Vigan, Batac, Laoag, Pagudpud: Discovering Ilocos
Just this March 7-10, 2012, me and my two friends went on an adventure in Ilocos. We went all the way from North to South, and discovered the beauty of Ilocos Region.
March 7, 2012 - Our flight was originally scheduled at 4:30PM and from there it will take an hour and 20 mins to travel all the way to Laoag International Airport. This flight was re-scheduled however, and was moved at a later time to 5:00PM. Me and my friends met up at the Genesis Terminal in Taft. This is near the Mc Donalds just below the MRT Taft station. A shuttle van leaves every 10mins to go all the way to Terminal 3 which will only cost you 20php to get to the airport instead of taking a cab that'll cost you 150-200php. We decided to take the plane instead of the bus because the fare is almost the same. It will get you to laoag in an hour compared to the bus that'll get you there in 8-10 hours. That is a lot of saved time.
We got to the airport around 4PM, an hour before our flight. We went to the Airphil counter to check in only to find out that the flight re-scheduled to leave 6PM. This was really unacceptable considering no one informed us about it. Our boarding time was at 5:30PM and come that time we were still waiting at the departure area. 6PM has arrived and still no plane. They said it is still in Boracay. I figured they added a lot of flights to Boracay and had to compromise with another flight. Again unacceptable. Our plane left Manila at around 7pm, so inconvenient. These airphil crew doesn't know how to advise people. Their customer service really suck. Anyway we arrived in Laoag Airport past 8pm. It's cool that they have these shuttle buses that takes you all the way downtown or to your hotel for free.
March 7, 2012 - Our flight was originally scheduled at 4:30PM and from there it will take an hour and 20 mins to travel all the way to Laoag International Airport. This flight was re-scheduled however, and was moved at a later time to 5:00PM. Me and my friends met up at the Genesis Terminal in Taft. This is near the Mc Donalds just below the MRT Taft station. A shuttle van leaves every 10mins to go all the way to Terminal 3 which will only cost you 20php to get to the airport instead of taking a cab that'll cost you 150-200php. We decided to take the plane instead of the bus because the fare is almost the same. It will get you to laoag in an hour compared to the bus that'll get you there in 8-10 hours. That is a lot of saved time.
We got to the airport around 4PM, an hour before our flight. We went to the Airphil counter to check in only to find out that the flight re-scheduled to leave 6PM. This was really unacceptable considering no one informed us about it. Our boarding time was at 5:30PM and come that time we were still waiting at the departure area. 6PM has arrived and still no plane. They said it is still in Boracay. I figured they added a lot of flights to Boracay and had to compromise with another flight. Again unacceptable. Our plane left Manila at around 7pm, so inconvenient. These airphil crew doesn't know how to advise people. Their customer service really suck. Anyway we arrived in Laoag Airport past 8pm. It's cool that they have these shuttle buses that takes you all the way downtown or to your hotel for free.
We arrived at the PARTAS bus station. We got a ticket going to Vigan for Php150 each person. This was their air-conditioned de-luxe bus I guess. The bus only have 3 seats per row. There's two in the right and 1 at the left side when facing front side of the bus. Their seats have recliners! The seats are very roomy and you can even recline your feet. The bus is bound for PASAY.
After an hour and a half we got to the PARTAS bus station in Vigan. This was our stop at around 11PM. We got a tricycle to take us to our accommodation at Grandpa's Inn after paying the driver 60 bucks.
This inn is very nice. It has that nice touch of taking you back in time. Mostly antique stuff inside, a great experience for a place like Vigan. We got a fan cooled room for Php 1,300 and that's already good for 3 person. Practical price for an overnight stay with free breakfast. Since we arrived late night we had to stop for some dinner around the corner of the Vigan Plaza.
The famous Bagnet
Ensalada
The following day we started our Vigan tour. The hotel personnel hailed us a "Kalesa" to do the tour around Vigan. The rate is Php 150 an hour and we paid 500 bucks for a 3 hour tour. Yes you can tour this place in 3 hours. The horse's name is Jeff that took us to our destination. Here are the places the we visited.
(Calesa)
*Padre Burgos Birthplace*
This is where Panday was shot according to this guide in the picture. This was also the bell that Fernando Poe Jr. donated.
*Hidden Garden*
*Calle Crisologo*
*Crisologo Museum*
I really don't have any idea who Crisologo is, but going through his museum makes me learn a lot about him. These memorabilia are so nice to see specially they are from the old times.
*Pagburnayan*
(Pottery Making)
This is the pugon. This is where they cook the pots.
*Abel Weaving*
That ends our Vigan tour. Next stop is Laoag which is just one and a half to 2 hours from Vigan. We waited for another PARTAS bus. We paid around 125 bucks. This is a regular bus.
We arrived in Laoag at around 4PM. This time we stayed at Balay da Blas Pensione House. We got this Junior Suite room for only 1,900php that is very spacious. It has a kitchen and a living area aside from the bedroom very affordable. Breakfast is also included in the rate we paid.
Early morning it was time for our Laoag, Batac and Pagudpud Tour. We left at 6am and rented a van. This cost us around 3.5k-4k which is not bad considering we were able to go to a lot of places. Our tour guide Kuya Lee is very knowledgeable about these places. You may contact him through the links below.
-Laoag-
*Sinking Bell Tower*
*St. Williams Church*
Capitol
*Paoay Sand Dunes*
*Paoay Church*
-Batac-
*Marcos Musem & Mausoleum*
Our Next stop is Pagudpud and the scenic sites before Pagudpud.
*Cape Bojeador Lighthouse*
This is one of the shot locations of the teleserye "Walang Hanggan"
*Kapurpurawan*
(White Rock Formation) Kapurpurawan means White
*Bangui Windmills*
This is another shot location of the teleserye "Walang Hanggan". This is such a beautiful site.
*Agua Grande River Park*
*Patapat Viaduct*
This is a long stretch, and Pagudpud is the last Brgy of Ilocos Norte, next to it is already Cagayan.
*Timmangtang Rock*
*Bantay Abot Cave*
Finally after all those places to see, we will be staying at Hannah's Beach Resort. It's a little expensive, but it's all worth it. We got a room for 3,500php for an overnight stay. No breakfast. The place is super nice! They have this nice infinity pool with great view of the beach. Looks like paradise even if I haven't seen Paradise. :) I will definitely go back in this resort.
Banga Pool
They have a bar near the pool area which is just beside our room. The view of the beach at night is fantastic. We were lucky the place is not yet crowded. There's just 7 guest when I asked the crew. We have the infinity pool all to ourselves including the banga pool.
That ends our wonderful Ilocos trip. The following day we had to go back to Laoag for our flight back to Manila. We had to stop for some pasalubong at the market for some bagnet, chichacorn. We wanted to buy the bibingka from Vigan, unfortunately it is only available in Vigan. Too bad that bibingka is so yummy. Guess what we are flying airphil again, and for the second time around our flight was delayed. That's it for airphil. I am no longer flying with them next time or avoid it as much as I can.
Kuya Lee's Tour
0929.813.8352
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