Part 4 of the Libotero Baguio-Banaue Roadtrip series

DAY 1.

Inaugurated only last year, this 30-ft. Rotary Wheel by the Rotary Club of Hundred Islands (RCHI) can’t be missed when passing through the Marcos Highway in Pugo, La Union.

From La Union Province, one can take any of the 3 major roads up to Baguio City. These are the Marcos Highway (now the Aspiras-Palispis Highway), Naguilian Road and Kennon Road.

During bitter and nasty weather conditions when Kennon Road is closed to vehicular traffic to avoid encounters with landslides, travellers can take the Aspiras Highway (formerly called Marcos Highway) in going up to Baguio City. By car, it takes about an hour to go through the whole 49.2-kilometer stretch from Agoo, La Union to Baguio.

It was only last year when I learned that Marcos Highway has been renamed into two: Jose Aspiras Highway for the Agoo, La Union to Benguet boundary stretch and Ben Palispis Highway for the Benguet boundary to Baguio City stretch. I was quite intrigued by the change of name. Why do we always change the names of just about everything? Upon further research, I learned that the act of renaming was done 10 years ago! Republic Act 8971 of October 21, 2000 states that: The Agoo-Tubao-Pugo section of the Agoo-Baguio Road situated in the Province of La Union, Region 1, is hereby named the Jose D. Aspiras Highway. The Benguet-Baguio City section of the same road beginning at the La Union-Benguet provincial boundary traversing the Province of Benguet and the City of Baguio in the Cordillera Region, is hereby named the Ben Palispis Highway.

Alright, so the highway has been renamed. But who are these people? I tried to google their names and here’s what I learned… From Wikipedia, Jose D. Aspiras was a Filipino politician. He was one of Ferdinand Marcos’s cabinet member, likewise, responsible of the creation of Agoo as a first class municipality. Meanwhile, Ben Palispis was a former governer of Benguet who was responsible for the attainment of the university status of the Baguio State University.

Okay, it seems that the name changes are relevant but I don’t think they’re necessary. Well, whatever, we can’t do anything but rant…

Hello Ben Palispis Highway! At 11:48am, we were already at the Benguet boundary – Baguio City stretch of the Marcos Highway, a.k.a. Ben Palispis Highway!

Uh-Oh! The weather condition seemed to be deteriorating…

11:56am… For optimistic peeps, clouds lingering low on the road can be a lovely sight, but for negative peeps, start worrying for zero visibility!

Nature calling while on the road? Not a problem!

12:09pm Heavy rain was about to pour… Visibility was very low, good thing this Honda City was ahead of us to give us the “guiding light”

About 10 kilometers before finally reaching Baguio City is a concrete tunnel which was constructed along a landslide prone stretch of the Marcos, err Ben Palispis Highway. In the photo above, you can clearly see the thick fog blanketing the tunnel. On clear weather conditions, one can see the wide expanse of green vegetation below and the South China Sea on the horizon.

…inside the tunnel

When we got past the tunnel, the driving conditions were better. Not much fog and much clearer views! Silver Swan welcomes us to Baguio City!

…another view of the tunnel

12:24pm, WELCOME TO BAGUIO CITY! Finally!

…the rolling hills of Baguio

(…to be continued)

Part 3 of the Libotero Baguio-Banaue Roadtrip series

DAY 1.

After our brief stopover in Luisita, Tarlac for breakfast, we immediately resumed our roadtrip. At 8:08am, we were at the roads once again.

9:18am. Hello Pangasinan!

SM City Rosales. SM City Rosales is a shopping mall owned by SM Prime Holdings. Soft opening was on November 28, 2008 and its Grand opening on May 15, 2009. It is located along MacArthur Highway in Barangay Carmen East, Rosales, Pangasinan. It is the first SM Supermall in the province of Pangasinan. One could just wonder why on earth there’s an SM mall in the middle of nowhere but I guess it’s the strong purchasing power of the north. On October 08, 2009, the mall was not spared from Typhoon Pepeng as floodwaters enter the basement and ground floor levels of the mall. Merchandise and fixtures owned by the mall’s tenants were swept away by the raging torrent. The mall’s rooftop was utilized by a military chopper who rescued evacuees from other nearby affected places to bring them safely inside the mall. The mall re-opened for public last November 27, 2009.

