havin' fun in Vigan
We woke up early in the morning to make the most out of our stay in Playa de Oro. The view from our window room was so inviting so we immediately went out to enjoy the beach.
This man caught our attention as he did his yoga thing on the shore. The place was so peaceful and quiet and very suitable for this kind of activity.
We felt so relaxed staring at the blue waters of the sea, the air was so cool and fresh and it was really a good way to start our day
As always, it was so fun watching my husband as we walk along the shore. He's a very jolly person and he can make a joke out of anything. I took pictures of him as he made funny and childish poses. We even saw a family having their picnic by the beach. They had a little child and he was so happy playing on the sand. We remembered our baby and thought we should bring him with us when he's old enough.
These fishermen need to wake up early in the morning to start their work so that they could feed their families. You could see and feel how simple life is in this place. I felt mixed emotions as I watch them pull the nets in two groups. I envy them because they were living in an environment where they can breathe freely without having to worry that dangerous pollutants might get into their lungs, and that they could swim and bathe and relax on the beach whenever they like. I admire them because of their eagerness to work hard, and how they help each other to get their job done. We saw a "bayanihan" in action here. I remembered those documentaries I watched before about people who work so hard but earn very little. They sell their products to businessmen at a very low price. As a result, other people became wealthy while they remain so poor. This is so unfair for them and I think our Government should do something about it and pay more attention on how they can help improve the lives of these people.
We then went back inside the hotel and ordered breakfast. While waiting, we explored the place and as usual, we took pictures. There's a television on the lobby so we stayed there and rested for a while.
This was how we were while watching tv. It was nice to do this once in a while, reward ourselves by going somewhere, leaving all the stress and worries behind and taking the opportunity to relax.
We ate at Playa de Oro's dining area with some people from The Philippine Star, they were conducting a photography seminar and we listened as one of them bragged about himself being one of the few Filipino photographer for the National Geographic. His SLR camera was the one that really got us. We knew we should get one someday for us to use on our trips.
We had dried bangus with egg, fried rice and coffee for breakfast. After eating, we then prepared our things, took a bath, dressed up and settled our bill to check out. We paid 1, 180php for the accommodation, dinner, midnight snack, and breakfast. Playa de Oro is being managed by the Government of Vigan, aside from being affordable, the customer service was very good, so for those who have plans of touring Ilocos, we highly recommend this place.
A long journey ahead...
My husband inspected our motorcycle and found out that one of the rear shock absorbers was dislocated because of a missing nut. Our temporary solution was to use a rock and hammered it on place, hoping it to withstand the bumpy ride from Mindoro beach to the main road. We stopped at a construction supply store to buy mighty bond extreme to help put it on place. We of course felt paranoid that it might be dislocated again and at that point, we had the same thing on our minds. We again stopped under a tree near a Hardware store, bought "alambre" (metallic wire) and tied the shock absorber so that it won't be detached again. We found it very funny and I was laughing as I watch my husband fix it.
The day before, we were thinking of going home after Vigan because we felt so tired and worried that our money won't be enough for the whole trip but then, since we're already in Ilocos, we just went on with the original plan. We went on and felt a different kind of joy upon reaching Ilocos Norte.
Our target was to reach Pagudpud at noon so we weren't able to visit the so called "Malacañang of the North", but we knew the tour won't be complete without seeing this famous "Paoay Church" in Ilocos Norte so we went there and took some pictures. While resting, we drank some buko juice and enjoyed the wonderful masterpiece in front of us.
St. Augustine church would definitely satisfy your sense of sight with its unique and intricate architecture. Simply one of the best tourist spots here in the Philippines.
We then left Paoay and headed to Laoag City. We just stopped to take some pictures and then we were off to our next target, The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.
On our way, we had passed by this picturesque place. We took the opportunity to do some sight-seeing and had a quick rest. We then felt our stomachs ached with hunger because it has been past 1:00 in the afternoon and we hadn't eaten lunch so we took off to find a place to eat.
Luckily, we found a small eatery along the way selling grilled chicken and Singapore rice. They had a nipa hut as the dining area for their customers. We tried to ask the man in there how far is Pagudpud from that place but then he just shook his head and we got the message that he cannot speak Tagalog. We then conversed with him in english and found out that he's a Singaporean. He had a Filipina for a wife and has decided to stay here in the Philippines for good. He told us that Pagudpud was not too far away from their place so after eating, we continued with our journey.
From the eatery to Cape Bojeador, you would need to pass through rough and under construction roads. It was very hot when we arrived there and unlike the other tourist spots in Ilocos, Cape Bojeador seemed like it was not very well taken care of and that was sad because the lighthouse was really beautiful, it should be preserved well so that the following generations would still be able to see it.
The view deck was not available for public at that time but just the same, the view was amazing. You could see the majestic ocean and the mountains from afar. Looking down, my knees were shivering for i have acrophobia, but still, i enjoyed, a hundred and one percent.
