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Wandering Ilocos Norte |
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 A wild, rugged coastline offering the quiet beach holidays with snorkeling, diving, surfing as well as superb native cuisine and exquisite abel cloth weave, the province of Ilocos Norte is perched on a narrow ledge among the rugged northwestern coast of Luzon. Here lies several untouched coastlines, including beautiful bays and long strips of empty fine sand beaches.
Long as the land trip (8 hours) maybe, it is worth it. From the verdant plains
and golden ricefields of Central Luzon, the scenery begins to dramatically
change the moment you enter Ilocandia with the province of La Union as the first
stop (some 4 to 5 hours drive from Manila). Here, the highway begins to hug the
coast all the way to Ilocos Norte and your drive will be treated with views of
the sea, rolling hills and mountain ranges. Another bonus is passing by Vigan.
This capital town of Ilocos Sur province is famous for its well-preserved old
houses and church of Filipino-Spanish architecture, the cobbled stone streets
and delectable home-made cuisine. Once you reach the town of Currimao in Ilocos
Norte, drive a little slower to enjoy the rock formations along the shoreline.
This town use to be host to a thriving tobacco monopoly. Today, tourists enjoy
the beach, with its rocky outcrops of coral formation. This beach stretch is a
good spot to take a break and even to have a picnic. If you like nature sounds,
nothing beats the sounds of waves pounding and breaking against the rocks on the
shoreline. While here, fill your lungs with clean, fresh air by the sea and feel
the difference.
Ilocos Norte is also home to one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites - the numerous
baroque churches found in each town. Since Ilocos Norte is earthquake prone,
most of these centuries-old churches are massive, with walls commonly a meter
thick. The "must-see" and "must-pray" churches are Bacarra Church with its tower
and sunken gardens, the St. Williams Cathedral in Laoag City and the Paoay
Church also known as the St. Augustine's Church which are all listed in the
world heritage list of baroque churches of the Philippines. Once inside, the
beauty and quiet devotion of the simple folks around should move you to pray for
even a moment no matter what religion affiliation you are. When you consider
that Ilocos is not a rich province in terms of natural resources, you would
begin to understand why Ilocanos are very frugal with their money. And yet, all
these wonderful churches built by the Ilocanos under tremendous expense and
effort are testimonies to the people's industriousness and religiosity. As they
say, those who have so little are usually those who give so much.
Fort Ilocandia is the premiere hotel in the Ilocos. With new investors and
energetic management, the hotel is again making great strides towards their goal
of creating a convenient getaway resort for stressed-out city dwellers from
China and the East Asian region. Fort Ilocandia now offers a convenient and
fresh alternative from a weekend break in Macau or a longer stay in Thailand.
Direct, thrice-weekly charter flights have been set up to Laoag City from
Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to bring steady flow of visitors, which are
only 80-minutes away by air. There are five times weekly flights of Philippines
Airlines from the U.S. West Coast to Manila with a two-hour interval for the
connecting flights to Laoag City.
The hotel's grounds of 77 hectares make it one of the largest in Asia. It is
easy to work up a healthy appetite just walking to breakfast from a room in the
rear wing. Now the Fort (as it is popularly called) is the favorite place of
rich local tourists and foreign visitors, especially the Taiwanese, who come
here to see the sights, swim in the water, play golf and indulge in their
favorite activity - gambling in the government-run Casino Filipino. The
beachfront property has a lot of activities to offer guests who want to indulge
in purely outdoor activities. There are sand bikes, which is rented by the hour
and has its own circuit to start a race for any number of participants. You can
also windsurf or surfboard, especially in the afternoon when the wind and the
waves begin to get bigger and stronger. Golf lovers can play on the golf course
overlooking mystical Paoay Lake.
Into the northwest, salt making prevails in Pasuquin, not far from the
phonetically funny Seksi Beach. The centuries-old Cape Bodejar lighthouse, the
tallest in the country, located near Burgos town, rewards a climb up a narrow,
iron spiral staircase with a dramatic view of the northern coast. Here the coves
and golden sand beaches of Bangui Bay spread out on the vista with Pagudpud in
the distance.
Pagudpud on Bangui Bay is known for its cheap, fresh lobsters and has some of
the best coral reefs in the country. It is said that some of the best beaches
can be found here. Saud Beach Resort is one of the few resorts on this part of
the coast. Located between a beautiful marsh of majestic trees, rice paddies,
and lush coconut palms, Saud Beach Resort owns a part of the stretch of Pagudpud
beach which is almost deserted and is conducive for relaxing and swimming.
To date the Ilocos region as a whole is experiencing very good growth in
tourism, thanks to direct international flights from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and
Mainland China as well as regular flights from the U.S. West Coast. Beyond the
tourist offerings, it is also enriching to observe its people, the Ilocanos,
among who are revolutionary heroes like Diego and Gabriela Silang, Josefa Llanes
Escoda and famous painters like Juan Luna as well as past Philippine presidents,
Elpidio Quirino and Ferdinand Marcos. Trace the origin of the largest bulk of
Filipino immigrants in Hawaii, California and Guam and you will discover that it
is the Ilocos. Today, the largest number of overseas expatriate workers
continues in the Philippines comes from this region. The land in this region may
be tough but the Ilocanos will always prove that they are tougher wherever they
may be.
How to get to Ilocos Norte:
Philippine Airlines flies five times a week from Los Angeles, San Francisco and
Honolulu and arrives in Manila at 3:15 pm with connecting flights which departs
Manila at 5:15 pm and arrives at 6:15 in Laoag City on the same day.
Other direct international flights of CR Airways, China Southern Airlines, Far
Eastern Air Transport service Laoag City and the cities of Hong Kong, Guangshou
and Kaoshung at least thrice a week, respectively.
The domestic bus companies of Fariñas, Autobus, Philippine Rabbit, Florida, RCJ,
Partas, Franco, SMV and Maria de Leon Trans have daily trips to/from Manila
(8-10 hour-ride) from Sampaloc, Manila; Caloocan City and Cubao, Quezon City.
First trip is at 7 am and last trip is 11 pm.
Jeepneys to the airport (15 minute-ride) leave from Fonacier Street, Laoag City.
Minibuses to Pagudpud (1 and a half hour-ride) leave every 30 minutes from
behind the Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol Building, Laoag City.
For more information:
Philippine Department of Tourism-Laoag Sub-office
Ilocano Heroes Memorial Hall
2900 Laoag City PHILIPPINES
Tel number: (011 6377) 772-0467
Email address: dotlaoag@digitelone.com
Philippine Department of Tourism-Region I
Oasis Country Resort National Highway,
Barangay Sevilla San Fernando City
2500 La Union PHILIPPINES
Tel numbers: (011 6372) 888-2411 / 700-5780
Fax: (011 6372) 888-2098
Email address: dotregion1@sflu.com
---------------------------------------------------------------
Philippine Department of Tourism
447 Sutter Street, Ste. 507 San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel No. 415 9564060 Fax No. 415 9562093
Email-pdotsf@aol.com
www.wowphilippines.com.ph
---------------------------------------------------------------
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Posted on Wednesday, July 06 @ 19:10:04 CDT by don |
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