Pagudpud, Bangui and Burgos, Ilocos Norte

Kuya Rey didn’t want to waste any time so while I was still wet after swimming in Hannah’s Beach, we went straight ahead to the southern part of Pagudpud.

We made a stop first at that Pagudpud landmark. I don’t exactly know what you call this but it’s where you can find that big Pagudpud sign with an image of a shell on top. I’m not really a big fan of these but hey I was having fun.

After some photo ops at the Pagudpud sign, we proceeded to the the next town of Bangui to see the windmills.

I must admit I was skeptical about the beauty of these windmills. I didn’t understand what all the big fuss was about these windmills. They’re just man-made after all.

But when the bus that I was on passed by these windmills the previous day, I couldn’t keep my mouth close in awe. I think their hugeness and the fact that they have a real purpose aside from the aesthetic make them magnificent.

I wanted to climb up a windmill but that wasn’t possible. Kuya Rey said only authorized staff members were allowed to go inside so I have to be contented with this picture right outside the door.

There were plenty of souvenir shops lining up the beach so I tested my very weak haggling skills. I bought a couple of shirts, keychains and ref magnets. I have a total of 15 keychains here that I still haven’t given out to anyone as of this writing.

Burgos was our next destination. This is where the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation is found.

I was made to transfer to a different tricycle that would tour me to Kapurpurawan and to a lighthouse (I had no prior knowledge of this lighthouse). This was when I realized what the extra P300 that Kuya Rey told me about was for. Kuya Rey later explained to me that Burgos just recently passed an ordinance that no longer allowed tricycle drivers from other towns to go to Kapurpurawan or the lighthouse. This wouldn’t be much of an issue if you have your own vehicle.

A light bulb then lit in my head. If you’re traveling by bus, just tell the driver or conductor that you want to go down Kapurpurawan and just hire a tricycle there. Then after that, you may just ride another bus to Bangui and then another bus to Pagudpud. This way, you wouldn’t have to pay P600 for another tricycle for the South tour.

My new tricycle driver/guide was Kuya Bossing. I completely forgot his name so let’s just call him that.

When we got to Kapurpurawan, there were again hundreds of people crowding the place. I sort of expected this and accepted this fact at this point so I wasn’t as frustrated as I was in Vigan. The people seemed like ants crawling down the line en route to the rock formations.

One may also ride a horse to take you to the rock formations. Kuya Bossing asked me if I wanted to do this. Nope. I couldn’t even have the guts to ride a kalesa, how much more on a horseback. Maybe when I’m with a friend who’s game, I won’t hesitate to do that.

There was a viewing deck that I first thought was shaped by nature perfectly until Kuya Bossing told that it was created to prevent people from going down which was deemed dangerous. There were a few people on the viewing deck so I could have gotten a great selfie but Kuya Bossing was not exactly a photographer. I already missed Kuya Rey at that time.

We walked to the spot behind this iconic rock and found some people there. There were again spots that were people-less so I could only wish I had better lighting.

A couple of tourists asked me in a nice way to move so they could take a good selfie. They might have been nice but they were there before me and I had to wait for them so I can spend some precious seconds having photos taken of myself. Then they wanted more time back there so I had to move. I just had to roll my eyes. (While I was writing this, I realized it wasn’t really an issue.)

After Kapurpurawan, we made our way to the Camp Bojeador Lighthouse.

 

I have gone to a couple of lighthouses before so I wasn’t really excited. Add to this, people were no longer allowed to go up the actual lighthouse because, according to Kuya Bossing, the stairs inside were not stable anymore.

The deck around the lighthouse though was high enough to get a view of the sea. I asked Kuya Bossing if it was the South China Sea and he had no idea.

So we went back to the place where Kuya Rey was parked. I was never happier to see him again.

At 2pm, we haven’t had lunch yet and I was starving. I wanted to eat in the restaurant outside Kapurpurawan but Kuya Rey said their menu was a little expensive so he took me to a turo-turo restaurant not far away.

When we were full enough, we made our way back to Pagudpud. Before finally resting, we stopped the Welcome to Pagudpud arch. Kuya Rey, who by the way made so much effort to take pictures of me, suggested that I pose on the center of the highway so the whole sign can be captured as my background. I happily obliged.

