North Luzon: Travel Video

Let me share with you this travel video to end our North Luzon series. Our beloved Philippines is indeed blessed with fantastic sceneries and it's inspiring me more to go on further adventures and experience our country's majestic outdoors. We had fun feel good getaway and it shows in the video :)

5 Day Itinerary: North Luzon Road Trip Adventure

This is an overview of the specific places we've been to during our 5 day North Luzon trip.

Day 1: Baguio day tour (Part 1)

• Burnham Park
• Session Road
• Baguio Cathedral
• Good Taste
• Botanical Park
• Wright Park
• The Mansion
• Mines View Park
• Good Shepherd

Day 2: Baguio day tour (Part 2)

with Leah and MC at Tam-awan Village, Baguio

• Tam-awan Village
• Arko ni Apo
• BenCab Museum: On Meeting the Master
• O' Mai Khan
• Visiting Bell Church
• Fresh Strawberry Harvest
• Lourdes Grotto

Day 3: Baguio to Vigan

Sam Milby on Samsung's float during Grand Float Parade

• Enjoying Grand Float Parade of Panagbenga Festival
• Hello Vigan

Day 4: Vigan - Laoag - Pagudpod

day trippers with the Bengal Tiger of Baluarte

• Simbaan a Bassit
• Crisologo Museum
• Heritage Village
• Baluarte
• Pagburnayan
• Bantay Bell Tower and Church
• St. Paul Cathedral
• Pagudpod

Day 5: Pagudpod to Laoag to Manila

morning at Pagudpod

• Morning Swim at Saud Beach
• Sinking Bell Tower
• Laoag Airport
• NAIA Terminal 3

It's fun doing this North Luzon itinerary with your group of friends - celebrating the youthful spirit of outdoor travel, enjoying the rush of getting out, moving on, going far and away. On tight Budget? Click here to read my travel tips on where you can save during a North Luzon Trip.

North Luzon: 5 Cities, 5 Days for only Php5,000

There must have been something amusing about the number 5 during my recent out of town trip. Working harder for my annual pension plan payment, I was geared to be wearing my tipid mode hat for this 5 day trip up north. Luckily, I ended up using less than my target budget. With only Php5,000 this trip covers Baguio, Benguet, Vigan, Laoag and Pagudpud leg with the Panagbenga Festival Grand Float Parade as the trip’s highlight. So how in the world did I manage to work within that budget? Here are my saving tips for those planning to travel to North Luzon:

Instead of staying in expensive hotels or resorts, choose to stay in transient homes/homestay, especially if you'll be out touring the vicinity most of the time.

Hotels in Baguio are expensive, especially during the Panagbenga season. We stayed at a house with a newly built basement that they rent to tourists. It has 3 rooms with common kitchen, sala, dining, heater, utensils and a water dispenser. We paid Php300/pax per night. We have the whole studio type basement all to ourselves. The place is clean and has nice homey touch. It’s so new that we were told we were the second visitors to rent the place. Plus the owners were also very welcoming and friendly and the house is a few steps away from Lourdes Grotto.

Dadapilan

Hotels in Vigan can range from Php2,600+  for a room good for 4. We stayed overnight in Dadapilan, an ancestral house recommended by my cousin's friend where we rented 2 rooms and paid about Php300 each with breakfast included. The house is a tourist spot in itself, showcasing old and antique furniture and pictures of the prominent family who actually owned the house. (Update: Ate Malot clarified that the house is not open as a homestay business). We were just lucky to have someone know someone in Vigan. :)

Rlyn's Homestay

Resort rates in Pagudpud that are good for 4 are priced as much as Php5,000+ during peak season. Good thing ate Malot of Dadapilan recommended Rlyns Homestay. We asked tricycle drivers if they know the place and good thing they do. Their rooms are priced at Php1000 per night (with breakfast served) and could accommodate up to 4 in each room. I think they have 5 available rooms (some with aircon). We stayed at a non-aircon room with a double size bed and 1 double deck bed and it's still pretty much airy at night. We didn't miss the aircon as we had enough of the chill in Baguio. We asked if they could prepare us meal for dinner since there weren't really much affordable resto to choose from within that area. And so we only paid Php300/pax with dinner and breakfast included! The homestay is located just in front of Saud Public Beach where entrance is a relatively cheap price of only Php10. We went there off peak season and we have the beach all to ourselves the whole morning.

