As what I have promised on my preceding post, I’m gonna put in the picture and give you an idea how much we enjoyed our Ilocos trip! And prior to this trip I told myself to go to a place I’ve never been my entire life; this out-of-the blue get away was an answered prayer! We had a bad experience with Florida Bus, but upon seeing the place, we knew that it’s all worth it! The place is perfect—so comforting, so divine ♥
I never thought that a place like Pagudpud still exists. It may be too far from the hustle and bustle of the city but if you want a breather, that place is just perfect! The place was a classic small rural area having ordinary folks- but as I’ve noticed they’re extra friendly and accommodating compare to those who live in the city. And I MUST say that ILOCANOs are one of the nicest people on earth. (Just an opinion lovelies)! We arrived at around 6am, tired and hungry but we all have a happy spirit knowing that we will truly have a very nice vacation. We were served Ilocano food right away upon arriving at the hostel we will be staying at. We chose Damayan House since it was recommended by our friends who stayed there before…The place is nice, the owners are very accommodating, the food are great and we got our room at a very reasonable price- we had a deluxe room with great amenities that includes air conditioning, hot/cold water, mini kitchen, veranda, comfortable queen size bed, and of course a clean comfort room.
After we had our yummy/mouth-watering breakfast, we went to the beach right away. I’m just uber ecstatic to give a plunge!! Saud Beach resort is a thumbs-up! Crystal clear water, white sand, not too crowded resort, wow that was just so calming ♥
We enjoyed the water for 2 or 3 hours only since we have to follow our itinerary. We’ve already missed a day unfortunately but kudos to Dexter for giving us an excellent itinerary, we hired a tour guide for 2 days for our North to South trip. We missed a day of the trip and having an itinerary is of great help-- We know where to go and what to do thus maximizing our stay with a whole lot of fun. Having an itinerary is a good idea and we had a very convenient check list! It’s a big advantage that Dexter and Lloydie can speak Ilocano and sometimes, well most of the time I heard them talking in Ilocano- I can understand some, I can somehow relate but I can’t speak in Ilocano, I have an accent and Dexter hate the way I talk. LOL! Anyway, let the tour begin!
Kabigan Falls – we paid 150PHP for our personal tour guide en route to the falls and gave a little amount of donation at the information counter/registration area. Manong tour guide told us that it’s a 30-min trek from the main road/info center to enjoy the verdant panorama. I had my pink umbrella with me and a sun glasses so I don’t really care if we will have a 2km walk. We had to go through an area of rice fields, we crossed/passed a river and a hanging bridge, and after more than 30 mins of brisk-walking we reached the 80-feet waterfalls. The water’s cold and crystal clear! There’s a bunch of kids, families and group of friends enjoying the beauty of this super clear and cold waterfalls. I was super tempted to take a dip but the area is almost crowded, so I just enjoyed taking pictures instead.
Patapat Viaduct- is 1.3 km concrete coastal bridge that connects theMaharlika Highway from Laoag, Ilocos Norte to the Cagayan Valley Region. The bridge is elevated 31 meters over sea level. It rises along the town's coastal mountains, which is the starting point of the Cordillera Mountain Range that snakes through Northern Luzon. It is the 4th longest bridge in the Philippines. Thank you WIKIPEDIA! The view of the sea is truly amazing, there are birds flying along the area and there are limited or few numbers of vehicle passing by so we really had a great time taking pictures! The viaduct trailed the side of the panoramic mountains against the passing falls.
Agua Grande – (also known in Ilocano as dakkel a danum). This is a kilometer away from the Patapat Viaduct. Entrance fee is only 25php per person. Our original plan’s to take picture ONLY, but when we saw that attractive mini water falls plus a stony creek falling to the sea, I got my swimsuit right away! The water is so refreshing. You can choose any of the following: the mini waterfalls, the spring fed rock pool, the stream itself and of course the beach. But please take extra care through the pebbles and rocks as they are sharp and slippery under foot. I had a little cut in my hand because I stepped on a dicey rock and as I tried to save my self from bigger menace I grabbed a sharp-edge rock- anyway, it’s just a small cut so, the show must go on.
Blue Lagoon- The mystical one- that’s how I’d like to describe the place. The water is amazingly blue and I would say that I am so in love with the place! The place is really lovely. And if you’re a nudist, this is just perfect for you! It’s my 1st time in Pagudpod and I was truly awestruck by this lovely paradise. It’s like a secret paradise; you can reflect or have a quiet time…
There are few locals enjoying the majestic lagoon and all of them look so friendly. We took some pictures, play in the sand and I even attempted to take a plunge but the sea seems to be too deep for me, so I just stayed at the shore and watched the waves. The view from the blue lagoon is superb, aside of course from the seaweeds in the shore. Saud beach is lot cleaner, though.
Bantay Abot Cave – Locals call it “lover’s rock” for some reason. I’m too sluggish to ask Manong Gilbert (our tourcyle guide) the story behind those rocks. It looks like a giant donut for me. I’m so worn-out when we reached the cave. So I never had the chance to see what’s inside. I was so exhausted due to the long trip we had on the 1st day, plus we had an hour walk (back and forth) from KabiganFalls, so you really can’t blame me if I would opt to stay inside our vehicle. I fell asleep for 30 mins I guess. When Dexter and Lloyd came back, I can see the smile on their faces, they really enjoyed what they’ve seen. The only picture that I have is with the timmangtang rock (or what the called the prodigal son)
we went back to Saud around 2pm,took a shower,and sleep. I ask Dexter and Lloyd to make me up around 5 or 6pm so we can still go back to the beach,unfortunately, they fell asleep as well. And since all of us are really dead-tired, we woke up around 2am!! hahahaha.. there's more post, so sit back and relax... will post it LATER :)
Thanks for dropping by.
xxAshxx
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