ILOCOS GUIDE

Php200                   Airport Terminal Fee
Php120                   Taxi
Php 35                    breakfast
Php 150                  Trike from Laoag International Airport to Balay da Blas
Php 10(2) Php20  : Trike to and from Centro
Php 145               : Dinner
Php 170               : Lunch
Php 40                 : Meds, grocery
Php 15(2) Php30 : Laoag to Sarrat v.v.
Php 10(2) Php20 : Trike
Php 69                 : Lunch
Php 34                 : Laoag to Paoay
Php 250               : Paoay Church to Malacanang of the North to Batac
Php 50                 : ER fee
Php 20                 : Batac to Laoag
Php 111               : Dinner
Php 2000             : Balay da Blas 2N accommodation
Php 10                 : Trike
Php 100               : Laoag Sand Dunes
Php 107               : Laoag to Mawini, Pagudpud
Php 100               : Kabigan Falls Tour Guide
Php 10                 : Kabigan Falls Entrance
Php 20                 : Agua Paradiso Donation
Php 20                 : Blue Lagoon Entrance
Php 140               : Lunch
Php 80                 : Pagudpud Empanada
Php 800               : Jun and Carol overnight stay
Php 1000             : Pagudpud Tour Guide
Php 207               : Dinner
Php 495               : Vigan Hotel
Php 40                 : Pagudpud to Laoag
Php 100               : Laoag to Vigan
Php 245               : Lunch at Cafe Uno
Php 10                 : Trike
Php 50                 : Snacks
Php 706               : Vigan to Manila

Grand Total          : Php7,704

Mang Arnel : 09186890723/09265880666

Calaguas 2010: Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints, Kill nothing but time

Doing the Bicol itinerary last April, I came across Calaguas, a group of island hidden in camarines Norte. Reading itineraries of some travel bloggers, I found out that going to a Calaguas trip would only cost php 2,000- php3, 000. Who am I to refuse?

So, we found ourselves Sunday night in Superlines Terminal in Cubao. We were surprised that there is already a direct bus to Paracale. Add to that, the fare was cheaper compared to Daet, which was our original route.

Stopover somewhere in Quezon.

Almost ten hours of butt numbing bus ride, we arrive at Paracale.

We had our breakfast, on which mine was a php13 lugaw with egg, bought our overnight food and water, called Mang Nelson and off we were to Calaguas. The boat was also a surprise for me. I was expecting a small boat with no cover, no seats and no life vests. And luckily, ours had a cover and Kuya Nelson provided us life vests. Except for the lack of seats, I think the boat was more than I expected. And that was a good thing.

Kuya Nelson at Paracale Port. Fish crates.

We did the island hopping today so we can get home early the next day. Maculabo island and Pinagkastilyuhan Buhangin were stunning.

First, Maculabo Island. From afar, I was certain that it was just another ordinary white beach. But getting off the boat and running through the shore, I was convinced it was not just another white beach. Let the pictures convince you too.

And now the Pinagkastilyuhang Buhangin. I thought the place will be like Manlawi Island in Caramoan. One kilometer stretch of white sand beach submerged during high tide. Pinagkastilyuhang Buhangin offered one long stretch of sand bar. The sandbar was not visible when we came and we waited for the sandbar to show up. It was incredible!

And finally, we arrived to the beach we came for. Mahabang Buhangin. Coming from Pinagkastilyuhang Buhangin, we see long stretches of white sand beaches. We couldn't just pinpoint where Mahabang Buhangin is. We thought if not for the mountains between the beaches, it will be like a one long stretch of white sand beach and that would be awesome.

We arrived at Mahabang Buhangin around ten in the morning, I think. We set camp, had lunch and were waiting for afternoon to come so we can swim without the sun. Waiting means sleeping, siesta time! I believe every one of us had their own siesta. And yet when we all woke up, it was just two in the afternoon. Indeed time is slow.

 

Accommodation : 0 Php/pax

And our top of the line restroom.

Finally, afternoon came. Donna and I decided to take a swim while the rest of the group went to the nearest barrio, which is a one kilometer walk, to buy some ice and booze. I think Mark was left to watch the camp and cook dinner. hehe.

