NORTE

Good and lasting memories are the times when our parents took time out to take us for a family vacation to the different parts of the country. 

We would travel either by car, train or ship and stay in hotels, enjoying the local attractions, scenery, crafts, food, and entertainment. This practice especially rubbed off on my sister Maria Paz, also known as Bobbie. She spent most of her career years working for a foreign embassy, airlines and finally with the United Nations in New York where she had opportunities to join missions in troubled but picturesque nations. Not surprising, she decided to celebrate her 65^th birthday with a long drive to Ilocos.

Originally, she also invited her close friends, my sisters and my nephew. However they all declined due to the length of the tour, leaving the two of us to make the journey.

We originally intended to drive up to Ilocos, spend the first night in Vigan before heading up to Pagudpud and spending two nights there before returning to Manila.  

We departed from Quezon City around 5:30 AM and headed north via NLEX and STEX, encountering our first traffic at the Amucao, Tarlac exit. We stopped by Jollibee in Moncada for a hearty breakfast.

Upon reaching Binalonan in Pangasinan we decided to make a detour to Manaoag and pay a visit to the Our Lady of the Rosary at Manaoag Shrine. It felt like we had visited it for the very first time despite the fact that we stopped there often in the past. The majestically-garbed image of Our Lady of the Rosary seems to emanate a mystical radiance to both her devotees and skeptics. 

After paying our respects and candle offerings we continued on with our journey, exiting through Pozorrubio back to the main highway.  

The La Union roadway from Rosario to Bauang was a pleasant drive, passing through quaint winding roads flanked by wooded hillsides as well as the occasional stalls selling dried squid and other salted fish. 

Immediately past La Union, is Tagudin, the 1^st town of Ilocos Sur. By accident we saw a small road sign saying “Light House”.  We abruptly slowed down, made a U-turn and followed a narrow road towards the beach. At the end was a 40-50 ft beacon tower (not a regular light house) adjacent to an historical landmark that indicated that Sister Marie Louise De Meester, of a congregation that would later become the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (ICM, after the Latin Immaculati Cordis Mariae) set foot on the site. Sister Louise also initiated the foundation of the ICM Congregation in the country.

After a few photos, we ate our packed lunch along the beachhead enjoying the fresh sea breeze and tranquil beauty of Tagudin’s shoreline.

Continuing on, we stopped by the Sta. Lucia and its namesake church in Ilocos Sur. Supposedly built in the late 1500s, the church was rebuilt in the early 1800s. It is distinguished by its cruciform (Latin cross) floor plan, beautifully painted dome and simple interior. Once considered the tallest church in Ilocos, St. Lucy is adorned with Romanesque and Gothic embellishments. Its façade is completed by a belfry topped with a cupola similar to the church’s dome.

Along the road through Santiago and Narvacan, roadside stalls selling sumptuous lechons (roast pig) and sukang Iloco (Ilocos vinegar) paraded one after another, making us forget that we just had lunch.

Driving on, we stopped by the Nuestra Senora de la Asunción Church in the town of Sta. Maria.  Declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the brick walled church was built by the Augustinian friars in the late  1700s and rebuilt in the early 1800s. The stairway is 83 steps high from the street to the church entrance and is similarly styled to those found in some of Rome’s own cathedrals. Rising dominantly beside the church is an octagonal belfry whose original bells still hang on the tower. Both structures evoke baroque lines leading to its simple interior décor and retablo. 

With the sun nearly setting, we pushed forward towards Vigan City. Bobbie made arrangements with a family friend, Miyen Versoza for us to stay in their ancestral home – the Villa Angela Heritage House. Owned now by the children of the late engineer Candelario Versoza, this 142 year old dwelling retained most of its original structure and is richly decorated with the family’s heirloom furniture and memorabilia, making the tour more nostalgic.

It brought a smile to my face to see how many bahay na batos the community has preserved. Walking through the Calle Mena Crisologo and the adjacent streets evokes the 1600s. But the shops have extended their stalls onto the sidewalks, and there are far too much calesas plying the street at one time, drowning out the nostalgia in the vibe of a generic tiangge.

 

Part of our tour was to taste Ilocos’ famous bagnet, pinakbet, and Empanada. Restaurants and stalls that encircle the north end of Calle Crisologo offer these delicacies among others in their menu. The monument to Leona Florentino, mother of Philippine Literature, sits at the end of this road. Adjacent to this monument are the Plaza Burgos (Fr. Jose P. Burgos), the calesa terminal, the 370-year-old Saint Paul’s Cathedral and Plaza Salcedo. The latter was named after Capt. Juan de Salcedo, the conquistador that established Vigan as the province’s capital. 

At around 10 the following morning, we continued on to Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte.  Finding the beautiful churches of Ilocos irresistible, we visited the St. William the Hermit Church at Magsingal, Ilocos Sur which was built in the mid 1600’s.

