ilocos 2013 - day 1

     As I begin to write this blog, my wife (Jane) and I are here at the pre-departure area of the Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte, awaiting the (delayed) arrival of our Cebu Pacific airplane, a turboprop ATR-72-500, which will take us back to Manila.  The time is 9:07pm.

     It was a gruelling 2-day, 400 km. cross-country adventure which took us up north to Pagudpud to down south to Vigan.  If you haven't been to Ilocos, you couldn't imagine how gruelling this was.  Word is, that "dyaan lang" (loosely translated in the idiom “just around the corner”) in Ilocos is somewhere in the vicinity of 30-40 kms!  The same is also true in the Mt. Province - although there "dyaan lang" could be three mountains away!

     We set camp in the town of Sarat, roughly 85 kms. south of Pagudpud and 90 kms. north of Vigan, in (what we've fondly called) Fort “Valdez” Ilocandia - the residence of Tess Valdez, widow of our good Christian friend, Pastor Romy.  Being in a strange place - or should I say being in a place where I am a stranger (tourist) - it helps ease my mind that there is someone who lives there that I know.  (Uhm… I didn't really know Tess before our trip to Ilocos, but since Romy was a friend, the introductions were mere formalities.)

Three Generations : Tess, Kendong (3), and Inang (94)

     Blah, blah, blah... We took off for Pagudpud around 9am in a 1994 Toyota Corolla borrowed from Tess's brother.  Jane and I took the back seat; Tess, the front passenger's seat; and behind the wheel was Warren Chua, a friend from church who has been going to Ilocos Norte as a free missionary - a very able chauffeur.  A/C was off, the wind blew on our faces.

Jane, with Warren, behind the wheel.

First stop: Pasuquin Bakery, at Pasuquin town, home of the famous Pasuquin Biscocho.  For the uninitiated (like Jane and I) this Biscocho is nothing like any Biscocho you'd ever imagine, which usually is bread toasted crisp with butter and sugar.   The Pasuquin Biscocho is a rolled soft white bread (like a twin bun in appearance, but on both ends of the bread you can see the spiral lines that mark how the bread was rolled) which tastes much like (and a little less salty than) white bread, except for a hint of anise. 

     The Biscocho is so popular that when my hand-carried bag was inspected at the final checking counter at the airport and the security personnel noticing a plastic “sando” bag with something soft in it asked what it was and I said “tinapay”, the other security personnel across the counter, looking at me with a glint in his eye indicating he has second guessed me, said, “Biscocho”.  I said with a tone of affirmation, “Biscocho!”  We bought a pack (cost: P70) to take home to the kids, and another one to eat along the way.  In passing, if you have a sweet tooth, try the Balicutia.

     On the way to Pasuquin (from Sarat) we had to pass through Laoag.  Here we saw the Sinking Bell Tower.

The Sinking Bell Tower

Next stop: Pasuquin fresh seafood ihaw-ihaw along the highway, where we bought a "bonito" Yellow Fin Tuna (cost: P120, but we got it for P80 because Tess was a “suki” - and it’s always good to travel with an Ilocano speaking person when in Ilocos), and thumb-sized Squids on barbecue sticks (cost: P100 for 15 pcs).  "Ano'ng tawag sa maliit na pusit?"  "Eh di pssst!"  "Eh ano naman ang tawag sa baligtad na pusit?"  "Eh di op-pusit!"  We saved this for lunch later in Pagudpud - not the jokes, quasimodo! - the inihaw.  (That was the plan, but plans change along the way).

Next stop: Cape Bojeador, site of the famous Lighthouse.  

    I was a victim of the popular error of mis-pronouncing the name of the place, being here for the first time and having heard it countless times before pronounced Café or Kape Bojeador, as in Kape Barako.  But it’s Cape, as in the “Cape Crusader” Batman… and Robin the Boy Wonder. 

     It was a high and hard climb to the Lighthouse, some of the steps were too steep for aging-knee comfort (but it was more difficult going down).  The site offers a good panoramic view of the sea and the surrounding terrain.  

