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DAY 5

12/15/17

The last day has come. We arrived in manila around 6 in the morning and ate our breakfast at Jollibee. We didn’t had a chance to take a bath because our check in time at our hotel that day will be at 5 in the afternoon. So we had a tour without taking a bath.

Our first stop was the upside down museum. Once you’ve entered the museum you will be amazed on how these people (people who mad the museum) had this kind of concept. Like how did they imagine the world upside down.

It can turn your world literally upside down! A new perspective awaits you at this one of a kind museum.

Next stop is the Light and Sound Museum in Intramuros.

Light and Sound Museum in Intramuros is one of the main attractions in Intramuros showcasing the history of the Philippines and the Filipino's journey to freedom with more than a hundred mannequins.  It is a one of a kind museum with those lights, sound effects and incredible timing of every mechanics running the exhibits inside.

After the Light and Sound Museum we went to Manila Ocean Park again to have our buffet lunch. The not all the foods served was good. It was just okay. 

After lunch we went to MOA to let our classmates buy their “pasalubongs” and went to Selah Garden Hotel. One thing we can say about Selah garden is it deserves a big thumbs up. Their place is so relaxing, the ambiance is very homey and their service so good. It is the best accommodation we’ve been for the whole tour.

At night we had a seminar and our guest speaker was no other than sir Donny Payumo, the owner of Don’s travel. It was an privilege to learn things from him.That night was full of laughter and learning. It was so fun. The whole tour was. It was memorable plus add the fact that we had the highest paid tour guide in manila as our guide for the tour. We learned so many things. Waiting for almost 3 months was all worth it! All thanks to Don’s Travel and to our faculties!

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DAY 4 ILOCOS NORTE

After a long trip going to Ilocos Norte we’ve expected that once we arrived there, we we’ll have a nice room where we can stay and take some rest but to our disappointment we stayed in a room where 20 persons can stay with only 1 shower room. How can we move comfortably and freely with a room like that. Also, one of our friends went to our room that has only 5 beds to ask if she can stay there because she doesn’t have a room to stay at. So we stayed in that room like we paid for a cheap accommodation. Imagine 6 persons with only 5 beds, blankets and pillows. For us Palacio de Laoag isn’t a Palacio at all.

The first destination that day was Malacanang of the North also known as Malacañang ti Amianan. Malacanang of the North was a birthday gift from first lady, Imelda Marcos, to her husband on the occasion of his 60th birthday. It is named after the official residence and workplace of the President of the Philippines in Manila, the Malacañang Palace.

It was designed in a Spanish and Old Ilocano architecture. The whole mansion is decorated by antique furniture and interesting art pieces. The grand look of Malacañang ti Amianan only reflects the luxurious life of the Marcos family during that era. The first floor holds the rooms of the Marcos' children. We are really impress how simple yet elegant the rooms and furniture in the mansion. Imagine having a room like Bong Bong Marcos had.

The biggest room on the first floor has been converted into a museum. They divided it into three parts. The Diplomacy Gallery, the National Building Gallery and the Agriculture Room. 

It was a big privileged to see the former house of the Marcoses and have a glimpse on their life during their regime. 

After Malacanang of the North, we proceeded to Paoay Church. There are many great reasons to head to Ilocos Norte and one of them is the visually stunning Paoay Church. The church is also known as the St. Augustine Church and has been standing sentinel since 1704. The church design combines a glorious mixture of Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese influences into a truly Filipino structure.  The Spanish friars who built the church wanted to make sure it would withstand earthquakes and so the used the strongest materials they could find and to good effect.

  Upon coming to the church, you will be amazed by seeing it personally.  You won’t find another church like this anywhere in the world.

Next stop, Juan Luna Shrine which we didn’t expected that we are going there. 

Juan Luna Shrine is the recreation of the original two-story middle-class country home of Juan Luna y Novicio, a world renowned painter, sculptor and political activist. This house was burned down in 1861. The lower portion of the house showcase replicas of his works like “spolarium”, some house hold artifacts and vintage family photo. 