Instead of buying the Php750 deluxe bus ticket of Victory Liner (the one with extra leg room, wi-fi, snacks and nonstop ride), we decided to buy the ticket of their regular air con bus. We left Cubao station at 1:45am sharp and arrived in Baguio at 7 in the morning, a swift 5 hour ride. Plus for someone like me who gets chilled easily, I didn't need the extra space since the cold aircon breeze could quickly get into me so I opted for the much more enclosed spot which by the way is still too cold for me. I won't be surfing while on the road since I will be sleeping anyway. I didn’t have the problem of going to comfort rooms since the bus stopped twice for 15minutes per stop. It’s really wise to leave Manila by night since it saves time from traffic.

Was able to save on transportation cost especially during taxi rides since I get to divide the fare by 4. Note though that I traveled with my friend MC, my cousin Leah and her 5 year old son Cocoy.

On average our food costs about Php50-Php70 per meal. When we dined into Good Taste and O’Mai Khan, we took home the left overs for our dinner. All of us aren’t really big eaters thus the savings. It’s also a good thing my cousin bought her homemade pesto and other foods we ate during our stay in Baguio. We didn’t have to buy our breakfast the day they arrived. We also bought with us our preferred brand of gano coffee and with the availability of water dispenser on our homestays, we can drink hot delicious coffee for free!

Here's my detailed expenses of our 5 day North Luzon trip starting from Victory Liner Bus Station in Cubao:

Day 0
Victory Liner bus ticket to Baguio (regular aircon) - Php420
Late Dinner at Jolibee - Php40

Day 1
Transportation (taxi/jeep shared by 2) - Php148
Homestay (for 2 nights) - Php600
McDonalds breakfast - Php90
lunch at Good Taste (daming leftovers, good for dinner na!) - Php91
photo-op with the Igorot Tribe at Php10/Igorot (Php60 shared by me and MC) - Php30
Good Shepherd strawberry jam - Php150

Day 2
Breakfast - free from my cousin's pasalubong
Tam-awan Village entrance - Php50
BenCab entrance - Php100
Transportation (taxi/jeep shared by 4) - Php85
Strawberry picking (Php300 per kilo shared by 4) - Php75
lunch at O'Mai Khan (Php738 shared by 4) - Php184.25
Dinner - from left over pasalubong and O'Mai Khan

Day 3:
breakfast - free from leftovers and baon
Jeep to plaza - Php 8
lunch at Chowking - Php100
Jeep to Lourdes Grotto - Php8
Taxi to Partas Terminal (Php90 shared by 4) - Php22.50
Jollibee - Php71
Partas Bus to Vigan - Php294

Day 4:
Vigan homestay (inclusive of breakfast) - Php300
Baluarte photo with Bengal tiger (Php100 shared by 4) - Php25
Baluarte tip (Php50 shared by 4) - Php12.50 
Kalesa ride for 2 hours (Php300 shared by 4) - Php75
lunch at McDonalds - Php114.50
Partas Bus to Laoag - Php 121
Ordinary non aircon bus to Pagudpod - Php60
Tricycle to Rlyns Homestay (Php40 shared by 2) - Php20
dinner at Rlyn's - Php50

Day 5:
Entrance to Saud Public Beach - P10
Ryln's Homestay (inclusive of breakfast) - Php250
Tricycle to Bus stop - Php20
Bus to Laoag - Php60
Tricycle to Jollibee (Php20 shared by 2) - Php10
Lunch at Jollibee - Php92
Tricycle to Laoag Airport (Php 100 shared by 4) - Php25
Plane ticket to Manila via Cebu Pacific - Php868
Terminal Fee - Php40
Shuttle Bus to LRT station - Php 20
Bus to Laguna - Php35
Tricycle - Php25

Day 0 - Php460
Day 1 - Php1109
Day 2 - Php494.25
Day 3 - Php503.50
Day 4 - Php778
Day 5 - Php1,455

Grand Total: Php4,799!!!

Baguio Accommodation:
Homestay at Queen of Angel St. near Lourdes Grotto
contact ate yas (owner) at 09159932508

Pagudpod Accommodation:
Rlyns Homestay
infront of Public Saud Beach
09185698886 / 09179386116

Morning Swim at Saud Beach,Pagudpud

Since we didn't had the chance to swim after we arrived in Pagudpud, we decided to wake up early for the morning swim as we planned to leave the homestay at 9am sharp. I woke up at around 5am, however it's still really dark outside. So I patiently waited and checked back again by 5:30am, still no light. But we started to ready ourselves and went to the beach at exactly 6am. We could still clearly see the quarter moon and the morning sun hiding from below the mountains. Excited to swim, we dropped our stuff at a nearby beachrock. From Saud Beach, one could see the famous Bangui Windmills surrounded by the morning mist from a distance. The view is breathtaking!

