Ilocos Norte | Marcos Museum (Remains, Romance, History), Paoay Church and Malacañang Ti Amianan

young Ferdinand Marcos

I used to admire President Marcos when I was a student. All the books and reading materials on social studies published during my elementary years talked about all the good deeds and heroism Marcos did before and during that time. And then the EDSA revolution happened which led to the fall of the Marcoses. I don't understand it then, don't even know what a revolution is. All I remember now is that of Ninoy's slogan (the Filipino is worth dying for) because I saw it on shirts and caps worn by lots of people during those times, even in the province where I live.

Fast forward 2013 when I was able to visit Ilocos Norte for the first time of which part of the tour is the visit to Batac and Paoay. In Batac, we checked out the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum where lots of Marcos' memorabilia are displayed/stored. It is also the resting place (until the government allowed his remains to be interred in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Marcos' family's demand) of then President Ferdinand Marcos. His said to be remains encased in a glass coffin is displayed in the guarded mausoleum. The mausoleum is quite creepy. It is dim-lighted and there's a low somber piped-in music being played inside. It felt like entering a haunted house, slowly and quietly, on alert as if something unexpected will show up. It made me skittish, gave me an eerie feeling. I was glad I was with several visitors/tourists during that time, otherwise, I think I won't be able to enter the mausoleum and stay there even for a second.

Marcos Museum and Mausoleum

Marcos Museum - Batac, Ilocos Norte

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Ilocos Norte | A Day in Laoag (Accommodation, City Day/Night Walking Tour, Etc.)

Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

As I mentioned in several of my previous posts, I was able to visit Ilocos Norte (and Laoag) for the first time last year. The visit is a short one - less than two days and a night. The night was spent in the province's capital, Laoag City (also called the City of Lights) - a first class city, the province's center of politics and economy.

Where to stay in Laoag?

After spending the whole day touring the southern part of Ilocos Norte (Burgos Lighthouse, Bangui Windmills and Kapurpurawan Rock Formations) via tricyle and after more or less an hour of walking tour in the city, a clean room with a comfy bed is a welcome reprieve; that we have in Hotel Tiffany.

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Ilocos Norte | Carrot Cake: My Precious Find at La Preciosa Laoag

La Preciosa - Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

This food trip is still part of my Ilocos Norte travel late last year, before I started working on my new job. Oh yeah, this post is "uber" late and ancient, almost a year after the fact but I will still share it here to at least preserve the memories of my first trip to Ilocos Norte. ;)

~ oo00oo ~

I've read a lot of travel posts, watched several local travel shows too; and whenever the trip is in the Ilocos Region, particularly in Ilocos Norte, food adventures will always be part of the trip. We had our share of food trips there too; more of street food trips actually since they were on small eateries but of course, I'm still glad as I was able to taste authentic Ilocano dishes. But it's not all street foods that I was able to try, I've had a try of fine dining in Ilocos Norte too, and that's in La Preciosa.

La Preciosa is said to be a fine dining restaurant in Laoag City but it doesn't mean people in casual outfits couldn't get in. We saw several customers dressed up for the place but there were also those like us wearing casual clothes, in denims and shirts, so yeah it's open for everyone, as long as you're decent and have money to pay for your orders...hehe. :P

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Ilocos Norte | A Tricycle Tour Experience: Kapurpurawan Rock Formations

Kapurpurawan Rock Formations - Burgos, Ilocos Norte

“Nature is the most beautiful thing we have. It's better than art because it's from the creator.” ~Olivia Newton-John

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Ilocos Norte | A Tricycle Tour Experience: Bangui Windmills

Bangui Windmills - Bangui, Ilocos Norte

This is the second leg of our tricycle tour, our next stop after our visit to Cape Bojeador Lighthouse. From Burgos Lighthouse, Bangui windmills is around 30 minutes of tricycle ride on the highway and another few minutes of bumpy ride on a one-lane dirt road leading to Bangui Bay. (I wonder why a much better road isn't constructed here when it is one of the province's main tourists attractions. Oh well, never mind! :P)

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Ilocos Norte | A Tricycle Tour Experience: Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse aka Burgos Lighthouse

After the grueling six hours sleeper-bus experience and a quick breakfast from the only open eatery a few blocks from the terminal, we started to look for a tricycle that would bring us to the bus or jeepney station going to Pagudpud. It's still early then, the bus terminal we went to has not even one passenger yet. The tricycle driver then brought us to the van terminal that also ply the route to Pagudpud, still there's only a few passengers there (1 or 2, if I remembered correctly). We don't have much time for this weekend getaway. As usual, this is just a side trip to a friend's yearly visit to relatives for some family business. Sensing that we were in a hurry to get to Pagudpud, the tricycle driver then told us that he'll bring us to the highway where we can just wait for the passing buses to Pagudpud.

I forgot the town where he brought us but still, there were no buses that passed by for around 15 minutes. The driver then asked us if we're going on a tour to Pagudpud. We told him yes and so he offered us a tricycle tour to Cape Bojeador, Bangui Windmills and Kapurpurawan Rock Formations, the attractions included in the Pagudpud southbound tour. I asked him how much but he kept on telling us that it's up to us how much we want to pay him. I don't want to have some misunderstandings later on so I negotiated with him. Tricycle Tour from Pagudpod costs 600 Php for the southbound tour, bus fare from Laoag to Pagudpud is around 60 Php per person (one-way) so we offered him 800 Php but he asked for 900 Php, including our roaming around Laoag looking for a bus to Pagudpud. We may not have saved on tour cost but since we're going to save on time by not traveling to Pagudpud first (we can't stay in Pagudpud since we need to go back to Manila the next day) before taking the southbound tour, we agreed on a 900 Php Tricycle Tour to the three tourist attractions of Ilocos Norte. And so finally, after around 30 minutes of roaming around and waiting, we were able to start our Ilocos Tour. Our first stop: Cape Bojeador Lighthouse.

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Ilocos Norte | Street Food Trip Up North (Empanada, Longganisa, Pakbet, Etc.)

Ilocos special empanada - with egg, longganisa, and veggies

Recently, Filipino (street) foods made it to spotlight when one foreign travel blogger wrote about her not-so-good food adventures here in our country. Some of her accounts may have truth in it but I'm one with fellow Filipinos in saying that she should have made the necessary researches needed to do some quality food trips here. Anyway, this isn't about her but my street food trip up north, in the province of Ilocos Norte, the land of pakbet, empanada and Ilocos longganisa.

As the title suggests, this is all about our street food trips in Ilocos Norte. Like some other foodies however, I also have some qualms with street foods too, especially here in the Metro. But if it's in the province (especially in the rural areas), I usually give it a try. Most of the local eateries in the province serve home-made dishes and some of them are clean and hygienic, we just have to look and check them out.

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Ilocos Norte | My First (and Probably My Last) Sleeper Bus Experience with Florida Bus

Florida Bus' Sleeper Bus :)

I love traveling yet I consider traveling by land, particularly by bus, an ordeal. I almost always get a headache. I feel dizzy, and more often than not, I throw up. Oh yes, up to now I'm still like that. Except in two occasions: 1) if I could manage to sleep the entire trip, or 2) if I have a companion who would make me talk and talk all throughout. Hahaha...weird eh! Actually, these two reasons aren't fool proof. If the trip is quite long or if I smell something inside the bus (for example, if someone ate something smelly or if someone spray something), I'll get a headache and then feel dizzy afterwads and if I can't help it, I'll throw up.

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