The air was getting increasingly colder as our rented jeepney slowly clambered up to the Landingan Viewpoint at the town of Nagtipunan in Quirino. Like a panting dog, our vehicle put forth a burst of energy before finally stopping and letting us all go down.

And we were all rarin’ to go! From inside the jeep, we were all clicking our cameras like crazy as the view past our window went from gorgeous to breathtaking.

THE ROLLING HILLS OF NAGTIPUNAN

It was almost the exact same scene earlier in the day as we entered the town of Nagtipunan from Quirino’s capital, Cabarroguis. From timid sleepyheads, we quickly turned to hyper shutter freaks as the view changed from flat boring farmlands to majestic fog-capped hills.

► SEE: CABARROGUIS TOURIST SPOTS

I drifted. Flat on my back on an inflated tire tube, slowly moving across the silent waters of the Siitan River. On both sides of the bank, soaring limestone cliffs rose, flanking me. It felt surreal. Then the current started to get stronger, propelling me faster than I would’ve preferred.

Snapping out of my reverie, I looked around and found that it was just me, the rumbling river and the mute limestone sentinels.

Where the heck were my companions?

► EXPLORE: QUIRINO PROVINCE TRAVEL GUIDE

With my pancit batil patong craving satiated the previous day at Akel’s Panciteria, it was time to hunt for the next best thing, pancit cabagan. The said noodle dish, famous in the town of Cabagan, Isabela, took more than two hours to find.

From Quirino’s capital,Cabarroguis, we boarded a jeepney to the town of Nagtipunan. And our first stop before rocking the Siitan River Cruise? MJ Snack and Pancit Cabagan Restaurant. It cannot be more perfect.

MJ SNACK AND PANCIT CABAGAN RESTAURANT

The humble panciteria is located at a roadside somewhere in Barangay Ponggo in Nagtipunan. It seats about fifteen people and serves nothing but pancit cabagan; well aside from stray orders of inasal na manok and liempo.

► EXPLORE: CABARROGUIS TOURIST SPOTS

Besides the motocross competition annually held here, Quirino Province can be hardly seen on the tourist map. Suffice it is to say, lodgings where travelers can stay while visiting is quite limited too. Lucky for us, the provincial tourism office directed us to the Capitol Plaza Hotel Quirino, the lone hotel at Cabarroguis—Quirino’s capital.

CAPITOL PLAZA HOTEL’S LOBBY

The Capitol Plaza Hotel has a total of seventeen rooms situated inside its three floors—each one is air-conditioned and has its own toilet and bath. It has a multi-purpose hall at the ground level and is frequently used for dinner balls, wedding banquets, and conferences.

There were no motorcycles to be seen at the newly opened Motocross Mountain Track. The province of Quirino is a motorhead’s heaven, having an annual motocross competition held every June. But this afternoon, the track is quiet. I turned around and beheld a sprawling panorama, a lone brown horse, completing the bucolic beauty of the town of Cabarroguis.

With zero expectations on what to see in the province, Quirino has been surprising us one leisurely step at a time.

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INSIDE THE QUIRINO PROVINCIAL CAPITOL

It was the evening of our first day in Quirino Province. We were relaxed—hanging out, passing tall tales, out-grossing each other with the crassest things we could think of, and drinking beer at the porch of the Capitol Plaza Hotel Quirino. A few minutes in and it started to drizzle.

Are you sure it’s still safe to push with the caving activity tomorrow? I asked, worried that it might get too slippery inside the cave for safe passage—we were not exactly the best example of a spelunking group. Don’t worry, we’ll go as planned. It’s perfectly safe, our guide assured us.

Well, goodluck guys, I’m sure you’ll all have fun inside Aglipay Caves!

► CHECK OUT: QUIRINO PROVINCE TOURIST SPOTS

One of the things I was really looking forward to during our visit to Quirino Province was Cagayan Valley’s regional noodle dish, pancit batil patong. Granted, this particular pancit is really from Tuguegarao City, but it’s such a popular dish that most provinces along the region has panciterias peddling them.

One such place is Akel’s Panciteria, which is located right along the main road of Cabarroguis, the province’s capital town.

► SEE: CABARROGUIS TOURIST SPOTS

AKEL’S PANCITERIA’S OPEN-AIRED INTERIORS

Quirino has such a provincial vibe that restaurants are quite hard to come by—most folks simply cook their own meals. So I was overjoyed to learn that among the few food places in town, there’s a panciteria selling pancit batil patong near Capitol Plaza Hotel where we were staying.

Akel’s Panciteria is an open-aired shed-type eatery. It has a very native feel with its unpainted wood and thatch roofing. It opens to a gravel atrium with a few huts parallel to the shed.

It’s quite basic, but I kinda like how airy its atmosphere was.

► CHECK OUT: QUIRINO PROVINCE TOURIST SPOTS

Inside an open-aired jeepney forging through a rain-streaked road, a group of travelers huddled and tried to cover as much skin as possible. It’s a cold and gray December morning and the 500-foot elevation of Maddela, a town in Quirino Province, isn’t helping ease the chill that’s creeping through our bones.

I watched, transfixed on the empty road we were traversing, contemplating on what lay ahead in the coming days.

► EXPLORE: QUIRINO PROVINCE TOURIST SPOTS

SHORT HIKE TO GOVERNOR’S RAPIDS

After an hour of taking in the cold wind filtering through our jeep, we got off the main road and slowly lumbered our way through a muddy trail. The jolt and shock of the uneven path awoke my companions; sleeping time’s over, we’re here, our driver announced.