ATTENTION: Urdaneta City Government/DPWH/Power Utilities

CB Mall, designed by Palafox Associates, one of the country’s top urban planners, is the newest shopping center in Pangasinan. The mall is located along the McArthur highway in Urdaneta City and is anchored by Super 8 Grocery.

I hope that by today, this project has already been completed as it stalled us for almost an hour. Our supposed travel time savings from Laguna to Tarlac was almost put to waste.

The massive Urdaneta City Public Market, one of the cleanest in the country. It looks like a ship by the way.

11:14am. Hello La Union!

Mini Banaue Rice Terraces. LOL!

Pugo, La Union, located at the foot of the Santo Tomas Mountain Range is one of the entry points to the Marcos Highway.

(…to be continued)

Part 32 of a series
DAY 4

We continued to drive south all the way to our home in Laguna and passed by these landmarks.

10:47am. St. Stephen Church in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur

11:08am. St. John of Sahagun Church in Candon, Ilocos Sur

11:14am. Candon City Hall

11:42am.The Amburayan Bridge, a reminder that we were finally exiting the province of Ilocos Sur.

11:47am. St. Christopher Bangarenos Church in Bangar, La Union.

11:55am. San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Balaoan, La Union.

1:02pm. St. William the Hermit Church in San Fernando, La Union.

1:17pm. Church in Bauang, La Union.

1:24pm. A fruit stand in Bauang, La Union.

1:49pm. Jose D. Aspiras Civic Center in Agoo, La Union

Town Square in Agoo, La Union

2:50pm. Urdaneta City Hall, Pangasinan

3:07pm. Villasis Town Hall, Pangasinan

3:19pm. Sprinklers, watering the farmlands in Pangasinan.

(…to be continued)

Part 31 of a series
DAY 4

After our visit to Chavit’s Baluarte in Vigan, we then headed to Bantay, Ilocos Sur, to check out its famed church and belltower.

Bantay, Ilocos Sur is a small town very close to Vigan City. One cannot enter/exit Vigan without passing by Bantay. The town is popular mainly because of its Bell Tower that is perched on top of a hill. You can’t miss it when you take the national highway going south of the province of Ilocos Sur. Bantay also has a beautiful elaborate church. It was built during the Spanish period (1530s). The architectural design was influenced by the Europeans although it was built under the Spanish regime by the local people. The church was built through forced labor and slavery during the Spanish period.

The church features earthquake baroque and Gothic-influenced architecture. Its belfry located a few meters away was used as a lookout point for approaching enemies. The church’s patron is “Our Lady of Charity”

After our brief visit to Bantay’s Church and Belltower, it was “all systems go”. Nothing could stop us. We were finally leaving Ilocandia and heading to our home in Laguna.

10:11am. The Quirino Bridge, as we passed by on our way back to the National Capital Region.

(…to be continued)

Part 30 of a series
DAY 4

More of Baluarte: Animalandia.

The “first and only” white deers in the Philippines. Really?

I assume the deers’ ears were pierced just to have those tags on?!

The deers feasting on their breakfast.

The “vastness” of Baluarte.

The rabbit, quite anxious about having a picture of him taken.

The camel, so game about posing in front of the camera. He says, “Say prune and you’ll have nice pouting lips”. =D

Ruffa, the lone ranger.

Ruffa is the one and only orangutan in the Baluarte. Poor and lonely creature. =(

Orangutan.
Scientific name: Pongo Abelii
Origin: Only found in the islands of Sumatra and Borneo
Diet: Bark, leaves, flowers, a variety of insects, and most importantly, more than 300 kinds of fruit
Size: Males often weigh over 200 pounds, where females are 1/3 to 1/2 his size
Trivia: They have an ability to reason and think. They are classified as one of our closest relatives, sharing 97% of the same DNA as humans.

