I ♥ Summer, I ♥ Ilocos: A Travel Diary (Part 1)

Disclaimer: Due to the number of tourists during our visit, there wasn’t a “proper” tour conducted thus the details for each place are insufficient. I had to conduct my own research regarding the places we visited so if there are any corrections on the information, please feel free to comment.     

It’s already three in the morning, exactly one hour since I arrived from our tedious 14-hour drive from Ilocos. I know that sleeping should be my priority but my hangover from our three-day adventure kept me wide awake. Ilocos have always held the number 1 spot on my Places to Go Bucket List (local). That’s why I can’t just sleep right away without blogging about our awesome journey to the North.  

Day “0”—08 April 2015 (Wednesday).

My office- and other tour-mates met at Olivarez Plaza in Los Banos at around 8 PM. There was a 30-minute delay due to the van that we’re supposed to ride on. After some moments of disappointment, I wondered if this trip is going to be fun. It seems the thoughts on my stolen cellphone two days before the trip still affected my mood and excitement. There was also a majoooor traffic in Manila, as always, which never fails to disappoint me.

I wanted to sleep na lang but I couldn’t due to the Fast and Furious-like driving. We were following our convoy that’s why it appeared like we were filming some car racing stunts. Oh well, another not-so-major disappointment. I felt like I’m losing all of my stored feelings of excitement…

About 11 hours after, we finally entered Ilocos Sur and the tables have finally turned. The picturesque view of the sunrise kept my mouth open as I enjoy the whole trip from Sur to Norte. 

 Day 1—09 April 2015 (Thursday).

Our first destination is the Paoay Church. According to what I’ve read, the building of this church started in 1694, was completed in 1710, and rededicated in 1896.

After Paoay Church, we visited the Marcos Museum. A lot of memorabilia and information about the Marcoses can be found there. Our tour guide said that before Ferdinand Marcos died, he said that he wants to be taken to Paoay. Unfortunately, the pilot heard “Hawaii” instead of “Paoay”. Tsktsk. Epic fail.  

Before we left the Museum, one Marcos loyalist approached us while we were waiting for our companions. I’m not really sure what he was blabbering about, but it was a rather funny experience. He kept on talking and it seems like he was campaigning for Sen. Bongbong Marcos for the President’s seat. Walang forever? Well, I seem to have felt its gist from that conversation. Haha!

After several minutes, we went to Malacañang of the North. This is where the Marcoses reside during the former President’s regime. It has a very relaxing ambience and great architecture overlooking the lake’s enchanting beauty.  

We headed afterwards to the famous Sand Dunes in Paoay. I consider this experience as the highlight of our first day in Ilocos. We paid Php 2,500 for our Sand Dunes experience. Words can’t describe how awesome this adventure is so just see the pictures below and try it for yourselves. Haha.

It’s a good thing we were all overwhelmed by the Sand Dunes that we didn’t mind the blazing sun. We were there at around 12:30-1:30 in the afternoon. O diba. Tirik na tirik ang araw. After I think about it, it was somehow disappointing because we could’ve enjoyed it MUCH better if the Sand Dunes was scheduled earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon.

There’s also NO LUNCH BREAK scheduled in our itinerary, adding to my disappointment. We somehow managed to satisfy our hunger by passing thru Jollibee. We just ate inside the van while going to our final destination for the day… the Polaris Beach House in Pagudpud. 

We were finally able to get some rest and take a refreshing bath. As my friend said, “Malagkit= minsan suman, minsan tayo.” Haha. We also had the time to relax, enjoy the beach, and my favorite: picture-picture!!! *Selfie aleerrrt!!*

Read Part 2 here.