A bronze sculpture of a saddled Spanish conquistador brandishing a pointed spear stared at us as we alighted from our bus. We’ve just evaded the usual 10-hour land trip from Manila to Ilocos Norte, thanks to SEAIR’s newest flight route to Laoag City. But still, the weather outside was a real scorcher and we wanted a roof over our head. According to the books, Fort Ilocandia is the only five-star accommodation this side of the Philippines and I’m more than glad to accept their offered hospitality.

Recently SEAIR (South East Asian Airlines) announced that they would be opening a new route to the north of the Philippines. The said route would ply the Manila to Laoag airways and would finally open up the Ilocos Region to an alternative travel schedule.

Together with a couple of travelers, I was invited by the airline to participate in the inaugural flight to Laoag City. I was still reeling from a hectic three-day trip to Japan the previous day, but I just couldn’t say no to this. Jetlagged, I repacked my backpack and headed towards Terminal 4 of NAIA where the SEAIR terminal is.

The rain pattered through the cold bus window as we navigated the evening traffic through EDSA. We buzzer-beat the time and were soon loading our bags through the back of the rented van we’ll be calling home for a three-day jaunt in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte.

With two beautiful models and four photographers aboard--two more waiting along the way--I made myself comfortable, plugged in my ultra-morose Ryan Adams playlist, covered my eyes with my Headware and tried to sleep off the ten-hour ride to the Ilocos Region.

A tiring day running around Ilocos Norte deserves a good night’s rest; and for our third night around north Luzon, we were treated to a grand stay at the sprawling Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center.

After hearing the hotel’s name, I thought we were gonna be lodged on some generic looking building on a busy street corner somewhere in the middle of the city. Boy was I wrong.
First off, the convention center was huge! It spans a whole street block, I think maybe more. It boasts of 4 suites, 96 standard rooms, 24 dormitory rooms, an auditorium that can accommodate a thousand people, a huge swimming pool, a non-sectarian chapel for wedding needs, a café and a restaurant.

Second, it is not located in the middle of the city but somewhere at the edge of town where it’s nice and quiet; in fact it sits right across the famous Paoay Sand Dunes!

Johnny Moon, the name somehow sounds both strange and familiar. I instinctively recognize that I know it, but like a word stuck on the tip of one’s tongue, the knowledge somehow escapes me.
Passing through an old camalig-turned-museum, the Lakbay Norte team converged on an open dome structure encompassing a courtyard filled with curious café’s and little boutiques. The night led us to Laoag and we’re gonna eat in Laoag! Our restaurant of choice, the enigmatic Johnny Moon Café.

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.