It was another long weekend and I decide to see the summer capital of the Philippines. It's been a while since my last visit to the city of Pines.
Igorot Stone Kingdom
August 25: Travel from Manila to Baguio
Took a daytrip from Sampaloc bus terminal to Baguio. Instead of a usual night trip, I decided to take a day trip for a change.
Had several stop-over at Urdaneta and sision in Pangasinan to rest and for refreshments before finally proceeding to Baguio via La Union.
We reached Baguio City with a very gloomy sky, foggy road and cold weather. There was a storm near the area at that time and so there was no clearing.
The plan is to fly Kronos at the tourist spots whenever possible. This is still a continuation of the break-in period for the new Drone.
Reached Baguip bus terminal at 6PM and headed towards my accommodation at CV Bed and Bath Transient House.
After checking in, the rain started to pour and the place was dark and cold.
I decided to walk from my accommodation via Session Rd to the mall. This was my first destination in the City.
August 26: Cathedral, Igorot Stone Kingdom, Tam-awan
On the second day, I decided to walk along Session Rd and visit the cathedral. It was still raining heavily, sky was dark and cold. Had a good time moving around the church and taking some few shots.
From the cathedral, I took a Grab car and headed towards the Igorot Stone Kingdom. This site is the newest in Baguio.
The Igorot Stone Kingdom is a man-made park. It showcases the Igorot rock-laying skills, their creativity as well as their indigenous culture, values, way of life, and tradition.
Igorot Stone Kingdom founder Pio Velasco said that the foundation had been existing for more than a year now and it was able to extend various assistance to indigent residents of the Cordillera, who had been assessed to be in dire need of help.
I spent sometime moving around the area and taking shots. I wasn't able to fly Kronos since it was drizzling all the time.
From the Igorot Stone Kingdom, I moved by foot to the nearby Tam-awan Village. It is a reconstructed Cordillera village with traditional huts, cultural information, art & a cafe. From Tam-awan, took a Grab car and moved back to the mall for dinner.
August 27: Travel back to Manila
Travelled back to Manila the following day. Due to the bad weather, I decided to limit my tour in Baguio within the city limits.
Revisiting Pagudpud - Laoag City - Paoay - Vigan City - Bantay - Sta. Maria - Little Batanes
August 17 - 20
I just got a new DJI Air 3 Drone I named "Kronos" and I thought of breaking it in somewhere safe to fly Drones. It was just in time for the August long weekend and the first Drone friendly destination I had in mind was Ilocos beaches and heritage sites.
Kronos Drone
I decided to quickly get a bus ticket and travelled right away to Pagudpud, my first destination. This is a peaceful place where the white sand beaches are and few other popular tourist destinations such as the Kapurpurawan Rock formation, Burgos Light House, Patapat Viaduct and of course, the Windmills all over the place. All of which a perfect spot to test flight Kronos.
August 17: Travel from Manila to PAGUDPUD
Took a bus in Sampaloc bound for Pagudpud. Travelled at night and reached Pagudpud early morning the following day.
August 18: PAGUDPUD | Beach Time
Upon my arrival at the bus terminal, contact a friend, Jerry Galat, for the usual tricycle ride from the bus terminal to my favorite accommodation few steps away from the municipal white sand beach in Saud. I checked it at Polaris Beach Resort and started to unpack my things, setup Kronos and made my first flight under the clear blue sky moving back and forth along the shores of Saud.
It was my first time to handle an Air 3 aircraft and so I decided to stay in the area for the whole day to familiarize my self with the Drone before testing it in the tourist spots.
August 19: Travel to LAOAG | PAOAY | VIGAN | BANTAY | STA. MARIA
Early on the 19th August, I travelled to the City of Laoag, Kronos with me. Plan was to fly Kronos at some popular heritage spots and see the beauty of the place from above.
