Baguio: The Manor at Camp John Hay prepares a dinner feast!

The Manor at Camp John Hay served the most memorable dinner during the entire Lakbay Norte trip. You have to give it to the Baguio Convention and Visitors Bureau (BCVB) for preparing a feast for us. And welcoming us to the dinner was none other than Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista, Jr.

Also there to welcome us was Atty. Damaso Bangaoet, Jr., the father of the Panagbenga Festival which is being held this month.


And to make sure the food was nothing but perfect, renowned chef Billy King, the man who brought Le Soufflé to Manila and now the secret behind the gastronomic magic of The Manor in Camp John Hay's Le Chef Restaurant, personally supervised his staff of chefs and waiters.



It was indeed a grand selection that included soup, salad, sushi and sashimi, juicy roast beef slices, grilled meats and vegetables on skewers, bowls of Mongolian barbecue, home-made sausages with salsa, and irresistible desserts (it was strawberry overload), more than enough to fill our stomachs. After our third or fourth servings, we all gave up!

For the night, I also stayed at The Manor. The rooms were spacious, cozy, and nicely layed-out. I wish we could have slept longer. But we had to be up early the next day. Breakfast would have also been a feast! But I wasn't able to enjoy it due to our tight schedule.

The Manor, Camp John Hay
+63 74 4240931 to 43 / 50 to 53
+63 2 8450892 / 8450911
reservations@cjhhotels.com

La Union: Surfing lessons with the Billabong Surf School in San Juan

San Juan, La Union has become very popular because of surfing. And one of the better places to learn is the Billabong Surf School of the San Juan Surf Resort, popularly called the Surf Camp.


Right after a great morning in Ilocos Norte, we went straight to La Union for surfing lessons. And training the group was Luke Landrigan himself, Asian Beach Games silver medalist and owner of the Billabong Surf School, together with his pool of local surfers.

It's obvious the group had a lot of fun! Lessons at Surf Camp are Php400 per hour, inclusive of board rental. You can call them up also for accommodation. Aircon rooms start at Php1,260. Fan rooms are start at Php650.

La Union Surf Resort (Surf Camp)
Brgy. Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union
+63 72 7200340

Ilocos Norte: Paoay Church, Lake Paoay & Batac empanada

Paoay Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a must-visit when in Ilocos Norte. After the exciting 4x4 ride and sandboarding at the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes, and a brief stopover at the Lake Paoay View Deck, we proceeded to the Paoay Church.

This fortress-like church, rising like a mirage in the middle a vast square, is so unique in the country since its heavy set buttresses and finials give the church a silhouette similar to Asian temples. It is also considered by art critics as the pinnacle of earthquake Baroque architecture.


The construction of the Paoay Church began in 1694 and was completed sometime between 1702 to 1710. It was damaged on several occasions and repaired in 1865 and from 1889 to 1896, with its rededication at the onset of the Philippine Revolution.

Church expert Regalado Trota Jose mentions in his book that Paoay’s ceiling was once painted with murals similar to that of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. This however is no longer in existence today since one would only see wooden trusses as well as an exposed roof.


As Fr. Pedro Galende notes, “There is massiveness, movement, integration and above all, a forceful sweep of illusion that say a great deal about Filipino ingenuity. The result is an outstanding and undeniably Filipino type of architecture, neither Baroque nor Gothic, neither European nor Mexican, but authentically Filipino.”

Indeed, the Paoay Church stands as a testament to the immense creativity and ingenuity of the Filipino craftsmen who built its massive walls. It serves as a reminder for the current and future generations of Filipinos that heritage must be preserved and valued if we are to move forward as a nation.


After taking photos, the group proceeded to Batac for an empanada and miki breakfast. I always look forward to munching on Batac empanada everytime I'm in Ilocos Norte. Check out Dissecting the Batac and Vigan empanada.

Ilocos Norte: Sandboarding and 4x4 ride in the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes

Ever heard of sandboarding? Sandboarding is the newest adventure activity in Ilocos Norte, which has its very own desert of sorts - the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes.

An already popular activity are 4x4 jeep rides in the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes. We were supposed to ride into the sunset on 4WD jeeps. But since we arrived late from Pagudpud, we rode the jeeps in the dark which was a fun experience too.

But we definitely couldn't sandboard in the dark. So we decided to wake up early in the morning to do it.


The next day, we were at the sand dunes in Paoay before sunrise. It was an experience riding the jeeps through the sand dunes. You could hear screams of excitement from the group as the drivers went full speed through bumps and up hills.

Our drivers parked by the slope where we were going to sandboard down. Sandboarding is very similar to snowboarding. The only difference is that it's done on sand dunes rather than snow-capped hills. So you can do it anywhere there are sand dunes.


While most people sandboard down the dunes standing-up, like in a skateboard, our guide tipped me that it's faster sitting down. So I gave that a shot too and enjoyed the fast slide down. Others do it lying down on their stomachs as I've seen in some videos, which looks equally thrilling too. The first time I saw sandboarding was when I visited Mui Ne, Vietnam. It's a good thing the LEAD Movement introduced sandboarding in Ilocos Norte.

