Ilocos Road Trip - the Bangui Windmills

Another place in Ilocos Norte where we just had to stop and enjoy the view (to the consternation of the others who were with us in a convoy), the Bangui Windmills. Each one stands over 20 stories high and I understand provides around 40% of electric power in the province. This was taken from a view deck on a hill just before Bangui from Laoag. Apart from providing power, it has become a tourist attraction as well. My new friends from Laoag highly recommended this stop. We were on a tight sched with the others with us, so we had to be content with viewing the windmills from afar. Another place I didn't think I could find in my own country, the view was overwhelming to say the least - it took a while to absorb the view. One more proof that you don't have to go very far to enjoy being a tourist, this entire trip was done via land :-)

Ilocos Road Trip Part 6 - Vigan stopover

We couldn't resist a brief stopver at Vigan's famous spanish-era streets & houses. There, my kids said it was like going back in time - except for the few motorcyles here & there. The street really had an colonial era ambience to it with the horse-drawn calesas. Pearl & I wanted to try out the local version of Vigan longganiza, but we were still full from the Batac empanadas.

Ilocos Road Trip Part 5 - Paoay & Batac Empanada

Another great place to visit is Paoay Lake & the church. These are two places I've only seen in pictures before. As a kid, I remember seeing Pres. Marcos waterskiing on this lake. From where we were, it seemed to be so serene & peaceful despite the noonday sun.

We also had to stop over the old Paoay Church. It was an opportunity to have the kids see an actual baroque inspired structure - part of their home-school learning.

Batac was the next stop. We simply had to try the Ilocano version of the empanada. It actually contained chopped longganisa, egg and mongo sprouts. The crust was crunchy after being deep-fried. People here say you've got to eat it "bagong luto" or just cooked. They say it just wouldn't be the same if it wasn't hot anymore. You could have it with sukang Iloko or banana ketchup - depending on your taste - but I noticed the younger kids like the ketchup better.

Mine was the "seedless" version - no mongo sprouts - have to maintain that ideal blood uric level you know. One sells for just P32!

Of course, while in Batac, we had to check out the Marcos Museum & Mausoleum which was another experience altogether.

Ilocos Road Trip Part 4 - the roads

One of the great things in a road trip in Ilocos Norte are the roads itself. They're comparable to the quality that the NLEX people are hyping about. As a driver, its literally a breeze driving through these roads plus it gives you some comfort that your vehicle's suspension system won't be put to the test. Of course, going back to Manila, its the different story at Urdaneta =P

Apart from the road quality, you have got to admire the scenery while in Ilocos. The vast sea on one side and the green farmlands, mountains, forests on the other. While it's very tempting to just speed up because of the good roads, you really have to slow down, stop every so often & enjoy the view. Trust me, you won't regret it. Nevermind the extended travel time =)

The shot above we took while on a pit stop using zoom lens. It's one of those road scenes you hope would turn out great as a photo and I think we captured it pretty well.

Ilocos Road Trip Part 3

Last August 8, 2006, Philippine Veterans Bank formally opened its travelling WWII exhibit entitled "The War Of Our Fathers…A Tribute to the Filipino Freedom Fighter," at the Ilocos Norte National High School in Laoag City last in time for the birth centennary of WWII hero & former Ilocos Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. The travelling World War II exhibit has been going around the country in time for key WWII events. It has photographs, maps, artifacts & memorabilia and will be open for the people of Laoag City & Ilocos Norte until August 26, 2006.

In the photo are (L-R): Former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, Congressman Roque Ablan Jr. 1st District Ilocos Norte, Mr. Agustin A. Leano, a WWII Veteran from Laoag City, AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon, former Senator Heherson Alvarez, PVB SVP Vic Garcia, UNESCO National Commission Sec. Gen. Preciosa Soliven (the wife of Max Soliven) and yours truly is in the gray polo beginning to work out a sweat.

We're planning to bring the exhibit to SM Baguio - I hope they'll give us a good deal ;-) - on September 1, 2006. September 1 is Baguio City's Charter Day, and September 3 was the date Gen. Yamashita officially signed the surrender documents in 1945, signifying the end of WWII in the country.

WWII saw over 1 million Filipinos dead, some of whom were prominent nationalists, artists & composers. Many were ordinary people who responded to the call of patriotism, and are in my book, heroes all. WWII was a sort of rude awakening for most Pinoys at the time.

Ilocos Road Trip Part 2

About 35 kms away from Laoag is the 114 year-old Burgos Lighthouse, also known as Cape Bojeador. You can't miss it when you're driving going north to Pagudpud from Laoag, right on top of the Vigia de Nagpartian Hill. It's probably the tallest & highest, still functioning lighthouse in the Philippines. The town of Burgos is at the most northwestern tip of Luzon island.

There, we met Mang Jun Acoba, the caretaker, who says his grandfather & father were the caretakers before him. Mang Jun had tried his luck in Manila (he used to be a teller at Prudential Bank!), but came back to Ilocos Norte, where the air is clean, the food is fresh & chemical-free. Can't say I blame him.

The view from the lighthouse was breath-taking to say the least. It's one of those places that you're glad still exists in the Philippines. The South China Sea to the west and the lush green landscape to the east. This was where the Smart TV commercial was shot with Regine Velasquez.

The shot above was taken last August 9, 2006 - at around 5pm, nearing sunset - the sunlight had a great effect. This hasn't been altered with Photoshop, it's just plain natural light - but it turned out great. One of my better shots so far :-)

Ilocos Road Trip Part 1

We've had the privilege of traveling by road all the way to Laoag City (about 490 kms from Manila). While there, we just took advantage & went to all the sites where we could go.

We went all the way up to Pagudpud. The beaches are great for Luzon, but Boracay, Davao & Palawan are still the best for me. There, we went to a place called Caunayan Bay, the site of a covert submarine landing in 1943-44. Specifically, it was the USS Stingray a Balao (?) class sub that secretly brought supplies to Filipino guerrilas from Australia while the Philippines was under Japanese rule. What made this visit extra special was we were with Mr. Albert Montague, an American WWII veteran from Portland Oregon, who was on the Stingray. In fact, his last visit to the Philippines was in 1944!

In the picture below, from left to right: my son Mico, my lovely 10-year-old daughter Sam, our super-kulit 2-year old baby Megan and my sweetheart Pearl.

Also with us was Peter Parsons, the son of Chick Parsons - who led the secret submarine missions under Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Dr. Rico Jose of UP, an expert in WWII Philippine history. On the picture on top, Dr. Jose is the leftmost, Mr. Montague is at the center and Peter Parsons at the right. Organizing this sortie was Lucky Guillermo, who, with Peter Parsons have made several documentaries & a book related to the secret submarine missions in WWII.

More stories to come!