Last Day in Ilocos
I’ve never been the fastest blogger, but I swore to finish writing about my Ilocos trip before my next trip. But alas, here I am resting in my hostel room and trying to at least make up for my overwhelming backlog!
Ilocos was lovely down to our last hour in it. During our last day, we did a lot of touring old houses, churches, and museums. We sadly didn’t get inside the Marcus Museum and Mausoleum because there’s no electricity! I don’t think it’s much of a waste though. I had a good time touring the old mansions, particularly Juan Luna’s Ilocos home in the north and the Syquia masion in Vigan. They both have tour guides, too, and I always enjoy learning a bit about history. Not my strongest subject, but I still enjoy learning something new.
However, the Crisologo ancestral home gave me the creeps! Not just me, too. We all felt a little chill while inside the house, maybe due to the owners rather violent and bloody history. We couldn’t even finish touring it!
After the Crisologo museum, things didn’t turn out that well. Our tour guide dropped us off Cafe Herencia along Calle Crisologo and we spent the remaining time in the cafe. One by one, we started feeling unwell. So instead of seeing the most famous street in Vigan, we just stayed inside. It started raining too so we basically had no choice. Heh. We still saw Vigan’s beauty at night, and that’s something that will always be welcome.
I definitely want to go back to Ilocos because of the food! I swear, it was the food that I enjoyed the most. To think we didn’t even get to try empanada and longganisa! Or maybe we deliberately didn’t so we’ll always have a reason to come back. 😉
Samtoy Books
During our stay in Laoag, we had a quick stop at Samtoy Books. It’s located at the second floor of La Tabacalera Lifestyle Center just above Johnny Moon Café, so it’s pretty easy to spot. I really planned to visit the place because I heard that they have a pretty good collection of Filipino literature, and they sure did! They also have tons of secondhand books.
What caught my attention is their little reading corner where visitors can stay and just read any of the books in the place for just 5PHP per hour. That’s quite a bargain! If I were from Laoag, I’d probably spend most of my weekends there.
From the way Gee, the clerk, interacted with us, it’s obvious how they really try to connect with their customers. They really give an impression that they’re here not just to sell books, but to engage customers in reading. They have a little wishlist board where visitors can leave requests on books they want to see in the shelves. It’s just like Booksale but with a lot more creative touch to it.
Samtoy Books has that laid-back atmosphere that will entice any book reader. Just running my hands through the books stacked on tables make me want to pick one and huddle in a couch. All of a sudden, I have a dream business.
I may have left Samtoy with no book in hand, but I assure you, I left with so many ideas. I didn’t realize that I was actually looking for such a bookstore. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cozy little bookstore where you can stay all day just reading? A bookstore with a little café inside will be perfect! Before I’d been to this bookstore, I didn’t realize that I’ve been dreaming of such bookstore! It may not be the business that will make me a millionaire, but I’d love to have such store. That’ll be amazing. Just reading all day and interacting with people who love the same things I do: books and coffee.
Anyway, if you’re in Laoag, make sure to drop by Laoag. It’s at the heart of the plaza, and it’ll be a shame if you’ll miss it.
Samtoy Books
2nd Floor La tabacalera Ilocano Lifestyle Center
beside Museo Ilocos Norte
www.facebook.com/SamtoyBooks
La Paz San Dunes, Laoag
Sand boarding in Laoag wasn’t originally part of our itinerary. We were on a budget so sand boarding was out of the question. But at the very last minute, we decided to drop the option of trying the zipline in Pagudpud and just opted for sand boarding. Turns out we’ll be spending the same amount for both! I’m quite confident that we made the right decision.
There are many groups offering sand boarding in Laoag, but our agency directed us to Laoag Sand Dunes Experience spearheaded by the Pinakbet Group. The contact details are in their Facebook page! For the three of us, we paid a total of 2,500 for a 30-minute 4×4 ride and unlimited sand boarding experience. It was worth it! I swear, it definitely tops my list of favorite things to do in Ilocos. So yes, it’s a must when you visit Laoag.
We arrived just at daybreak and we were rewarded with a spectacular view of Laoag! I think trying the experience early in the morning is a lot better than doing it in the afternoon. It wasn’t so hot and the view of the Laoag sunrise was amazing! So yes, I definitely recommend this activity.
The 4×4 ride wasn’t as easy as it seems. Actually, I didn’t expect anything since I thought we’d just be riding. But it turns out that you really have to hold on to the railing if you don’t want to get thrown off. And it hurts the chest when you don’t hold on properly! It was an excruciating 15 minutes till we learned how to actually hold the bar. Hehe.
When we got on the spot where we’d be sand boarding, another group had already started. They were slipping and falling down and it just looked so difficult! And painful! A part of me vowed to just sit down the entire time, but we realized that we’d probably be missing out quite a lot if we didn’t try standing up. And after trying standing up, we no longer want to sit down!
A thousand slips and falls later, we were still desperately trying to learn how to sandboard. An hour later, I still didn’t know how. Haha! I only succeeded once and that’s during my first try. The next tries, I was on my butt after a few seconds. I never got the hang of it simply because I don’t know how to balance. Our instructor told me to find my center but I didn’t really understand what he means?
I may not have learned how to properly sand board, but at least I knew how to properly land on my butt. My friends Eunise and Iris successfully landed face first, and I’m proud to say that it didn’t happen to me. Wahaha. When it starts to feel like I’m about to stumble, I sit down. I did not want to eat sand. Heh.
I am so tempted to upload our videos but they need further editing. I need to cover our cruel laughter whenever someone lands face first.
I had an obligatory photo with our wicked ride because it’s not everyday that I get on such truck. I do want to go back and try sand boarding again. Maybe next time I’ll actually learn how to sand board not just on luck but because I actually understand how to find my center.
Seriously, though, how the hell do you find your center?
From Laoag to Pagudpud
A month has passed since my Ilocos trip, and good thing for photos because it’s getting difficult to blog from memories alone!
Our second day was spent on exploring Ilocos Norte, and thanks to J2F Escapades Tours and Travel for being our tour guide that day! I’m not big on package tours but it turns out that public transpo isn’t that accessible in Ilocos Norte. Bringing our own ride is out of the question, and we don’t really want to try the tricycle tours. So yes, I highly recommend that you try J2F’s tour as well, because it really made our vacation comfortable. It’s also affordable, and they made sure that we set our own pace! All’s good.
We left our hotel in Laoag at around 8AM since we wanted a really early start. They arranged a one-day Ilocos itinerary so that we’d pass by many spots on the way to Pagudpud. Our first stop was a bakery!
I didn’t know Ilocos specialized in biscocho but apparently they did! I love biscocho! I’m a bread person (lol), and I’m just willing to try any kind of bread. Pasuquin Bakery is named after the town itself, Pasuquin. They sell soft and normal biscocho. I regret not buying the soft biscocho! Since it’s quite a big package, I worried about how I’d carry it home. But it turns out that it’s the soft biscocho that’s really good? But the toasted one I bought was good, too, so I don’t regret it much. In my opinion, any biscocho is good. (Actual biscocho not pictured. Haha.)
After Biscocho-shopping, we went to the salt factory! Okay, calling it a factory is probably a bit of a stretch. The place looked like a big kubo but once you enter, it’s not. Haha. Another thing I didn’t know about Ilocos is that they’re a big producer of salt. I seriously thought that salt only comes from sea water but apparently there are other ways of producing it. [Read more…]