summer '08 @ pagudpod

Finally! Nagkaron din ako ng summer escape this year. :) I thought hindi ko na masusuot ang swimsuit ko. Hehehe! This is in celebration of Tita Aida and Tito Tony's silver wedding anniversary (minus Tito Tony cos nsa abroad xa) and Maan's birthday. Read to know more about our trip. ;)

The characters (ang mga taong kasama kong nag-Pagudpod)

Tita Aida - Mark's mom
Maan - Mark's sister
Lyssa - Mark's other sister
Mark
and opkors, ako.. ;)

The trip to Pagudpod..

Tita Aida reserved bus tickets 1 day before our trip. Hindi daw kc pwede magpa-reserve ng sobrang advance (read: 1 week before and longer). We took the Florida bus, terminal is at Lacson St. in Manila. They have 2 trips going to Pagudpod, one at 8:30PM and another one at 9:30PM. Bus fare is at Php650, one way (ginto ang pamasahe!) pero ok na ren cos may sariling CR naman ang bus (in fairness, malinis nmn). Trip will take 12-14 hrs, depending on traffic. We left the bus terminal at exactly 9:30PM ng Friday, arrived at Pagudpod at 8:30AM the following day. Grabe! One stopover lang ung trip, sa Marsha's delicacies in Ilocos Sur, kya mejo napaiksi ang byahe. First time ko bumyahe ng ganun kalayo. Pinakamatagal na ata ang 4 hours, and kya lang naging gnun katagal eh dahil traffic, when in fact 2 hours lng dapat un. Anyway, ayun.. Nakakapagod lang ang byahe, tpos hindi mo pa makita ang sceneries na madadaanan mo kc gabi. Although madami ako nakitang cemeteries along the highway, which is hindi naman masyado scary. Ang naisip ko that time is, panu pag nagka-landslide? Parang may landslide ng bones ang kung anu2 dun sa highway? Icky! Hehehe.. :P Oh! By the way, another option to go to Pagudpod is to take a plane (if di mo feel ang 12hrs na byahe). You'll land in Laoag airport, then take a 1.5hr bus ride to Pagudpod. Ayun. Di ko lang sure how much this will cost.

The arrival..

Pagdating sa town ng Pagudpud, nag-tricycle kame papuntang Saud Beach Resort & Hotel, where Maan made reservations. From the resort entrance, makikita mo na ang beach and you can't help but say "WOW!". Super blue ng tubig, and ang puti ng buhangin! So ayun na nga, andun na kame. Maan and Tita Aida were the ones talking to the receptionist. Then we had a problem. Nung pinirmahan ni Maan ung contract ng reservation, na-overlook nya ung date stated in the contract. She told kc dun sa kausap nya na Friday nyt kame aalis ng Manila. Eh ang stupid ng kausap nya, feeling ata 2 hours lng byahe from Manila to Ilocos, ang nalagay na date sa contract is Apr18-19, which is a Fri-Sat, na dapat Sat-Sun. So ayun nga. We asked the management na baka naman pwde magawan ng paraan, lyk, if may room na walang nkareserve for that weekend. Ang sabi samen, the only option we have is to use the room that we reserved, pero till 2PM lang, and we have to pay in full. So sabi namen, hindi na lang, we'll look for another resort, tutal there are other 2 resorts in the area na beach front din. Malayo na ang nalalakad namen, papunta na kame sa kabilang resort, tinawag kame nung guard. Sabi, gusto daw kami kausapin ng receptionist. Naisip ko that time, baka nagbago na isip nila, and they decided to let us stay there for the weekend. Pagdating dun ni Tita, sabi sa kanya na we have to pay in full, which is completely insane! Ni wala nga kaming nagamit na facilities sa hotel nila, tapos we have to pay in full?! When we read the contract again, nka-state lang na if we want to cancel reservations, we should do it 2 weeks before the reserved date, otherwise, reservation fee will be forfeited. Eh since we reserved only a week before, and no-show nga kame, understandable na forfeited na ung downpayment. Eh hello?! Hindi na nga binawi ung reservation, pagbabayarin pa ng buo?! Tita can't help but curse the receptionist. Obviously, hindi nya naiintindihan ung nkalagay sa contract. Stupid. Walk-out kame, and made our way to the other resort. By the way, the room we reserved costs 5K++ and we already made 50% downpayment (which we did not refund, donation na namen sknila un). We were also gonna eat breakfast there din sana (while waiting for the management's decision re: the contract) but sky high ang prices nila. As in, nsa 250-600 per meal, excluding 10% service charge. OA. If naisipan nyong pumuntang Pagudpod, wag kayo sa Saud Beach Resort & Hotel. Crappy customer service, stupid crew, bad managers.