When I got back to Casa Victoria, I took a brief dip in the water and spent a few minutes lying on the beach to soak up the sun.

I loved Pagudpud and its nearby towns. I thought the city was very clean and beautiful. Commercialized, yes. But well maintained so far.

Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte – Part 1

From Ciudad Fernandina in Vigan, I hailed a tricycle to take me to the terminal of buses going to Laoag. I learned from other blogs that it was easier to go to Laoag first, then just transfer to another bus going to Pagudpud.

Earlier that day, I contacted the resort in Pagudpud, Casa Victoria, where I was staying, to ask about their guided Pagudpud tour. They have tours at P3500 if you want to use a car or P2000 if you want to use a tricycle. I told them I would like book the tricycle tour.

The tricycle driver who took me to the bus terminal in Vigan asked me where I was heading. When I told him I was going to Pagudpud, he gave me a contact number of someone he knew there, Kuya Rey, whom I would later contact.

I think I was giving out this tourist vibe in Ilocos that people were quick to assist me and speak to me in Tagalog without knowing yet that I did not speak Ilocano. In contrast, people in Kalinga, always spoke to me in their own language and possibly thought I was a Kalinga native, which is sort of an achievement for me.

So I rode the Partas bus going to Laoag which departed as soon as I got on. The fare was P137, if I remember correctly. We left the Vigan terminal around 10:45am and arrived in Laoag around 12:45pm.

The tricycle driver who took me to the terminal of the bus going to Pagudpud also offered to tour me around Laoag. I told him I would be back in Laoag on Sunday and was interested to have a Laoag tour before I go back to Manila on the evening of that day, so I saved his contact number.

I rode a Drexel bus going to Pagudpud and paid the fare of around P65. The wind during the entire trip to Pagudpud was blowing really strong it was almost scary.  The moment you enter Burgos town, however, you would be greeted by this wonderful view of the beaches and the windmills.

While on my way, I was texting Kuya Rey. His number is 09208684798. I highly recommend him. After I got off the bus in front of the municipal hall of Pagudpud, he fetched me and took me to the Casa Victoria Beach Resort where I was staying for two nights.

Kuya Rey was charging P600 for the Pagudpud North tour (Patapat Viaduct, Bantay Abot Cove, etc) and another P600 for the South tour (Kapurpurawan, Windmills, etc). He said that I would need to pay an additional P300 for the entrance at Kapurpurawan (I would later find out that this was actually for another tricycle driver in Burgos who would take me to the rock formations and lighthouse – Burgos has a local ordinance that mandated this).

The whole Pagudpud tour would just cost me P1500 if I hire Kuya Rey so I just canceled the tour I booked with the resort. When I checked in, the staff told me that it was Kuya Rey they were planning to hire anyway for me but the extra P500 was for the entrance fees. If you’re traveling solo, you wouldn’t be asked to pay those entrance fees (maybe with the help of a guide) except in Kabigan Falls, so it was still a good idea that I hired Kuya Rey directly.

Casa Victoria, from what I read, was the most affordable among the resorts in Pagudpud. I paid a total of P3000 for two nights (mid-peak rate) in an air-conditioned room. They didn’t have a hot shower though so I had to endure the Pagudpud cold when washing myself. Casa Victoria was a good resort but I also saw plenty of homestays near both Saud Beach and Hannah’s Beach, which might even be more affordable, so you might want to look into them.

The resort’s staff members were nice and were quick. I was just a little miffed when I was asked to move because a group of guests were holding a Sunday mass at the restaurant, but I think I’m just being a brat. Bonus points for the regularly priced beer!

After lunch, I decided to stroll the entirety of Saud Beach. It was a long stretch of white sand beach so I’m not really sure if I was able to walk its entire length. The sand was almost as powdery as that in Boracay but it was way, way, way, way, way (one more), way cleaner and quieter.

The waves were far from quiet though. Because of the strong winds, the waves were huge. I wanted to feel the water on my feet while walking. Wrong move! I almost got swept away to the sea with my camera and my phone with me. A child who was only building a sand castle on the shore was almost taken by the water when it reached her much to the horror of her family.

There were plenty of resorts, both high-end and low-end, lining up Saud Beach. But unlike in Boracay, it was less commercialized.

I got back to my room Casa Victoria after that stroll and decided to go back out to the beach at sunset. Boy, the sunset was amazing!