Since we went there on the last day of February, which is generally off peak season, we have the whole beach for ourselves! Our morning swim made us see from a short distance local fishermen working on their caught fishes.

Sadly, we only swum in less than two hours, which is obviously too short of a time for us to lazily lounge on the beach and have more fun in the sun. *sigh* It felt so hard to pull myself from the beautiful view. But that's okay, we'll surely get back and make up for the lost leisure time!

Bus Pagudpod - Laoag route

Sinking Bell Tower

We left Pagudpud at around 10 in the morning and arrived in Laoag just in time for a quick lunch. Before getting a tricycle to get us to Laoag Airport, we stopped by the famous Sinking Bell Tower, walking distance from Jollibee. The tower is sinking about an inch into the ground every year with half of its front door buried deep into the ground. After we got the shots we needed, we cramped ourselves into a typical small local tricycle and drive down about 15-20 minutes to Laoag International Airport.

More pictures at The Walking Tripod /

Bye Vigan, Hello Pagudpud!

Our 2 hour Kalesa Tour ended in Plaza Salcedo right in front of St. Paul Cathedral. We paid Php300 and had a quick dinner at McDonalds, just beside the cathedral. There are also a number of good local restaurants you can choose from in Vigan such as Cafe Leona, Epectos Bar and Grill, Cindy's, Hambre, Tessie's, Uno Grille and Los Majitos. And yes aside from McDonalds, there's also Jollibee and Greenwich.  

Dadapilan, Center for Ilokano Studies

After lunch, we went back to our lodge, the Dadapilan and bid farewell to Ate Malot for the warm welcome and hearty breakfast meal. Our accommodation fee is an affordable Php 300 including breakfast. Their area is just a few blocks away from Heritage Village and a stone throws away from Simbaan a Bassit and an internet shop :)

We left off and made our way to Partas Terminal heading to Laoag. It was an hour and a half trip and paid Php121 for the bus ticket (air conditioned). From Partas Terminal in Laoag, we quickly rode a tricycle to take us to the terminal bus going to Pagudpud. The ticket cost a cheaper Php60 but unlike Partas, the bus we rode was just ordinary and crampy. But heck, we enjoyed the 2 hour trip anyway with gorgeous views to feast on!

On the Road to Pagudpud

Our trip going from a historical tour in Vigan was such an "amazing race" experience. We moved swiftly and wasted no time dashing up and down the buses and tricycles of Vigan and Laoag, all while carrying huge backpacks full of bottles of strawberry jams we bought from Baguio! Yup, I know stressful! The whole amazing race drama made us want to get a day of full body massage.

Just after an hour on the road, I started seeing beautiful stretches of powdery sand, sparkling blue waters, and vibrant orange boats. I immediately transfered to a window seat to capture those gorgeous views. And then minutes after, we saw a line of towering Bangui windmills. The last drop off point was at a building after the municipal hall. From there we rode 2 tricycles at Php40 each (tricycles here like those in Laoag are pretty small!) and stopped by at Rlyns Homestay. Since we'll be leaving early the next day, we opted to just stay at a homestay/transcient house located right in front of Saud Public Beach. When all things are set, I immediately went straight to beach to capture the glorious sunset in Pagudpod beach. Since the beach in front of our lodging is not owned by any private resort, the entrance fee is a cheap Php10.

  view more photos at The Walking Tripod.

Vigan: A Haven of Cultural Heritage

Vigan is synonymous to history. When we think of Vigan, pictures of old Spanish houses, century old churches, of calesas, longganisas and bagnet comes to our mind. It magically walks you down memory lane.

Vigan, the only World Heritage City in the Philippines was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list of sites and monuments on December 2, 1999. It represents a unique fusion of Asian building design and construction with European colonial architecture and planning. Today, Vigan remains to be the home of proud Bigueños who welcome everyone with warm smiles to the city where traditions blend well with the present demands of the times.

