We had just opened the last quarter of this year and already 2018 has proven to be the year I had set foot on the most number of places than the previous years combined. The streak has kept me on my toes for months. I am now on this traveling momentum that I would rather not break because I want to run its euphoric course 'til its last grain of pixie dust. My latest stop was in the northwestern region of Luzon, Ilocos.
I and my close group of high school friends traveled to the great North of the Philippines to explore the wonders of the northern highlands. There were seven of us: me, Florence, Bryann, Jet, Aj, Jane, and Evita. There are quotation marks on the word The on the title because that's the name of our group. It was a lazy choice, obviously, as we can't figure out what we were a The of.
Just a disclaimer though, this wasn't a travel on a shoestring budget nor is this a traveling blog, so you will not be seeing any deliberate attempts at being one like silly, de trop product placements or coherent travel guides. I guess you can call this an intimate photo diary.
We actually booked our flights for this trip nine months prior. We have Florence who pulled an all-nighter to buy our insanely discounted plane tickets to thank for. This was really the impetus for our getaway which was only an unfinished blueprint up until that point. The succeeding months were a series of reservation bookings, budgeting plans, and afternoon fancies of travel maguffins. We found this travel package provider online named Biyahe ni Mayora which offered an interesting itinerary at a modest price, so we booked them ahead too.
We arrived in Manila on the 23rd of August at around 11 in the evening. We stayed the night at a transient house in Taguig called The House. Love its meta name, cheap rate, and beautiful interior. I haven't really taken some good snaps of the place, but this photo taken by the host using Bryann's phone should give you an idea of how swell our pot luck turned out to be.
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| from left to right: Jane, Florence, Jet, me, Evita, Bryann, Aj |
I did get to snap some stills the next day, 24th of August. My friends were also eager to pose for me which I highly capitalized on, of course. I love taking pictures, you see. By the way, I use a Canon 750D and a 50mm prime lens for my photos. Most of the photos here are raw and unedited, with a few exceptions.
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| The House, a transient house in Taguig |
Just right before lunch, we took off to SM North Edsa which is where our pick-up point is. We weren't to start our trip 'til 10 in the evening, so we took the time off to goof around the mall and buy some travel essentials.
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| taken from Evita's phone |
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| taken from Byrann's phone |
At around 11PM, we took off and started our 8-hour trip to Ilocos. We arrived at past 6AM the next day, August 25. Due to weather conditions we were not able to strictly adhere to our itinerary, so it sort of went haywire on the get-go. Anyway, our first stop was the iconic Quirino Bridge of Banaoang in the town of Santa, Ilocos Sur.
We stayed there for half an hour before moving on to the nearest stop which was the Bantay Watchtower.
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| my favorite snap of Evita |
Then we headed to Vigan City proper where he had our breakfast and visited the city's main attraction, Calle Crisologo. I was happy to walk this bricked road littered with buildings of uniform architectural style.
I'm never one for animal labor, so despite the great photo opportunity that these beautiful beasts gave me and understanding that this is the town's bread and butter, I wasn't exactly psyched to ride on these kalesas.
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| horse (flower) power |
Along Calle Crisologo were neighboring museums which we took the pleasure of visiting. Here are some snaps from the Syquia Mansion:
These are from the Provincial Jail of Ilocos Sur which was also the birthplace of President Elpidio Quirino:
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| shoe collection of the late president |
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The place also boasted of art collections from old paintings and artifacts to photo displays.
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| a portrait of Maria Oggay, the oldest mambabatok of the Philippines |
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| old paintings depicting the quelling of insurrections in Ilocos during the Spanish regime |
But some of them were kept in small cages which is probably why they come off bored or standoffish. We didn't even bother checking the Safari Gallery which is supposedly a trophy room filled with parts of exotic animals that the former governor himself hunted and killed. I would probably be sick to the stomach there.
Our tour package was good for two days and one night. In between our stops were long roadtrips and hearty meals. After spending most of the day at Ilocos Sur, we finally reached Ilocos Norte.
At dusk, we arrived at Brookside, a bed and breakfast accommodation in Laoag City. I completely forgot to take photos during our stay there. It was a cozy place with a lovely interior and quiet neighborhood. We wanted to make the most of our stay in the city so we went out and took a tour by foot and with the aid of the local tricycles. A couple of us bought for themselves apiece each of empanada, a popular snack in Ilocos, which costs Php40.00. It was tasty and generous with meat and egg.
We decided to spend our evening at a local cafe.
The next day, 26th of August, we went to Cape Bojeador Lighthouse first thing in the morning. It is situated at the hill of Vigia de Nagparitan and it overlooks the West Philippine Sea. It is the highest in the Philippines.
Our next stop was at Bangui Windmill. I was immediately drawn to the serenity of the place. The sound of waves crashing in on each other, the salty sea breeze, and the soft earth were just about the things we needed after three days of hectic stop-hopping.
When we were done recharging, we proceeded to the next item on the itinerary, the Patapat Viaduct.
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| Miss Patapat 2018 |
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| Miss Patapat 2018 first runner-up |
It was quite unfortunate that a tropical depression was brewing at the time of our trip, so we were not able to go to some of the places listed on the itinerary because some of the roads were closed due to serious flooding. We went to La Paz Sand Dune Adventures, but only Jane, Aj, and the two joiners in our trip braved through the rain to do the 4x4 ride. While they were screaming their heads off, we were busy snapping photos.
Before it sank in, we were down to our last stop for our Ilocos adventure, the Paoay Church.
We arrived back in Manila after another 8-hour trip at past 3AM on the 27th of August. We stayed the night again at The House whose host, Tita Sitche, was just glad to take us back in one more time. After probably 3 hours of shut-eye, we had a sumptuous breakfast served by Tita Sitch, packed all our stuff and tons of pasalubong, then set off for our last-day shenanigans.
Nah we just scoured the malls in Taguig City, hopping from SM Aura Premier to Ayala Market! Market! and to Venice Grand Canal Mall. We rendezvoused with two more of our friends, Madelle and Bea with her girlfriend Joyce. I love the pedestrian-friendly streets of BGC, in all fairness.
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| a piece from an art exhibit in SM Aura Premier |
We departed for Cebu at 11:45PM. As I was in the plane back home it dawned on me that I actually spent 5 days with these people and not once did I feel retracting myself to my mental corner like I usually do when I am with others for this long or more. These guys, who have seen the ugly and presentable sides of me since we were eleven, who have witnessed the highs and lows of my only two relationships, who I have managed to have individual disagreements with over the past years (yes I am problematic to a certain extent) but eventually patched things up with are honestly the people I consider to be among the best in my life.
Wherever I go, as long as I am with them, it will always feel like I am bringing a parcel of home with me.
Hi candiz. Hahaha so nice. :)
ReplyDeletethanks Nard!
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