At the Laoag City proper, I passed by and took photos of the Sinking Bell Tower before proceeding to the Cathedral to say a short thank you prayer. I was tempted to fly Kronos around the Belfry, however, given the setting of the area, I decided not to. Kronos is equipped with omni directional sensors to avoid any collision but I decided not to fly given my lack of flight experience yet.
From the Belltower, I proceeded to the Cathedral opposite the highway. Just like before, the Cathedral is clean and orderly.
After saying my thank you prayer, I decided to walk towards the market to see Auntie Elie and try a dozen of her special Laoag Longaniza and sweet curly Balikutsa.
From the market, I took a tricycle going to the Jeepney terminal bound for Paoay. Travelled to Paoay and checked it at Dreamtime Inn located few steps away from the rear side of Paoay Church.
After fixing my things inside the Inn, I prepared Kronos for a flight at the church Plaza and headed immediately to the site to start my drone break-in flight. I was so excited and so happy to be able to fly Kronos and take a shot of the magnificent structure from above.
Paoay Church Master Shot
As part of the break-in activities, I also took a Master Shot video of the church and few more Quick Shots. It was a very nice experience, having to pilot a very nice, stable drone equipped with a 4K resolution camera.
From Paoay church, I decided to travel to Vigan City. Flying a drone along Calle Crisologo requires a permission from the City Police office for security. I decided not to fly Kronos along Calle Crisologo and instead took few selfie shots while walking towards the City Center.
Took a quick refreshment at MCDonalds while viewing the facade of Vigan Cathedral being repaired as a result of the strong quake.
From Vigan plaza, I decided to take a tricycle ride to Bantay Church and Belltower. These two structures were badly damaged by the earthquake. Good thing, repair was on-going at that time starting with the facade and side wall of the church.
The Belltower still stands and with cracks. It was still off limits to the public for safety.
I decided to fly Kronos and performed "Point Of Interest" encircling the belltower and then took a shot of the Bantay church from above.
Bantay Bell Tower Master Shot
It was a hot and humid day. From Bantay, I took a van towards Sta. Maria. My plan was to take a Master Shot of Sta. Maria Church. I was so happy to see that the church situated atop a hill is so intact, no damage seen at all after the massive earthquake - standing true to its UNESCO title as Baroque Church, an earthquake-proof structure.
Using Master Shot, I was able to record a video that can be readily shared on any Social Media platform. This is a beautiful feature of modern day drone equipment.
Sta. Maria Church Master Shot
From Sta. Maria, I took a bus bound for Laoag and alighted at a junction towards Paoay. Finally checked in at Dreamtime Beach Resort, took a nice dinner and then rest with a happy heart knowing I was able to fulfil all my plans for the day.
August 20: Travel from Paoay to PAGUDPUD
Early morning on the 20th, went to the bus terminal bound for Pagudpud and travelled back to the white sand place, checked in at Polaris Beach Resort and prepared to explore Little Batanes located at Brgy. Caparispisan in Pagudpud.
We had a short climb, up a hill and the view is stunning. It has a panoramic view close to that of the rolling hills of Batanes, hence, tourists call it the Batanes of Ilocos Norte.
From the hill, we travelled below and visited the Stingray monument. This is a World War II historical market.
Travelled back to Saud beach, get some few souvenirs and travelled back to Manila. I was happy and satisfied having been able to unwind in this peaceful, orderly place.
It was a gloomy Saturday morning when we left Manila. We were seven and bound to the province of Aurora. It was my first time to see the place located just below the province of Isabela, the place of my birth and my home province.
Aurora is located in the eastern part of Central Luzon, facing the Philippine Sea (Pacific Ocean). Baler is the provincial capital. It's a narrow strip of land sandwitched between the Northern Sierra Madre and the Pacific Ocean and bounded in the north by the provinces of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino and by the provinces of Quezon, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan in the South. People speak both Ilocano and Filipino languages.
According to Wikipedia, Before 1979, Aurora was part of the province of Quezon. Aurora was, in fact, named after Aurora Aragon, the wife of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon, the president of the Philippine Commonwealth, after whom the mother province was named.