For lunch we ate at Hidden Garden. Most of the things such as the plants, the pots, the restaurant, the wishing well, etc. inside the Hidden Garden in Vigan City couldn't be seen when you are outside the place. You would only discover them if you go inside of it. Everything around was green that it would make you feel relieved from stress. This is where we tasted the famous dinengdeng that tastes so good. It is a really a must try. 

When you go here, you should also look for the plant that grows when touched!

 Our second to the last destination was Governor Chavit Singson’s Baluarte. An interactive wildlife sanctuary and facility, with the breathtaking view of its dominating scenic boulders amidst trees and greens in the heart of Vigan. Going there will surely be an extraordinary adventure especially for families.  

Of course, the most awaited part of the so called Ilocandia tour, the Calle crisologo. 

A tour in the UNESCO Heritage town of Vigan City would never be complete if you won't visit calle crisologo. We were given a budget of php 150 to eat anywhere we would like to eat and roam around calle crisologo all by ourselves.  By night the street is a magical and romantic place to stroll with your sweet heart. Let the cool breeze and the thematic 18th century lamp posts give you feel of what life was in the olden times. You’ll surely be in love if you experienced the calle crisologo. It is indeed the most beautiful street in the Philippines.

After roaming around calle crisologo, we also watched the dancing fountain at the plaza and waited for our bus to pick us up in front of the church. It was a tiring day but it was worth it.

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Day 3 Ilocos norte: ”THE BEST CULTURE AND NATURE”

DAY 3!

Ilocos Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. Its capital is Laoag City. Ilocos Norte is noted for being the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who lead an authoritarian and dictatorial rule over the country during the latter half of his incumbency. Ilocos Norte is also known as a northern tourist destination.

Sta. Monica church

Sta. Conica churchis Commonly known as the sarrat church, is a roman catholic parish church that was built in 1779 and was originally known as San Miguel church.

From Palacio de Laoag we go to our first destination in Sta. Monica parish church. It took us almost 20 minutes travel via bus before we reach the destination. First it was quite boring because of the silence of the place but it has a best historical story behind that boring place that restore the old charm of the church and we saw the antiquity structure of the place. While roaming the church our tour guide told us that Sta. Monica church is the wedding venue of Irene Marcos Araneta the daughter of former president Ferdinand Marcos. She also informed us that the Sta. Monica church has the longest nave in the country and jokingly said that it is a chance to think twice if you are still going to marry your groom if you choose to get married here. It was so impressive to know the historical story of the church though.

Sinking Bell Tower

St. William's Cathedral in Laoag City is famous for its Sinking Bell Tower. It is one of the things that will capture the attention of the tourists upon entering the city. The bell tower is one of the landmarks of Spanish colony in the Philippines. The tower has earned its “sinking” reputation because it is so heavy and it was built on sandy foundations that it has been consistently sinking into the ground.

After Sta. Monica church we proceed to the sinking bell tower that is located and surrounded to the middle of  modern buildings in town of laoag. We went down  for only a few minutes to observed the sinking bell tower and took a picture of it then went back to our designated bus and pass by through the tower and go to our next destination. 

Pasuquin salt-making   

From La Preciosa restaurant where we take our buffet lunch we went to pasuquin salt making a few kilometers north of the town of pasuquin, there are roadside stalls selling bags of the finest salt in the Philippines. And the good news is we have an opportunity to see their actual salt making in their little huts. Our tour guide explained to us that pasuquin salt-making process is a little different because of the way they do it, first they prepare dried husks, leaves and stalks and place it on oven/cooking pit and then the water from the sea and cook it until it became  salt. For us it was memorable experience to see how to make salt in our entire life! But some of our batch mates didn’t saw it because they didn’t want to go down the bus because it’s too hot.

Bangui wind farm 

       Bangui wind farm is a wind farm in bangui, ilocos norte. The wind farm uses 20 units of 70 meter (230ft) high vestas, arranged on a single row stretching along a nine kilometer shoreline off bangui bay facing the west Philippine sea.

