Osong Ligaw Goes to the North!!!

Osong Ligaw goes to the North! 

Day 1: Ilocos NOrte (Laoag; Pagudpod)

·      Manila to Laoag (8 hrs. if you take the overnight trip (9 pm onwards). Add 1-2 hr/s if you plan to take the day tip because of the (possible) heavy traffic.) Florida (Pink) Bus: Php 900+ fare (Cubao, QC). This bus is fully air-conditioned and has a built-in rest room (which is an extreme necessity).

Manila to Laoag: Cebu Pacific: Roughly 1 hr & 45 mins. So far, they only have one flight schedule (around 2 pm I think). Promo fare: Php 488. Regular fare costs around Php 1,000++.

~There are also a number of chartered planes available, but airfare is more expensive of course. :)

·      Laoag Tour (around 4 hrs.). You can hire a random tricycle/pedicab to take you on a tour. Fare costs around Php 600++ depending on your haggling (slash cuteness) power. Some may charge around Php 1,000 if the group is a little big I suppose. A hundred peso tip and/or meal is okay, too.

Tour includes: *St. William’s Church *Sinking (sunken???) Bell Tower *Paoay Church *Paoay Lake *Malacanang of the North (not available if you’re too early) *Marcos Mansion (except if there’s a province-wide brownout) *Fort Ilocandia (This is a hotel-resort, but you can have several photo ops here) *Ilocos Sand Dunes

Fort Ilocandia where you'll see traces of Marcoses everywhere!

~Laoag is one of the few (if not the ONLY) place in Ilocos Norte with city convenience. It has Mc Donald’s, mercury Drug Store, and banks with ATM. SO you might wanna have your withdrawals here already.

·      Laoag to Pagudpod (2 hrs). Take an ordinary bus (air-conditioned buses are a rare find) to go to Pagudpod. Your kuya tricycle will drop you off in the bus stations, too. Keep reminding the kuya Bus where he’ll drop you off in case he forgets. They follow a strict schedule and are not afraid to leave you behind so you better be alert. Fare costs around Php 60++. You know you’re near when you start seeing the Bangui wind Farm.

·      Polaris Beach Resort (Pagudpod). Rates: Php 1,500 for 2 pax no meal; Php 2000 for 3 pax with breakfast. Some food may not be available in some days, but there are a lot of choices.

The hotel-resort is beach front, but you may walk towards the other resort’s shores and swim in their beach. It’s perfectly fine (I guess) since there are no fences to tell which shorelines belong to which resorts. There’s no TV set in the room, but there’s a cabled TV in the dining area where you’ll have your meals. You may charge your camera and cell phone batts in your room. I think the room is air-conditioned, but it only works in the evening. You don’t need one during the day since it’s very cool there anyway. Random house cats also roam the area. :)

Sunset Jump shots are a must in Pagudpod. In the evening, you may opt to swim in pitch dark at your own risk. You’ll see local fishermen preparing for their catch though. In the morning, local vendors selling souvenirs and random jewelries will start to show up. You can also buy from the fishermen’s catch and have the hotel staff cook for you for Php 50 (unless the meal is super bongga).

Day 2: Pagudpod Tour

·      Pagudpod Tour (7 hrs.). Cost (w/o the Tip): Php 1.200 per group or tricycle (Whole day), and Php600 (half-day). I suggest you take the whole day because you don’t wanna miss anything. Unfortunately, you will have to check-out from the hotel and bring all your bags.

South Tour: *Bangui View Deck *Bangui Wind Farm *Cape Bojeador Light house

North Tour: *Via duct (You can see the shore of Cagayan here. Kuya tour guide will ask you if you want to have your lunch there) *Kabigan waterfalls (This entails a little 30 – 45 mins. hike. Kuya tour guide will not be joining the hike since he’ll stay at the entrance to guard your things. You’ll stay here for 1-2 hrs for a swim. Water is extremely cold even during the noon. Rest Rooms where you can change are available.) *Blue Lagoon Beach *Other places are also available, but we chose not to go anymore since the travel was super tiring.

~Wear super comfy clothes and your swimsuit already. Wearing heels in this tour will kill you. :)

·      Pagudpod to Laoag: 2 hrs. Again, be mindful of the strict schedule. Only ordinary buses are available.