It costs Php2,500 per hour for a maximum of four persons, transportation included, if you want to sandboard in the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes. But please check since prices may change. It's definitely an experience!

LEAD Movement (Sandboarding and 4x4)
Reny Tan (0919) 8735516
Glenn Guerero (0908) 8853669

Paoay Off-roaders and Adventure Group (4x4)
Gilbert Santos (0928) 9473518

Mira de Polaris Hotel
Ventura Street, San Nicolas
(077) 6761647 / 6706830 / 6706700 to 04

Thanks to Bong Bajo and Bikoy for the photos!

Ilocos Norte: Saramsam Cafe's traditional and fusion Ilocano food

Saramsam Restaurant in Laoag, Ilocos Norte is known for its fusion pizzas and traditional Ilocano food. Their specialty is the Poque-Poque Pizza, which is pizza topped with poque-poque, an Ilocano eggplant dish: eggplant, tomatoes, onions ang egg. It's one of the dishes they served us when the Lakbay Norte Media Tour had dinner there.


Also served to us was (1) Saramsam Pasta which has green and ripe mango and KBL (kamatis, bagoong and lasona or spring onions), (2) Dinardaraan Empanada which is the traditional empanada crust with dinuguan filling, (3) Tuna and Igado Crostinis, igado is made of pork liver and pork meat, and (4) Sardinas Pasta.

Aside from Poque-Poque Pizza, they also have the Dinardaraan Pizza: dinuguan topped with green chili peppers; Longaniza Pizza topped with the local Laoag longaniza; and the Carbonara Pizza topped with Currimao oysters.

And if you need a place to hang-out, they have WiFi Internet too.

Saramsam Restaurant
N. Corpuz Building, Rizal cor. Hizon Streets
Barangay 7-A, Laoag City
+63 77 7715825

Thanks to Bikoy for the photos!

Ilocos Norte: Mairaira Cove in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

Mairaira Cove in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte is one of the more picturesque beaches of North Philippines. It's also called Blue Lagoon because of the deep blue waters of Mairaira, especially when viewed from the top of the hill as you enter or exit the cove.


I did not realize that the trip from Tuguegarao, Cagayan to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte would take that long. It should be about five to six hours (we did 8 hours because of the church stops).


We had a late lunch at Hannah's Beach Resort which is the only resort right in front of Blue Lagoon. The location of the resort is thus very convenient. And it's one of two resorts in Mairaira Cove I would recommend to tourists.

But as I told one of the managers, they should add more trees since it's all concrete. The resort needs to blend in more with the surrounding environment. And given that it can accommodate really large groups for seminars and conventions, I hope they could improve the design, lay-out and feel of the place. People in the group noted that it looked more like a housing development (think Camella Homes) than a resort.


Anyway, lunch was an offering of local Ilocano fare. On the buffet table were two really large lobsters, the largest I've ever seen so far, which we were told, were caught in the local waters.

Hannah's Beach Resort
(0910) 4966525 / (0920) 6057121 / (0917) 8103763
info@hannahsbeachresort.com

Thanks to Bikoy for the photos!

Cagayan: Visita iglesia in Cagayan

Aside from spelunking and other adventure activities, Cagayan also has several centuries-old churches. On our first day, we had breakfast right beside the Tuguegarao Cathedral.


After breakfast, we proceeded to the Basilica Minore de Piat which is about an hour away from Tuguegarao. It's a popular pilgrimage destination with the miraculous image of Our Lady of Piat enshrined in the church. For more on the basilica, read Basilica of Our Lady of Piat in Piat, Cagayan.

The next day, we made the long trip from Tuguegarao to Laoag. Along the way, we stopped over at the churches of Iguig, Alcala, Lal-lo, Camalaniugan and Pamplona.


Iguig Church, while the facade has already been renovated, is relatively intact inside. But more importantly, right beside the church is the Iguig Calvary Hills which has life-size tableau of the Stations of the Cross.



Alcala Church, dedicated to Saint Philomene, is the widest church in the Cagayan Valley. The town is also known for its carabao milk candies.

Lal-lo was once known as the Ciudad de Nueva Segovia before it was transferred to Vigan. Thus, the Lal-lo Church was the once the cathedral and seat of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia.



Camalaniugan Church has the oldest Catholic bell in the Far East which was created in 1595. Sadly, the old church was burned some yeas back and I find it sad that the priest chose to flatten the ruins and build a totally new church. Talk about appreciation for heritage! Behind the church, right by the river, are ruins of an even older church.


Close to Ilocos Norte, was the last church stop, the Pamplona Church.

The old Malaueg Church in Rizal, Cagayan is a National Cultural Treasure. But it's really hard to get to. I personally have not seen it myself. But I hope to visit it when I can.

There are also some interesting church ruins in the towns of Gattaran, Sanchez Mira and the island of Fuga.

Thanks to Bikoy for the photos!

Cagayan: Sierra Cave spelunking and kayaking in the Pinacanauan River

Cagayan is positioning itself as the Caving Capital of the Philippines. And it has great spelunking options for beginners and serious cave enthusiasts.