      From pasuquin salt making we go to Bangui wind farm for a few minutes and along the way to Bangui we saw all the wind mills aligned along the beach and the cape bojeador lighthouse in top of the mountain. We're all amazed! We didn't imagine that windmills would be very large and sturdy in person. You'd definitely be blown by the wind because of the strong wind that you feel and you're being pushed to a certain direction. I can say that Bangui wind farm was so very AMAZING! The downside to this trip was we thought that we are going to cape bojeador lighthouse but we just had a running tour.

Kapurpurawan white rock It is named as "puraw" which translates to "white" in ilocano. It is a product of nature's own as it was sculpted by weather forces such as strong winds and sedimentation, and it is the visually appealing rock formation that is the attraction that the tourists want to see.

It is a very beautiful place! We walk,hike down and climb around the rock formations to make it worth it, we took a pictures to see the very beautiful scenic place of kapurpurawan rock formation although the wind is very strong. We stayed for almost 20 minutes then go back to our buses and getting ready for the most awaited part of our trip in La Paz sand dunes!!!!!

La paz sand dunes 

      Ilocos sand dunes stretches encompasses the town of Cummao through to Pasuquin in ilocos norte. The La paz sand dunes in laoag city is one of the more popular sand dunes destination in ilocos norte. But more recently the PAOAY SAND DUNES is remarkably gaining popularity to tourist travelling up north. 

After kapurpurawan white rock our last destination before we go back to the town proper of laoag we went to La paz sand dunes and that’s what we are all waited even we arrived almost 6 in the evening. We took the 4x4 drive across the sand dunes and the sand boarding. We're all shouting and laughing in the whole rde! We really enjoyed the thrilling of 4x4 and the sand boarding. It was really fun to experience an extreme adventure. Overall it was one memorable ride for us! woooh!!!

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1st stop!! Mt. Samat!!!

Mount Samat National Shrine or Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valour) is a historical shrine located near the summit of Mount Samat in the town of Pilár, Province of Bataan, in the Republic of the Philippines. The memorial shrine complex was built to honor and remember the gallantry of Filipino and American soldiers who fought during World War II.

Consisting of a Colonnade and the large Memorial Cross, the park was commissioned in 1966 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos, for the 25th Anniversary of World War II. The white Memorial Cross stands as a remembrance to the soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Bataan. The shrine complex also includes a war museum with a wide array of collections from paintings of the Philippine heroes, to armaments used by the Filipino, American and Japanese forces during the battle.

Our guide Sir Bernard told us how the Japenese soldiers tortured our fellow countrymen. We felt bad and sad after hearing the story because we can’t imagine that there are people who really can do that in real life.  

After reminiscing the past we ate our packed lunch at the bus. It was a fried chicken, siopao, siomai, rice and chicharap from chowking. Some of us expected that we are going to have a buffet lunch maybe because it was always been the setup since day one. Some of us are also disappointed because they want a heavy lunch for a long busy day ahead.

After Mt. Samat, we proceeded at the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan!

Travel back to Old Manila when you step foot in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. Home to Jose Acuzar’s collection of restored Spanish-Filipino houses, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar showcases the best of Filipino heritage and culture. Each casa comes from an elite and notable accesoria that has its own story to tell. Marvel at the unique Filipino craftsmanship used in the restoration of each house through an interactive heritage tour. The only property in the Philippines to be part of Historic Hotels Worldwide, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar serves as a bridge between the rich history of the Spanish colonial era and the contemporary luxury and comfort of a modern hotel.

It really feels like we are in a Spanish era when we went here at Las Casas because of the ambiance and the stories behind every different houses that we visited. The stories behind those houses was told by our beautiful guide named miss Kate but we noticed that she has an attitude and it seems like she doesn’t like/love what she is doing.

We maximized our time and our chance to take pictures and have a mini pictorial because every corner of this place is instagram worthy. Millenials will love this place for sure. Also, we did not miss the chance to come inside the different houses that was owned by the different famous and rich Filipinos before. The interiors and design of the houses made us feel that we are back in their time. 

Las casas filipinas de acuzar is a must visit place in Bataan.

This is where the movie “Heneral Luna” shoot their scene when Gen. Aguinaldo ordered to kill the mighty General.

