“Roads were made for journeys not destinations.” – Confucius

After an overnight stay and 2 days on the road in Vigan, we were off again. before it was Pam, my niece, who was driving, and now it was Ram’s turn, my nephew.

Sharing this for Jo’s Monday Walk

And so, the adventure continues…

Next stop…the La Paz Sand Dunes. At first we were excited and posing for the cameras, but the moment the jeep moved we were just all rocking back and forth and couldn’t even have a good stand on our feet. But oh was it so much fun 👍🏼

Just a good 15 minute drive, we saw this Sinking Bell Tower. This is a very nice piece of history and is one of the top Ilocos Norte tourist attraction. The structure is claimed to be one of the most solid and tallest bell tower in the Philippines. Because it is so heavy and it was built on sandy foundations, it has been consistently sinking into the ground.

And about a 3 minute walk is the Laoag Historical Marker and the Tobacco Monopoly Monument.

Next stop is the Kapurpurawan Limestone Formation. When we arrived at the site, we took a short hike to get to the actual formation and the landscape was just picturesque complete with greeneries and natural pools.

Walked a bit on the soft 9 kilometre stretch of the Bangui Bay, where the Bangui Wind Farm is located. It has 20 turbines that form an arc at the shores is a major tourist attraction in Ilocos Norte. 

This is the sign that welcomed us to Pagudpud which is the northernmost settlement on Luzon Island and a popular tourist destination because of its resorts and beaches.

The Bantay Abot rock formations can be viewed from kilometres away and the green pastures were just calling us to walk through it. I enjoyed the walk because the sun was covered by the clouds so weather was just pleasant. At times though, the wind was getting a bit harsh as the storm was getting nearer in this area.

This is the Timmangtang Rock and not far away is the Bantay-abot Cave. They are collectively known as the “Lover’s Rock”, with this one below as the male, and the Bantay Abot cave as the female. I wonder why?

Bantay Abot cave is not really a cave but is a naturally sculpted scenic rock formation with a hole by the sea.

Casa Consuelo Island Reef was our home for 3 nights and 4 days. This was what greeted us upon arrival. Storm was brewing and the news said that it’s gonna be one strong typhoon.

But the storm didn’t stop us from having fun and jumping into the pool even at night time.

However, the next day and the day after was simply bad and we just spent the days watching TV inside the room and eating.

Surprising enough, when we woke up the following day, the surroundings were as calm as calm can be. And what a great early morning walk with the sun gently peeping through the clouds.

Packed our bags and was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get much of the beach weather. On our way home, we passed by the Patapat Viaduct also known as the Patapat Bridge.

Next, we went down and visited Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as Burgos Lighthouse, is a cultural heritage structure that was established during the Spanish Colonial period in the Philippines. The lighthouse was first lit on March 30, 1892,

Next stop was the The Saint Augustine Church, commonly known as the Paoay Church. It is a Roman Catholic church completed in 1710 and was made popular by its distinct architecture.Built around 1700, a unique combination of gothic, baroque and oriental architecture.

It is declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government in 1973 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

The Malacañang of the North is a presidential museum in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. It was the residence of the family of the late Ferdinand Marcos when he was the President of the Philippines.