One of the tigers in Baluarte. I am not sure whether this tiger is Harry, the friendliest among all the tigers in Baluarte and also the most popular animal in the mini-zoo.

Oh look, we finally spotted the man behind it all, Mr. Chavit Singson, while touring a special guest around the Baluarte. (The girl looks like a hybrid of Katya Santos and Chesca Garcia).

Here are more photos taken at the Baluarte. Unfortunately, they were taken from my brother’s camphone since I have already consumed my camera’s 2GB memory card during that instance. (My other SD cards were left in the car).

The Porch of Chavit’s Mansion in Baluarte.

The Pool Area.

More tigers and lions.

White Peacock.

Butterfly Farm.

(…to be continued)

Libotero is back to regular programming. Here is the 29th installment to the Ilocos Roadtrip series, now on its final week!

Part 29 of a series
DAY 4

After breakfast, we readied ourselves to check out of Vigan Plaza Hotel.

We were already about to leave Vigan and officially end our escapades in Ilocandia when dad suddenly realized (God must have poked him. LOL.) that since we travelled so long just to reach the Enchanting Ilocos Region, we should make the most out of it so we decided to check out Luis “Chavit” Singson’s Baluarte (which was originally not part of our itinerary). And we did not regret our decision. Why?

BALUARTE, Chavit’s home in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, is one of the top tourist destinations in Ilocos Sur. It stands on a hill and provides an awesome panoramic view of the city. The Baluarte is approximately 20 hectares with a mini zoo, shooting range, and a chapel, among others. Access to the mini zoo, where Chavit’s numerous pets can be found is free for everyone, as the respectable gentleman considers this as a gift to the people. (There as signs in the park assuring us that access to the zoo shall remain free for as long as Chavit “can still afford its maintenance”. We can help him by buying pet food sold at the zoo. By doing so, we didn’t just help Chavit provide such a wonderful gift to the people but also experience the fulfilling feeling of feeding animals.)

Baluarte’s Cute Pink Chapel. (BF inspired? LOL)

Some of the animals at the Baluarte:

Indian Star Tortoise.
Scientific name: Geochelone elegans
Origin: India and Sri Lanka
Diet: Mostly herbivorous and feed on grass, fallen fruits, flowers and leaves of succulent plants
Size: 6-12 inches
Trivia: The Indian Star Tortoise got its name from the radiating star patterns on its shell

Empty. Where’s the tortoise?!

Albino Burmese Python.
Scientific name: Python molorus bivittatus
Origin: Southeast Asia
Diet: Rats, rabbits and poultry
Length: 7 meters (23 feet)
Weight: 91 kilograms (200 pounds)
Trivia: It is one of the 6 biggest snakes of the world

Indian Rock Python.
Scientific name: Python molorus
Origin: Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands
Diet: Mammals, birds and reptiles
Length: 4 meters
Trivia: They have rudimentary limbs situated on each of the anal vent

Palm Civet Cat. also known as the ‘Asian Palm Civet’, ‘Musang’ or the ‘Toddy Cat’
Scientific name: Paradoxurus hermaphrodites
Origin: Himalayas and southern China, to the Philippines, the Malay peninsula and the Indonesian islands
Diet: Primary food source are fruits. Will tend to eat lizards, eggs and insects as well.
Size: weighs around 3.2 kilograms (7 pounds) and has a body length of 53 centimeters (21 inches)
Trivia: The Palm Civet droppings produce one of the finest and expensive coffee bean that sells for more than $100 per pound.

Green Iguana.
Scientific name: Iguana iguana
Origin: Central America, Paraguay and Mexico
Diet: Fruits, vegetables and flower buds
Length: 4 to 6 feet from head to tail
Weight: 11 pounds
Trivia: It can drop down from 50 feet without getting hurt because of its tough skin

Luzon Hornbill. ‘Calao de manillae’
Scientific name: Penelopides manillae
Origin: Endemic to the Philippines
Diet: Fruits, insects and small animals
Size: 21 inches in total length
Trivia: They cannot swallow food caught at the tip of their beak as their tongues are too short to manipulate it , so they toss it back to the throat with a jerk of the head.

