January 23, 2016.
One fine Saturday, we decided to go to the Barasoain Church, without knowing that it was also the 117th anniversary of Emilio Aguinaldo’s inauguration as the President of the First Philippine Republic, which happened inside the same church.
We witnessed a wedding taking place inside the historical church, which was a staple in grade school field trips.
November 20, 2015
This was the last leg of our 6-Day North Luzon Backpacking Adventure.
From Santa Ana, we had to get to Tuguegarao City to catch a bus going to Manila. But we decided to ride one of the night-sleeper buses so we could explore more of Cagayan Valley in one day.
In the morning, we hopped on one of the UV Express vans and went to the sleepy town of Aparri, which was two hours away from Santa Ana. We just checked out the Aparri Delta, where the Cagayan River meets the sea, the Aparri Park, a church, and had Pancit Cabagan in a local panciteria.
Then we were off to Iguig, which was another two hours from Aparri, to check out the Calvary Hills, where life-size statues depicting the stations of the cross lie.
After spending less than an hour in Iguig, we then proceeded to Penablanca, to explore the Callao Caves. We chartered a tricycle (P1,000) because we were pressed for time already.
The beautiful Callao Caves had religious formations, and even had an altar inside. They hold Holy Masses there regularly.
Our Tour Guide also suggested we ride a boat along the Pinacanauan River and wait for the colony of bats that fly out of a cave every 5:30 in the afternoon. Our three-minute experience watching the bats was surreal.
When it was already dark, we headed to Tuguegarao City to get to a bus terminal. Buses were fully booked but after having another variant of Pancit Cagayan (Pancit Batil Patong) for dinner, we were able to ride a bus as chance passengers.
12 hours later we were back in Manila.
If you need a place to stay in Tuguegarao City, click on the following link for our suggestions: Hotels/Bed and Breakfast/Inns
Day 2 of our North Luzon Backpacking Trip was spent touring Laoag City, the capital of Ilocos Norte, and nearby towns, Batac and Paoay. We chartered a tricycle for P700 and it took us to the Sinking Bell Tower, Laoag Church, Malacanan of the North, Paoay Lake, Paoay Church, Marcos Mausoleum and Museum, Ilocos Museum. We even got to try riding a 4×4 and sand boarding in the Laoag Sand Dunes, for P2500 (up to 5 persons).
If you need a place to stay in Laoag, click on the following link for our suggestions: Hotels/Bed and Breakfast/Inns
Here are some photos:
Known for its cobblestone-covered streets and hispanic vibe, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, has also been declared as one of the New 7 Wonder Cities of the world.
We got to Vigan City after an hour of travel by mini-bus from Bangued, Abra, during the first day of our 6D/7N North Luzon trip.
We had only half a day to travel back in time and enjoy the World Heritage Site. After looking for a transient house, we chartered a tricycle for P500 to tour the following: Bantay Church and Bell Tower, Baluarte, Hidden Garden, Cristy’s Loom Weaving, Pottery, Crisologo Museum, Calle Crisologo, and the Town Plaza. We got to try out the city’s famous empanada and longganisa, too.
Here are some photos:
We had the chance to tour North Luzon via public transportation from November 14 to 21, 2015. Since both of us are government employees, we had work suspension from Tuesday to Friday due to the APEC summit. We also took a leave on Monday, giving us nine consecutive vacation days.
Since we are fond of doing spontaneous trips, our itinerary was planned only two days before, not really being entirely sure if it was feasible. We also didn’t book anything in advance because we’re kind of risk averse. All we knew was that we wanted to visit the Ilocos Region and the Cagayan Valley by commuting, and that we had to be back two days before the next working day.
On the day of the trip, we decided to squeeze in Bangued, Abra as part of our trip, and that it be our starting point. Abra is a landlocked province in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Its capital, Bangued, is only an hour away from Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. We chartered a tricycle for P600 to tour around Bangued for half a day. We were able to visit the Victoria Park or the peak of the Cassamata Hill, which gave us a good view of the province. The tricycle also took us to the Tayum Church, the Bangued Cathedral (St. James the Elder), the Calaba Bridge, the Don Mariano Marcos Bride, and the ancestral House of former senator Quintin Paredes.
Bangued is also known for miki, its indigenous noodles and so we tried it out at a local panciteria, which our tricycle driver/tour guide recommended. We look forward to visiting the town again during its miki festival, which is held every February.