The resort..

We left Saud Beach Resort and went to the nearby resort which is Arinaya White Beach Resort. We had our breakfast there (mahal din, pero di kasing mahal ng sa Saud) and stayed there overnight. The room we got costs 1995 (for 3 persons) and we added 2 mattresses and there's an additional fee in excess of 3 persons. Nsa 3k din ang inabot. Not bad. The only difference is walang tv sa Arinaya and hindi kasing ganda ung room compared dun sa Saud. Pero, if you want to just have a place to sleep and bathe after mo magswim sa beach, Arinaya Beach Resort is not a bad choice. Besides, you wouldn't need a tv there. What's the point of going to the beach if you can watch tv here in Manila, right? There's also another resort, next to Arinaya, which is Villa del Mar. Ok din dun. When I checked the room rates, nsa 4k ung mga rooms.

Food..

You can opt to buy from the restos there, pero expensive (for me, atleast) ung mga prices. Or, you can go to the market and buy food, then kyo nalang mag-cook. There are grill stations at Arinaya (not sure with the other resorts) and you can use their kitchen as well. But they don't provide the utensils, you have to have your own. And walang palengke on Sunday sa Pagudpod town. So if mamamalengke ka and you bought meat & fish, mkilagay ka sa fridge nung resort (if there's none sa room) para hindi masira. Or, buy nalang kayo sa kabilang town.

The beach..

The best part! Grabe talaga! WOW! Hindi na ako naiinggit sa mga nakapunta sa Bora cos I think mas ok sa Pagudpod. Onti ang tao, white sand, ganda ng tubig. WOW ulet! Hehehe. Malakas lang ang alon sa ibang parts ng beach. I see people surfing den. Tapos biglang lalim ung sand (cos maalon nga) and nagkalat ang seaweeds sa umaga. Maintenance staff from the resort clean out the seaweeds sa tanghali, so sa hapon, wala na masyado. ;) Nakakatuwa when there's a fairly big wave, lahat ng tao sa mga tubig would say "wooh!" and then magtatawanan. Ang kulet. :D Wave na wave nga. And all natural. Hehe! Pag super lakas na ng wave, as in, when you see it coming and mukang mas mataas pa sa'yo, people would run to the shore. Nakakatuwa. Pero if matapang ka, and feel mo talaga ang waves, edi salubungin mo. Meron namang mga lifeguards around. Hehehe! Also, di pa uso ang banana boat rides and jet ski. And I don't think they'd allow it cos malakas nga ang alon. I don't think it'll be safe.

The day tour..

We checked out sa hotel ng 12nn. Our scheduled bus trip to Manila is at 8PM pa, so nkikontrata kame dun sa mga tricycle drivers sa bayan for a half-day tour. Depende if magaling ka makipagbaratan, but it will cost you Php500-600 per tricycle for a half-day tour. Sila na bahala sa'yo. ;) Astig ang mga tryc sa Ilocos! Parang mga pick-up trucks/ATV dahil paakyat ng bundok, pababa, at kahit ganu kabigat ang pasahero at dalahin, nkakayanan ng tryc nila. Astig talaga! :D Dinala kame sa Patapat Falls, Agua Grande Picnic Park, Patapat Bridge/Viaduct, Blue Lagoon Beach resort, Bantay Abot caves and Kaibigan Falls.