Nicobar Pigeon.
Scientific name: Caloenas nicobarica
Origin: Southeast Asia, Nicobar Islands (India), New Guinea and as far north as the Philippines
Diet: Seeds, berries and insects
Size: 41 centimeters
Trivia: It is one of the most beautiful of the many species of pigeons or doves.

Awww, shy bird!

Sniff, I forgot the details of this beautiful creature.

The parrots that welcomed us as they cheered, “Panget ka!” (You’re ugly!). Funny, yeah. But of all the words in the world, why those? They should have chosen words that were as colorful as the wings of these lovely birds. =)

Ostrich.

Big Bird!

Chavit’s mansion perched on top of a hill. You can also see a lighthouse, under construction. It will soon be another attraction in the Baluarte. (as of this posting, the lighthouse is already complete)

(…to be continued)

Part 28 of a series
DAY 4

I was not able to take photos of the exteriors of the Vigan Plaza Hotel because it was raining during our arrival so now, let me share to you how it looks like from the outside.

The upper levels of the Vigan Plaza Hotel.

Free breakfast at the Vigan Plaza Hotel.

Hot chocolate. Yum!

Orange juice. Nope, it’s not fresh. I assume it’s powdered orange juice. Hmm, Tang or Eight o’ Clock?

The main dish. Garlic rice + egg (you decide how it will be cooked) + tocino (you decide between a Pinoy or Continental/American breakfast). I love the tocino. It was of the sweet variant, which I love. The garlic rice was also good, it wasn’t oily at all.

More paintings by David T. Pichay.

Vigan Metropolitan Cathedral

“Neonatal”

At the hotel lobby is a framed photo comparing the state of the hotel before and after its restoration.

I assume she is the original owner of the Vigan Plaza Hotel.

(…to be continued)

Part 27 of a series
DAY 4

In my previous posts, I have shown to you how Vigan looks like in the afternoon and in the evening. Now, let me share to you how the place looks like during early morning.

This is how Calle Crisologo looks like at 7:06am. Empty. Deserted.

But with the emptiness, you can’t help but notice how the houses are not so well-maintained.

I know that it’s such a pain to preserve the streets and the architecture but the concerned agencies should take the step further since these heritage structures are among the main attractions of Vigan and if they fail in preserving these, the tourism moolah is going, going gone.

Aside from the tourism moolah though, it would be wonderful if the future generations still have something to give them an idea of the Philippines’ yesteryears.

Calle Crisologo is where you could find almost all of Vigan’s souvenir shops. But most of them open in the afternoon already.

There’s one odd thing in the photo below that I wasn’t even able to notice when I was taking the photo.

Goodness, there’s a kid sleeping on the tartanilla. Poor kid.

The Leona Florentino Monument and its environs

Girl Scouts of the Philippines

Vigan is one of the most peaceful places in the Philippines, with one of the lowest crime rates in the country. While that is already enough to assure me of our security in Vigan, I found this when I was looking up for photo opportunities.

A CCTV camera! Even most of the larger, more developed and more urban cities don’t have such facility. Kudos to Vigan!

Tongson’s Royal Bibingka. A visit to Vigan will never be complete without tasting Vigan’s famous Royal Bibingka. It’s not your usual flour-based bibingka but instead, it is made of viscous rice topped off with cheese. It’s sweet and sticky. Yum. Yum. For those planning to visit Vigan, never ever forget to taste their Royal Bibingka or you’ll miss half your life!

Plaza Burgos and its environs.

(…to be continued)

Part 26 of a series
DAY 3

Unknown to many, Vigan also has its own nightlife. The only difference maybe is that their parties start and end earlier. When I was exploring every corner of the Vigan Plaza Hotel, I found this: Sitio Bar

At 7:06pm, I already overheard some ladies screaming their throats out.

8:22pm. We decided to get out of the hotel to check out how Vigan is during nighttime.

