to another or better yet, try commuting if you are not with the kids.
5. Visit Tabuan Market for cheapest pasalubong
6. Go on Island Hopping
.

Intramuros and Rizal Park

INTRAMUROS

Many of us has been to different parts of the world but have not gone to our very own heritage site. One is the WALLED CITY OF INTRAMUROS. The 'Walled City"was built in 1571 and served as the business district during the Spanish era.You can tour the city by foot or you can hire a Calesa.

In Intramuros, you will find FORT SANTIAGO. It was the military headquarter during the Spanish, American and JApanese occupation. Inside Fort Santiago, you will find the Rizal Shrine which showcase the memorabilia of our National Hero Jose Rizal.You can also follow the printed footsteps of Rizal from his cell to his place of death, Rizal Park

Across the Fort Santiago is the Manila CAthedral or Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. I was one of the lucky who got married in this church.

Just a few steps away is the San Agustin Church, Manilas oldest church built in 1571 and was declared a UNESCO Heritage site. The church and convent is the repository of the most priceless collection of religious arts and relics.

There are also the Palacio del Gobernador which houses the COMELEC office. Casa Manila is a popular gift center. Some places inside Intramuros are favorite for wedding venues.

You can also find school and offices within the area.

You can reach Intramuros by jeepney flying the Manila City Hall. It is just a few meters aways from the jeepney stop.

RIZAL PARK OR LUNETA

Rizal park is the national park named after Jose Rizal our National Hero.I can't forget my grandmothers story about the plants in LUneta designed as a watch. And the second hand was moving!

When I had the chance to visit Luneta, I started in Taft Avenue where you can find the map of the Philippines. Then walked thru statues of carabaos, bahay kubo and the botanical garden.

Accros is the Statue of JOse Rizal where 2 guards are on standby without moving. I wonder how they do it despite of the hot sun or rain.

Next to the statue is the Quirino Garndstand which served big events and programs.

I still remember the visit of Blessed John Paul 2 during World Youth Day in 1995 where I got the chance to see him in person. It was in Quirino Granstand.

Banaue Rice Terraces

Banaue Rice Terraces is considered the Eight Wonder of the World. It is a Unesco Heritage Site which was built manually by the native Ifugaos thousand of years ago. You can reach the place via Baguio or Nueva Vizcaya.

I visited the place thru Nueva Vizcaya. It is 2 hours drive passing by scenic views and zigzag roads. The climate is cold and the air is pure. The terraces is scattered in the whole areas of Banaue. I also learned that there are 3 areas where you can view the terraces. The place is owesome...I thought how those forefathers has built such a wonder. There are sellers of different kinds of wood sculptures. If I only have space in the car, I would have bought the 3 ft anito sculpture.

I also observed that up to these days, old practices of the natives are still being implemented. I saw one woman carrying her baby on her bossom using a sling made of cloth, and carrying items on their heads. They are still chewing coconut bittle as their toothpaste which according to them made their gums stronger than our teeth. They still use old style of planting rice and have to wait for the rainy season to plant though there are now efforts from the locals to use new methods.

Everyone should visit Banaue Rice Terraces because we never knew if this place will standstill in the next generation.

Puerto Galera Mindoro

Puerto Galera was famous even before Boracay was developed. I was lucky to visit the place a few years ago together with my officemates. We rode an open ferry from Batangas Port going to White Beach port. From the port, we were able to rent a passenger jeep going to Villa Cristina in White Beach. WE have to walk thru coconut trees to reach the beach front. Our hotel is fronting the beautiful white beach.I had the chance to have my first henna tatto and my hair was braided by the katutubos. Even before spas became popular, massage on the beach has been one of the special service of the hotel owners in White beach.

There are a wide range of food selection in the area. WE just have to order a few hours before. There were friendly people around. The beach was clean and sandy. there were bancas available for cruising and fishing. The waves are not so strong that you will enjoy just playing around.


I had also the chance to visit Sabang Beach which is the busiest beach in the area. You will see more foreigners having tan and just lying on the sand.They have good night life activities and near the market. We have to ride a canoe to reach Sabang Beach.

Dakak Beach

My first trip to Mindanao was a trip in the famous Dakak Beach REsort in Dapitan Zamboanga. WE arrived in Zamboanga airport and transferred to the resort. On our way, we passed by the house of Jose Rizal our National Hero where he was exiled during the Spanish era. The house is small like bahay kubo. It was preserved though.

From Dapitan, it was a short trip to the resort. WE were greeted with the hospitable resort staff with their music and welcome drink. The rooms are casitas located uphill and downhill.They have diffrent type of casitas

Our casita (I am with 3 friends)is located uphill and facing the back with a mountain and fronting a garden below. It is a two bedroom casita made of the finest indigenious materials.

They have jacuzzi and 2 big swimming pools. They have an airconditioned and al fresco dining area. It was my first time to tried the aquatrike. WE stayed there 2 days.

It was in Dakak that I tasted the best sardines.