Patapat Falls

Sabi sa banner pagdating namen dun, it's a man-made sort of a falls. Ok naman, madami pumupunta. There's even a grotto that you can visit. Ang lamig ng tubig, and sabi nila it's all natural that you can drink the water from it. I saw some locals fill up their bottle with water and actually drank it.

Patapat Bridge/Viaduct
The "French Riviera" of the North (Philippines). Ganda ng view from the bridge. :)

Agua Grande Picnic Park
A really nice resort. They have a freshwater pool that looks like a 'batis' and an infinity-like pool that leads to the ocean. Ang ganda ng concept ng resort na 'to. And at a very minimal fee! Nasa Php 250 lang, although we were not able to take a dip cos this is only part of our day tour, onti lang time nmen.

Blue Lagoon
The best beach in the world! As in literally, the best! There are resorts nearby, pero you can't stay overnight. I think that's how they preserved the beauty of it. And strict ung mga nagbabantay about eating, smoking, etc. Tsaka if nakapunta ka dito, mahihiya ka talagang dumihan ang beach. Wow Philippines! Hehehe!

Bantay Abot Caves
Near Blue Lagoon beach, you'll have to stop by the side of the road to get here. As the rest of the places we visited, ganda din ng view dito, mahangin pa. Sabi ni Mang Jun (ang tour guide/tryc driver namen), ung dagat na nakikita namen from here leads to Cagayan, if I understand correctly. Wow Philippines ulit 'to! ;)

Kaibigan Falls

At Php 10, you can have a tour guide lead you to Kaibigan Falls. You have the option to walk the 1.5km trail or ride a pick-up truck (for Php500). Xmpre, we opted to walk, para nrin we can enjoy the view. You will pass by rice fields, forest-like places and tatawid ka din sa parang (di ko sure e) batis. Sarap ng feeling while crossing these waters. Ang lamig ng tubig! After mo maglakad sa arawan, refreshing ang feeling, kahit paa mo lang ung nababasa. Hehehe! When you get to Kaibigan Falls, you can't help but be awed by it's beauty. Anlamig pa! Pwede ka din mag-swim. Pero late na kame sinabihan ng tour guide, kaya di kame nkapagdala ng damit. Naghilamos nalang kame (dahil 3PM kame naglalakad sa ilalim ng araw) para naman marefresh ang aming katawan. :P The walk back to the entrance seems much shorter than going there (isn't it always?). Tip pag pupunta d2: wear flats/comfy shoes, bring bottled water and swim gear (if trip mo magswim).

Trip back home..

After the day tour, pahinga sa terminal, kain, wait para magboard sa bus. Whew! Kapagod. Ikaw ba naman mag-tour ng tanghaling tapat. Hehehe! On the trip home, nagising ako around 11PM. When I looked out the window, nakita ko ung road king san dadaan ung bus. It was literally on the side of the mountain. Patawid kami nun sa lake. There's like a cargo ship (or I think it is a cargo ship) na may ilaw, I guess to light up the bridge. One way lang kc ung bridge, as in isang bus lang pwede tumawid at a time. And sobrang haba nung bridge, before the bus crosses, nagsi-signal sila through lights dun sa makakasalubong na bus. Scary! Pero ang ganda ng view. Ung may ilaw sa gitna ng lake, parang scene sa isang sci-fi movie. Hindi ko ma-describe, pero un na un! :P Sayang di ko napicturan, ubos na kc batt nung cam, tska madilim din.. After we cross, natulog na ulit ako, kasi nakakatakot. Feeling ko kasi anytym mahuhulog ung bus sa bangin or dun sa lake or kung saan man. Thankfully, nakauwi naman kame ng maayos. ;)

Kung hindi lang malayo ang Ilocos, magpapabalik-balik ako dito. Kaya din siguro onti tao dun, kc nga malayo. :P Pero the best talaga 'to. Walang sinabi ang Boracay at Puerto Galera na madalas puntahan ng mga tao. ;)