This one took a bit of time to write. Actually, it’s starting to write that was the hardest. We had so many places to see, so many things to do, so many laps to swim, and so many food to eat that I just found myself happily exhausted. We arrived in Pagudpud, the third leg of our Northern Exposure trip, two days ago. We left Vigan at around 9:00am on a bus to Laoag, then transferred to a St. Joseph bus to Pagudpud. At 1:30pm, we got off the town plaza of Pagudpud, surprised by the number of people that had gathered. Apparently, former president Erap Estrada, Jejomar Binay, and Juan Ponce Enrile was arriving to address the crowd. As was the tradition ever since we stepped onto Vigan, we had been eating empanada everyday. And conveniently, there was an empanada vendor at the plaza! Curiously, I asked her who her candidate was and her reply was, “kung sino mananalo” (whoever will win), which kind of reflects the sad state of politics here. For the record, I have chosen my president to be Dick Gordon. We soon found out that we were at the wrong place; we didn’t know we were supposed to ride the Cagayan Valley bus to our hotel, Hannah’s Beach Resort. After several minutes trying to hitch a ride, a van driver offered to charge us to drive us to Hannah’s for P500. When we got to the Blue Lagoon beach just across Hannah’s Beach Resort, the view was breathtaking!

Courtesy of Leon’s brand new Omnia Pro

Never have I seen a bluer sky, a cleaner, more tranquil sea, inside a cove that seems to offer its loving protective mountains around us at the same time implies the openness of the wide South China Sea. On the day after, our driver, Mr. Ed Galat (the same driver that brought us to Hannah’s) toured us around Pagudpud for P2,500 (if you need a van and driver, you can contact Ed through his cellphone 09208274972). First stop was the rocky coastline past the Blue Lagoon. The person on the rocks is Rommel taking pictures up-close. Next up was the Patapat Viaduct And then we went to a small shrine at the side of the road called Paraiso ni Anton. There was a small stream of water flowing down the rocks, and it was said that drinking that water had some supernatural effect on the body. We drank the water, regardless if we believed it or not, and it was quite refreshing. We then went to the Kabigan Falls. It was a 30-minute hike to get to the falls, but the swim at the base of the falls was worth it. We then had buko juice after the 30-minute hike back out. We had lunch in Pagudpud just across the town plaza at a local carinderia (a small eatery where you just point to what food they happen to be serving at the time) before heading out towards the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse. The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse was a very high and very old lighthouse and you can reach the top through a set of very steep stairs. It’s not for the faint of heart, and although it was a must-visit place, the space up top didn’t give for much shooting. Our last stop was one of the main tourist spots we wanted to visit on this whole trip. It was definitely the climax of our journey. The Bangui Windfarm is even more impressive when you’re standing below the towering windmills; the low whoosh of the propeller blades as they slice through the air is very audible. This has been Batch6 reporting from Bangui Windfarm (not exactly, we’re already in Laoag as I’m typing this) saying COME VISIT ILOCOS!!! Stay tuned for the next post about Laoag. Northern Exposure posts: http://www.livingunderimagination.com/category/travel/northern-exposure/ Feed URL: http://www.livingunderimagination.com/feed/