We tried looking for some snorkeling sites around the area. Unfortunately, all we saw was sand underwater. I think we still need a boat to get to the snorkeling sites within the area. So Donna and I talked. I haven’t seen the girl for almost two years. With all the dealings she had for the past year, I understood. Girltalk for us!

  Sunset came.

And dinner. Because we were not able to purchase disposables in Paracale, the group who went to the barrio managed to cut some banana leaves as replacements. It’s boodle fight! Adobo, hotdog and tuna never tasted better.

Boodle Fight!

Finally, the booze was out. We played a little bit of good old pinoy henyo, on which the boys won with a lot of help from their lead player, Leah. (I can hear Leah bragging). After consuming three bottles of The Bar, we called it a night.

The next morning, we spent the rest of our time taking pictures and just having fun.

I woke up seeing Marela, Donna and Ryan sleeping outside.

Nagyaya pa naman ako sa kanila na wag na sa tent matulog.

No cook breakfast

Leah playing with hermit crab

Until our boat came, it was time to say goodbye.

We arrive at Daet past noon. Arriving at the Daet terminal was a surprise. It was an empty parking lot with just two buses and no people at all. We even have to tap the window at the ticketing booth a few times before someone can assist us. What were more surprising were the schedules. Bus trips were limited to six to seven trips, per day. The earliest we can get into is the six o’clock but it's an ordinary bus. Our best bet was to take the last trip, 8:45pm, which is an air-conditioned bus. We were in luck to see that there were only eleven seats left. We have no idea; trips were reserved ahead of time. As I said, we were lucky. We got the seats. Now, where to kill time? We asked around and learned that Bagasbas beach is just a few minutes from town and is known for its waves.

So, off we were to Bagasbas beach. 

We had dinner.

And the obligatory pasalubong buying.

And now, we face the ten hours butt numbing bus ride to Manila. And the weird part when we came to Manila, Cubao bus stop came first before Pasay. Before we realize we went passed the Cubao terminal, we were halfway to Ortigas and the sad part in that is that the bus could only drop us at Pasay terminal. Just great. Simply great.

I can’t imagine my work friends and my long time friends would get along. I was expecting, yes, they would get along, but it’s more that what I expected. It was a whole lot of fun! Leah can even attest to that.

Here’s to another off the course getaway adventure! Hell yeah!

Expenses

            Manila-Paracale via Superlines Cubao           : php485

            Daet- Manila                                                : php580

            Paracale-Daet (van)                                      : php50

            Entrance (Mahabang Buhangin)                    :php50

            Boat                                                           :php3000/7

            Food  and water for overnight stay                 :php150

           Total : php 1,815 (not included Bagasbas sidetrip)

           Boatman Nelson:  09095259821

ILOCOS 04: Pagudpud North Tour and Vigan

Because the other part of the tour was not finished yesterday, I have to wake up early so I can get to Vigan early. Though I had the idea of getting wasted on my birthday night, I slept early. I called it a night as early as nine in the evening.

I just took some day shots of the Saud beach before I left. And paid the gruesome Php207 dinner last night. At ang aga ni Kuya Arnel. On the dot. 7am asa resort na.

We first went to see the infamous Bangui windmills. It was surreal seeing them for the first time. It was a windless morning at the time so the windmills aren't working. Did you know that almost 80% of Ilocos electrecity are supplied by the windmills? And if you recall my previous about Agua Paradiso. The place where the river meets the sea. They also use the hydropower generated by water for electricity. Well, isn't that self sufficient? Ang galing!

 

We then head to the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation. This is particularly what I'm excited about. Ever since I saw photos of this place, I've been dying to get myself to Ilocos just to see this. And it never failed me. Even the trek to the Rock Formation was amazing. Small mangroves lines the surroundings going to the Rock Formation. And the view from the top was breathtaking. The sea was at its best also. No huge waves. The place was great. I wish I could have a 360 degrees camera so you can see for yourself how good it looks at the top.

Kuya Arnel atop the Kapurpurawan

Picturesque view atop the Rock Formation

Then we traveled for about 15-20 minutes to get to our last destination. Burgos Lighthouse or Cape Bojeador Lighthouse.

Unfortunately, the stairs leading to the main viewdeck was recently closed, ordered by the Coast guard. They said that the stairs are already weak. I settled from a lower view. Maybe next time..

