Ilocos travel series: Ilocos Norte and more (day 2)

As much as we wanted to stay longer in Java Hotel for its unique ambiance, the second day of our northern exposure trip meant more sights to see. 

I <3 Ilocos Norte

On the second day, we toured Ilocos Norte and its nearby sights. Our first stop was Marcos Mausoleum but taking photos of Marcos' preserved corpse (if it really it was) was not allowed.  We had the chance to view the late President Ferdinand Marcos' refrigerated corpse and it kinda looked like it was made of wax.  The nearby Marcos museum was closed for renovation so there isn't much to see. 

Marcos' presidential plate numbers

Paoay Church is one of the grandest churches I’ve ever seen. If I were an Ilocano, I would probably want to get married here someday. From every angle, the church exudes a very elegant and grand façade. Paoay church is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list and known for its unique combination of baroque, gothic, and oriental designs. 

Paoay Church

Best travel barkada :)

A short walk from the Paoay Church is Herencia Cafe which serves one of the best pinakbet pizzas in the province. We ordered one for take-out. When in Herencia, the view of the church is really amazing. I can imagine people dining in the café and eating their pinakbet pizza while enjoying the view of the church after the Sunday Mass.

Herencia Cafe

Then, we drove for another 30 minutes or so to Malacanang of the North. It is locally called ‘Malacanang ti Amianan’.  The Malacanang of the North is the official residence of the late President Ferdinand Marcos in Ilocos. It was constructed on a land projecting the Paoay Lake. 

Malacanang of the North

in the grand staircase

We toured around the house and saw the many rooms of the Marcos clan. I was surprised to know that the the former first couple has separate bedrooms in the house.

Marcoses matrimonial bed

After touring most of the major sites in Ilocos Sur, we travelled to Pagudpud after lunch. We trekked to Kabigan Falls in 30 minutes and dipped in its very cool water and enjoyed our take-out pinakbet pizza from Herencia Cafe. 

Kabigan Falls

And finally, we headed to Pagudpud which we were all looking forward to..beach!!!! We stayed at Hannah’s Beach Resort in Blue Lagoon (Maira-ira Beach). 

Blue fishing boats in Pagudpud

Since everyone was so excited to hit the beach, we waited no longer to swim in Blue Lagoon’s inviting water. We owned the beach to ourselves. 

Chillaz by the beach

The beach is just perfect as well as really intimate and perfect for those long walks in the beach, if you get what I mean :D Blue Lagoon is actually a beach cove so you can walk from one end of the cove to another.

:)

We’d stop to appreciate the serenity of the place as well as the interesting rock formations. I don’t know, maybe we were just there on an off-peak so we had the beach to ourselves which is not bad at all.

If you're looking for a serene and white sand beach in the North, Pagudpud is the beach to be.