Monday, July 27, 2009

Exploring Ilocos Region: Pangasinan

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Related Posts:
Exploring Ilocos Region Day 1: Ilocos Norte
Exploring Ilocos Region Day 2: Ilocos Sur
Exploring Ilocos Region Day 3: La Union

The last day of our backpacking trip across Ilocos Region was spent in Pangasinan. Pangasinan is the southernmost province in the region and the nearest to Manila.

As I have mentioned in my previous post, we stayed overnight in Lingayen, the provincial capital of Pangasinan. After breakfast, we went to the Lingayen War Memorial and the historical Lingayen Beach which played an important role during the second world war.

Lingayen Beach (taken by me on June 26, 2007)

Lingayen War Memorial (taken by Lor on June 26, 2007)

After this, we decided to go to Bolinao on the northwestern tip of Pangasinan. Bolinao is famous for its beautiful and virgin beaches. We were actually choosing between Bolinao and Hundred Islands, but because we needed one whole day to fully explore Hundred Islands, we decided to go with Bolinao. From Lingayen, we rode the bus to Alaminos, and from Alaminos, we rode another bus to Bolinao. The first thing we did when we got to Bolinao is to have lunch and then we visited the nearby St. James Parish.

St. James Parish (taken by Lor on June 26, 2007)

After this, we rented a tricycle for the whole afternoon and our driver took us to the Enchanted Cave, Bolinao Lighthouse and the beautiful Patar Beach. By the time we got near the beach, it was already raining hard but that did not stop us from enjoying beautiful Bolinao. The rain actually made this trip more memorable. At around 7pm, we left Patar Beach and took the long tricycle ride back to the town center. At 9pm, we rode the Five Star Bus in Bolinao back to Manila.

Entrance to the Enchanted Cave (taken by Lor on June 26, 2007)

Clear water inside the Enchanted Cave (taken by Lor on June 26, 2007)

Our tricycle (taken by Lor on June 26, 2007)

Bolinao Lighthouse (taken by me on June 26, 2007)

Patar Beach (taken by me on June 26, 2007)

2 years ago, we did not know anything about Bolinao, and neither did we know that it would it be one of the famous destinations in Pangasinan now. Looking back, I am thankful to have seen this place before commercialism spoils it. But I am praying that day won't come.

Access from Manila: Buses such as the Five Star Bus, Dagupan Bus, Victory Liner, Philippine Rabbit takes the Manila-Bolinao route daily. Travel time is around 6 hours.

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17 comments:

  1. Great information. I am interested in international relations. This is so helpful. I have been a followers for some time.http://drjalee52.ning.com/ Thank you so much.

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  2. @Dr. James hi! my pleasure :D thanks for following my blog

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  3. Really great thanks for the information.

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  4. @anicam no problem :D thanks for dropping by

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  5. Hi, this is a great blog you have here. And the pictures are wonderful. Keep writing and posting and I'll visit your blog from time to time to see what's new.

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  6. @masmasika hi! thanks for dropping by. I'll keep you updated on my journeys :D

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  7. The area looks so beautiful

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  8. @lincolnsaysuncool thanks! Pangasinan is really a beautiful place especially Bolinao :D

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  9. My wife loves to travel, maybe we'll get to visit this place some day. It looks beautiful! Good Job!

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  10. @collegegirl hi! thanks for the beautiful words :D thanks for also voting and recommending my blog :D more power to you! you also got a great blog. you got my vote there :D

    @Walter thanks! Hope you can visit Pangasinan one day :D

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  12. @Nilofer hi! thanks for dropping by :D

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  13. congratulations to the newly wed!my first time in ilocos it's so great!thanks to our late president F.E.Marcos....

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  14. Hello po.From Laoag/Vigan, paano po makakarating sa Pangasinan? I badly need help. Thanks po. :>

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  15. Hi Tel, to be honest, I have only taken this route once and it was back in 2007 so I am not sure if it is still accurate, but I will tell you what we did. We took Partas bus http://www.phbus.com/partas-bus/ from Vigan to San Jose, La Union and stayed the night there. Then the next day, we took a jeep from San Jose to San Fernando. I believe Partas takes the Vigan-San Fernando route as well. From San Fernando, we made some stopovers in other towns in La Union and finally took the bus from Agoo to Dagupan. I believe, however, that there are direct buses from San Fernando to Dagupan. Just ask around in San Fernando. From Dagupan. you can take jeepneys or buses to other towns/cities in Pangasinan. Hope this helps!

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  16. Thank you po ng masyado. Very informative po talaga kayo. Keep it up and God Bless you more. :>

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