Just across the Vigan Plaza Hotel is Plaza Salcedo where the El Shaddai was holding their Rock for Jesus program. You can really see the passion among the crowd as they jumped, sang, danced and partied hard for joy and thanksgiving to the Lord.

Leono Florentino Monument. The text on the plaque reads: Leona Florentino was born on April 19, 1848 and was a famous Ilocana poet, satirist, and playwright during the Spanish Period. Through her exemplary works, she was able to gain international recognition. She is the daughter of Marcelino and Isabel Florentino. Her works were translated in different languages but the original copies were destroyed during the Philippine Revolution. Don Isabelo de los Reyes, the Father of Philippine Labor Movement, is her son. She died on October 4, 1884, leaving a legacy to the Filipino people as the most outstanding woman writer during the Spanish era.

At the back of the Leona Florentino monument is Max’s Restaurant (with Free WiFi) which is among the commercial establishments that made an effort to harmonize with the heritage structures in the city.

In previous installments of this series, I shared with you how Calle Crisologo looks like in the afternoon. Now, let me share to you how it looks like at night.

Calle Crisologo Street Marker

It was raining when we arrived in Vigan. It was a blessing in disguise though, since it added a shining effect on the cobblestones along Calle Crisologo.

I wasn’t able to bring a tripod with me. So, to be able to take decent night shots (which usually need long exposure times), I looked for a stable and sturdy object to lean my camera on and I found this bench. Fortunately, benches like the one in the photo below were spread throughout Calle Crisologo.

(…to be continued)

Part 25 of a series
DAY 3

While in Saud, we reviewed our itinerary for the day and realized that for us to reach Bauang, La Union before dusk, we’d have to drive straight, without any more stopovers before our destination. But I suggested that we’d spend the night in Vigan instead because I didn’t want us to to race with time. I wanted time to race with us instead. I wanted to make the most out of the moment since I realized that we rarely embark on long and tiring roadtrips like this, especially for dad, our ever patient driver. I was thinking that this opportunity, to explore places thousands of kilometers away from home, happens once in a blue moon and I didn’t want to regret about not having been able to explore some beautiful places that you can find nowhere else.

Mom and dad agreed. Yipee! So, I then called all the Vigan hotels listed in the M.A.D (map-atlas-directory) we brought (since I was the official map holder, reader and what-have-you) but unfortunately all of the hotels were fully booked (April is one of the peak months of Vigan for tourists). There was still one hotel that I wasn’t able to call though, the Vigan Plaza Hotel. We were quite hesitant because the hotel was the most expensive in Vigan (according to the M.A.D.) and we did not want to spend much on accommodations since we’d just sleep the night there anyway but hey, we had no choice because we’d have to spend the night in Vigan or else we would find ourselves lost in the middle of a deserted and dark Ilocos road. So Vigan Plaza Hotel it was.

6:52pm. We arrived in Vigan and it was raining! It was still quite bright though because the sun has just set (The sun sets later in the North since it is farther from the equator). We parked right in front of the Vigan Plaza Hotel. Good thing there was a huge canopy assuring us that we won’t get wet. The bellboy was also prompt with his huge umbrella and he carried all of our luggage.

Our Room.

The dorm-type room, good for 6 people (we were 7 but there were 2 kids so they can share a bed), was worth P6,000 a night! But when we entered the room…

Wow, it’s all worth it! A very beautiful room, with 2 shower rooms and 2 toilets. Finally, the whole family shared a room together. (Unlike in Tarlac and in Laoag where we had to get 2 rooms.) Aside from that, we were also given 6 complimentary breakfast stubs. Amazing!

Vigan Plaza Hotel’s main hallway

One of the reasons why dad was quite hesitant about staying in Vigan was that he’s afraid we might stay in a haunted house/room. But I know it was a joke though since dad isn’t a scaredy cat, unlike me. Lol. But, err, did I just capture a ghost?!

Mumu?!

The upper levels of the hotel. Looking at that open window with exposed curtains freaks me out!

Some paintings and works of art by David T. Pichay are hung at the walls of Vigan Plaza Hotel’s main hallway.

Painter Profile

Some paintings of David Pichay

(…to be continued)