    If you happen to enjoy ice candy, then you might find a vendor or two selling “dragon fruit” ice candy, a treat more to the eyes than to the palate – but a treat no less.

     We had lunch at an open food hall outside the Burgos Municipal Hall, where Tess and Romy used to stop over from Apayao.  Nothing much here except this Azkal dog who kept making “kalabit” our laps asking for food.  I told my friends, “Do you know this guys name?  It’s “Kalabit”.”, because he keeps making us “kalabit”.  And to my friends’ amazement and surprise, the owner of the food joint told them that it was indeed “Kalabit” but in Ilocano, which is “Kulding”.



3rd Stop: Kapurpurawan Rock Formations. 

     This place is so out of this world !!!  It's like visiting another planet.   

Unless you happen to see a beautiful girl...   

...and make her pose for a picture.

Or see a giant with a girl on the palm of his hand...














Or just do something crazy above an enormous boulder - you'll be fine.










3rd Stop: Bangui, site of the Windmills.  

     These Windmills are huge, gargantuan, towering structures that are arrayed along the beach, 

whirring… and whirring… and whirring… and whirring…

     It’s probably the feeling you get when you would encounter an alien UFO.

4th Stop: Pagudpud.  Wherever you find yourself in Saud or Pagudpud, you are bound to be calmed, relaxed and refreshed by the breathtaking view of the sand, the sea and the sky.  There is a point where these three elements wonderfully meet, which makes it a picture perfect memento of the place. 

The Sand, The Sea and The Sky in Pagudpud.

     Our stay was (actually) short lived (we joked about this) : We travelled to Pagudpud for two hours, stayed for fifteen minutes, Warren swam for five minutes, then rushed to Solsona.

Final Stop: Solsona, home of a friend, Sister Lourdes.  Solsona is nearly 120 kms from Pagudpud.  It was past 4 pm and we didn’t want to be stuck in Solsona by nightfall.  We heard creepy stories of people decapitated in Solsona, so we were quite anxious about getting there while there still was daylight and leave in one piece, with our heads still attached to our shoulders. 

     The place was ingenuously rustic.  After crossing over a dry irrigation canal on a couple of thick wooden planks, we were met by a brood of native chickens, a family of cats, a dog, and some ducks feeding inside a pen, and Sister Lourdes flashing a broad smile.  Hugs.  Ten steps inside their backyard, we were walking beside a lush patch of corn plants on the right, banana trees on the left, a shrub of lemongrass here, a lemon “kalamansi” tree there, and surrounding their tiny abode, a verdant half-hectare plantation of mature rice (some already starting to bear fruit).  

with Sister Lourdes

     On the west the sun was setting, bringing the horizon to a fiery blaze of color behind the silhouette of trees bordering the expansive rice field.  On the east the tone of the mountains deepened in a mossy hue, and in front of me… a Cow!  A ghostly Cow with sharp horns!  Ngee, I almost bumped into him!  (It was getting dark, and this happened on our way out; the Cow was probably brought in to shed when it was getting dark, since I don’t remember seeing him on our way in.)  Enough of this rustic episode!

     We were treated to one of the chickens, oh mehn!  They slaughtered one of the native chickens to make Tinola.  We were also served Pork Adobo and Pakbet – both Ilocano specialties.  E di mag-kinamot (ay, bisaya!).  Yes, best meal we had!  “Masiram!” (ay, bicol!)  But, really the food was - "Naimas!!!"  I asked what the name of the chicken was, but Sister Lourdes said they didn’t call their chicken by name – it would’ve been hard to eat a chicken with a name.  We ate Roger.  We call dogs by name, yes, Browny, the brown dog, Blacky, the black dog, Whitey, the white dog, and Tagpi, the tagpi-tagpi dog – how hard is that ?!  And cats??? 

Home.  Back in Fort “Valdez” Ilocandia.  

Day 2 - Vigan