Viaje Ilocandia | Going Up

April 16, 2010 - Day 2
Barks - we were awakened by the barks of the dogs outside. Its our second day in Ilocos and we still have plenty of things to do. We'll be heading north, our next destination was Pagudpud Beach.

9 o'clock AM, we made ourselves ready for our next trip. Towel, soap, extra clothes, pocket money and we're ready to go.

Our first stop, the Paoay lake. Legend has it that there was a prosperous village in this once dry land. However, the wickedness of the people angered God, thus sinking the whole village in a great flood and turned the villagers into fish. Then walla, we have the Paoay lake.

Not too far from the lake, we went next to Maharlika Hall. It is an exclusive place, a golf course I think. Of course we can't afford the place so we just took pictures and continued to our next stop.

lake view shot of Bon and Roan

us with lake background

Wih at Maharlika Hall

Bon and Maharlika Hall

We headed next to the Marcos' mansion a.k.a. Malacañang of the North. This old Castillian house is surrounded by trees and built near the Paoay lake. This Marcos house is a very good example of a traditional house built during the Spanish occupation. Each room is made cool by the breeze passing through the wide windows. The upper floor looks much wider, where I think parties were being held. The bedrooms have a cozy atmosphere and from the veranda you'll see the Paoay lake. Anyone who got into this place will find it so comfortable, cozy and expensive, indeed a luxurious family once lived here.

Malacañang of the North

Fine lights

the grand staircase

the living room

veranda

bed room

dining room

By 10:45 AM, we decided to leave the mansion. The popular beach of Pagudpud awaits us. We passed through the city of Laoag and a number of towns (I forgot the names). We're still quite far from our destination.

It was lunch time already and we're all hungry. We saw a lonely carinderia along the road, across it is a windy beach, so we took pictures before we eat. We had an Ilocano meal in the carideria: yummy pinakbet, sinigang na isda and igado, of course with rice and a glass of cold Pop Cola. In a matter of few minutes we're done with our meal, already full and again ready to go. We're getting closer to the Pagudpud beach.

the five of us

windy beach

feel the wind

Ilocano lunch, yum!

 A few minutes before 2 PM, the famous windmills (promoted in Bongbong's campaign ad) of Ilocos Norte came to our sight. These 30 towering Bangui Windmills, arranged in a single row while facing the Souh China Sea, contributes power to the province of Ilocos Norte. This is the first and only wind power farm in the country so it attracts tourists as well. The sands of the beach were blown by the strong winds, hurts you much as the tiny particles hit your skin. The strong wind also blew my 20 pesos away. We stayed there for more than 30 minutes doing nothing but taking pictures.

the wind mills

majestic sight

blown by the wind

30 in a row

From the Bangui windmills we can see the colorful flags of the Pagudpud beach. I know we're only a few kilometers away from our next destination.

We left for the beach by 3 PM, nothing excites us more than going to the beach.

Around 3:30 PM, we reached the beach, we then looked for a resort that would accommodate us and Saud Beach Resort was the one. For 100 pesos per person, we entered the beach with an inclusion of a small nipa cottage where we left our things.
 
The Ilocanos consider this place the "Boracay of the North" for the sands are as white as Boracay's though not as fine, my knees are full of abrasions after we bathed. The ambiance of Pagudpud is really good for a hot summer day and tourists will surely love bathing in its white beaches.

enter Pagudpud

hey it's me

the beach

bury moment

fun moments

We went to shower room to remove the sands from our head, and all over the body. We're done bathing at around 5:30 PM.

We thought the day was over already but we still have one place to visit not so far from the Pagudpud beaches. We're heading to Patapat Viaduct.

Along the way we saw a motorcycle accident, and its motorist injured. We really must put safety first.

The Patapat Viaduct was our last destination. It was built along the coastal area connecting the Maharlika Highway to Cagayan Valley Region. A wrecked ship on the coast adds flavor to the scene.

On the end of the road, we found a mini water falls. The water is cold and they say it has healing properties. We just posed and took pictures then we were on our way back to Paoay.

the wrecked ship

Patapat viaduct

us

waterfalls at Patapat

We stopped by the Robinsons Ilocos Norte, and there we had our dinner at Mang Inasal (I consumed more than 4 cups of rice). We were back to Paoay at around 8:30 PM. Ending our exhausting but full of excitement second day in Ilocos.



End of Day 2.



Viaje Ilocandia | Old Vigan - Part 1
Viaje Ilocandia | Going Up- Part 2
Viaje Ilocandia | Food Trip Day - Part 3
Viaje Ilocandia | Pasalubong Express - Last Part
Untold Story | Stange Encounter

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