En route to Vigan

Woke up early today to the smell of Vigan longganisa, a small and plump meat, similar to sausage, primarily distinct from other longganisa as being garlicky, because the region of Ilocos is rich with native garlic. It is also best with sukang iloko, a native cane vinegar that is usually spiced up with a number of small peppers, which serves as its dipping sauce.


A few of us had spent the early morning dipping and swimming at the beach and by 9:00AM, our bags were packed and we're ready to hit the road again, southbound to the direction of Manila, but we intend to pass by Vigan, Ilocos Sur and stay there for the night.


On our way, we passed by Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, a century old lighthouse built during Spanish regime, sitting on Vigia de Nagparitan Hill.


This lighthouse located at the town of Burgos, Ilocos Norte, although aged and old, still functions as a lighting guide for ships entering the Philippine archipelago.


We were glad that we were able to come up the tower and have a glimpse of the view of the surrounding area on a not-so-hot day of December. We were told by the caretaker that are days that the lighthouse is locked up, especially when he isn't around. He was already on his way out when we came and there weren't a lot of visitors but he accomodated our request of opening the door leading to the top.
 

me


Be careful though when climbing up as the stairs may be a bit rusty. Don't rush your way to the top for you may hit your head with something hard on the way.


I'm very glad that despite the age of the structure, it is still maintained by the government. This brick-walled lighthouse is definitely a must place to visit when you happen to pass by the area. There is also a small museum showing relics and history of the place.


Half an hour before lunch time, we arrived in the capital city of Laoag, Ilocos Sur and immediately proceeded to Saramsam Restaurant for a meal. The restaurant located at Rizal corner Hizon Streets in the city is arguably one of the good restaurants to experience local delicacies. Eating at the restaurant, which literally means informal and constant dining, is an experience by itself. Prominently displayed within the corners of the place are different goods, handicrafts and artworks that one can appreciate or take home (for a price).


So these are the items we have ordered and tried:

Lauya a Baka - meaty beef bones, potatoes and cabbage delicately soured with tomatoes


Dinardaraan - also called dinuguan in other regions, pork blood stew


pork stew?


Insarabasab - slices of grilled pork, mixed with salt, vinegar, onions, & calamansi


Poque-poque - grilled eggplant, tomatoes, onions, egg


It all has been a great lunch for all of us. Not only did we experience some weird sounding delicacies which turned out to be delicious viands, but it definitely had our stomach full and even if we wanted to try other things like dinardaraan pizza or saramsam pasta, we were already not able to accomodate those.

Our next stop was at the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte. It is dedicated to the past president who passed away and is also where is body, preserved by covering with wax, is on display to the public. Unfortunately taking pictures is not allowed inside.


Ferdinand E. Marcos words


Then we headed to the city of Vigan, Ilocos Sur and went straight to Baluarte, a zoo-like sanctuary open to public for free owned by Chavit Singson, the former governor of Ilocos Sur.


I was amazed by these colorful birds who appears to be very friends as I am taking pictures of them..


.. then they started kissing..


.. and later on necking! Oops enough of this already!


There were also other animals in the zoo like these:

ponies


camel


deers


eastern bearded dragon


albino burmese phyton


There was even an enclosed butterfly garden for children to appreciate!
 

One of the main attractions is a show of the siberian bengal tiger.


We got hungry later on and looked for something to munch. I happen to see a vendor selling Vigan empanada just outside baluarte. Vigan empanada is a fried local delicacy warapped in flour and filled with meat (usually Vigan longganisa), egg and some vegetables.


To make one, they mash flour into a small shape first..


.. roll it thinly then put the filling inside..


.. then fry it up! Best served again with sukang iloko! The crunchy covering and the yummy filling makes me drool even as I write this blog.


After this, we went to the hotel we will be staying for the night, checked-in and currently resting, at least until dinner time.

All Around Pagudpud

It's Christmas Day! As mentioned in my post yesterday (or actually early morning today), we are staying in Northridge Beach Resort located in Saud Beach area at the town of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. Pagudpud is located at the northernmost tip of Luzon and is most famous for its white sand beaches facing the open South China Sea.


We got two rooms - one of which is with four double beds for PHP2500 while another with three double beds for PHP1500. Our contact Tessie (+639202205089) gave us both room for only PHP3500 and we are free to use the balcony deck at the second floor as we took both rooms of the floor.


It's a beautiful day, and the sun was already up high when we woke up. We had breakfast but for some reason the view outside didn't entice us for a dip and instead we went out to explore the town.


Almost half an hour away, is Patapat Viaduct. Driving further north the Maharlika Highway, we reached the place. There's nothing special usually on an elevated highway such as this one, but the view of South China Sea and the winding road scuplted to take the shape of the surrounding mountains has been very famous for years as a quick stop for photos.


The sky was blue and clear and the sun is up - perfect background for a spectacular view such as this!


There's also a stream from the mountain flowing over to the sea and stopping over to watch and hear the gush of water is very relaxing.


The viaduct is actually a bridge of around 1.3km running along the coastal area that leads to Cagayan Valley (coming from Pagudpud). Further research reveals that this is the 4th longest bridge in the Philippines.


me


the whole family


We backtracked and headed to Blue Lagoon. On the way, we saw a sea arch from afar, stopped the car, and took a photo of it.


a closer look and at an angle of the sea arch


Living true to its name, the waters at this white sand beach of Blue Lagoon is indeed bluish. Previously tourists know only of Saud Beach in Pagudpud but recently this area of Maira-Ira Beach (fondly known as Blue Lagoon) is becoming a hot spot for locals and tourist alike. It is a U-shape stretch of pristine white sand beach and I hope it doesn't get too commercialized soon and that they maintain its serenity.


me


We decided to have lunch at Hannah's Resort then got back to the resort where we are staying for rest, passing by a local market to buy something to cook for dinner that night.


Later that afternoon we decided to hit off the beach just as the sun is going down so it's not so hot. It's nice to see the beach is not too crowded since it's off-peak season compared to hot summer season when one could expect the place to be crowdy.


For dinner tonight, we roasted off charcoal grill some pork and fresh fish we bought from the market, which we shared among ourselves. The fish tastes sweeter and yummier as it was fresh (barely breathing) when we bought it off the market.


The rest of the day is uneventful as we plan to head to bed early for we will be waking up for some swimming tomorrow before we check-out and continue our journey on this roadtrip.

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