The 24-Hour Ilocos Norte Challenge

Ok, heres the plan. Grace and I need to be back in Manila after 24 hours for we have another trip to accomplish.

Grace and I went to Laoag on August 2009.

Here's the Itinerary:

Day 1


We left Manila 7pm and we arrived in Laoag at around 8pm (thanks to Cebu Pacific). Flight was a bit shaky. Good thing the captain was able to set our expectations that it will be like that. This is my first in Ilocos and Im so excited that time.


When we touchdown at Laoag International Airport, it seems to be a bit odd because its very dark, or maybe because Im not use it. The airport is a bit secluded from the city proper. It is almost 7km from the the edge of the city. From the airport, the first landmark that will greet you is the Tobacco Monopoly Abolishment Marker. To the right is the Sinking Bell Tower of St. William and if you head straight in that direction, you wil reach the Public Market. From the Public Market where we alighted from the fast-and-the-furious like tricycle ride from the airport is our starting point of getting our room for the night. We started looking on some rooms that costed around 700php per night but realizing that we will only stay there for a couple of hours, we decided to settle in an old four-storey lodge. Pichay's Lodge is the place to be. For just 350Php, a decent 2 bed and a shower room will be yours, less the aircon of course. Pichay's lodge is old fashioned. You will see several antique pieces from the reception area to the rooftop, and its creepy. After checking-in, Grace and I decided to stroll around the city. Our objective number 1 was accomplished, to taste the famed Empanada of Laoag. After devouring the empanada, we started looking for a bus terminal that will be our staging point to Pagudpud next morning. After enermous amounts of calories burn due to walking in around the city that night, we were able to to find one. The first trip going to Pagudpud is 6:30am. Grace and I decided to hit the sack at around 12mn.

Day 2

The alarm of my phone woke me up and its already 5:45am. I asked grace to prepare right away for we are afraid that we might miss the first trip. We made it to the terminal before the bus leave. It was a 2-hour ride along the rocky coast of Ilocos Norte. We arrived at Pagudpud 15 minutes past 8am. A pink urinal at the road side greeted me, I thought I was already in Manila. Friendly tricycle drivers offered us their daytour service around Pagudpud. There are 2 kinds of tour in Pagudpud that they offer.

We avail of the Southern Tour. This includes, the famous Saud Beach, the Windmills of Bangui, The Bangui Viewdeck, Kapurpurawan Rock formation and the famous Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, which is one of the oldest and the tallest lighthouse in the Philippines. The entire trip lasted for 4 hours. This is a total 35+ kilometer of tour via tricyle. The tour ended at around 12nn. Just in time for another 1 hour ride back to Laoag City to have lunch. After the hearty lunch in the city, we visited Museo Ilocandia. It is an old Tabacalera house (tobacco storage). We visited a couple of historical sites around the city. Its already 5pm when we headed to the airport. To early for our 8pm flight. We decided to go there ahead of our time because of the availability of the public transportation to the airport.

We arrived in NAIA 3 at around 9:15pm. After the flight, we started to unpack and loaded fresh clean clothes for tomorrow wil be a weekender with my eTelecare friends in Cagbalete Island in Quezon.


The trip was exhausting yet happy. Total expenses for the trip is 3500php for the two of us. That includes the airfare, lodging, tours and meals. Another tripid (tipid-trip) for me.

(more pictures available at my multiply site ernestoguillermo.multiply.com)

Destination Nagsasa

As an opening trip for the Travel Season 2010, Bong invited me for a trip in Nagsasa. The original plan is Anawangin Cove but due to the schedule restraints of the original pax, I agreed to join Bong's trip.



Nagsasa Cove is the more pristine sibling of the famous Anawangin Cove. It will take an hour of boat ride from the resort town of Pundaquit to reach this woderful cove. Bong never failed to bring excitement to me to the good beaches that he suggest. He always make sure that it will be more than the ordinary. He is my influence when it comes to beautiful beaches while I indulge him and a handful of his friends in the mountains.

Lots of things can be done in Nagsasa, Photography is one. Most of us here share the same passion and for anyone who is interested in Nature Photography, this is one of the best spot for you to practice.

I was amazed by the beauty of Cagbalete island when Bong lend me his snorkeling set. To see the fishes clearly on the water is exhilirating. This made me acquire my own set and another one for my girlfriend. Armed with Mares Snorkeling Set and fins, we made our way to the shallow parts of the cove to view the biodiversity down below. Nagsasa Cove has a lot to offer for snorkeling enthusiasts.

Nagsasa also offers a long white sand beach, not as white as the sands of Boracay but the mountain-swamp-pinetree-sandbar will make it one of the most promising places in Zambales.

One thing that is alarming here is the excessive number of tourists who flock in this part of Zambales. In Anawangin alone, it tripled the number of tourists compared to the days when it was still not popular, that was just 3 years ago. This is beneficial for the good people of Pundaquit for they earn a living from it. But development comes with consequences. Due to the high number of tourists coming in, we cant deny there is a very visible impact of environmental degradation.

Minimizing our impact to the Cove and to the environment will preserve this place for more years to come. We can achieve this in our very simple way. Simply by not leaving our trash there, we can save the cove. Avoid naked flame like bonfire for it releases carbon dioxide that contributes to Global Warming.

We enjoyed the trip, that's the bottom line. For those who wants to go to Nagsasa, feel free to ask me for itinerary but make sure that you will not bring any harm or heavy impact on the cove. Nature is out playground and we dont want to lose it.

Had a great start for the Travel Season, looking forward for more tri-pids.