Blogs from Illocos Region, Philippines, Asia

La Union Electric Cooperative (Luelco) is one of the nicest offices i visited around the country - in terms of interior designs. very lavish and imeldific! loved the GM's residence. Im sure if Mommy was here, she will surely love evry decor GM has displayed!... read more

So friends, it has been quite some time since this blog has been updated. Much has happened, most of it good. Currently I am sitting in San Juan, Philippines, after a lovely day of surfing lessons and sitting around reading. Really it has been a great day. We (Caroline and I - more on this later) took a one hour surfing lesson in the morning. She had surfed before, so got the hang of it quickly again, but it took me a bit more work. By the end of my time, I caught a wave, stood up and rode the wave all the way into the beach for my last run. I was quite proud of myself. Caroline did a lot better - she got up on almost every run. Our teachers were great, and all ... read more

We were supposed to be on a Super Deluxe bus with a toilet and supposedly more comfortable seats but we ended up on a regular one. And since we are generally tolerant to a lot of things, and it was already an hour past the scheduled departure time, we didn’t argue anyway and just got on. Unexpectedly, the 9 hours bus ride didn’t turn out to be so bad at all. We arrived at Laoag at around 07:00 in the morning with the driver of the hired van waiting for us at the bus station. After getting some takeaway breakfast, we made a couple of short stops, and then headed to Pagudpud. Our first stop was the Cafe Bojeador Lighthouse which was built back in the 1800s but is still working and is still in use ... read more

In the summer of 2006, I travelled to the Philippines, which is where I was born. I stayed mostly in the Greater Manila area, but also made a day-long travel to Laoag, Ilocos Norte by riding on an air-conditioned bus. The bus fare was around eight hundred pesos one way. To experience the ambiance of this lovely country, I usually walked around the city and mingled with the crowds of people in shopping centers, public markets, sidewalks, promenades and public parks. I also visited a neighboring town, San Nicolas, which is the birthplace of my father. One thing I observed was the number of vendors in the public market. They were selling groceries, fruits and vegetables, household wares, fast foods and other items. Because of difficulty finding salaried jobs, most of the people have resorted to ... read more

Wednesday, 24 Jan. Quite excited about seeing & experiencing everything in this fascinating country! I am amazed with the transportation chaos here . . . but everyone understands how to maneuver without causing accidents. If you want to cross a street, just remember that pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. But, if it's clear to the middle of the street, go ahead and cross half way, stop and stand in the middle of the street until the other side is clear too. Easy. LOL. Driving takes agressive, wise, and skilled handling. All vehicles share the same roads: bicycles, motorbikes, motorized and pedaled tricycles, jeepnees, cars, trucks, vans, etc. Pass at any time you can find a hole, on the right or the left! Whew, I don't think I'll try to do any driving here. ... read more