Ilocos Norte - Ilocos Sur

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April 20-22, 2009.

Describing this as my first solo trip is only partially true. I did ride a plane to Laoag all by my lonesome and rode a bus back to Manila by myself, but in between, I was with my cousins, an uncle, and an aunt... plus a relative of a cousin from her mother's side who was in town for an ocular inspection of the Ilocos Region.

It was my third trip to the Marcos country (dubbed as such because support for the former president is still widespread here) but it was the first time I had a DSLR. We based ourselves in Laoag, the capital of Ilocos Norte, then went south to Vigan exploring the Mestizo District, a UNESCO-listed site where Spanish-era houses and roads have been miraculously spared from the WWII, allowing visitors to get a glimpse of 19th-century Philippines. Also in Ilocos Sur's capital, we visited a pottery place and former Gov. Chavit Singson's "baluarte," where he keeps a dozen or so species of animals.

The following day, it was driving as far north as we can. There was a little stopover in Bangui for a photo op with the windmills and lunch, before venturing to Pagudpud, a stretch of beach that has been touted as the "Boracay of the North." But really, Pagudpud is more of a Robin Crusoe getaway and hardcore partygoers will find Pagudpud a bore.

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