Lost in Ilocos | 7 Must- See Destinations In Ilocos Norte

Eversince, I am always drawn by Ilocos. It seems like it has a lot of things to offer to people. It has historical churches, amazing natural resources and also great man-made attractions. That's why when I heard my husband telling to Ford Ilocos that we will be there the next day to have our car checked because the aircon is faulty, I made a wide grin. Lol! 

We left Tuguegarao City at 3:30AM so that travelling without AC won't be a hassle. It's almost a 6-hour ride. His plan is to go home on the same day but I still packed our bags just in case.

We're so happy on that day because it's all our first time to visit ILOCOS! So, we are hitting two birds with one stone; we're going to Ford Ilocos and then have an unexpected roadtrip too. I didn't researched that much because it's just a short notice. Good thing I am familiar with some of the tourist destination in Ilocos. All we need to do is Google it and just follow the directions.

Patapat Viaduct

Thankfully, we reached Ilocos province safe. We were already thrilled just by seeing the arc that says "ILOCOS NORTE". Afterwards, we initially passed through the Patapat Viaduct. Did you know that this is the fourth longest bridge in the Philippines? Aside from the beautiful winding bridge that gives way to Cagayanos who wanted to go to Ilocos, it also have a stunning view of the West Philippine Sea. No wonder a lot of tourists stop by the bridge and take a bunch of pictures because it absolutely looks splendid!

After about 45 minutes, we got much more elated because we finally saw those huge pointed windmills! Travelling without an aircon is no problem due to the strong winds coming from the sea. 

Mini Windmills as souvenirs

You'll never get tired of staring on the roadside and smelling the fresh air coming from the West Philippine Sea. It's wonderful to think that all these gorgeous wind turbines also contribute in giving electricity to the entire province. Not only that, because of its awesomeness, many tourists journey to this side of the country to witness the gigantic turbines. So that helps the locals to have some income by making or selling souvenirs and also by giving accommodations to travelers who wanted to stay overnight.

The Church's Bell tower and facade

Subsequently, at around 2 in the afternoon, we left Ford Ilocos half happy and half sad. Why? Sad because our car which is just a year old needs to have its aircon compressor to be replaced the next day. Grrrrr!  Happy because Yehesss! We have more time to spend in Ilocos and tour around the city. So, we directly proceeded to Paoay Church to still thank God for being here safe and to ask for His blessings hopefully the aircon will be sorted out soon. Alright, so just a brief history... St Augustine Church a.k.a Paoay Church is one of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines which was completed way back 1710. When I passed through the structure, I was stunned knowing that it was created with bare hands by Filipinos during the Spanish era. Upon entering, I can see a very simple interior with St Augustine's image on the center. It gives me chills to my bones. Being in this historical site is nostalgic. It feels like I was taken back from time where our ancestors used the Church as their refuge during the wars. Take note, that the bell tower on the side was also used as an observational post by Filipino Revolutionaries against the Spaniards and by Filipino Guerillas against the Japanese soldiers during the Second World War. No wonder, it was declared as a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. 

On our second day, after our errand in Ford Ilocos, I asked my husband to go home straight because I'm already tired and stressed out. Our Google map is no longer cooperative. It didn't detect our GPS accurately so we got literally lost while finding our hotel last night and also while looking for the restaurants where we can dine in. We ended up asking numerous people including police before reaching the hotel and ate out on a carinderia na lang. But my cool husband still turned left and headed to Kapurpurawan Rock Formations. Kapurpurawan is an Ilocano term for "white". I know because my husband is a die-hard Ilocano. He talks Ilocano all the time we were in Ilocos. I found out that Ilocanos are patriotic. They speak their dialect every time and everywhere. And when they see that you're not from Ilocos but you know how to speak their dialect, they feel proud. There's an entrance fee before entering the tourist spot: Adults 15 pesos Child 5 pesos and Senior 10 pesos. Since my husband had an Ilocano conversation  with the caretaker, he just asked us 20 pesos for the entrance fee instead for a total of 35 pesos. Not bad! haha!  From the jumping point, you would have to trek for about 10 minutes prior to the rock formation. This rock was formed by the unending splashing of waves to the rock and many other forces of nature and that makes it astoundingly beautiful!

In the silent town of Burgos there lies Cape Bojeador. It's a lighthouse completed in 1890. Hence, it's the oldest and also the tallest lighthouse in the entire Philippines! They say that Cape Bojeador is haunted but thankfully we didn't experience any paranormal activity or whatsoever. Yet, it feels creepy and spooky being there. We still enjoyed the view overlooking the West Philippine Sea. Very refreshing!!! 

Going up further North is the last town of Ilocos which is Pagudpud. Before saying goodbye, we headed to Bantay Abot in Brgy. Balaoi. If translated in Ilocano, Bantay Abot means "Mountain with a Hole". Fascinating! Until now I'm still thinking how did that hole ended up there? 

Pagudpud. Ahhh, the famous Pagudpud. We finally saw their famous beach. We didn't take a plunge though because we need to get to Tuguegarao. What we did there is to have dinner so I ordered Longganiza de Iloco and Tinola. We didn't waste our time waiting for our order to come. We played along the shore and have our feet wet. Truly life is a beach! 

When our food was served, we quickly devoured everything on the table. Haha! Then just stared at this beautiful sunset. Did you ever noticed that half of Pagudpud is already night time and on the other half the sun is still setting? 😍😍😍 Another reason to Love Ilocos. We already went to many destinations here in Ilocos but guess what... There's still a lot to see. Ciao for now!!!