ilocos 2013: day four

Warning: This blog post is very long and has lots of photos. Our last day of sightseeing in Ilocos was jam-packed. Plus we ate like there was no tomorrow.

Our first stop after checking out of Saud Beach Resort in Pagudpud was the Bangui Valley observation deck. It was a bit hazy and there were electric cables everywhere, but it was still quite beautiful. We couldn't see all 20 windmills, though, unlike in 2009 when I was standing right next to one and had an unobstructed view of the entire beach.

I decided against going down to meet the windmills face-to-face this time because we had to reach the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation before it got too hot. And boy, was it a hot day.

It was my first time at Kapurpurawan and the alien landscape was truly stunning. It's an easy walk along a concrete pathway or you could ride a pony.

The front, or the side that one sees first, has been roped off, but you can still climb up the back. It's slippery in some places and it was just scorching, so we didn't stay long. I wonder how it looks at sunset.

We were told that they're erecting 40 windmills in this area very soon. I'm all for clean energy and I hope they do it right. Fingers crossed.

ilocos 2013: day three

The next day, 7 January 2013, we went to Pagudpud. The plan was to stay the night so that the Australian Holleros could enjoy the beach.

(In 2009, I chose to stay longer in Vigan instead of Pagudpud because I felt that there was more stuff to see, do and eat in Vigan. But that's just me.)

After breakfast at Palacio de Laoag Hotel, we packed all our stuff up and drove north. Actually, if I had a Tupperware container handy, I would have brought along the imbaliktad to knosh on.

Imbaliktad literally means "just turned over".  Often described as half-cooked beef, goat or carabao meat.

Our first stop was the salt-maker in the small town of Pasuquin. I always thought that salt was made by drying brine in the sun, but here it's boiled down using rice husks for fuel.

A round-the-clock steam bath for the workers.

speechless

Until now, I have no words...

Ladies and gentlemen, behold the Bangui Windmills.

 
I knew they were big, but until we saw them face-to-face, we had no inkling.

As always, the sand was scorching, so I dipped my feet in the South China Sea and gawked.

We were so happy we wanted to cry. It was worth being put on hold by Philippine Airlines. (See previous post about buying plane tickets.)

The beach was deserted. There was a gently rolling sand dune on one side, and the ocean on the other. We stayed for more than an hour, while Kelly hid in a hut.

Afterwards, our friends and relatives who'd been to Bangui and visited the same windmills said, "Where IS that? We didn't go THERE. And how come there are no people?"

Kelly, you Da Man.

kelly takes us around pagudpud

It takes two hours by bus from Laoag to Pagudpud. Our bus was very pink.


When we got there, we met Kelly the tricycle driver, who offered us the standard tours.


The first stop was the Patapat Viaduct.


And then we went to see Agua Grande. The Fisheye Lomo loved it.


Their beach was very, very clean and photogenic. They call it the "Boracay of the North"-- which I don't get. What's this thing with calling beaches "Boracay of the... "? Boracay is Boracay. Pagudpud is Pagudpud. Every beach is different.


When it came time for lunch, we let Kelly decide where to take us, and this is when he made himself utterly memorable to us.

1. The adobo we had for lunch at his recommended eatery was excellent!

2. When we asked him if he'd met any celebrity tourists, since Pagudpud is becoming a very popular destination, he thought for a while, and said, "I know Tado!"