Day 2 of Ilocos Trip

07 April 2012

Mom knew this trip wouldn't include food, so mom prepared for it. She packed some cup noodles, bread, hard boiled eggs, sachets of instant coffee mix, and her little electric air pot so breakfast wasn't a problem for us. The minute we woke up, we took turns using the bathroom while some of us prepared breakfast. A very simple one... but it was actually good.

Like what I did on my last post, I will just share pictures every step of the way.


Kabigan Falls (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte). First stop for the day. With a busted camera, I was thankful I could still use my cell phone to capture images and that my sister and my friend Ria both brought a camera. The trek to the falls was the easiest I did (compared to the few treks I experienced in the past) because the trail was mostly flat lands. I loved the view of the falls, and it was something I would like to see again.


I was able to take a few pictures of the falls using my camera as it didn't have problems when I turned it on, but when I turned it off, I still could hear the crunchy sound and it would still flas the "lens error" thingy on my camera's LCD. When I found myself a different vantage point and turned my phone again, the lens cover won't fully open, like the image above. I decided to just turn it off and started accepting the fact that it might be the end of my camera's life.


Patapat Viaduct (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte). Possibly the most unique "bridge" I have seen, it was just amazing to see a road around the mountain. We weren't able to stay here that long because it rained (Pagudpud seem to have its own weather)... but me having a picture sitting in the middle of the road was something very special!


Paraiso ni Anton (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte). Before I travel to one place, I would take a moment to search about it online and seeing "Paraiso ni Anton" as part of the itinerary, I was so interested to see it, but when I finally did, I was so surprised to know that this is located along the road! It's a very small attraction, and because there were quite a lot of tourists... taking pictures were quite difficult to do.


Bantay Abot Cave (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte). In Ilocano dialect, "bantay" means mountain, "abot" means hole. This is one unique attraction because it looked like a mountain and a cave. It sure posed a great chance for photography, but rain was quite heavy and wind was blowing hard. Tourists tried to take shelter, making it difficult to take pictures. This one was taken minutes before we left the area - we really waited 'til the area was a bit clear, but because rain was pouring hard, it still was difficult to take a good shot.

Somewhere down the road... the driver stopped the van at a roadside market and asked us to buy fresh seafood which we will take to our next destination. The "oldies" thought it would be a hassle carrying fresh seafood, so knowing there would be restaurants/eateries where we're headed, they decided not to buy anymore.


Blue Lagoon (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte). An aerial shot of the place (taken while inside the van)... I wasn't able to take a good shot of the place while we were there because it became so hot and sunny, and the place was just congested with people and vehicles!

The choice of eating already cooked food turned out to be a bad decision - few eateries and restaurants were charging way too much for their food and we did have a bad dining experience. With that, the place - deemed to be one of the best spots of Pagudpud - did give me a bad impression... but I blame the circumstances. I guess the amount of people and the heat and the hunger did cloud my judgment, but really... given the chance, I would love to go back to this spot.

We weren't able to eat good, while some of our companions weren't really able to eat lunch. With that, we just asked our van driver to take us back to the resort, but before doing so, we made a side trip to the Public Market where we ate Empanada, while some ate roadside barbecue and rice. With tummies full, we headed back to the resort.


Saud Beach (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte). Late in the afternoon, we felt the need to enjoy the waters of Pagudpud. The waves were quite strong, but it did give all of us hearty laughs especially when we needed to run away from the incoming wave or trying to fight the tides from taking us away. Sunset watching was awesome... and wearing swimsuit in public was liberating. :)


Sis, Ria, and I checked different nearby resorts to find a place to eat dinner. We found something we liked, but when we got back to our room, mom and her boss said they already ordered something for dinner. Us five shared this serving of Bagnet and Grilled Snapper... then after, we had fruit shakes at a different resort.


That night, too, Villa del Mar resort was hosting a Bikini Open, but it was already nearly 8pm and the event hasn't started yet. A group were treating the audience with some music... and they are actually good.

Before going back to our room, we shopped for some souvenir. I bought myself my usual choice of souvenirs - ref magnets and key rings.