Ang Dakilang Lakwatsera: Lingayen

Showing posts with label Lingayen. Show all posts

Monday, July 27, 2009

Exploring Ilocos Region: Pangasinan

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.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Exploring Ilocos Region: La Union

Day 3 of our Ilocos Region trip was spent in La Union. As I have mentioned in my previous post, we stayed at Se-Bay resort which is right in front of the surfing beach of San Juan so we thought we will be able to try surfing. But to our disappointment, there were no waves! So we just decided to check out early and explore San Fernando, the capital of La Union.

San Juan surfing beach (taken by me on June 25, 2007)

We rode the jeepney from San Juan to San Fernando. (travel time is around 15- 30minutes) In San Fernando, we visited the famous Ma-cho temple. You can have a good view of the city and the beach from the temple.

Macho temple (taken by Lor on June 25, 2007)

Macho temple view (taken by me on June 25, 2007)

After Macho Temple, we went looking for the famous basi wine because my companions needed it for their thesis. So we rode the bus to Bauang and transferred to a jeep which took us to Naguilan which is famous for basi. Basi wine is made from sugarcane and is kept in basi jars until they are ready to drink.

Basi jars (taken by Lor on June 25, 2007)

After Naguilan, we proceeded to the town of Agoo and visited the famous Agoo Basilica . This church is one of the most beautiful churches in La Union and its nearby Agoo Miracle Site is believed to be where Mother Mary appeared to a little girl. From Agoo Basilica, you still have to ride a tricycle and hike for around 30 minutes to reach the apparition site.

Agoo Basilica (taken by Lor on June 25, 2007)

Agoo Basilica Marker (taken by Lor on June 25, 2007)

Agoo Miracle Site (taken by Lor on June 25, 2007)

After Agoo, we proceeded to Pangasinan, our last stop in our Ilocos Region exploration. We did not book an accomodation beforehand, so we asked the help of the people from the Department of Tourism in La Union, and they told us we can stay at the Hotel and Restaurant Management building of Pangasinan State University in Lingayen, Pangasinan. It was the cheapest airconditioned room we could get (900 pesos for 4 people) so we decided to take it. We rode the bus from Agoo to Dagupan, the capital of Pangasinan. From Dagupan, we then took a jeepney to Lingayen. The room offered to us was surprisingly good for its price, but the only catch is we were the only ones in the whole building and maybe the whole campus. Call me coward but because of this, I couldn't sleep the whole night. haha!

So there you have it, our third day in the Ilocos Region. My next post will be about our exploration of Pangasinan.

Access Manila to La Union:
Take the bus to Laoag or Vigan and get off at La Union. (around 5-6 hours)

Access La Union to Lingayen:
Take the bus to Dagupan then catch the jeep or bus to Lingayen. (around 2-3 hours)

Access Manila to Lingayen:
Buses such as Dagupan Bus Lines, Five Star Bus Lines, Autobus take the Manila-Dagupan route. (around 4-5 hours) From Dagupan, take the jeep or bus to Lingayen. (around 30 minutes to 1 hour)

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Summer Getaway At Lingayen

I spent my first summer getaway this year in Lingayen, Pangasinan. I have been here once before but I did not stay long due to lack of time. This time around, I made sure I will make the most out of my stay in this place.

I and my college friends stayed at El Puerto Marina Beach Resort And Spa which is a short walking distance to Lingayen Beach for 3 days and 2 nights. The whole of Day 1 was spent bumming around and relaxing on Lingayen Beach which by the way is a historic beach as this is where General McArthur landed during the second world war. We also tried surfing since the waves were strong. This was my first time to surf so it was such a memorable experience. Since there were only few people around, it feels like we had the beach to ourselves. On the second day, we had a day trip to The Hundred Islands which is around 1 hour from Lingayen. After Hundred Islands, we went back to Lingayen and had a bonfire night. On the third day, we left Lingayen and stopped by Dagupan to eat lunch then made our way back to Manila.

Lingayen Beach (taken by Tin on March 27, 2009)

Lingayen Beach and Kayak (taken by Kate on March 27, 2009)

El Puerto Marina (taken by Tin on March 27, 2009)

Bonfire by the beach (taken by me on March 28, 2009)

Lingayen beach may not be as popular as other beaches in the Philippines, but I still love this place. I love its fine sand (think Boracay sand but gray) and long wide shore. I love its clear water and the sound of the strong waves. I love the feeling of calmness this place gives and having the whole wide beach to yourself. Just perfect.

Access from Manila to Lingayen:
Dagupan Bus takes the Manila-Lingayen route. You can also take daily buses to Dagupan and from Dagupan, catch the bus or jeepney to Lingayen. Travel time is around 4-6 hours depending on traffic.