In between visiting the giant lantern makers of San Fernando City, we also went to numerous restaurants where we lunched, snacked, and snacked some more. And yes, we do have an excuse for our food binge—Pampanga’s title of being the Culinary Capital of the Philippines. We’re uncovering the province’s little gems, one plate (or two) at a time.

SUSIE’S CUISINE’S AIRCONDITIONED INTERIORS

One of the interesting places we visited was Susie’s Cuisine in San Fernando. Located at an air-conditioned building along MacArthur highway, you wouldn’t really think much of it. At first glance, it looks like any ordinary restaurant, that is until servings of their famous pancit luglug and tibok-tibok were plunked right in front of us.

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It was the perfect day to be at La Union’s premier luxury resort. The sun was blazing hot, the sky—cobalt blue with a few wisps of clouds floating lazily by. And the sea—with its deep aquamarine color—reflecting the heavens above. A peek from our balcony and a construct of white concrete blocks topped by blue domes greeted me. I took everything in and breathed a sigh of contentment, I can’t believe I’m actually here at Thunderbird Resorts Poro Point.

THE ICONIC THUNDERBIRD LA UNION DOME PAINTING

NOTHING BUT WHITES AND BLUES

This is actually my second time here. Although my first visit was only a brief one and on an evening too, I can’t help but be impressed by the resort even then. I wished then that we could’ve stayed the night then and enjoyed its five-star amenities, but we were already booked at Kahuna Beach Resort. It simply wasn’t meant to be.

► SEE: DINNER AT THUNDERBIRD LA UNION

Twilight was almost upon us as we alighted from our van for the last stop of our tour. The day has been filled with the Giant Lanterns of Pampanga interspersed with Kapampangan dishes generously spread in between. We thought we’ve seen and tasted everything until we visited San Fernando City’s The Souq.

Translated from Arabic, the word souq means marketplace. And from the central alley that traverses the restaurant, the name suits the place quite well. The concept, our host said, was to incorporate various mini-restaurants along both sides of the alleyway.

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On an open plaza somewhere in San Fernando City, a twenty-foot freestanding structure mysteriously covered by a tarpaulin stands at the center of the square. It was almost Christmas time, and like a giant gift, a massive Christmas lantern, one of Pampanga’s famous giant parols, was slowly being unwrapped right before our eyes.

I have never attended Pampanga’s famous Ligligan Parul Festival where barangays from all over San Fernando City proudly showcase their giant lanterns, but I do have a somewhat hazy memory of seeing them when I was a kid at the now defunct Paskuhan Village.

Now, decades later, I’m back at Pampanga to witness how these giants are made.

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A huge plate filled with pasta, spring rolls, veggies, and salad was laid down on our star-spangled table. Everything looked familiar, but not quite. Before our host left, I quickly asked her for the name of the dish. She turned back, smiled and said, I usually serve this at home and I haven’t even thought about giving it a name just yet.

It was our first stop for Pampanga’s giant lantern tour and we were at Nona’s Kitchen. Well, we really won’t get to see the lanterns at their grandest and brightest since it was still a week before they were to be unveiled, but what we were here for was to see how Pampanga’s Giant Lanterns are made.

And yeah, we’re here to eat. A tour of San Fernando City wouldn’t be complete without a culinary adventure.

Standing majestically on top of a hill overlooking San Fernando City is La Union’s massive Provincial Capitol.

Originally located at San Fernando City’s current City Hall, it has been transferred to its present location after the Japanese bombings of the Second World War. Construction started in 1949 and was finished a year after.
Unifying the province’s 19 municipalities and 1 lone city, the Capitol stands as a testament to La Union’s name which literally means The Union.

The massive Capitol sports a Neo-Classical look, with towering pillars out front and terraced balconies on its east and west axis. It would have been more formal if painted in white, but I guess pink is okay too.

Close your eyes and think of whitewashed walls, massive archways, blue domes and Atlantisian artworks. Picture the azure ocean, sparkling pools and sprawling greens. Think Greece and imagine Santorini. Now open your eyes.
You really don’t need to fly all the way to the Mediterranean to experience all these; a drive down San Fernando City in La Union will do. And for Lakbay Norte 3’s fourth night, we were lucky to do just that, we’re having dinner at Thunderbird Resort!

I woke up with a minor hangover from the previous night’s Pinoy Henyo party at Hotel Vida. It was the 8^th and last day of Lakbay Norte and it really doesn’t feel like it. Has it really been eight days already?

Our last breakfast was held at Widus Hotel’s Salt Café. I’d have to say that their dishes almost beat Baguio’s The Manor! I grabbed crunchfuls of fried bacons, sausages, eggs and fried rice and let my Norte-mates take care of the rest. I haven’t even tasted a fourth of their offerings, but I guess eight days of non-stop eating would have done the same to anyone.

After sipping a cup of scalding black coffee, the routine boarding announcement was made and we piled to our bus again. We’re headed to Puning for a relaxing hot spring dip.