After a tiring day, we proceeded to the plaza of Balanga, Bataan to roam around and to buy our necessities in the mall. There’s a program in the plaza conducted by the local government of Balanga for the Christmas Celebration.

We ate our dinner at Espada Grill. It is a buffet but the quality of food is not good because most of the prepared foods are re-heated, Undercooked and doesn’t taste good. But we have no choice but to eat as many as we can because we’re so hungry from a long day roaming around Bataan.

That night right after our dinner, we proceeded to Ilocos Norte. We ready ourselves for a long drive, we get our jackets and our blankets prepared because it’s very cold in our bus. It’s hard for us to sleep in bus because it is not comfortable. 

That was all in Day 2!! See you on the next blog in Ilocos Norte!!!

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It’s December 12, 2017 and our 2nd day in the most awaited tour!! We stayed at Crown Royale Hotel in Balanga, Bataan for a night and immediately checked out in the morning. It’s the start of our day tour here in Bataan. First we ate our breakfast at Fortune Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant. It is disappointing that the egg doesn’t taste good and it is not a buffet because this day requires more energy for us not to get easily tired.

 Everyone is excited for the new day and new adventures here in Bataan!

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Day 2: BATAAN “History Hub of Central Luzon”

Bataan is an exceptionally beautiful mountainous province of the Philippines. Located in western Luzon between Manila Bay and the West Philippine Sea, Bataan is known for its rich cultural and historical heritage, warm Filipino hospitality and scenic natural landscapes comprising of lofty mountains with enchanting waterfalls, lush green valleys and exotic beaches. One of the most visited destinations in the Philippines, Bataan is a tourist's delight, offering many important historical sites and an exciting range of recreational activities to its visitors.

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Day 1

12-11-17

After waiting for almost 3 months, this is finally the day that we are going to discover the hidden gems of Manila, Bataan, and Ilocos. That day, we all woke up around 3 in the morning because we are all super excited. Take note, SUPER EXCITED to the point that we almost didn’t sleep. Around 5 in the morning we arrived at the airport and checked in at the check in counter without any hassle but we noticed that the airport police has a little attitude. After we get through the x-rays and check in counter we luckily saw the hashtags but we didn’t had the chance to take a picture with them but its okay at least they waved at us. Our groupmates on the other flight saw Ruru Madrid and Gabbi Garcia but didn’t take the oppurtunity to take a picture with them. 

All our flights was on time and we all arrived safely in Manila.

The buses weren’t their when we arrived at the terminal 4 so we waited outside the terminal with the coordinators of Don’s travel. 

The group who arrived first in Manila went to terminal 3 to pick up the other students and went directly to MOA to have lunch in Cabalen and waited for the other group who’s flight was scheduled at 10 am.

It is a little bit unfair for the group who arrived late because the group who arrived earlier had a chance to roam around MOA for more than 2 hours and to take some nap. We also expected that there will be a bus arrangement according to what we have planned before we left but none of those happened. It is disappointing because we want to enjoy the whole trip with all of our blockmates/friends. But thinking positively, it is also the chance to be friends with the students from the other campuses.

 After eating at Cabalen we proceeded to Manila Ocean Park to see some sea creatures. We watched the sea lion show, saw a man diving on the curved walkway tunnel with the fishes and big fishes on a big aquarium. Though it doesn’t amazed us maybe because we have seen those kind of fishes in Palawan except for the talented sea lions. 

The disappointing part in our trip to ocean park is that most of us didn’t had the chance to visit the Yexel’s museum because our guide inside left us and doesn’t informed us that we are allowed to go to Yexel’s museum. It’s a loss for us because we heard that we also paid for that and we didn’t got a chance to avail it. Its like we paid for nothing. 

Jungle trek that has no trek at all. Kidding.

Dinner time! It is the first buffet dinner on our tour and we must say that this is the only buffet dinner that is worth the money we paid for because they have a good service, many choices of foods, and their foods taste really good. Sulit! Busog na busog! That’s what we felt after eating in Tramway.

Right after the dinner we proceeded to Bataan and experienced the first struggle sleeping at the bus😂