Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, Burgos, Ilocos Norte

Part 14 of a series
DAY 3

8:06am. It’s time to rise and shine for the 3rd day of our exploration of the Ilocos Provinces! This bird at the lobby of La Elliana Hotel served as our alarm clock. Ang ingay-ingay ng bird na ‘yan! As early as midnight tumitilaok na s’ya! Nagigising ako ng ‘di oras! Can you please identify the bird, Bird Lover Vanjohnn?

We had a good quick breakfast at the hotel’s own restaurant. Nothing special, just some -silog dishes. We immediately left the hotel after and then, went straight ahead to Burgos, Ilocos Norte!

We passed by the town of Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte at 8:43am. Pasuquin is already the 2nd town we passed by north of Laoag City (the first one being Baccara). My interest was piqued by their “Arch of Liberty”. Does anyone know what the signifance of the structure is?

The roads going further north are mostly coastal, thus, boasting panoramic views of the South China Sea.

The South China Sea as viewed from the coastal highway of Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte. Notice the seemingly vanishing horizon?

Steel bridges are common in provincial towns. That bridge in the photo above is just one of the few steel bridges we encountered in Pasuquin town alone.

For a few minutes, we were just all ‘oohhh’, ‘aaahhh’, and ‘wow’ as we were traversing the northwestern tip of Luzon island! Too bad I wasn’t able to take photos as I was enjoying the “moment”!

At 9:00am, we arrived on top of the hill in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, where the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse stands and this is the rewarding view you get from up there. I just don’t know if those two shanties on the photo are illegal settlers. Either way, they somehow spoiled the view.

The waves are racing their way to the coast of Burgos, Ilocos Norte. From on top of the hill, you can still actually hear the roaring waves!

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

They call it Faro Cabo Cape Bojeador, as it set majestically on a hill overlooking the South China Sea, located approximately 35 kilometers north of the City of Laoag. The lighthouse is the most accessible of all lighthouses in the north of Luzon Island.

It was built in 1892 and is still functioning to date, serving ships passing by the northern part of South China Sea. This is one of the famous historical landmarks in the province of Ilocos Norte.

It is the highest lighthouse in the Philippines above sea level on top of a hill named Vigia de Nagparitan (estimated at a total height of around 160 meters high; tower height = 17 meters approximate) and is located in the town of Burgos.

The lighthouse keeper advised us not to enter the lighthouse anymore as it is already aged and quite fragile BUT THEN, after our trip, I saw some recent photos from INSIDE the lighthouse being uploaded on Flickr. Oh well, that’s just one more reason why I should come back!

(…to be continued)