For eight days, a group of travel junkies sped through the highways of North Luzon
in a stickered Victory Liner Bus.  They slept through makeshift bus beds and posh
hotel rooms, tried out adrenaline-pumping adventure sports, ate more than they
should, shared tales and laughter, got addicted to Pinoy Henyo, took uncountable number of photographs and created lasting memories along the road. I present you
the story of Lakbay Norte’s third installment.

D A Y  1 : B U L A C A N > N U E V A E C I J A
Norzagaray’s Pinagrealan Cave
Bass Fishing at the Pantabangan Dam

D A Y 2 : K A L I N G A > C A G A Y A N
Toploading from Tuguegarao to Tabuk
Whitewater Rafting at Tabuk’s Chico River
Sunset at Buntun Bridge
A Night at Las Palmas Hotel

D A Y 3 : I L O C O S N O R T E
Pagudpud’s Patapat Viaduct
Lunch at Pagudpud’s Kapuluan Vista Resort
Pagudpud’s Blue Lagoon
Dinner at Johnny Moon Café
Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center

D A Y 4 : I L O C O S N O R T E > L A U N I O N
Paoay’s Malacañang of the North
Birdwatching at Paoay Lake
Stand Up Paddle Boarding at Paoay Lake
The Sand Dunes of Paoay
Ilocos Empanada
Dinner at Thunderbird Resorts Poro Point

D A Y 5 : L A U N I O N > B A G U I O C I T Y
Sunrise at San Juan’s Kahuna Beach Resort
Hiking through Bacnotan’s Holcim Ecotrail
Lunch at the Provincial Capitol
Te Quiero Tapas Bar & Restaurant
Airsoft Shoot ‘Em Up
A Night at Camp John Hay’s The Manor

D A Y 6 : P A N G A S I N A N
Dawel River Cruise
Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant
Go Karting at Kart City Tarlac
La Maja Rica Hotel

D A Y 7 : Z A M B A L E S > P A M P A N G A
Subic’s Jungle Survival at Pamulaklakin Forest Trail
The Ritz Tropical Spa at Subic
Dinner at The Verandah
A Wild Night at Widus Resort and Casino

D A Y 8 : P A M P A N G A
Porac’s Puning Hot Spring
The Historic Camalig Restaurant
Lubao’s Prado Farms


R O A D   U P D A T E S
DAY 1 Caving at Norzagaray & Bass Fishing at Pantabangan Dam
DAY 2 Toploading & Whitewater Rafting at Kalinga
DAY 3 Shooting Landscapes and Surfing at the Blue Lagoon
DAY 4 Paddle Boarding & Birdwatching at Paoay
DAY 5 Hiking at Holcim’s Ecotrail & Airsoft at Baguio Country Club
DAY 6 River Cruise at Dagupan & Go Karting at Tarlac
DAY 7 Puning’s Hot Springs & Lubao’s Prado Farm
DAY 8 Jungle Survival, Spa Time & Pinoy Henyo at Subic 


Lakbay Norte is an annual media familiarization tour around North Luzon organized
by North Philippines Visitors Bureau in cooperation with Manila North Tollways Corporation, Victory Liner, McDonalds, Petron and Universal Robina Corporation.

In the tradition of Lakbay Norte tours, we just finished eating at the historic Camalig Restaurant in Angeles City and we were gonna eat again; this time at Prado’s Organic Farms in Lubao. I almost swore off eating until I saw what they prepared for us.

The vibrant yellow walls of Prado Farms’ entrance greeted us upon arrival. The next thing I saw was a gate made from welded gas tanks, it looked so absolutely heavy and very, very artsy. I knew we were in for an interesting afternoon right then.

Our 4x4 emerged from a cloud of dust and was eaten by a narrow gorge. We were rumbling through the lahar-laden wasteland east of Mt. Pinatubo, our destination a lone resort at the foot of one of the most destructive volcanoes of the 21st century.

Looping around North Luzon for a week, we have seen some pretty spectacular places and most of us were really not expecting much for the last day of the Lakbay Norte 3 tour, I mean what else can they throw at us? A whole lot more, as it turned out.

The jump off point to Puning Hot Spring is at Sapang Bato in Angeles City. Dubbed as Station One, it’s where we chose our 4x4’s. We piled on the back of the trucks and within minutes were racing across the road, passing Station Two and rumbling down the dusty landscapes of Porac.

