A Backpacker's Trip to Ilocandia

I spent my Holy Week this year crossing out one of my 2012 must-visit destinations, Ilocos.

Making good use of the 5 day long weekend, my sister, aunt and cousin joined me in this 3 days & 4 nights adventure up north. With Google material in handy, I organized an itinerary for us that would cover the best of sightseeing in Ilocandia.

Day 1 - Pagudpud (Ilocos Norte)

From Manila, we traveled 12 hours(7pm-7am) to the seaside area of Pagudpud. We checked in at Madrid Beach Resort (located in Saud beach) had breakfast in Emohruo Restaurant and off we go to a Tricycle Tour. In the morning, we visited the Southern parts of Pagudpud - Boreajador lighthouse, Kapulupuran Rock Formation and the spectacular Bangui Windmills. In the afternoon, we headed to the northern part and were in awe at the sight of Patapat Viaduct. Next stops were the white sand Maira-Ira beach & Blue Lagoon(where we also had our late lunch), Bantay Abot Cave, and we hiked to Kabigan Falls. Back at the resort, my aunt and I swam for a bit until sunset, had grilled stuff and halo-halo for dinner, and henna tattoos before bed time.

Day 2 - Laoag (Ilocos Norte)

After some beach lovin' and breakfast, we left Pagudpud and traveled for 2 hours via bus to the capital, Laoag City. We checked in at Isabel Suites around noon, freshen up a bit and had lunch at the nearby Jollibee. Then off we went to an afternoon tricycle tour of our Laoag must-sees - Malacanang of the North, the stunning Paoay Church, Marcos Mausoleum and the Paoay Sand Dunes. Around 5pm, we were dropped off in front of the Sunken Bell Tower of Laoag. We walked around and took pictures at the Laoag Cathedral, Plaza and Capitol. While my sister and cousin rested at the hotel, my aunt and I watched the Good Friday procession. In the evening, our group met up, walked and found the popular and jampacked Cafe Saramsam, where we had Ilocano dishers for dinner. We tried the Saramsam Pasta and Pinakbet Pizza. Walking back to the hotel, we dropped by the capitol to take more pictures, stopped by Ilocos Stop(ala Mini Stop), got ourselves some ice cream, then it was time to rest.

Day 3 - Vigan (Ilocos Sur)

On out third and last day, we left Laoag shortly after breakfast and rode a bus that would take us to Vigan. After a couple of hours and tricycle rides later, we were at the cobble-stone steps of Calle Crisologo and Heritage Village, the top destination in Vigan. With our heavy backpacks, we walked around the place, visited the Cathedral and Burgos Plaza and had lunch at McDonald's. Afterwardsm we went on another tricycle tour that took us to the Bell Tower of Vigan, Jar making area, Hidden Garden and Baluarte zoo. We dropped by the local market to grab some Chichacorn, and were back by 4pm at Calle Crisologo and had yummy Vigan empanada and okoy at Insiang's. Then, we headed off for some souvenir shopping and met up with my other cousins who were also in Vigan at the time. We had some delicious barbecue at Plaza Burgos before our group bid goodbye. Early evening, we were at Partas Terminal where we bought more pasalubong(Bibingka and pudding) c/o Marcia's Delicacies, before we rode the 6:45pm bus that would take us back to Manila. After 8 hours of travel, we were dropped off at an NLEX gas station and we are back in Bulacan by 4am.

Traveling to Ilocos is exhausting but I'm glad I did it, at least once in my life. There are so much places to see, food to try and activities to explore in Ilocandia. I'm proud to cross-out this destination off my bucket list, and more so because I paid for this trip myself. Yessss!