August 2018 was such a busy month for me. A lot of celebrations, company-sponsored outings, and of course, the long weekends brought by the holidays. During the long weekend of the 18th, I decided it was time to visit the best friend for a long overdue Ilocos Norte trip.
Getting There
Because it was a long weekend, I knew we were going to have a hard time booking tickets. Good thing now we have the option of buying tickets online without having to be physically at the bus terminal.
I searched online and found 12Go Asia. We booked the 10:30PM Farinas bus trip going to Laoag. We arrived the next day at around 6:30AM.
Exploring Ilocos Norte Day 1
Because we were only staying for a few days, we had to make good use of our time. So, even after a tiring 8-hour, overnight trip, we just ate breakfast at my friend’s place, rested for a bit, freshened up, and then went out to start exploring.
This wasn’t my first time in Ilocos Norte. My last visit was maybe a decade ago, doing a photo coverage of an old couple’s renewal of vows. As it was more of a business trip than a personal one, I didn’t have the chance to explore the place other than Pagudpud (where the ceremony was held), and some tourist spots like Cape Bojeador Lighthouse.
Our first stop was Robinson’s in Laoag. My best friend works in Accenture so she took us to her place of work to grab lunch. There were a few restaurants dotting the vicinity, but our feet took us to Partz where I had my first taste of Hibol.
After a hearty lunch, we went on our way to visit the Museo Ilocos Norte.
After that quick trip to the museums, we then went to the famous Paoay Church.
We wanted to get the famous Nana Rosa
Day 2
We had an early start the next day because we had a lot in our itinerary. We wanted to do a quick tour of some famous spots, go to the sand dunes for a fun 4×4 ride, and visit the beaches and the windmills.
We realized though this was an ambitious undertaking, so we had to let go of a few things. It was still a fun day anyway.
We went to the Little Batanes of the North, Kapurpurawan, and passed by Pagudpud. The most fun was the part where we went to this island in the border of Cagayan dubbed as the Palawan of the North. We had the island to ourselves and had a blast swimming.
Day 3
Even though I had been to Ilocos twice, I had never been to Vigan and I felt it was the best time for a visit. However, it wasn’t meant to be. Huhu, Vigan, when can I see your beauty with my own two eyes???
We were scheduled to head back to Manila that night, so we just decided to go grab a quick lunch in the city and buy souvenirs.
Our restaurant of choice was the Good Vibes Restaurant. It was a tiny place shared with a travel agency, so the designs were pretty much touristy. I liked the interior, and I loved the food.
The 3 days we were there were not enough to fully enjoy what Ilocos Norte has to offer. This will definitely not be my last trip to this awesome place. Until the next!