More details about our trip in the coming days. In the meantime, please find below our itinerary for this 6D/7N Backpacking Trip:
November 14, Saturday (10:00 pm) – Departure from Cubao, Quezon City (Partas Bus)
November 15, Sunday (5:00 am) – Arrival in Bangued
November 15, Sunday (6:00 am to 9:00 am) – Bangued, Abra Tricycle Tour (Victoria Park or Cassamata Hill, Calaba Bridge, Mariano Marcos Bridge)
November 15, Sunday (10:00 am to 11:00 am) – Travel to Vigan City, Ilocos Sur by Mini-bus
November 15, Sunday (12:00 pm to 6:00 pm) – Vigan City Tricycle Tour (Saint Augustine Parish Church or the Bantay Church, Bantay Bell Tower, Baluarte, Hidden Garden, Cristy’s Loomweaving, Pottery, Calle Crisologo, Metropolitan Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle or the Cathedral of Vigan, Town Plaza)
November 16, Monday (8:00 am to 11:00 am) – Travel to Laoag, City, Ilocos Norte by Bus
November 16, Monday (12:00 pm to 6:00 pm) – Laoag City, Batac, and Paoay Tricycle Tour (Laoag Sinking Bell Tower, Malacanan of the North, Paoay Lake, Paoay Church, Marcos Museum and Mausoleum, Museo Ilocos Norte, Laoag Sand Dunes)
November 17, Tuesday (8:00 am to 10:00 am) – Travel to Burgos, Ilocos Norte
November 17, Tuesday (11:00 am to 12:00 pm) – Burgos and Bangui Tricycle Tour (Kapurpurawan Rock Formations, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, Bangui Windmills)
November 17, Tuesday (12:00 to 2:30 pm) – Trek to Kabigan Falls
November 17, Tuesday (3:00 pm to 6:00 pm) – Pagudpud Tricycle Tour (Pagudpud Arch, Timangtang Rock, Bantay Abot Cave, Dos Hermanos Islands, Blue Lagoon, Saud Beach)
November 18, Wednesday (8:30 am to 9:30 am) – Travel to Pancian, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte via tricycle
November 18, Wednesday (9:00 am to 10:30 am) – Travel to Adams, Ilocos Norte via motorcycle
November 18, Wednesday (10:30 am to 11:30 am) – Adams Motorcycle Tour (Lover’s Peak, Hanging Bridge, Viewpoint, Winery)
November 18, Wednesday (12:30 pm to 3:30 pm) – Trek to Anuplig Fallss
November 18, Wednesday (4:00 pm to 5:00 pm) – Travel to Pancian, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
November 18, Wednesday (6:00 pm to 7:00 pm) – Travel to Claveria, Cagayan
November 18, Wednesday (9:00 pm to 1:00 am) – Travel to Nangaramoan Beach, Santa Ana, Cagayan
November 19, Thursday (8:00 am to 4:00 pm) – Palaui Island Hopping (Cape Engano, Punta Verde, Punta Verde Falls, Crocodile Island, Anguib Beach)
November 19, Thursday (7:00 pm) – Reached San Vicente (642 km) marker
November 20, Friday (8:30 am to 10:00 am) – Travel to Aparri, Cagayan
November 20, Friday (10:00 am to 11:30 am) – Aparri Tricycle Tour
November 20, Friday (12:00 pm to 2:00 pm) – Travel to Iguig, Cagayan
November 20, Friday (2:00 pm to 2:30 pm) – Iguig Calvary Hills
November 20, Friday (3:00 pm to 4:00 pm) – Travel to Penablanca, Cagayan
November 20, Friday (4:00 pm to 5:00 pm) – Callao Cave
November 20, Friday (5:00 pm to 6:00 pm) – Pinacanauan River Boat Ride and Bats Watching
November 20, Friday (6:00 pm to 6:45 pm) – Travel to Tuguegarao City
November 20, Friday (9:00 pm) – Departure from Tuguegarao City (Florida Bus)
November 21, Saturday (8:00 am) – Arrival in Sampaloc, Manila
Built between 1855 to 1860, Tayabas Basilica or the Minor Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel has a 338-foot aisle, which is considered as the longest among Spanish colonial era churches in the Philippines. It was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum in 2001.
Couple Meets World 