Windy and Far-Flung Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

October 28-29, 2007. The last stop to our Ilocos trip, though we spent less than 24 hours in this place. From Vigan City we had to ride a bus to Laoag City for an hour and a half, then another hour and a half to Pagudpud. We arrived at Polaris Beach Resort in Barangay Saud at past 5pm with light rain tailing us. From the town of Bangui (where the windmills are), you'll already feel the strong winds and see the cloudy skies ahead. I almost expected a storm ('cause that's how it felt like). The owner of the resort said that the gloomy weather is normal in Pagudpud in the months of October to December. Nevertheless, its no bad timing for me as I was able to get good shots of the beach and the weather's just fine with the sun hiding behind the clouds. Good thing the rain was light enough to ignore. The waves though are too strong even at low tide, its a bit scary swimming specially if you're not that good like me (that's South China Sea for you).




Despite the delay in arriving at the resort and a few glitches with the resort's service (paghintayin ba naman ang mga gutom), we were able to enjoy the last hours of our stay, though we weren't able to see the Cape Bojeador lighthouse and the Bangui Windmills up close as there wasn't enough time for a side trip. The long walk to the rocky beach past Saud Beach Resort and all the other hotels was comforting because of the view and the windy weather. I don't even remember seeing most of the sights though I've been to Pagudpud 7 years ago. Perhaps the weather gives it a different look... or maybe its more developed now that's why its a bit unrecognizable apart from its golden sands and strong waves.



We almost got delayed checking out of the resort because we couldn't get enough of the view. I took more than 200 shots in Pagudpud beach alone... and that's only in a span of 3 hours. Our swimming time was only about 20 minutes on our way back to the resort, and we forgot to apply sunblock. We thought we wouldn't be able to swim because of the weather, but with a beach as beautiful as this, who could resist?

The Ilocos Highway

The road to Ilocos is long and winding and filled with great sights. Its a nature lover's delight that's why I barely slept during the long ride.

Historic Ilocos Churches

October 26-29, 2007. An Ilocos tour would not be complete without seeing its historic churches. We weren't able to cover them all, but we were lucky enough to see three of these landmarks: Sta. Maria Church, St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral and Laoag's Sinking Bell Tower.



The Sta. Maria Church in Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur was built in 1769 and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. A very picturesque church in a quiet town. If my digicam's battery wasn't drained, there would've been more shots. Thank God for my SE W800i or else there wouldn't be any pictures of this church to post.

 

St. Paul's Cathedral is located in Vigan City. It was built by the Augustinian friars and has a "distinct "Earthquake Baroque" style of the Ilocos region and features Neo-Gothic and pseudo Romanesque motifs," according to www.dotpcvc.gov.ph. The full moon gave the night shots an eerie feel, and if you look closely you'll see orbs. Spooky.


Seeing the Sinking Bell Tower was only by accident as we we only made a stopover to Laoag City for half an hour before going to Pagudpud. We only ate a quick lunch (at 3:00 pm) before proceeding to the bus terminal. Good thing I remembered to buy my contact lens solution from an optical shop which incidentally sits in front of the bell tower. So I got my digicam and took some photos. If you find the shots a bit off-center, that's because the Sinking Bell Tower sinks an inch every year, much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa... But the good thing is it's still working just like the bell tower in Sta. Maria. Unfortunately, the Sinking Bell Tower is 85 meters away from the church so we weren't able to get a peek at St. William's Church, which is older than the Paoay Church also located in Ilocos Norte.

If churches here were as beautiful as these ones, I'd probably hear mass everyday. =)