We're leaving my Maravilla travel series [1],[2] for now. Let's travel a little further up north once again! ✨
ILOCOS NORTE is my destination of choice today! That's right, we've been here before but who said I'm done? 😅 In case you missed it, Ilocos Norte is the last province on the northwest side of the Philippines; we've been to Bangui Windmills in our last exploration there.
A few weeks back, the northern part of Luzon, where Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur are located, has been experiencing a series of strong earthquakes. I've seen videos of century-old churches collapsing; it broke my heart but a piece of me is at peace knowing I've seen some of them before they got destroyed by the quake. I'm not sure if any of these sites we'll visit today had been badly hit by the quake, but the photos will show how they all looked prior to the quake (which might have caused minor to major damages).
Shall we start exploring? Bring your maps with you and off we go! 😎
Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
It was our second day on our 3-day trip in Ilocos Norte. From Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, we traveled back to Vigan in Ilocos Sur. On our way to Vigan, we stopped by three (3) spots that are always included in the tours offered by both locals and private tour agencies.
Here's the thing, if you're the type of traveler who'd appreciate more physical activities, what I'll share might not please you. There will be no physical activity involved for today except for walking and taking a lot of photos. No swimming, no 4x4 truck adventure!
First on our list if Kapurpurawan Rock Formation. Kapurpurawan is located in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. In fact, it's just a few minutes away from the Bangui Windmills. If you'll closely look at the photos below, even in Kapurpurawan there are still windmills.
We had to walk for more or less five (5) minutes from the main entrance to reach the viewing deck where the rock formations could be clearly seen. Prior to our visit, I've seen my friend's posts on Facebook where she was able to go near the rock formation; in our case, we were told we couldn't move closer. I was disappointed but, of course, we still had to make the most out of our time there. It's not like we'll be here every day.
More group photos...
I certainly felt I could've appreciated the place more if only they allowed us to explore further but of course, I'm well aware they're only doing this to preserve the destination's beauty.
We took a lot of individual and group photos using my GoPro and smartphones. It was a sunny day and left with nothing else to do, we walked back to the main entrance and looked for shelter and some refreshment before we rolled for the next destination. If you're hungry or thirsty after the quick walk to the rock formation, refreshments of all sorts await your return.
And if you ended up sweating, you may want to buy a new shirt as a souvenir. I used to buy 1 shirt per province, but I stopped doing so. Imagine 81 shirts in total to be added to my wardrobe? I might need a new room for that! Haha! 😅
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
Not far away from Kapurpurawan, our van stopped and I thought we were at our next destination. I was surprised to learn we need to ride a tricycle to reach Cape Bojeador Lighthouse which is located on top of a hill. Of course, how could I forget that lighthouses are on top of hills? I missed that! 😒
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse or locally known as Burgos Lighthouse is nothing massive. This simple yet sturdy structure is located on top of the mountainous part of Burgos, Ilocos Sur. I've seen a handful of lighthouses before but this one was in a way unique. The lighthouses I've seen stood alone. There were no other structures nearby, just a tall and thin structure facing the sea as if guarding it. But Cape Bojeador was erected next to an ancestral compound that the tourism office turned into a mini museum complete with the lighthouse's history.
We stopped by one of the rooms overlooking the ocean and took dramatic photos! 😂
I'll be very honest, I only take photos of information in the museum but I'm not particularly interested in the past. After taking a quick tour, we moved to the exciting part, climbing the stairs that'll take us to the foot of the lighthouse.
I've mentioned earlier that the lighthouse is nothing massive. It's not very tall compared to the ones I've seen before but it does the job and that's what matters.
Perhaps you're bored by now; we hadn't done anything except chill and take a lot of photos near the lighthouse. Here are some photos I was able to salvage from this trip from my very ancient GoPro.
And more photos of me playing with my GoPro...
Before we finally head out and back to our van, more shots with the ocean in the background.
And one final photo at the stairway with the Lighthouse as the background. Even with just chilling and taking photos inside, we looked happy and contented with the tour.
Malacañang of the North
And our last stop for today is none other than, the Malacañang of the North. It is named after the Malacañang Palace in Manila which is "the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the Philippines". When Ferdinand Marcos became the President of the Philippines, Malacañang of the North was built. It became the official residence of the first family when they come home to their Province, Ilocos Norte.
Today, it is a national park and a museum that houses some of the precious items of the Marcos family.
The structure of the building looked old but it has been restored and remodeled as I've noticed the walls were already cemented not the old bricks used for older houses.
But once you are inside, it'll take you to the old days when the Marcoses reigned nothing short of grand really. Furniture and fixtures were mostly made from expensive wood materials.
At the back of the building is Paoay Lake. So if you visit Malacañang of the North, you're hitting two birds with one stone. I was more excited to see the lake than the palace actually! 😅
Unless you are a huge fan of the Marcos family, you'll find nothing interesting here actually. This place is all about them, their luxurious lifestyles back in the day and if you know the rest of Philippines history, it ain't pleasing at all.
After exhausting every corner of the place, we decided we've had enough and went back to our van. And suddenly we're all in the road moving towards Vigan.
That's all for today fellow travelers! 😊
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