Heading North: A Guide to Ilocos Norte's Top Spots

The Ilocos provinces are two of my favorites in the country. Both are like one-stop destinations for tourists who are hunting for historical landmarks and heritage churches, or looking for beaches with amazing sunsets, or those chasing waterfalls, and beautiful natural and man-made structures.

Ilocos is a wonderland that had consistently amazed me during my last four visits. I feel almost apologetic that I've overlooked blogging about it in the past years. Given its many notable attractions, Ilocos rightfully deserves a spot in Backpacking Pilipinas.

This post will focus on the gems of Ilocos Norte, the other half of the Ilocos provinces. I'll be sharing some of my personal favorite attractions to give you an idea of what to see and expect on your next trip to the north.

Here are the top spots you may check out while in Ilocos Norte:


Bangui Windmills - Also known as the Bangui Wind Farm, these 20 giant wind turbines that stretch along the coastal town of Bangui is worth a visit. The first in the Philippines and considered the biggest in Southeast Asia, I like how this renewable energy wind farm provides electricity to Bangui. These turbines are visible even in the coasts of Pagudpud, but nothing beats getting near them up close. 

I highly recommend going there during the sunset as the sea breeze gets colder and the windmills provide a perfect backdrop that's great for photography. 

How to get there:

Take the Laoag to Cagayan route, then ask the bus driver to drop you off at Burgos. Check the marker on the left side of the road that leading to the Bangui Bay. From there you could already see the windmills. Follow the road leading to the bay which leads straight to the windmills.

Travel time from Laoag to Bangui is approximately 1.5 hours.

Fare:
Laoag – Bangui BUS: P50.00
Tricycle within Bangui: P20.00 – P30.00

Backpacking Pilipinas 101:Travel Tips for Every Juan

We all want to travel once in a while, right? Whether we choose to scale a mountain, or go to the beach or learn history, there's always something that seduces us to traveling. For some it has become a way to escape a chaotic daily grind; some find pleasure in exploring the off-beat paths; some for the simple reason of spending some precious downtime moments with love ones; some want adventure; some wants to challenge their capacities; some want to experience the culture and bring home lessons and experiences they will live by forever. For whatever reason you have, I think our innate desire to be mobile is the root of this bug called traveling.

When I started backpacking Pilipinas in 2009, my reasons were to simply run away from the city life every once in a while. But over time, when my travels increased from rarely to  monthly, this whole backpacking trip has become more of a passion, something that I want to share to many who reads this blog.

After visiting 80 of the 81 provinces in the Philippines, I learned some practicalities that I feel worth sharing. I hope this list will help or inspire those who want to travel but haven't started yet, and those who are already on the road. :)


1. Travel within your means. You should not rely on your credit cards that promise the "travel now, pay later" mentality. It is best if you have available funds that would actually finance your trips. Relying heavily on your plastics would cause more headache long after the trip is over. Lesson: Save up!

2. Be a poorpacker. I consider myself a poor tourist not really because I'm financially depleted but because I find some work-around in my budget to accommodate my micro-vacations. I wait for budget airlines seat sales, I sleep in cheap accommodations, I do DIYs instead of hiring a tour guide, and I walk a lot. I prefer to go low on accommodation and allot most of my funds on food and tour.

3. Visit a museum. I notice that not so many people I know are fond of museums, and I think they are missing out on a wealth of information because of this. My museum visits around the country taught me a lot about our rich history, culture, and traditions that are often not seen in our textbooks or taught inside our classrooms. Some of my favorite museums are in Batanes, Zamboanga City, Dumaguete City, Marinduque, Dapitan City, Marawi City and Manila.

Mindanao Roundup (Lake Sebu, South Cotabato): T'nalak Weaving and Lang Dulay's Legacy

It was a day before her 89th birthday, but the mood in that sunlit and simple hut where we met her was far from festive. There were only faint conversations in the vernacular T'boli being translated to us by her granddaughters because she could not speak Tagalog. Sitting comfortably in that old rattan chair, she looked every inch a master. Donned in a beautiful T'boli costume, which is by the way her usual attire with or without visitors, I felt very honored to be in the presence of this amazing woman, the legendary dream weaver, Lang Dulay.

Me with Lang Dulay at her weaving school in Lake Sebu

A recipient of Gawad sa Manlilikha sa Bayan Award and declared a National Living Treasure by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 1998, Lang Dulay was recognized for her excellent craftsmanship in weaving the prized T'nalak or the traditional T'boli cloth.

Mindanao Roundup (South Cotabato): Placid and Picturesque Lake Sebu

The wisp of the cold breeze did not escape me the moment the non-airconditioned van trailed the well-paved and uphill road dotted with nipa houses, corn plantation and  forested hills. I was enjoying the green scenery outside my window, and as soon as the sight of the lake came to view, my excitement started to swell. I instantly knew we have finally reached our destination -- the dreamy town of Lake Sebu.

The verdant mountains mirrored in the calm waters of Lake Sebu

We were dropped off at the poblacion where a number of habal-habal drivers wait for passengers. In that early Friday morning of August, it seemed like Anchi and I were the only tourists amidst the busy mass of people going about with their daily grind-- children in their school uniform, brimming commuters and some busy vendors.

As we were taking the roads from the town proper to Punta Isla Lake Resort, we passed by some stands selling tilapia, a common agricultural product from the lake. There are also a number of guesthouses and resorts near the lake and most serve food, mainly fried fish.

The Kindness of Auntie Cubic

Kindness on the Road. Auntie Rose and Auntie Cubic opened their home to a solo traveler

I was already feeling sore after missing the boat going to San Jose in Dinagat Islands. At 11:30 a.m., I haven't had my breakfast yet and my body was a bit tired after a painful van ride from Butuan City to Surigao City. The scorching heat that day was taking its toll on me and I was growing impatient walking in that crowded boulevard while asking random people for the next boat going to Dinagat. I was on a solo trip, and I was feeling all the more alone at that very moment.

I got a tip that a boat is leaving at 12 noon. I rushed to the docking area, and sure enough people were crowding up to the ticket line. I saw a rainbow somewhere, such a relief to be in that boat!

Romblon, Romblon: Beaches as White as Marbles

White sand beach at Tiamban Beach Resort

I vividly recall decades ago, my sister, Cha, brought home some marble wares like dolphin, mortar and pestle and ashtray from Romblon. She had nothing much to say about her trip, but she made it quite known to us that true to what we learned from our Sibika At Kultura books in grade school, indeed, Romblon is the marble capital of the Philippines. I have imagined most of the houses there, at least, have marble fixtures in them.  Since then— brought by too much curiosity about the place—Romblon had been on my list of “Places to Visit” in Luzon.

Maybe because it holds a special spot in my consciousness that I decided to make it the last province I’d visit in Luzon for my 80before30challenge. I wanted to hang on to the excitement of seeing what’s in there. Is there more to Romblon than just its vast marble reserves? I wondered.

I'm Writing Something Tonight

I could put blame to a lot of things. The grey sky. Too much caffeine. Heavy downpour. Cold nights. Depleted savings. Tired bones. Growing back blogs.  Dusting books. Unwashed laundry. Blue August. Yeah maybe, I could put blame to a lot of things.

I'm introspective tonight so I'm letting out a very spontaneous blog quipped with my usual travel-life-is-good-oh-but-wait-haha ramblings. Pardon me, please.