Entrance to this church as well as others we visited after scheduled mass hours is through the office door.  According to the office clerk, this deters thieves from stealing the church’s relics. We entered the main church at the backside of the altar. Seeing the roughly cut logs and wooden braces hanging against the altar wall, I wondered what it was like in front. Looking further was an amazingly preserved and beautifully hand carved baroque retablo (board behind the altar), and one of the best I’d seen so far. Even the pulpit exhibited the same quality craftsmanship as the retablo.

Another stop was at the Santo Cristo Milagroso at Sinait, Ilocos Sur, famous for its life-size crucifix standing at the center of the church retablo. Through a church-side passageway, worshippers can walk in front of the glass encased dark brown wooden crucifix. A small hole in the glass allows visitors to touch the nail that bound Jesus’ feet.

 

With high noon nearing its peak, we proceeded to Laoag City for lunch opting to have a change in flavor. We chose good old Max’s restaurant and savored their fried chicken.  Noticeably, they added a few Ilocano favorites in their menu not available in their Manila branches.

Our next destination was Bacarra’s namesake church Ilocos Norte. Built in the 1500s by the Agustinians, the church was destroyed in the 1983 earthquake but was reconstructed only a year later, save for the rubble on top of the belfry serving as a reminder of this calamity.

 

Pressing on northward, we passed through Pasuquin whose roadway had stalls piled with sacks of iodized salt. Farmers gather salt from the salt beds and heat them overnight in a large vat with added iodine, giving it its white, sandy texture. 

Not too far away, a Spanish colonial light house stands on top of Vigia de Nagpartian hill in Bojeador.  Built with locally made bricks during the late 1800s, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse (also known as Burgos Lighthouse) continues to serve seafaring vessels passing through the northwestern-most point of Luzon.  Originally utilizing a pressurized kerosene lamp type lighting system, it now uses an electric lamp powered by solar panels.

The panoramic view of the Western Philippine Sea from the lighthouse, made us more eager to reach Pagudpud’s beach.

 

Along the way was a hillside viewing deck where we stopped to see the highly publicized Bangui Windmill Farm. The first of its kind in the Philippines and a project of former governor Bongbong Marcos, a set of 20 wind turbines stand 230-feet-tall each along a nine-kilometer stretch of Bangui shoreline, facing the monsoon winds of the Western Philippine Sea.  The project claims to supply 70% of Ilocos Norte’s power needs.

After covering 630km of roads we finally reached Pagupud at around 4PM. We stayed at the Arinaya Beach Resort, along Saud Beach, north-west of Bangui Bay’s shoreline. There were only a handful of resorts in this area, but dozens of accredited home stays are available at the rear side of the resorts.  Arinaya’s facility was decent and comfortable.  Food was home cooking, but the best served fusion cuisine was in Terra Rika Resort and Bergblick, a German restaurant 5 minutes drive near the main highway. 

Both the sand and water of Saud Beach were surprisingly clean compared to the litter-cluttered beaches of Batangas, Cavite, Bataan and Zambales.

 

The next day, we rented a bangka and went snorkeling along Saud’s northern point. Although the water visibility was quite clear, saw a small school of juvenile surgeons and barracudas there was an absence of large fishes while small reef dwellers were scarce and spooked. The minute coral outcrops and damaged corals were evidence of illegal fishing operations.  Though we were disappointed, our boat operator was satisfied to have caught several palm sized fishes with his hand-line.

The following morning we went to the St. Jude of Thaddeus Church at the Poblacion (town) to hear the 8:00 mass. It was said in English while the 7:00 mass was in native Ilocano.

We went back to the resort to gather our snorkeling gear and took the easy 20 minute drive along a winding mountain road to the Blue Lagoon at Maira-iya Point. Maira-iya is at the east side of Pagupud facing Paseleng Bay, where the Dos Hermanos islands may be found. There were few if any visible road signs along this route, but we caught this one signage saying Blue Lagoon. 

The landscape hereon was reminiscent of Hawaii or some small island in the Pacific, though we could also see the first signs of commercialization along the Blue Lagoon’s shoreline.  This reminded me of Puerto Galera’s Sabang and White Beaches, where a barrier of shops, food stalls, bars and restaurants blocked the view from the resorts to the beach.  We hoped that the local government could work out a solution with business owners to prevent this from occurring in the Blue Lagoon as well.

We drove all the way to the point where the Dos Hermanos islands connected to the shore. We chose to stay at the Casa Consuelo for the day. A simple family-run home stay with only tropical designed facilities with four rooms, dining area, common toilet, a vast grassy lawn for pitching tents.  The food and service was good.   The location was perfect since the Dos Hermanos was just in front without any stalls blocking the beach and the cabanas.  A large signage indicated that the area is a declared marine sanctuary.  

We rented a Beach Hut where we placed our snorkeling gear and clothes. Since it was low tide and the islands were so inviting, we decided to walk to the nearest island. Along the way there were several locals gathering small snails and sea weed in the tidal pool. We walked around the 1^st Island and saw the cave on its north-west side. Hundreds of fast flying swifts nestle inside this cave leaving a heavy stench from their droppings. 

