ON THE ROAD LN3 | Shooting Landscapes and Surfing at the Blue Lagoon

Friday, January 27, 2012

Since arriving at the northern part of Luzon, I have been seriously waiting for a dish of garlic longanisa. And before departing for Ilocos Norte on our third day of Lakbay Norte , it was at last served at Los Palmas Resort in Tuguegarao. I cannot be more happy to start the day with my favorite dish.

A quick stop at the Patapat Viaduct for some photo ops after almost seven hours of ass-busting bus ride and we’re off again; this time for a thirty-minute ride to Kapuluan Vista Resort at Pagudpud’s Blue Lagoon.
Before donning our rash guards, we had a leisurely lunch first. Tuna Kinilaw and Escabeche Bagnet for appetizers; Fern Salad, Breaded Fish Fillet and Chicken Kilaguan for the main course; eggless leche flan for dessert; and to top everything off, a dose of frozen margarita.

Having previously tried surfing at Baler before and gaining a few more pounds since then, I knew that I’d be better off shooting Blue Lagoon’s seascapes than riding its waves. So off they went to the sandy part of the beach and off I went to the rocky parts with my tripod and cameras.

A dead tree that got sucked out fifteen meters from the shore by the waves caught my attention and I was soon busy balancing my tripod while getting pounded by some serious waves . I was checking out the angles, moving slowly through the seaweeds when the waves pulled down and revealed a big drop a few meters from where I was standing.
With the waves getting stronger, I wrapped everything up and proceeded to the surfer’s beach. Everyone was almost done, good thing I managed to snap a few frames before we went back to Kapuluan Vista.
Everyone was hungry enough to eat an elephant after surfing and for dinner, we proceeded to Paoay’s Johnny Moon, a café inspired by the works of famed Ilocano hero, Juan Luna. The restaurant is located on a cluster of food establishments, bookstores and a restored Tabacalera converted into a museum; quite a nice place to hang out in.Our exhaustion complete, we zoomed off to the sprawling Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center in Paoay to recharge our drained body; tonight we sleep, tomorrow we explore again.


   L A K B A Y N O R T E 3 S E R I E S

   ON THE ROAD: LAKBAY NORTE 3 CAVING AT NORZAGARAY & BASS FISHING AT PANTABANGAN DAM
   TOPLOADING & WHITEWATER RAFTING AT KALINGA | SHOOTING LANDSCAPES & SURFING AT THE BLUE LAGOON
   PADDLE BOARDING & BIRDWATCHING AT PAOAY | HIKING AT HOLCIM’S ECOTRAIL & AIRSOFT AT BAGUIO COUNTRY CLUB
   RIVER CRUISE AT DAGUPAN & GO KARTING AT TARLAC | JUNGLE SURVIVAL, SPA TIME & PINOY HENYO AT SUBIC
   PUNING’S HOT SPRINGS & LUBAO’S PRADO FARM
   HOW I JOINED LAKBAY NORTE 3 LAKBAY NORTE 3! | PICKED 4 LAKBAY NORTE 3!

   LAKBAY NORTE IS AN ANNUAL MEDIA FAMILIARIZATION TOUR AROUND NORTH LUZON
   ORGANIZED BY NORTH PHILIPPINES VISITORS BUREAU

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16 comments

  1. wow kainggit! am curious about that Johnny Moon! next Ilocos trip maybe :>

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  2. Hi Christian! i love the misty water effect ;) The frozen margarita in Kapuluan Vista is the best! My posts on Kapuluan Vista Resort here and here

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  3. nice shot nasa ilocos norte din kami tom..woot!:)

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  4. too bad.. i wasn't able to try surfing in Pagudpud.. mukhang masaya... hehehe! :)

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  5. Nakita ko lang yung Johnny Mooon last week pero sa Cheesecake etc. ako tumambay hehe. Favorite mo pala ang Garlic Longganisa. You should try yung Alaminos and Binalonan Longganisa dito sa Pangasinan :D

    Btw, it was nice meeting you earlier :D

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  6. Wow! Surfing! Something I've always wanted to try!

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  7. How are the waves in Pagudpud compared to La Union?

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  8. Oh wow! I love the 3rd photos (with the waves crashing.) I first I thought it was a mist covering the ground. So ethereal-looking. =)

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  9. Liked the dead tree pic... the effect is mesmerizing.

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  10. OMG. Pumunta ka ng laoag sir? Sayang, sana na-mmet kita! You're really a fine artist. :)

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  11. oh my oh my more pics please!!!! ito ang balak namin puntahan this summer!

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  12. Pwede ba sumama kahit di nagpipicture? Hahaha

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  13. aaww, this reminds me of my ilocos hysteria. ♥

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  14. isa to sa pinakagusto kong tirhan na resort. nakita ko lang to dati.

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  15. Lestat
    Haha sige sige, di pa naman tayo nakapag Laoag eh, maybe we can stay sa Java Hotel :)

    The Sunset Goddess
    It was actually my first time to sip a frozen margarita :P

    Killerfillers
    Sayang di tayo nag-abot bro! Have a safe trip!

    Pinoy Adventurista
    Ako rin di nakapag surf, pero masaya rin naman mag shoot ng landscapes, para ka na rin nagsurf sa pagkabasa haha

    Micamyx
    I would definitely try those out next time mapadpad ako sa inyo ulit! nice meeting you too mica!

    Drew
    Mahirap pre! :P

    Ryan Mach
    I haven't really tried La Union's waves, pero from what I saw on this trip, mukhang mas malakas yung sa La Union

    Tin, Ian
    Thanks, tsaga lang sa long exposure :)

    Robert Cascayan
    Thanks sir! Kasama sya sa itinerary ng Lakbay Norte :)

    Marjorie Gavan
    I'll do an in-depth article on each of the places we visited in the near future :)

    Christian David
    Haha shempre pwede

    Lan Bella
    Next stop is posted on the next post haha, sensya na di ko na na update ng real time

    Chyng
    I remeber that too Chyng! Dun talaga ako humanga sa powers mo hehe

    Dong Ho
    Ako rin, kaso medyo parang too expensive for me hehe

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