The Churches of Ilocos Norte!

On my last blog entry saga on the Ilocos Norte Region, I told you my adventures on Juan Luna's house and showed you some pictures of the place. For continuity purposes, I now present to you the different churches that we visited when I was having my trip to the Ilocos Region, which was by the way will soon be a year older. Hahaha... my bad... so much procrastination! Hahaha!

Ilocos Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south. Ilocos Norte faces the South China Sea to the west and the Luzon Strait to the north. (Source.)

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Juan Luna House, Ilocos Norte Trip!

The Ilocos Trip series saga that I had last year is still incomplete. What is traveling to Ilocos Region without ever visiting Ilocos Norte? If you are reading all of my Ilocos Tour Trip experience (all of them can be found here...) I only tackled Ilocos Sur. So for today, let us now go further north where the sun is hotter but beautiful places and sceneries are up for grabs — the Ilocos Norte!

And for our first feature of the Ilocos Norte, I present to you the house of a great Filipino painter, Juan Luna (yeah.. the statue is him!). Take a glimpse of Juan Luna's house in this one-of-a-kind picture trail tour of the Ilocos Norte! I hope you'll enjoy all of the pictures that I had taken! Hehehe...

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Cafe Leona Restaurant: Home of the Authentic Ilocos Recipes!

It is never a complete experience of an Ilocos tour (that is if you are planning to go there, especially this holiday season) if you haven't tasted an authentic Ilocano dish served right at your very own plate. But where can we find a real Ilocandia dish? Where else, but here at Cafe Leona Restaurant located at the front of Calle Crisologo in Heritage Village, Vigan, Ilocos Sur!

Cafe Leona is restaurant named after the great icon of Ilocos Sur, Leona Florentino. She is a world renowned poet, writer and playwright during her time. Because of her Ilocano ancestry and iconic state, the management of the restaurant had decided to name their restaurant Cafe Leona, well, aside from it's location near the Leona Florentino Plaza at the front of Heritage Village in Ilocos Sur.

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Ilocos' native products: Ilocos Trip Souvenirs!

The last time I talked about Ilocos Sur, I mentioned about Calle Crisologo that can be found in Heritage Village in Ilocos Sur. This time, as promised, I will tell the things that you can buy in Ilocos. By the way, this post is also known Ilocos native products, because it will mention some of the native products that you can buy as souvenirs when you finally decided to go to Ilocos Sur as a one-of-a-kind vacation destination in the Philippines! Listed below are some of proudly Ilocano made products that are surely a big hit as souvenirs to local and foreign tourists!

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Calle Crisologo, Heritage Village, Vigan, Ilocos Sur!

I bet you already seen my video of my Ilocos Tour but if you haven't, you can still catch up. But there's nothing really there but some pictures of places that can be seen on the way to Ilocos, mostly nature pictures, but still I suggest you watch the video first before you see the rest of the pictures that I have taken from my Ilocos Tour Experience last April or so, I can't remember the dates already. Hehehe...

Anyway, this is part 3 of the said tour. Today, I present to you snapshots of Calle Crisologo in Heritage Village in Vigan, Ilocos Sur! I have taken a lot of pictures but the following are just a chosen few. But before that some information first of what you are about to see.

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Hotels in Manila: Where to stay for tourists!

My friends from Canada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Portugal, London and Spain are planning to visit the Philippines in mid-August up to the last weeks of December for a much-awaited vacation of a lifetime! According to them, they have already settled their vacation itinerary in the Philippines, and their first stop for their destination is the ever-beautiful busy streets of Manila.

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The Ilocos Trip Part 2: My Ilocos Trip Video!

I am very sure that you have already read Part 1 of my Ilocos Trip experience, hehehe, because of the hits that I got from it. But if you haven't read it before, it's still okay, I don't mind really. But the experience is fun though, I recommend you to read it. Hehehe.

Anyway, in this second part of my tour of the Ilocos region, I present to you a video of the road trip that we have taken during our full almost twelve (12) hours of travel. Yep! Ilocos Sur is very far from Manila, and if you take the road on the way up to one of the northern most parts of Luzon, twelve hours is really a pain in the Gluteus Maximus (yeah... that's butt in English!). The road travel is very tiring, exhausting but fun! I have taken pictures you know!!! (Please click the title to continue.)

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Philippine Embassies Worldwide

When going abroad, whether as a tourist or as an overseas worker, it is very important to know where your country's embassies are located. An embassy is where a contract worker working abroad can seek for help when their employer/s is/are abusing them. This post is for the benefit of Filipinos working abroad finding the Philippine Embassies in the country they are working whether in the USA, Argentina, Abu Dhabi, Berlin, Jakarta, London, Madrid, Mexico, wherever in the world, even as far as Africa, Russia or Canada!

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Foreign Embassies in the Philippines

Foreign embassies are always a big help to citizens working or residing in a state (or country or a foreign land) because it protects in the interests of the sending State and of its nationals, within the limits permitted by international law; negotiating with the Government of the receiving State as directed by the sending State; ascertaining by lawful means conditions and developments in the receiving State, and reporting thereon to the Government of the sending State; promoting friendly relations between the sending State and the receiving State, and developing their economic, cultural and scientific relations. (Source.)

