ILOCOS NORTE 1: Pagudpud, Bangui and Burgos: Tourists' Haven of the North

A comfy hotel along Airport Road gained my trust since I’ve searched and read good reviews about its service. It housed me for three days. The service was excellent. The room was spic-and-span. The complimentary breakfast was satisfying and the pool was a cool option for night dipping.

After Vigan, I opted to laze the whole afternoon away since I do still have beaucoup time for my next two major destinations with at least three municipalities packed with each one. It was a care-free afternoon inside my room but what was pesky was my inability to get the much needed sleep after an overnight travel from Manila, nah!

The receptionist asked if I was willing to join the Pagudpud Tour for four persons and to commence as early as 7 o’clock tomorrow (October 28). I gladly acquiesced with the offer sensing that it was a good deal. I dropped the initial plan of taking a Pagudpud tricycle tour (Php 600) and a Bangui Windmill/Light house tricycle tour (Php 600) in favor of North View Hotel’s offering. An a/c van for Php 3,500 to be shared by four pax was reasonable for both tours combined. Teachers and sisters Diana and Cory from Pangasinan made up the tour group and I met up with them at Shen’s Café for our breakfast.

DRAGON FRUIT FARM

The driver-slash-tour guide took us to a Dragon Fruit farm in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte. A small shop that sells food stuff including dragon fruit ice cream maintains a small garden at the backyard. The plants look like cactus with the fruits still green and some balls are just beginning to ripen. Cory bought four violet ice cream cups at Php 20.00 each. Thanks for the refreshing delight! 

PASUQUIN SALT MAKING

We were told that salt water is boiled for 16 hours on a square tin basin using rice husks as its fuel. A hoe-like rake is used to collect the salt crystals from the steamy vessel. You can see how I tried salt gathering. 

PATAPAT VIADUCT AND TWIN FALLS

CAPE BOJEADOR/BURGOS LIGHT HOUSE

Suffice it to say, light houses are obviously elevated. This light house made of bricks is noted as the tallest in South-East Asia. Our ascent was easy but there was a multitude of tourists taking photos here and there. You will sure enjoy the sea breeze, the blue sea, the cloud and the sky. All natural. All high!

Stalls selling souvenir items are an ordinary sight. I scored fridge magnets again for the same reason. 

BANGUI WINDMILLS: First in South-East Asia

As I was seated on the front seat, I always see the attractions first. Retreating from the frequented light house, the giant propellers emerged majestically! They are no longer on post cards, travel magazines or whatever, but they are for real. It’s more "fan" in the Philippines!  :) 

At least 20 wind turbines generating about 40% of the energy supply for the Ilocanos. Not bad, it generates cheap electricity at Php 8/kwh, local jobs, Marcos wealth and excited tourists so to speak. We savored the moment from fanny to funny not to mention the sunny thing since it has always been with us for three days. 

KAPURPURAWAN ROCK FORMATION

At first, you might be deceived into thinking that the rock featured on travel magazines is the only thing to see. Nope, a whole lot more can be seen and it is amazingly delightful! The long un- cemented road is remote. Opened to public only a year ago, I was told that the concreting will take place early next year. 

“Puraw” in Ilocano means white. Kapurpurawan denotes the whiteness of the rocks along the coastline. An awe-inspiring geological site in Burgos, Ilocos Norte is a must-see place and it is equally stealing attention from all nature lovers here and elsewhere. You can feast on the beautiful shots I took myself.

BANTAY ABOT CAVE/TIMMANTANG ROCK: Lover’s Rock

From the information that I have gleaned, Bantay Abot is a female rock. Maybe because of the whole that makes it a cave and a female. The views are interesting and you can shout out loud and have it blown by the wind. The colors of the layered-rocks are photo perfect. They make a good backdrop. Not too far is Timmantang, said to be a male rock. They are inseparable. Maybe because it appears to be like a head of a male genital. I made my personal interpretation and I asked our guide if I was right. He said, “Exactly.” 

BLUE LAGOON/MAIRA-IRA BEACH

This beach has a long stretch of white sand and the blueness of the waters earned itself the name Blue Lagoon. The waves are strong and may be unsafe at times. We didn’t stay long here for it was too hot to swim or walk along the beach. The restaurants are high-end so we searched for an eatery for lunch. It was also expensive.

KABIGAN FALLS

Our guide told us that Kabigan Falls is not included in the itinerary but we insisted to take the trek by the river going to the falls. Trees and mountains, farms and few houses, the very clean river that we trek with are our companions as we endured a not so far trail walk on one Saturday afternoon in Pagudpud. Two wooden footbridges over the shallow river put us across and we finally got close to the falls. The place is a rain forest so the feeling of being there is relaxing and a fellowship with nature.

SAUD BEACH

Our final destination. The beach is reputed as the Boracay of the North. There are ordinary cottages but no restaurants by the beach. This preserves the area from many activities that may compromise the future of the still pristine Saud Beach. The quality of the sand depends on the place where you are. It changes from white to light brown, fine to coarse. Before leaving, I made sure that my water bottle was filled up with sand, not mineral water. 

It took us another two hours to reach our hotel and it was a 12-hour all-in tour of Burgos, Bangui and Pagudpud.