i went to pagudpud last saturday and stayed there until yesterday. the travel is a bit exhausting but it was worth it when i got there. for those planning to go there, i suggest you take the land transportation instead because there's no morning schedule for air travel. since the land travel is 12 hours in duration, allot 2 days in your vacation for travel.
we stayed at polaris resort in saud beach in pagudpud. steve and me-ann santos are the operators of the place. they were really kind enough to pick us up at the city because there were not land transportation available to take us from laoag airport to pagudpud. during the entire travel, me-ann was able to plan our pagupud tour effortlessly.
since we have a limited time, we didn't waste any more time and started the tour at 7 in the morning. our tour guide cum tricycle driver, vincent, was very patient and accommodating to show us around and give us bits of interesting information about the sites. he even willingly took our pictures.
our first stop was the kabigan falls. entrance was 10 pesos per person plus a stardard tour fee of 100 pesos. it was a 10-15 minute hike to the falls, which was pretty tolerable for someone like me who doesn't really enjoy trekking. seeing the falls took away my exhaustion from the hike and the quick dip surely woke me up.
next stop was the patapat viaduct, which, according to www.waypoints.ph, "is an elevated concrete highway constructed along winding/rocky headlands near the northernmost roadway section in ilocos norte (could be considered second northernmost roadway section in luzon) this viaduct was constructed to solve the problem of landslides in the area which have caused so many vehicular accidents in the past." it's very interesting to note that the view along the viaduct is actually the south china sea!
we then headed to aqua paradiso (entrance fee was 25 pesos), the place where fresh water from the falls and salt water from the ocean meet. the place is suitable for families and group of friends because you can stay there and cook food (the place has grills available in the cottages). a few minutes away was the place they call "paraiso ni anton" where you can actually drink fresh and natural spring water. i didn't see anton though (hekhekhek).
then, vincent took us to bantay Abot cave and took quick snapshots of the cave and its surroundings. a few minutes later, we were welcomed by the breathtaking blue waters of the famous "blue kagoon" or the maira-ira beach. this is very much comparable to bohol and boracay in terms of sand quality and the water clarity. we took a very long walk by the beach so I got pretty burned there (well mostly, my nose took the most blow from the sun's rays).
we took a quick bite at the local market in pagudpud so that we can still see the cape bojeador lighthouse. too bad, the place was not maintained but still, its rustic look made it a sight to behold. last stop was the bangui windmills, which is like nothing I've seen before. fifteen (if I counted them right) humongous windmills along the beach made me feel like I'm in a totally different place.
last stop was the local market to buy the ingredients we need for dinner and breakfast the following day. the resort owners were kind enough to cook our food at no extra cost. and even kind enough to accompany us in getting a ride back to laoag the following day.
admittedly, the travel to pagudpud drained the bejeezuz out of me, but it sure brought a lot of nice memories and great shots in my camera.
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