Let’s meet at room 3402 later were words that were being passed around as our luggage was being stowed off the bus and we were being herded to check out the rooms and amenities at Widus Hotel in Clark, Pampanga. It was Lakbay Norte’s last night and a strange bond seemed to link the busload of travelers that were pure strangers just a week ago.
A gurgling fountain set on dark slate rocks in the middle of the lobby surrounded by minimalist white walls gave me a good preview of what this hotel has to offer. Formerly dubbed Hotel Vida, the hotel has now been transformed as the hotel component of the Widus Resort and Casino.

The Lakbay Norte bus smoothly ran through three hours of rolling afternoon landscapes at the SCTEX. The view outside was poetic but inside our bus, all hell was breaking loose; the team had just discovered Pinoy Henyo and everyone was rolling and howling with laughter all over the narrow hallway.
We were all plastered and hungry by the time we reached the parking lot of the Mimosa Golf and Country Club in Pampanga. Dinner was gonna be at The Verandah, one of the restaurants at the renowned tee club.

Being on the road for a week; exploring dark caves, riding raging waters on a rubber raft, speeding on mini F1 racers and doing all sorts of sporty adventurous stuff that I’m really not used to makes me yearn for a bit of respite. A soft comfy bed at night or better yet a full body massage perhaps.
On the seventh day of the Lakbay Norte loop, I got my wish; the group was gonna be treated for a full body pampering at the Ritz Tropical Spa in Subic. Everyone was looking forward to this part of our trip and we were hopping down our tour bus like rabbits after a carrot as we stopped in front of the spa.
The Ritz doesn’t look like much outside, their signboard needs a bit more glitz and the façade is pretty nondescript; mottled yellow walls, woven sawali ceilings and to make it more confusing two Shishi Chinese lion guard its entrance.
Everything changes though once you enter their glass doors; their lobby is beautifully decorated. Amber-colored wall line the octagonal lobby, softly lit by luminous capiz windows framed by billowing white curtains and glowing golden leaves overhead. The effect is calming, as if giving us a good preview of the next hours in their hands.
After a quick shower, some headed for their bubbling Jacuzzi before trooping to the massage houses located at the maze of seemingly old and rustic cottages at the back of the spa.
Named after spices and flavors, the cottages are finished in rough concrete painted in vibrant hues of yellows, greens and blues. Old wooden doors, capiz sliding windows, rusty vintage lamps, weathered lintels and carved railings saved from old houses are all charmingly incorporated in the design.
Dressed in robes, we were asked to lay face down on the massage beds, we’re gonna be treated to a Swedish massage. Cool minted oil was slathered on my body and the graceful yet strong hands of my masseuse started gliding over my haywired muscles. I felt every fibrous strand of my muscles relax as she expertly applied pressure all over my body.
I was trying so hard not to fall asleep, wanting to savor every relaxing stroke over my tired body. And as far as I can recall, I didn’t or at least I think I did not. It was hard to notice the passing minutes and before I knew it, she was saying we were done. I can’t believe an hour has already passed, it was over much too soon.
We then tried their sauna afterwards but I can only stand sweating rivers for ten minutes and had to get out and shower after.

Fully rejuvenated from our weeklong fun and strenuous loop around North Luzon, I was thinking maybe we can extend our tour and do one more week; and perhaps we can visit The Ritz in Subic afterwards again haha.

    The Ritz Tropical Spa
    Blk. 76, Bicentennial Park, Rizal Highway, CBD
    Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales
    Telephone: (047) 252-6088 | (047) 252-3342 | (047) 252-3347
    E-mail: the_ritz_tropical_spa@yahoo.com

    GPS Coordinates: 14.824133,120.28951 | Click to view location on Google Maps

He flips the bamboo, scratches off thin strips off its outer skin using his sharp jungle bolo then clumps them together and starts vigorously rotating a small piece of wood over it. Seconds later a puff of white smoke emits from his work and fire eventually flare all over the bamboo strips.
Meet Kasuy, an Aeta jungle guide at Subic Bay Freeport’s forest, he’s gonna be our survival instructor inside the Pamulaklakin Forest Trail. He has been teaching American G.I.’s how to survive inside jungles before and he’s gonna be teaching those same things to us.

It was the sixth night of Lakbay Norte and everyone was already feeling the effect of non-stop traveling through the roads of north Luzon. After a full day of cruising through the Dawell River in Dagupan and speeding through the race tracks of Kart City Tarlac, the group called it a day and retired to the La Maja Rica Hotel.

This 40-room boutique hotel at the heart of Tarlac City was once a junkyard of sorts. Before the hotel, a half-century old warehouse once stood on its ground. The Pascual Family took notice of this and decided to transform the eyesore into something beautiful; the La Maja Rica Hotel.