·      Laoag to Vigan: 2.5 hrs. Fare costs around Php60 - 120. Since it’s gonna be dark already, remind Kuya Bus that you need to get off at VIGAN Capitol.

~You may want to take the first few seats so you can sleep peacefully and just wait for Kuya bus to wake you up once you’re in Vigan already. :)

·      In Vigan, you may have the convenience to ride (another) tricycle to help you look for Grandpa’s Inn. OR you might want to look for it yourself since the city is relatively small. Other high-end hotels and cheap inns are also available.

Since you’ll be arriving at night time, you may have your dinner at Chowking or at some random street carinderia just across it. Mc Donald’s closes a little early.

~ Have a cool Photo Op at Mc Donald’s Vigan the following day. It’s totally vigan-inspired. :)

Day 3: Vigan Tour

·      Grandpa’s Inn (Vigan, City). Rates: Php 1,690 (air-conditioned) Php 980 (fan with CR) Php 730 (Fan w/o CR). I think all rooms come with a free breakfast. We chose the air-conditioned one as it has one big bed for 2 pax, and the third person slept on the floor (with mattress of course). I think an additional Php 200 - Php300 should be paid for the 3^rd person. There’s no TV in the room, and the furniture look really ancient! Everything will remind you of the Spanish era. You can also drink by the window - overlooking the cityscape.

~You have a lot of choices for breakfast, but do not forget to try the hot choco. It tastes like wine with chocolate!

·      Calle Crisologo. Hotel staff will offer a calesa ride first thing in the morning. However, you may want to tour the infamous Calle Crisologo or the UNESCO Heritage Sites on your own. It’s just one long street of shops and old houses. You can enter some houses for free or a minimal fee. Some shops offer Free tastes (or Shots) of the Ilocos Basi Wine. :)

~Be at the Calle crisologo right after breakfast for a more peaceful tour and better photo ops. This way, not many tourists have infested the area yet.

·      Syquia Mansion. This is technically Pres. Carlos P Garcia’s ancestral House. For a minimal fee of Php 100, Kuya Mansion will give you a rich tour of the house and several stories of the lives during the Spanish era. The place will remind you of JPR’s Noli me Tangere (especially the Pagliligawan sa Asotea chapter).

You may visit the Following places on your own as well:

* Vigan Cathedral *Jose P. Burgos Museum   *Vigan Capitol

 

·      Calesa Tour. Costs: Php 150 - Php 200. This tour lasts for an hour. Ate calesa will bring you to different places in the city including the *light house, a *church tower, *Ilocos Pot-making place, and several *souvenir shops. My human enjoyed the first few minutes of the ride until she saw Ate Calesa whipping the horse.

~ You may have your lunch and dinner outside the hotel (Chowking, Mc Donald’s, Greenwich) for a cheaper option.

·      Vigan Heritage River Cruise (1 hour). Costs Php 150. You need to book at least an hour before at the Tourism office where you can get free maps. A shuttle service will be provided by the tourism office.

~Say “hi” to Ate Sharon, the tourism officer, for me. She knows everyone in the area, and she’s like the boss of every police guy there. :)

·      Vigan to Manila. (8 hrs if you take the night trip). Several buses are available here in Vigan. Do NOT take Vizon Bus as it will take you forever to get to Manila. Some buses have built-in rest room.

Day 4: Half-Day City tour; Going back to Manila

·      Half-day City tour. You can tour Calle Crisologo or buy your souvenirs during this day. OR simply sleep a little longer in the hotel since you’ll be having a lot of travelling to do.

·      If you’re taking the plane back to Manila, you need to go back to Laoag where the airport is. The travel will take you 2-3 hours during the day. Plan well since I cannot say anything about the traffic situation in this place.

·      If you opt to take the bus, a day trip is okay if you have all the patience to bear the traffic. What’s good though is that cool sites (surfing beaches, Bell Towers, City hall, etc.) in La Union and other nearby provinces are bonus points. Bus rides during the day will also have 2 stop-overs (lunch and merienda). 

Bangui Wind Mills

Calle Crisologo