Tag Archives: ilocos

Adams, Ilocos Norte

This part was the best part of our trip. We’ve never had any other experience like it before. Read until the end to know why.

We didn’t really know where to go on Day 4 of our trip until the night before. If you would recall, we allotted one whole day for Bangued, Abra but finished early (after just three hours) and was able to do the Vigan trip on Day 1, too. Thus, we had an extra day in Ilocos before heading to the Cagayan Valley.

Upon googling other places of interest in Ilocos Norte, we were intrigued by this little town called Adams.

Adams, Ilocos Norte, is a one-barangay 5th class municipality. It is the sixth smallest town in the Philippines considering population, as it has only 1500 inhabitants.  According to some writers, it was named after the Biblical character Adam, as the place is reminiscent of the Garden of Eden.

Commuting to Adams is very different. There are no buses, jeeps nor tricycles going there, as the area is mountainous, and the narrow road is rough. We got there by riding separate motorcycles, and the ride from the highway to the town proper took around 45 minutes.

When we got to the town proper, we were greeted by policemen, who were very hospitable and helpful. We found out from them that the town boasts of zero crime rate. They advised our motorcycle drivers to tour us around the town and bring us to the jump-off point of the Anuplig Falls, one of Adams’ 18 waterfalls.

After visiting the Lover’s Peak, the view deck, the hanging bridge, we checked out the winery and juicer, which sells fresh export-quality Lemon-Grass, Grapefruit, and Bugnay Juices and Wine. The fruits are of course grown in the rich town.

Then, we trekked for an hour with our guide to get to the 25ft. high, roaring Anuplig Falls. The trek was quite challenging but the view all throughout was magnificent. You could see the peaceful town and hear the birds chirping, and the wind blowing. After cliff diving (which was very scary), and swimming for an hour or so, we went back to the town proper to get our things, which we deposited with the police. Then we rode our motorcycles again to get back to the highway.

The view from Adams would make one believe that indeed there is a God. What made is believe more in God was how he helped us get through weird surprises on our way back to the highway.

During the middle of the trip back to the highway, Nikko’s motorcycle had to stop, as one of the wheels was running flat. Janna, whose motorcycle went first, didn’t know about this, so when she got to the highway, without the sight of Nikko, she got scared that something might have happened to Nikko. After 30 minutes, Nikko and his driver resurfaced at the highway, narrating that they had to borrow a motorcycle from a random town native.

Also, while it was already getting dark, we waited at the shed for a van to get us to the next town to get money from the bank/ATM, as we only had a few hundreds left.  After paying our tour guides/motorcycle driver, we were left with only P80, which we thought was enough for us to get to the next town. However, we found out that we were P20 short, as the fare getting to Claveria, Cagayan Valley, was P50 from where we were. It was just great that there was a good Samaritan, named Mang Ronnie, who overheard our problem and gave us P50. Indeed, God always makes things work.

P.S. When we got to the rural bank in Claveria, the only ATM in town was offline. Without having any money left (as we gave the last P30 we had to the tricycle driver who took us from the highway to the rural bank), and without having any Plan B, we waited for about 30 minutes and prayed hard that the ATM go online. Then, our prayer got answered, and thus had money to get us dinner and to continue the second half of our road trip.

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Burgos, Bangui, and Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

November 17, 2015

On Day 3 of our 6D/7N North Luzon Backpacking Trip, we took the mini-bus from Laoag City and got off in Burgos, where we were greeted by Drex, who was referred to us by our Laoag Tour Guide James. We paid him P1300 to do the North and South Pagudpud Tours (including entrance fees).

We got to explore the upper part of Ilocos Norte, particularly the towns of Burgos, Bangui, and Pagudpud. Burgos is known for its Kapurpurawan Rock Formations and the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, while Bangui boasts of its 1.65 MW wind turbines placed along a nine-kilometer shoreline.

Meanwhile, Pagudpud is famous for the Patapat Viaduct and Kabigan Falls. Moreover, it is where the northern-most tip of the Luzon Island lies. We also got to visit the Blue Lagoon and Saud Beach, which are definitely included in the best beaches we’ve seen — with white powdery sand and sapphire blue water.

Here are some photos:

Lam-ang

Burgos

Kapurpurawan Rock Formation

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Cape Bojeador

Burgos

Bangui Windmills

Kabigan Falls

Kabigan Falls

Trek

Pagudpud

Pagudpud Arch

Patapat Viaduct

Rock

Pagudpud

Cave

Pagudpud

Saud Beach

Laoag City, Batac and Paoay

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:

Sinking Bell Tower

Laoag Cathedral

 

Malacanan of the North

Malacanan of the North

Paoay Lake

Malacanan of the North

Malacanan of the North

Paoay Lake

Malacanan North

Paoay Church

Paoay Church

Presidential Museum

 

Presidential Museum

Ilocos Museum

Laoag Sand Dunes

Laoag Sand Dunes

Laoag Sand Dunes

Laoag Sand Dunes

https://flic.kr/s/aHskpE6hqh

https://flic.kr/s/aHskpE6hqh

Vigan City

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:

Vigan

Lovebirds

Bantay Bell Tower

Bantay Bell Tower

Baluarte

Parrots

Baluarte

Baluarte

Baluarte

Baluarte

Petting the Tiger

Bonsai Garden

Pottery

Floro Crisologo Museum

Museum

Crisologo Museum

Loom Weaving

Calle Crisologo

Calle Crisologo

Calle Crisologo

Dancing Fountain

7 Wonder Cities