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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Ilocondia Summer Getaway

So I just got back from my Great summer escapade in Ilocos. I spent 4 days and 3 nights over at Ilocandia with my High School buddies Khen, Ces, Keng and Lhui. It was a blast! Suuper bitin! Indeed, you can never get enough of a good stuff.

DAY 1:
So we took the Maria de leon bus at Dapitan. It was a SUPER deluxe bus that i totally fell in love with it (and the hot guy i sat next to and spent 7 hours of intimate space with). It had a spacious reclining chair (like a lazy-boy) complete with leg rest, puffy upholstered seat, and dim yellow lights. We arrived at laoag City around 8 30 am and went straight to Auntie rosie and Nana's place. After lunch we went to the Ilocos Convention Center (where john lloyd and sarah shot a scene in You Changed My Life). Then went to Marcos Museum Malacanang of the North. After that we went to Paoay Church then straight to Fort Ilocandia. We spent the whole day cam-whoring (and pretty much for the rest of the trip). For day 1 I totally fell in love with Fort Ilocandia. It is a 5-star Hotel and Casino with its Spanish inspired interiors and buildings. If i ever get rich, I would definitely spend a night or two over at this place.




DAY 2:
So we woke up really early to get ready for the day's adventure only to leave the place a little after 8. Riding our Mercedes Benz van, we went first to Cape bojeador which is the oldest Lighthouse i guess in the country. Then an hour or two drive to the AMAZING Bangui Windmills. They were soo huge and there are a lot of them lined up in front of the shore. We were lucky to see the propellers movin and storin up energy like a generator. Then we drove up to Patapat Bridge, Blue Lagoon and Hannah's resort which was tagged the Boracay of the North. The shore is white but not with fine sand but with fine pebbles, pretty much like the ones at the Pucca Beach. The waves are deadly LOL! Then to our last stop which is the Kabigan Falls. Now this is my favorite spot! We trekked for roughly 30 to 45 minutes, crossed rivers only to find a piece of heaven at the Falls. I've never seen a falls in my entire life and i fell totally in love with it (and the HOT tattooed guy over there. i guess his name was rocky). We took a dip in the cool fresh water and headed straight back home at Nana's. Since it's still early in the evening (at least for us metro peeps), we strolled in the Plaza and feasted on some Laoag empanada. The church was creepy at night and the Plaza and streets are empty. The empanada dipped in Sukang Iloko was delicious. So we did some auditing, a few more chat, and called it a day.



DAY 3
So it's Vigan day. Early mornin we got up and packed our stuffs then went to the market to buy Vigan longganisa and dried dilis for pasalubong. Then we rode the bus (to my dismay was an ordinary bus) and went on a 2-3 hour trip to Vigan where we were picked up and went to Ate Annette's place. So we arrived late in schedule and we have a lot of itinerary. We went to Vigan for a calesa ride only to find that none of them are available since most of them are being dressed up and used for the parade. That day was actually the Binatbatan Festival of the Arts. So we have to go through Calle Crislogo on foot, in the heat of the noon sun. we shopped a bit and headed to an old Tower over at San Agustin Parish Church. The Tower was just magnificent in it's color and green surroundings. After that we went to a resort to take a dip since we are so drenched in the sun. It's 8:30 pm and we're still not done shopping. So we hurried back to Vigan plaza (which is not easy) and in a snap, we're done shopping. We were soo hungry and tired then and no fast food is open. So we chilled with the crowd, had our al fresco dinner at Cafe Leona. There was a street concert sponsored by SMB over at the plaza. We chilled and rested for a while with brownman revival (i think it's them) playing in the background before we headed home. It's time to pack our things and doing such is definitely not easy. It's been a long day, everyone is tired and there's still so much to do. It was until 1 in the morning that we dozed off for some quick nap before we leave.



DAY 4:
So we're leaving. I felt sad but i also felt that i miss the Metro. So we had our last minute camwhorin, waved our goodbyes and promised everyone we'll be back. We took Flo Rida bus on the way back which i will sooo not recommend. Out trip took around 12 hours from Vigan, we had around 6 or 7 annoying stop overs and they dropped us off at the most inconvenient spot to hail a cab in Cubao with all our baggages.

Sometimes living the life in the City takes its toll on us. The Law and the Companies do acknowledge that Vacation Leaves are necessary for obvious reasons. But beyond that, it is also essential to life in many ways. A refreshing change of environment is good once in a while. It keeps you sane. It tightens loose edges. It heals wounds. And it gives us new reasons to move on with life. Ilocos was great. The experience was rewarding. And the rewards are priceless.




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