 

And that concluded my Pagudpud visit. Kuya Arnel parked his trike at a roadside and we patiently waited for a bus going back either to Laoag or Vigan, whichever comes first. It was a Laoag, meaning, I have to do a cutting a trip. Fare from Pagudpud to Laoag was Php40 which took me almost 2hours. Form Laoag to Vigan was Php100 and took me almost three hours.

Bus Ride to Vigan

My butt is almost numb from the ride. And I am dead hungry. My hair, by now, has become thick as a broom. I can't even run my fingers through it. Shower. I badly needed a shower. My plan was, I would only take some photos of Crisologo St. and drop by Vigan church then head to the bus terminal. But because, I desperately wanted a shower and a nap, I took the cheapest hotel there is in Vigan nearest to Crisologo St. Thanks to the nice people at the Tourist Information. Pretty nice ladies and very well accommodating. They gave me Vigan Hotel, which would only set me to Php395 for a single bed accommodation. Great!

My dark and dusty Php495 accomodation. No single bed accomodation at the time.
I took a shower at their communal bathroom. 

After freshening up, map in hand, I walked within the area and searched for someplace to eat. It's already three in the afternoon and I haven't had lunch. I settled for Cafe Uno. Though the place looked like they serve cakes and coffee, I ordered sinigang. Haha. My food looked awkward compared to others who were consuming iced lattes and pastries.

My post birthday cake. Grandpa's chocolate cake. Php65. yum!

Cafe Uno

I killed time walking along Crisologo St. and observing tourists as well as locals. I went to Vigan Cathedral. Another Ilocano mass on my list.

Around six in the evening, I head back to the hotel, got my things and went to the terminal to finally get myself  back home.

Now that my solo tour has ended, I can't believe that it was almost too easy. No kidding. Nasa pagiisip lang natin na mahirap kasi magisa ka. Pero, all in all, though I had that Batac traffic mishap, it was overall pleasant.


My concern is, now that I learned that travelling alone is never that difficult, I might be tempted to do it more often. Tsk. Tsk.



Now, where to next?...

ILOCOS 03: Laoag Sand Dunes, Pagudpud North Tour

I woke up late on the third day, as I said on my previous post. I missed the sunrise on the dunes. Kuya Romeo, who was my trike for the day told me that before, the sand dunes were all sand and not a single plant was in sight. Ngayon na lang daw sila tinubuan ng mga halaman. And if you notice on the photos, some part of the dunes are being privatized, mainly by Fort Ilocandia. Kuya Romeo said they were being developed for resort purposes. I hope the government would do something about this. They should just keep the dunes an open space.

42586

i've always known..

that my happiness does not lie on anyone but myself.happiness is, and always, a choice. i always say that

that i'm so blessed. i have no right to complain how my job (sucks). or whatever there is to complain about.

that i am the best version of myself. whatever size, color i am now. no matter how bad my skin or thick my glasses are. i am beautiful, just the way i am. i don't need anyone telling me that.

f*ck.

i just turned 25..

ILOCOS 03: Laoag Sand Dunes, Pagudpud North Tour

I had a hard time sleeping last night. Ewan ko parang me something sa room.. kaya bukas lahat ng ilaw at magdamag nakabukas ang tv. Kaya two hours lang tulog ko.

I left Balay da Blas around six in the morning. It took me a while to find a tricycle to bring me to the sand dunes. The sun was already up by then. The agreed price was Php100.

It was quite far from Laoag. When I finally saw the dunes, Kuya Romeo (wow!) parked his trike and pointed me where to go.

Honestly, I wasn't really that impressed. Kasi siyempre when you say sand dunes, you would think it would be like desert, plantless and all. Sabi ni kuya dati wala daw mga halaman, as in buhangin lang daw.

Sa bait ni kuya idinaan niya pa ako sa Fort Ilocandia. Nakakatuwa, me beach pala pagkatapos ng dunes. at ang lawak! Nakakamangha. South China Sea na daw asa harap ko.

It was already late when I left Laoag. I was one hour behind schedule, I think. So the tour started already around nine in the morning. At heto na nga ang famous places ng Pagudpud. South part.

Kabigan Falls

Patapat Viaduct

Bantay Abot Cave

Blue Lagoon

Dos Hermanas Islands

Yan na muna. Nakakapagod mag upload. At magisip ng ikukwento. Pero ansaya. Iba talaga yung feeling..ansarap..