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Sigayan Beach... here I come!

In a few moments, our department is going to leave the company premises to enjoy the scorching summer heat, pristine water, white sand, and warm breeze of one of the many beaches in Batangas province. Last year our company went to Boracay, Iloilo and Guimaras... this year, we planned to go to a nearby beach due to limited time and budget... hehehe.. so we finally decided to go to Sigayan Beach Resort, located in Laiya, san Juan, Batangas!

I know I have a backlog Vigan, Ilocos Sur adventure blog entry, hehehe... but hey, a vacation is still a vacation... and an outing is still an outing! What the heck? Hahaha... The next time, maybe next week, hehehe, I will write all of my travel adventures here. So better stick around for that... and yeah... there's pictures!!! Hahaha... Ciao for now!

Photo credits: Sigayan Beach Resort website.

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Forget Boracay! Visit this Top 10 Hidden Vacation Destinations!

Hot air temperature, humid atmosphere, sunburns, ice cold drinks, pearl shakes, higher electric consumption, pristine water, beach party and circumcision season! All of these are signs of summer. Indeed, we can say that summer has officially started. But what else comes along with summer? Of course, the beautiful vacation destinations! Aaaaahh... I can now smell the hot air of that different tourists destination in the Philippines. Yes, and I am not talking about Boracay here!

When summer season comes, it is usually the people's instinct to go to the beach. Along come with it is the only place where they can enjoy the white sand and bask under the sun — Boracay! But because it is summer, Boracay is for sure have lots of visitors from all over the country and the world! So, what's the alternative for going to Boracay?

As I was looking and browsing the internet for alternative vacation destinations in the Philippines, I come across an entry on Wikipilipinas.org about the Top 10 Hidden Vacation Destinations in the country. Beautiful sceneries, clear sky, and stress free destinations await me as I visit that page.

The Top 10 Hidden Vacation Destinations are as follows, and in no particular order:

1. Romblon. The island of Romblon is the Philippines’ main source of marble, thus earning the moniker “Marble Country”. Isn't it a great experience to visit the province that made your marble floorings? Hehehe... But there's more to Romblon than marbles. Find out here.

2. Davao Oriental. The earliest sunrise of the new millennium (January 2000) in the Philippines was recorded at the easternmost tip of the country: Pusan Point, Davao Oriental, now called the “Sunrise Capital of the Philippines”. Discover more of Davao Oriental here.

3. Siquijor. The island of Siquijor, also called “Isla del Fuego” or the “Isle of Fire”, is known to many as a place of magic, mysticism and enchantments. If you want to experience this "magic" that will give you a unique summer experience, go check out the details about this province, here!

4. Antique. According to legend, Antique, or Hamtik, as it was then called, was the realm of Datu Sumakwel, and was the first large Malay settlement in the country. Sounds interesting? There's more to Antique than being one of the oldest pre-Hispanic settlements in the Philippines. Check the info here.

5. Catanduanes. The island of Catanduanes in the Bicol Region is in the Pacific Ocean, and is still virtually untouched by tourists, making it a great vacation getaway for those who want to relax for a while from the rat race. If you want to have a vacation here, you'll enjoy staying here because there are only a small number of people going here! But if a lot of people reading this, maybe you just try another destination. Hehehe... Check out Catanduanes here.

6. Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Uhmm... yes, it is really Sebu, not Cebu! Scenic Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, is dubbed as the “Summer Capital of the South”. It is a protected landscape and the ancestral home of the T'boli people. T'bolis are known internationally for their woven clothes. If you want to know more about Lake Sebu, please click here.

7. Glan, Sarangani. Beautiful Glan, Sarangani, is the site of Philippine Government Colony No. 9, the first settlement by pioneers from Luzon and the Visayas in 1914 in SOCCSKSARGEN. It is a place where mountain sceneries meet white beaches and clear, sparkling waters. I cannot give you more info on this, but check out their coastline!

8. Baler, Aurora. Baler, Aurora, the birthplace of first Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon, is a place caught between the mountains and the sea: the Pacific Ocean on the east, and the Sierra Madre Mountains on the west. Amazing geography, isn't it? And nice pristine beach!

9. Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales. Hidden away in the province of Zambales, not far from Subic, is the lovely fishing village of Pundaquit, San Antonio. For those in the know, the beach of Pundaquit is a great haven for beach bums and surfers. So if you're a bummer, get out and hit the road!

10. Caramoan Peninsula, Camarines Sur. The serene Caramoan Peninsula is a hidden paradise in Camarines Sur, great for swimming, island hopping and nature-tripping. I personally love this scenery. Don't get lost in Camarines Sur by browsing their info .

So which of the above vacation destinations are you going to? (Why do I have the feeling that that question sounds like a multiple choice question?) Tell me and lets share experiences!



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