I said a little prayer for our Ilocos trip. Guide us oh Lord and may You bless our trip and enjoy the wonders of Your creation.

Before the sun set on our 2nd day we visited the Paoay Church.

The Paoay Church. Construction of the church started in 1704 and was completed in 1894 by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo.

Inside the Paoay Church.

Hindi namin mapigilan magpost sa ganda ng Paoay Church. Pakiramdam namin nasa old Spanish time pa rin kami.

A good samaritan named Kuya Walter took this shot. In my opinion he is a professional photograher. He showed to us the best spots and angles on how to get the best shots of Paoay Church.

This is another shot taken by Kuya Walter. Thanks Kuya for the shot!!!

Pinagkatuwaan ako ni Kuya Walter sa kuhang eto. Even my friends have their own shot like this.

At syempre isa na namang Malufeet na Jumpshot ang Finale!!!

More to come…

Our Day 2 in Ilocos was the longest day we had. Maraming nangyari at pinuntahan kaya ang hirap ko issumarize. Actually madali pala… if I can describe that day, I can sum it up to a single word… Sobrang Saya! (Oops sorry for my counting! lol!)

Marami na ang araw na lumipas kaya kelangan ko ng bilisan ang pagkwento. Marami pa ako kasi akong iboblog at  mawawala na ang pinakamamahal kong laptop soon. Babawiin na kasi sya ng tunay na nagmamay-ari. Going back to my Ilocos story heto na (drums rolling)…

Kapurpurawan – The White Rock Formation

I was amazed by the beauty of this rock formation. If God is an sculptor I will give Him a perfect 10 for this wonderful creation. Sabi nung naabutan naming nagbabantay dun, the White Rock Formation was actually a limestone created by Wind, Water and the Waves. It is a perfect background for pictures, parang nasa loob ka lang studio ang epek. The best talaga you will not think that Ilocos has this one. 

Looking around the Kapurpurawan, makikita mo ang ganda ng seashore which if I can compare parang yung mga nasa Europe (as if nakapunta na ako sa Europe lol!). Sa sobrang tuwa ko nagpapicture agad ako! Excited much!

Kapurpurawan White Rock Formation The sea shore across Kapurpurawan - White Rock Formation

The sea shore across Kapurpurawan - White Rock Formation

This White Rock Formation in Ilocos really really Rocks!!!

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse  

Next stop namin ang Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. Actually this is one of the oldest lighthouse. Inside the lighthouse, there’s a mini-museum and a miniature of the lighthouse. Historical din ang lighthouse na to kasi it is the highest lighthouse built during the Spanish era.

At the ground area towering at the back the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Cape Bojeador Lighthouse- It is the highest Spanish era lighthouse built in the Philippines.

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse- It is the highest Spanish era lighthouse built in the Philippines.

Fort Ilocandia

Dumako rin kami sa famoust Fort Ilocandia Resort. It is actually the 5-star Hotel in Northern Luzon. Sulit naman ang stay namin at the Fort. This is actually another pride of Ilocos.

Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel

Inside the Fort Ilocandia

At the reception of Fort Ilocandia

Before namin iniwan ang the Fort isa muna ulit malufet na…. JUMPSHOT!!!

Jump Shot in front of the Fort Ilocandia

Malacañang of the North

We were a bit late so nagmamadali na rin kami to go to our next destination- the town of Paoay, Ilocos Norte. We still have three more on the list. One of them is the Malacañang of the North.  the Malacañang of the North, also known in the local dialect as Malacañang ti Amianan is actually built by Marcos during his time as a resthouse in Ilocos.

At the back, is the flourishing site of the Paoay Lake. Ang ganda ng view which portion of it ginawa ng goal course.

Malacañang of the North

The Paoay Lake

Pang Drama Serye shot- inside the Malacañang of the North

And here is the wackylicious shot at the Malacañang of the North

More to come…

This way going to Kabigan Falls

After spending time in Bangui Windmills, our next stop was the Kabigan Falls.  The whole group took a 30-minute hike from the national highway. We were all excited to see how enchanting Kabigan Falls is. It was almost twelve noon so we expected a sweltering walk ahead. Before we headed to the falls, we decided to buy and taste fresh buko. Bawal daw uminom ng buko kapag pagod. At dahil masunurin kaming mga bata… inusisa muna namin bakit bawal (lol!). Sulit talaga ang sariwang buko juice! The best!