The most popular of course are the caves in the Peñablanca Protected Landscapes and Seascapes, particularly Callao Cave. But a better-preserved and less-visited cave also within the Callao Ecotourism Zone is nearby Sierra Cave. It's a 20-meter steep climb to get to the entrance. But navigating inside is manageable.



The crystal and limestone formations inside are still continuously forming. Which is why they take extra care in protecting the cave by limiting people inside. In fact, they only take in a maximum of twelve people at a time.

It's cool near the entrance. But as you get deeper inside the cave, it gets really warm. I really enjoyed the spectacular formations and observing the animal life inside the cave. It's a surprise how they survive in such harsh conditions since we experienced it even just for a few seconds. We turned off all our lights and kept quiet for a few seconds just to find out the feeling of silence in total darkness.

Anyway, since we had cameras, we decided to exit through the entrance. There's a popular exit but this entails crawling in the mud.



After lunch on the opposite side of the banks, we took a boat further upstream for kayaking activities. Sadly, no thanks to our weird weather, it started to drizzle. And when in drizzles or rains in the Pinacanauan River area, it means the bats won't come out.

So we decided to proceed back to our bus rather than wait in vain for the circadian flight of bats. Another unfortunate incident was I lost all my Sierra Cave photos when my memory card crashed. So thanks to Bikoy for these photos!

Adventures and Expeditions Philippines, Inc.
Anton Carag
(078) 8441298 / (0917) 5327480
anton@whitewater.ph

Aklan: Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan! Hala bira!

The Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan is one of the iconic festivals of the Philippines. Held annually on the third Sunday of January, the feast of the Sto. Niño, many of the street dance festivals of the Philippines were inspired by the Ati-Atihan which is often called the Mother of All Festivals.

The festival is a showcase of neighborhood troupes called tribes, who paint their bodies black (mimicking the dark-skinned Ati tribe), don colorful costumes, and parade around town while dancing to the beat of loud drums that follow behind the group.


Right after the 7 a.m. Mass in Pastrana Park and the shouts of "Viva El Señor Sto. Niño!" the different tribes made their way out of the town plaza. The energy in the streets of Kalibo was high, and the atmosphere electric! Hala bira!

Unlike most festivals, there is no parade route in the morning. The different tribes make their way around the plaza and town without a particular route. Spectators and the tribes are not divided by any cordon. In fact, you're free to join them dance if you want or have your photos taken.

While this happens the whole day, it's best to watch the tribes in the morning since their costumes and body paint are still fresh, plus the movement of the tribes is more orderly. By lunch, everyone goes home to eat.



After lunch, the tribes slowly come out again. By that time, they've had hefty doses of lechon (roast pig) and alcohol. So they become rowdier.

At 3 p.m., a procession of various Sto. Niño images makes its way around town together with the tribes. By this time, everyone is on board, dancing in the streets as the Mardi Gras-like procession snakes through the streets of Kalibo. The procession was so long, the tail-end was expected to arrived in the plaza shortly before 10 p.m. It was one big street party.

Unfortunately, we were so exhausted by 5 p.m., we could no longer stay to watch the tail-end make its way back. While it's a great party, let me warn you that the alcohol creates trouble, especially as the sun sets. So be safe!


The Ati-Atihan was said to have been a pagan ritual that was established before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers. It was held in celebration of a pact between several Bornean datus who had just arrive in Panay, and the local Ati chieftain, Marikudo. To commemorate the pact and purchase of land, the Malayan newcomers, as they joined the Atis celebrate a good harvest, covered their bodies with soot. The arrival of the Spaniards saw the shift of the festival to commemorate the feast of the Infant Jesus or the Sto. Niño.

Next time you plan to visit Boracay in January, try to make the third weekend so that you could catch this upbeat and colorful festival. Hala bira!

Aklan: Kalibo's Ati-Atihan Festival! Viva Señor Sto. Niño!

The Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo, Aklan is held during the third Sunday of January, the feast of the Sto. Niño. This year it was held on January 17, 2010.

The day starts at 6:30 a.m. with the transfer of the Sto. Niño from the Kalibo Cathedral to Pastrana Park. This was followed by a Mass at 7 a.m. You'll have to wake up really early for this.

The only downside was that it would drizzle every now and then. Good thing it didn't rain hard.


One thing I noticed during the Mass were the dozens of Sto. Niño images in front of the altar. I found it amusing that people treat the image like a doll since vendors all over the place sell various clothes for the Sto. Niño images.

As the Mass was about to end, people started raising their own images of the Sto. Niño since priests went around to bless the images with holy water.


The different tribes were assembling around the plaza as well during the Mass. I could see them amongst the crowd from my vantage point in the altar area. As soon as the Mass ended and the crowd shouted praises for the Sto. Niño, "Viva Señor Sto. Niño!" the drumbeats from the different tribes erupted. It was an exciting feeling and the atmosphere was simply electric as one by one, the tribes began to leave the plaza to make their rounds around town.