For quite sometime, we were planning to explore Dinadiawan, a town in the Municipality of Dipaculao. By word-of-mouth, we learned that Dinadiawan is blest by mother nature with long stretch of white sand shores and calm sea perfect for beacheneering.
Dipaculao is approximately 310 kilometers away from Manila and a 6 to 7-hour private vehicle drive.
From Manila, we took NLEX, TPLEX and passed through the towns of Talevera and Rizal in Nueva Ecija before reaching the province of Aurora.
While driving, one can immediately appreciate the well maintained roads, the cleanliness and orderliness of the surroundings and the lush green environment.
These are things I don't normally see and experience in the places where I usually visit on a holiday.
Centuries-old trees lining up along the side of the road provide a natural canopy to the long stretch of the highway.
The long winding road snaking into the Sierra Madre mountains leads us to our destination safely in Dinadiawan at 1301H. We were immediately welcomed by the roaring sound of the Pacific Ocean. It was a sunny hot Saturday.
We stayed in a house few steps away from the sandbar concealed from the ocean by the trees and at our doorstep is an old tree we call it Bitta-og.
Dinadiawan in particular is a must-see place for those seeking peace and silence away from the noisy crowd and traffic of the city.
This is a place where the roaring waves, the gentle whistle of the northern breeze and the chirping of the birds gracefully playing on the branches of the trees dominate.
Dinadiawan is the place to be with nature much closer. Towering the lust green forest behind are the mighty terrains of the Sierra Madre, a nature-provided barrier between the wild Pacific Ocean and the land behind it.
"Salaknib" (protection) in the Ilocano vernacular, it protected the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan from the onslaught of then immensely powerful storm Lawin as it traverses northern Luzon, and will continue to do so in the years to come.
I felt elated on a Duyan hanging underneath the old Bitta-og tree and watched its leafy arms caressed by the cold blowing wind.
We had lunch at 1422H and then prepared to explore the place. I was lucky enough to fly Kronos just along the shoreline over the stretch of the sandbar and had a view of the activities down below.
I could hardly maintain Kronos in the air for so long as the wind blows stronger from the Pacific Ocean.
As the other family members enjoyed the waves, I enjoyed the serenity of the place.
It reminded me of Max Ehrmann's lines in his Desiderata, "Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here."
It was past 1830H when the skies started to turn dark, the colder wind blows and the thunder started to play. The rain was coming.
We gathered inside the house and listened to the heavy rain as it washed the green leaves of the old Bitta-og tree and quenched the desiccated land beneath.
At night while the rain continued to fall, we had our turn telling our memorable stories in the past and remembered ourselves when we were young. In my mind, I was singing my favorite piece "In My Life" as we enjoyed our bonding moments together as a happy family.
There are places I remember all my life Though some have changed Some forever, not for better Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments Of lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I loved them all
And with all these friends and lovers There is no one compares with you And these mem'ries lose their meaning When I think of love as something new
And I know I'll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I loved you more
We had a peaceful and cold rainy night together, under one roof, so close to one another. I am so thankful to God for such a moment of which is hard to come by in a battlefield that demanded so much of our time and attention setting us apart from those who are dear to us.
I woke up first early in the morning on the following day. It was still drizzling, gloomy, cold and windy. There was no sunrise. I moved out of the house to say good morning to the wild ocean as it endlessly hit the shore only to find out that I was alone talking to the sea telling her I had a goodnight sleep.
The sun smiled lately on the second day for a few hours allowing us to enjoy the waves once more. We had fun.
It was eleven in the morning when the skies turned grey again. It was time to move on. Time to say goodbye to the old Bitta-og tree.
There are more places to see and enjoy in Dinadiawan. Certainly, I'll be looking forward to be in this place again soon and be reunited with my family and mother nature once again.
We left the place with a happy and fulfilled heart. Michael J. Fox said, "Family is not an important thing. It's everything!" and "To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there!", Barbara Bush.
