Exploring the North Part 1

January 2015 marked the first time Jesuit (yes, emphasis because I absolutely adore the Jesuits!) Pope Francis graced the Philippines with his presence. And though the best thing would have been to go all the way to Quirino to brave the rain, the heavy traffic, and the undoubtedly huge crowd, I instead went on a trip to Ilocos along with 11 other people I'm glad to call my friends. It was a stark contrast to the five-day weekend I would have otherwise had if I stayed -- far from being holy, to say the least -- but I can't say that I didn't enjoy every bit of it because as a matter of fact, I very much did.


This was something we had been planning since Christmas break and I'm just thankful to all our lucky stars that it actually pushed through. On my part, it was an immediate yes because I'd been dying to go see the North ever since I found out about Calle Crisologo. (Talk about vintage overload!)

It's been two weeks since the trip but with weekly YL6 exams and occasional quizzes to come home to, I haven't had much time to really process everything, hence, my mind is still pretty much a jumbled string of events and photographic memories of gorgeous places; something which this blog post would hopefully fix. So, all that said, here is Day 1.

Originally, the first thing to cross out on our itinerary was Calle Crisologo in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, but we arrived at 7am which was a few hours earlier than expected and our driver/guide told us that Calle establishments were still closed. To be honest, though, I wouldn't have minded going to a still asleep town as I read somewhere that Calle Crisologo was even more beautiful without the teeming tourists walking around the streets, but maybe that was just me. So instead, we went straight to Paoay Church and took our precious time admiring the centuries old architecture.

Paoay Church at 7:21am. It's nice to be greeted by sunrise on a first-time visit to a place like this. ♥

Next stop: Paoay Sand Dunes. If there's any good at all that can come from arriving early, it's that it wasn't even midday yet when we reached the sand dunes, which means that the sun didn't entirely roast us when we rode on the back of a 4x4 vehicle to see and appreciate everything around us. And the experience just kept getting better and better, especially when the ride started to get bumpier. (If you're into that whole adrenaline rush sort of thing, then this is totally worth staying under the sun for.) Also, walking barefoot on the cold sand felt really nice.

I guess one of the downside of holding the camera is that you invariably miss out on subjectively pretty photos much like this one.

Props to our drivers for knowing when and where to stop to take photos. Here, we're prepping for our failed attempt at a group jump shot because you know, nobody can ever really capture coolness. HAHAHA!

We did a bit of sand boarding too, something which I didn't particularly grow very fond of -- probably because I never really got the hang of it -- but my friends actually did. It just ended with me having two lame attempts, a sore bum, and sand all over my body -- not fun to clean, mind you.

I guess it's a staple in every tour to visit the Marcos mausoleum so we did. We also went to Malacañang ti Amianan (Malacañang of the North) where Marcos and his family would when they simply wanted to get away from it all. It's a pretty neat place, really. It even comes with a mini museum and a library filled with old books that Marcos owned. It did give me a lot of those 'damn I wish I lived in this period' thoughts that I get quite a lot, but since I'm very partial to Spanish colonization era interior design, I was too lazy to take a lot of photos. I felt the same way with the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos. Perhaps it's just one of those things that I'm better off admiring from afar.

 My kind of look-up club; an old church that's name I cannot now recall but is beautiful regardless.

And then there was Kapurpurawan, the other sight I couldn't wait to have beheld. Everything about it was so overwhelmingly beautiful, and I struggled to breathe it all in. The cold wind during our visit was perfect, and the waves that it produced clashing against one another easily spelled 'romantic'/'poetic.' Then and there, I wished I could have brought my journal. I guess the fact that we were literally at the edge of the country helped bring me into the reflective mood that I suddenly found myself in. Thank god for the iPhone notes app!

 This place, I swear, is the stuff of pirate treasure legends!

We also got a chance to see the famous Bangui windmills up close but since it was already raining (and because I stupidly decided to leave my lens hood at home), I decided it was enough pictures for one day. Also, I was very tired owing to everything that had happened. So, after a group shot by the shore, we called it a day and went straight to our hotel.

In truth, the visit to Calle Crisologo would have completed my day but I guess you could say that even without it, the entire thing was still perfect. Everything was so picturesque, it was overwhelming. All the time we were there, especially in Kapurpurawan, I kept wishing that Ilocos wasn't so far away, because I definitely would go back in a heartbeat if I could. And one day, I will. And each time that I do, I imagine I'll always look back to this first trip with my Infin8. BEST TRANS GROUP EVER. ♥

P.S. Stay tuned for part 2. :)

(Edit) here's part 2: http://www.thewunderkind.net/2015/02/exploring-north-part-2.html