From Baguio to Vigan, join me as I drive you up North and transport you to thousands of years back during the Spanish colonial period,  minus the war of course.:)

Backposts:
Hello Vigan!
Kalesa Tour: Morning Stroll at the Heritage Village
Kalesa Tour: Visiting Baluarte
Vigan's Pagburnayan: Meeting Philippine's National Folk Artist, Fidel Go
Kalesa Tour: Bantay Bell Tower and St. Augustine Church

Kalesa Tour: Bantay Bell Tower and St. Augustine Parish Church

From the pottery shop of Mr. Fidel Go, our Kalesa Tour brought us to two of Vigan's best known and picturesque sight - the Bell tower and St. Paul Cathedral. Before we could all get off the kalesa, we saw lovely Chinese couple who were probably in their 70s about to leave the place with their hired kalesa as well. They smiled as they bid bye bye to us. They seem to be enjoying their romantic kalesa tour like us. We also also said hi and smiled back at them as we get down and started walking our way up.

Bantay Bell Tower and St. Augustine Parish Church

It was already noon at that time and we could really feel the burns on our skin so we just contented ourselves with merely taking photographs and a quick tour as we marvel at the two remarkable landmarks.  We really don't have the luxury of time to climb the bell tower as we needed to be in Pagudpod hopefully before sunset. So off to tour last historical site for the day, the St. Paul Cathedral.

Vigan's Pagburnayan: Meeting Philippine's National Folk Artist, Fidel Go

Right after a fun tour at Baluarte, Kuya Arnel of Calesa #157 brought us to one of Vigan's must see attraction, the Pagburnayan. This is where traditional burnay jars of varied shapes, designs and sizes are made. It was also here that we get to meet and talk to Vigan's pride, Philippine's National Folk Artist, Mr. Fidel Antiporda Go.

Fidel Antiporda Go, National Folk Artist

Mr. Go although pure Chinese by blood, has been living in the Philippines for a very long time. He speaks in Filipino and warmly welcomed us with stories about their business and was even candid about his life here in the Philippines. He said their Burnayan business, the Ruby Pottery Shop started in the year 1920 by his father when eventually most of the family went back to China until he was the only one left in the Philippines. Now at 72 years old, the artist is still passionate at his craft.

He was named as National Folk Artist by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 1990.

This post is part of our 2 hour Kalesa Tour in Vigan.

Kalesa Tour: Visiting Baluarte

We started off the kalesa tour at the end of Calle Crisologo Street at Heritage Village. Getting to Baluarte from Heritage Village through a kalesa is not a wise decision since they charge per hour - it basically ate up our half an hour tour because it was far! We suggest getting there by tricycle.

Baluarte is 80 hectares of gently rolling terrains, hills and mountain sides, the structures of facilities and amenities, its phases of construction is in its best possible realistic and natural habitat for good and sound animal care.

Located along the western seaboard of Northern Luzon 408 kilometers north of Manila, bounded in the South by South China Sea, Baluarte has its breathtaking view of Vigan City. Baluarte is open to the public and admission is FREE. It is actually Governor Chavit's gift to the people of Vigan where residents are accorded free use of spaces for their livelihood programs. (source)

When we arrived, a line of colorful birds greeted us at the entrance and an ostrich strolling freely around the area. It was already noon when we arrived, the people  were saying we're lucky because it's feeding time! We get to see the animals in action! Feeding time you say? Sounds like a scary Jurrasic line to me!

Presenting the familiar faces of Baluarte!

Have the courage to come face to face with the world's largest cat?

Right after the live animal show, the host started presenting to us this huge Siberian Bengal tiger as he was being brought out from a nearby cage. It was amazing to see a tiger that big outside of its cage (don't worry he has steel chains). My cousin wanted to hug the tiger while I am gathering my guts to get near it, it left me with no choice. It was a scary decision but I'm glad I did.

Touching the tiger is like touching one of God's magnificent masterpiece - so beautiful yet so fierce! But I guess Mr. Tiger has long been used to being surrounded with people. For Php100, you can have your picture taken with mr. tiger and will then be given the print out copy after 15 minutes.

my cousin Leah with Baluarte's parrot

You can also ride a pony to get around the circle. You can also race with the ostrich if you want! Lol! Oh, don't forget to take a picture with the birds, you can ask someone there to put the bird on your shoulder or on top of your head, your choice, really! 

If you get to visit Vigan, don't forget to stop by Baluarte. Kids and animal lovers will surely love the place, like we did.