Where do these big rocks come from?

As a short trivia: Kabigan Falls is an enchanting falls located at the eastern part of Barangay Balaoi and it is around 1.8 kilometers away from the national highway. This 80 feet waterfall is surrounded by thick forest and well-known for its concaved basin.

Kabigan Falls is already famoust to tourists. I have read the reviews and comments of bloggers who already visited the place. Isa lang sinasabi nila lagi… Enchanting!

Along the way, we enjoyed the scenery from the rocks along the shallow river, the green and thick foliage and even the calm atmosphere of farms along the way. We passed by at least three streams of shallow river on our way to the falls.

The shallow river going to Kabigan Falls. (Ingats baka madulas...)

Follow the leader?

I did asked one of the tour guides who accompanied us about the frequency of visitors in Kabigan Falls. Their peak season is always during summer and December during the Christmas holidays. We were lucky according to her to visit the falls on its calmest time with lesser people coming in and out of the falls.

Welcome to the enchanting Kabigan Falls

Dormboy in Kabigan Falls

After 30 minutes, we finally witnessed how enchanting the Kabigan Falls really is. Thanks to local people, they preserved the beauty and captivating view of Kabigan Falls.

The Cast of Survivor- Auditors' Edition 2010

 

After a month of hiatus from blogosphere, here I am writing again about the places I’ve been to during the past couple of weekends. As much as I wanted to punch the keys and write all the beautiful places I’ve been and treasured experiences I had, I decided to pause and savor the memories of my Ilocos Escapade.

First Stop Ilocos

The Towering Wind Mill

 After visiting Bohol, it was also one of my plans to go to Ilocos, this year. Actually I am from North part of Luzon and yet never did I set my foot in the land of Ilocos. So I was a bit excited knowing my friend /officemates/dabarkads/siblings from different mothers (I missed you guys this way) decided to go to Ilocos. Even if I just recovered to a week bout of flu (thanks sa Bioflu- babangon ka talaga sa flu lol!), I still decided to join. So after all the planning, budgeting and finalizing the transportation we hit the road and took almost 12 hours of bus ride to Ilocos.

First Stop: Bangui Windmills

Our first stop was in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, hometown of Rhea, one of our officemates. We dropped by their place for a meet and greet moment with her titos, titas, and grandparents. One of the best traits of Ilocanos is their hospitality. We felt like we’re home during our stay. Thanks also to a sumptuous breakfast. Our morning was energized by Adobo and Igado the Ilocano style. Super sarap talaga!

Dormboy meets the Windmills

It was still a long day for all of us. After having heavy breakfast, we prepared for the first part of our itinerary- the Bangui Windmills. When all the guys were set and the van we rented arrived, our journey began.

Nice towering view of windmills

“As a simple trivia: Bangui Windmills can be found in Bangui, Ilocos Norte. It is also known as the NorthWind Bangui Bay Project, a project by the NorthWind Development Corporation as a practice renewable energy sources and to help reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The project is the first “Wind Farm” in the Philippines consisting of wind turbines on-shore facing the South China Sea and considered to be the biggest in Southeast Asia. The project sells electricity to the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) and provides 40% of the power requirements of Ilocos Norte via Transco Laoag. ” 

The sea facing north is indeed relaxing!

The towering presence of the windmills was fascinating. I forgot to count how many windmills were there since all of us were excited to see the scene. I only see these windmills in various travel blogs and  Facebook accounts of friends of mine who already visited the place. The sea facing north is also relaxing in the eyes. Amid the scorching heat from the sun, we still enjoyed our time gathering photos and checking the view of the windmills.

The Miniature Windmill Souvenirs

People began to flock minutes after we arrived. Some souvenir items, like key chains and miniature windmills were also available nearby. Bangui Windmills not only provided electrical energy to the people but another tourist spot for Ilocos.  

But before we left the beautiful scenery of the Bangui Windmills, isa munang malufet na JUMP SHOT!!! 

Ang malufet na Jump Shot sa Windmill!!! (Practice pa lang yan...)

 Next stop the Kabigan Falls…. (to be continued).