We went snorkeling on the reef fronting Casa Consuelo hoping to reach the 1^st Island.  Although there was surf rolling along the tidal reef, we managed to exit safely. The deeper reef was much in a better state than in Saud. Reef fishes were more abundant, the visibility was great and there were no plastics and other similar pollutants floating or stuck on the reef.

Considering the skill level of my sister, I decided not to head to the island since there was a mild current flowing against us. Instead we just swam along the shore line. We made our way back to shore after an hour feeling pleased, a bit chilly and starving. For lunch, we tried the Casa’s Ilocano-style Chicken Afritada, Adobo, freshly harvested seaweed-and-eggplant salad washed down with fresh buko juice.

Feeling full and sleepy, we took a short nap in the kubo hut.  Rested, we packed our things and headed back to Arinaya. Again, we couldn’t but stop along the way to check out the Bantay Abot Cave, a huge seaside protruding rock with a walk-through gaping hole in its center. 

When we reached Arinaya, the resort was very quiet and almost empty compared to the previous days where guests constantly made merriment until a noise curfew came into effect at 10 pm.

We ate a light dinner at Evangeline’s Resort and turned in early for the travel back to Manila.

At 5:00 AM the next morning we loaded our things and started our return trip. Upon reaching Laoag City we took some photos of the ‘Sinking Belfry’ and visited the Church of Laoag. This Renaissance-inspired church endured several catastrophes before finally becoming a place of worship again in the 1900s. We had breakfast at the nearby McDo, savoring the American-style pancake breakfast without garlic, bagoong isda (fermented fish sauce) or pork fat.

Our final church visit was at the Church of Paoay. Built in the early 1700s, the church was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Baroque in style, its enormous side buttresses were designed to withstand the earthquakes that decimated other churches in the country during that era. 

The morning sun was pleasantly warm, with clear skies all through out our drive down towards La Union.  Bobbie slept most of the way, probably dreaming that she was still at Pagupud’s sandy beach and Mayra-iya’s crytal clear waters, or marveling Ilocos’ treasured churches and ancestral houses, or just eating empanada at Plaza Burgos. 

We reached Bauang, La Union in the afternoon. Bobbie woke up and we decided to veer left to Baguio City via Naguilain Road to have our late lunch there.  Fog blanketed the zigzagging road up the mountain, and cleared upon reaching the city’s boundary. We drove through Session Road to have a glimpse of the city’s old business district, where several buildings had been given a retro-style facelift.

We ate at the Forest House located at Loakan Road, just past the South Drive and Military Cut-off road junction. The place was heavily decorated for the season greeting guests with a warm and cozy atmosphere. We ate at their open terrace which had a beautiful view of Baguio’s pine-covered mountain sides and Mt. Santo Tomas. Bobbie ordered the Forest House’s Chicken Salad and I chose their Linguine with Mushroom and Shrimps.  Both were served deliciously on a large platter.

After the scrumptious meal, we toured their new accommodations and facilities. They were just as warm and homey as their bistro. 

 

We proceeded on with our journey down Kennon Road, enjoying the mountain vistas along the way.  With a late and heavy lunch, we traveled non-stop finally reaching Quezon City before 9PM.

On the way home I came to the realization that the majority of the churches we visited had their facades plastered over with brightly-colored paint, concealing their historical design. Perhaps this was a reaction to the more modern and uniform color schemes displayed on the churches of the Latter-Day Saints or Iglesia ni Cristo denominations, as new churchgoers would feel unwelcome by a cold stone exterior.

But this apparent marketing effort seems to have been done without regards to preservation, whereas older churches in other countries continue to attract pilgrims from all over the world thanks to preservation efforts from well-funded sponsors.

Segments of the MacArthur highway were under construction from Tarlac to Ilocos, supposedly being upgraded by either reblocking, new bridge ways, or widened to accommodate new lanes on each side of the road. Noticeably, construction seems arbitrary and still crudely done with minimum mechanical support extending their construction time past their target dates.  It was frustrating to notice that the local communities seem to have missed the point of widening the road, as much of the new space was converted to parking areas, crop-drying areas, sidewalks, and another place to erect road hazards in general. The slow tricycles plying along the highway seem either unaware or uninterested in using this new lane and continue on to invite “caravans” in their wake.

The places of interest signage along our route were either sparse or poorly positioned. We often had to ask a tricycle driver or pedestrian exactly how to get to these sites. Existing signs are either obstructed with foliage or commercial ads. Directional signs leading to the site are either misleading or non-existent. Some are hand painted or have confusing sponsor logos.

Our country is surely endowed with rich and interesting places to see.  The Filipino family and the youth in general  have grown to enjoy their country more than ever before exploring distant provinces offering something special leaving lasting memories. It is also the Filipinos’ responsibility to ensure these memories are not simply built over for immediate profit but are instead preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Traveling by car was definitely a treat since we were able to choose when and where to go along our planned route while still making room for the occasional side route. Notwithstanding the long driving hours, this trip was indeed was quite pleasantly memorable and will always be remembered as a special adventure with my loving sister.