I have no clue where or what Puning offers and my curiosity was really not that piqued. A jeepney transfer later and we were subdivided into 4x4’s, we’re gonna crash through the ash-fallen grounds of Porac’s side of Mt. Pinatubo.
I was absolutely astounded with the scenic karst-like formations made by Pinatubo’s destructive ashes. I have been to Mt. Pinatubo before but this side’s so much beautiful than what I have experienced before.

Rolling through clouds of white ashes, we traversed small streams and passed right through a long gorge with walls towering high on both our shoulders. S, who was with our group was frantically deleting previous photos from his camera in order to get a few more space for this fantastic ride. Never mind the achy bumps we suffered through the rough ride, we were whooping and hollering all the way through!
Puning Hot Springs loomed far ahead, looking like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Helm’s Deep with its fortress-like stone walls.

Wasting no time, we all went a-dipping in its scaldingly hot pools. My gosh, the water equals that of Maquinit’s in Coron, Palawan, it is freakin’ hot! I was unable to quickly submerge my whole body and had to do it in small increments to adjust to its torrid temperature.
All sweaty from our hot spring dip, we then headed to for another hot date. This time we buried ourselves in a pile of steamy sand. We sweated another bucketful before we were moved to a cold and soothing mudpack treatment.

The Lakbay Norte bus plied the road for an hour again for our lunch; it was gonna be a Filipino feast at Angeles City’s Camalig.
The restaurant, which was a former camalig or granary, served us dishes with a distinctly Filipino twist.

I so love their sweet Spaghetti which as A of Lakwateso says remind me so much of childhood birthdays. Their pizzas were also something else, my fave is their Doy’s Kapampangan Pizza which is a mishmash of longanisas and salted duck egg over an onion and pickle relish. A pizza can’t be more Filipino than that.

After finishing off their weirdly tasty kamias shake, we then headed to Prado Farm at Lubao.
Greeted by a gate made of colorfully welded LPG gas tanks, I knew at once that I was gonna have a field day taking photos at this place.

My gut feel proved to be right as we entered the compound. The place was just eclectically delicious! Amid lush trees, vividly painted old houses stood one after another. It was like being brought back to turn-of-the-century Philippines but from a hippie’s trippy standpoint.After trying out the smallest longanisa in the country (like less than an inch small), we toured their farm using a carabao caravan and bikes. And after the end of the tour we ate again, this time on salads and crispy organic pork lechon stuffed with a duck. Sounds weird, but it was perfectly yummy!

The sun was retreating down the horizon, casting sad orange glow in the sky, as we again boarded our bus. We were headed to our last destination, Robinson’s Starmills in Pampanga to do some pasalubong shopping and dinner.

We were served pasta dishes and pizzas, which looked real good but we were just so full we were only able to eat a few spoonfuls.
It was 8pm as we boarded the Lakbay Norte bus for the last time. Everyone was feeling the weight of reality coming back in just a few hours time and we were hoping for an extension. After a flurry of numbers exchanged we played Pinoy Henyo for the last time; one for the road.

With heavy hearts, we alighted from our bus which had become our home for the last eight days at the Kamias Victory Liner station a few hours later.I still recall the first day of Lakbay Norte at this station. It was almost exactly the same; the rows of buses, the passengers waiting for their ride back home, the same night sky. I remembered how alien it felt at first, entering the heavily-stickered bus and meeting a busfull of unknown faces. My mind was racing then if I would be enjoying this trip at all with these strangers.

It was now 10pm and I am having a hard time walking away from the Lakbay Norte bus. I found it hard to say goodbye to these same people who I once thought of as strangers. The passing days had made a rowdy bunch out of us and glued us all together in some strange way.

For eight full days we shared a bus that we called home on an unforgettable northbound trip, it’s not everyday that you get to do that with a group of individuals with nothing but travel on their minds.  And with almost everyone gone, I finally waved my farewell. I miss Lakbay Norte already.

   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

My alarm quacked twice and I was up and hurrying about my scattered things for my cameras and tripod. This was gonna be our first time to wake up on a beach and I was not about to waste it sleeping on my comfy bed.

The Lakbay Norte team docked at Kahuna Beach Resort in San Juan, La Union the night before after pigging out at the posh Thunderbird Resort. The night ended at 2:30am and with only three hours of sleep, my head was still dangerously spinning.

The beach was deserted as the sky transformed from dark black to warm magentas. I couldn’t find a subject to compose my sunrise photo besides the unmanned lifeguard post. I decided to use the surging surf instead.

A few minutes later and my Lakbay Norte mates were up and breakfast was already being served. Kahuna’s traditional tapsi and tosilogs proved to be a good way to perk up our fifth day of travelling.

Day four of Lakbay Norte 3 found us at an al fresco breakfast at the veranda of Malacañang ti Amianan or the Malacañang of the North. I cannot believe I am eating my share of Ilocano dishes right at the official residence of a former President of the Philippines.

A mouthful of garlic longanisas, crispy espadas, egg omelets and some fruits later and we were exploring the grand interior of the Marcos’s home.

The group was then divided into two; one was going to do some bird watching and the other paddle boarding. As per my experience at the Candaba Swamp, I know that the chances of catching some birds depend on how early you can be on their grounds; so I went with the bird group first.