The Majestic Windmills of Bangui, Ilocos Norte
There! go that way! I said excitedly to my husband when i saw a sign pointing to the direction of the Bangui Windmills. He said, "Are you sure?", we argued until we found ourselves driving on a very rough, rocky, and steep road, then surprisingly, from afar, we saw it! Nineteen gigantic Windmills outlining the shore, feels like you're on the outer space seeing aliens, like you just can't believe you're there, seeing those things.
Up close, you would realize how huge these windmills are. From this point where Jun was standing, when you look up, you'd feel like the spinning blades would hit you anytime, like the scenes you see from a Final Destination movie, funny but i can't help myself from imagining things. You can hear a roaring and slashing sound as if the blades were cutting through the atmosphere.
You can't bring your motorcycle up to this point because the sand was too coarse and loose. We left ours nearby while we enjoyed the place.
It was a very hot afternoon but we didn't seem to care. We sat on the sand to take pictures. We just can't resist the beauty of this place. The windmills, the blue ocean, the view,... it was just wonderful.
Jun was really funny, there were fishermen sailing on the boat nearby. Some of them were waiving and smiling at us, my husband shouted "Tulungan nyo kame!!!" (please help us!) haha!!! Acting like we were stranded on an unknown island. The fishermen knew he was joking and just laughed.
Lovers, sitting on the shore, staring at the blue ocean, a scene which for me looks so romantic and sweet. I took this opportunity for us to have a shot like this one, we used a rock as a tripod and set the camera's timer. 1, 2, 3 voila!...there you have it....our very own, masterpiece, starring the two of us!
Liz & Jun in Paradise...
We bought 3 pieces of cute mini windmills to take home as souvenirs before we started our journey to our next and last destination for the day. My husband drove as fast but safely as possible so that we could get there before the sun sets. We went through a lot of twisties until we reached Pagudpud! Both of us were excited to finally see the so called "Paradise of the North".
Saud beach is just a 4.81-kilometer drive with the Pagudpud welcome sign as the starting point, but according to some blogs, if you're looking for some privacy, the Maira-Ira Beach (Blue Lagoon) which is 13 km away from the same point, is a better choice, so we decided to take the extra kilometers.
Upon reaching the entrance to Blue Lagoon Cove, we stopped to ask some locals if we need to pay but they said that entrance was free. We also asked them about how much the accomodation would be because we had planned that if ever we can't afford it, we would just swim for a while then start our journey back home. They told us that there were home stays in the place and we could haggle with the owners or care takers for the price of an overnight stay.
There's a beach resort in Blue Lagoon that offers first class accommodation, it's called "Hannah's Beach Resort" and just like The Hollywood in the United States of America, the giant letters H-A-N-N-A-S were placed side by side on the mountain. You can easily see it as you approach the Blue Lagoon Cove. We're very sure we can't afford to stay there so we did not attempt even to inquire. We need to stick to our budget so we tried to look for an affordable place to stay.
Luckily, we found this nipa hut and asked "Tatang" if we could stay for the night for just 500php, we were so thankful that he agreed so we hurriedly arranged our things, changed to our swimming clothes, then enjoyed the fine white sand and blue waters of Maira-ira beach.
There were very few tourists at that time which made the place so peaceful and relaxing. The sea water so clean, blue and clear as the skies above.
We were so tired at that time but the beauty of this paradise seemed to have swept away all the fatigue that we acquired from the whole day travel. My husband played in the water while i lay down on the sand. As i was staring at the blue skies above, I silently thanked God for letting me experience all these things. I was in a paradise He had created, with the man i love, I just felt so happy and contented.
It was dinner time, and we were excited, Jun loves sea foods and this was a perfect place to find those kinds of dishes. You can buy fresh crabs and different kinds of fishes and they will cook it for you. Unfortunately, when we inquired, we thought it was kinda overpriced so we decided to look for a place to buy cheaper foods.
We found this small establishment which also offers accomodation. They had fish sinigang and other sea foods on their menu. We ordered the said dish together with "adobong pusit" and spaghetti.
After dinner, we had a walk by the beach to catch some fresh air and to make the most out of our stay in Pagudpud. The place had few light posts which made it so dark during the night. Some tourists had built their tent on the shore and stayed there for the night, which gave us an idea of what to do next time to save money and to enjoy the place more.
In Pagudpud, some families earn a living by letting tourists use their homes in exchange for a certain amount of money. They would take their things out and would stay on a room they usually built on the back of their house. In that way, they could show their hospitality and earn a living at the same time.
It was a totally different experience for both of us, Jun played games on our PSP because he wasn't able to sleep. I on the other hand felt so tired so after browsing our pictures on the camera, I immediately fell asleep.
It was a totally different experience for both of us, Jun played games on our PSP because he wasn't able to sleep. I on the other hand felt so tired so after browsing our pictures on the camera, I immediately fell asleep.