North to South Luzon in Eight days!

July is Philippines' rainy season, yet me and my friends had one of the best week-long trip at this month. Exploring north and south of Luzon for eight days was quite exhausting but the memories of our travel escapades including the road trips were all remarkable, a one-of-a-kind experience, and a travel adventure I wish I could experience once more.

A group of eight made the most out of the eight day trip. The four of us in the group are workmates and we brought with us companies. I brought my father with me, Ed was joined by his older brother, Cathy was accompanied by his husband Holly, and Redjie's company is his 10 year old son. Imagine our age group!


The itineraries: - Baguio, La Union, Vigan, Tiaong in Quezon and Manila in eight days!

Baguio is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Philippines. Its cold temperature all throughout the year makes it the summer capital of the country. This trip was my fifth time in Baguio nevertheless my excitement was always uncontained every time I set foot in the City of Pine.

Day 1: 

• From Tiaong, me and my father traveled to Manila and met Redj and his son Kyle who came from Bacolod. We all then headed to Victory Liner Bus Terminal in Pasay and took the 6pm trip to Baguio city where we would be meeting Edgar and Cathy. The two are residents of Baguio City. 

• We reached Baguio past midnight. We were fetched by Edgar and his brother at the bus station, had a midnight snack at Good Taste Restaurant then went to our accommodation - the Albergo Condotel which we booked via AirBnB. Our stay in Albergo was awesome! Edgar owns an innova which was our transport service for the whole travel escapade. What a convenience! Thanks to his brother for volunteering to drive us for a week.

In Mines View Park, Baguio City

Day 2

• We started to hit the road very early. The eight of us had a tiring day exploring the city. We visited the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Camp John Hay, Burnham Park, Mines View park, Wright park and The Mansion. We also spent two hours strolling the SM City mall where I agreed to meet sis Arlene, a co-SFC. We also dined in Vanilla Cafe in Kamiseta Hotel and its cozy ambience made us enjoy more our coffee and strawberry cake orders. We also dropped by the Good Shepherd store to buy their famous ube jam.

The Mansion, Baguio City

Day 3

• Had breakfast in Cathy's and Holly's home in outlook drive. After breakfast, we went to Bell Church, stayed there for an hour, then went to La Trinidad, Benguet for strawberry picking. Strawberry picking is something I have not experienced yet in all my previous visits. Sadly, harvest season for the fruits was over, which means I still have something to look forward to at my next visit. The two paintings I bought from the artist, Mr. Manalang, who was selling his masterpieces near the strawberry farm, was one of the best souvenirs I took home from my travel. 

The artist and his masterpieces. 

• After lunch, we headed to BenCab museum, a tourist attraction outside the city of Baguio. This art gallery in Tuba, Benguet has a huge art collections of different themes which really amazed and impressed me. I was a first time visitor of the museum and the place is really a must-see when in Baguio City. Since It was a raining third day, the plan to go out and shop at the night markets did not happen. Baguio city is also known for its night markets and ukay-ukay (second-hand items).

Day 4

• We left Baguio then headed to La Union. We went to Manguerra grapes farm in the town of Bauang for grape picking experience. La Union is only a short side trip since it is already on the way to Vigan. After harvesting grapes, we went to HaloHalo de Iloko to experience the bestselling and famous fried halohalo of La Union. We arrived at the restaurant and got surprised with the long queue. We did not wait for our turn and decided to leave for Vigan as we want to reach the city earlier.

Manguerra Grapes Farm in Bauang, La Union

• We had a short stopover at the city of Candon before finally heading to Vigan city - a UNESCO world heritage city. Vigan is famous for their well-preserved Spanish architectural buildings. A visit to the place and a lazy walk at Calle Crisologo will surely bring you back in time -  the Spanish colonial era. The city was also recognized as one of the new seven wonder cities of the world. 

•  We met our other office mate, kuya Frank and his wife ate Mich who live in the city and who offered to host us for two days. We went to Bantayan tower, had fun riding the kalesa while touring the streets of the city, then wandered at Calle Crisologo. My last visit to Vigan was almost a decade ago, so every experience was like new to me again!  Despite the travel fatigue, we still finished watching the fountain and light show at the plaza. 

Bantayan Tower in Vigan City

Day 5

• Visited Chavit Singson's Baluarte Zoo, a sanctuary for a variety of animals. I personally enjoyed being up-close with animals of peculiar looks. We rode the golf cart going up the Baluarte's museum and got amazed with the preserved animal collections inside the museum. We wandered through the zoo for several hours and by afternoon went back to the plaza and took delight in Vigan's famous empanada.

This friendly bearcat made my day at the Baluate Zoo

• Before the sun set, we left Vigan and traveled going to my hometown in Tiaong. We stopped for dinner in a restaurant in  La Union and then continued our trip.By twelve midnight, we got another stop over in Petron SLEX and recharged ourselves with coffees. We reached our home by two in the morning all dead tired. Vigan is in Region 1, and Tiaong, Quezon is in Region 4. Just imagine the road trip from North Luzon to South Luzon!

Day 6

• Waking up early was not anymore possible on the sixth day. We had a late breakfast at home, then went to Villa Escudero, a must-visit in my hometown Tiaong. I got a separate blog on our Villa Escudero escapade which you can check from the travel escapade menu. We reached the plantation by ten am and stayed in the villa for one whole day. My father preferred not to join us anymore since he has visited already all our remaining itineraries. I knew he got tired with the North Luzon trip also.

At Labasin waterfalls of Villa Escudero

• 
  We left Villa Escudero early evening and went to San Pablo city, in Laguna,  a 10-minute drive from Tiaong.  We went to Palmera's restaurant for dinner and enjoyed our meal while listening to a live band performing. Right after dinner, we headed home to rest and to prepare for the next day.

Day 7

• A two-hour drive from Tiaong, is a famous shrine, the Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon, our itinerary for the seventh day. The place which is frequented by pilgrims from all over the country is a must-visit in the province. It took us an hour to climb the almost 300 steps hill where the 50-foot statue replica of Christ was standing. After several stops to rest, reaching the top of the hill and touching the replica of Christ was a feeling beyond compare. We also can't help but be amazed overlooking the green and nature rich view of Lucban and other nearby municipalities of Quezon from the top. 

Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon

• We went down after an hour of resting at the hill and explored the rest of the place. I don't  want my friends to miss the chance of tasting Lucban's famous pansit habhab and longganisa. 

• We had our lunch in Kamayan sa Palaisdaan in Tayabas city, few minutes drive from the Kamay ni Hesus Shrine. They enjoyed the food as well as the whole experience.

Kamayan sa Palaisdaan, Tayabas City, Quezon

• 
  From Lucban, we drove to San Pablo city in Laguna and availed a relaxing whole body massage at Montalbo's. We went home and had a home-cooked dinner at my place.

Day 8

• The plan for the last day was to explore Lipa city in Batangas before heading home to our places. Traveling for eight days was extremely tiring and we don't have the needed energy anymore so we all agreed to change the plan. After breakfast, we decided to travel back to Manila. We took the Tiaong-Lipa-Manila route so my friends could still have a glimpse of Lipa City. We had a short stop at the Lipa Cathedral then finally head to Manila. We ended our 8-day trip with a lunch buffet at the Yakimix Restaurant in Mall of Asia. What a way to pamper ourselves! 

• Our whole trip was finally coming to its end  and we already looked forward for another week-long trip as smooth and happy as this.

• After lunch, we all parted ways. I went back to Quezon, Redj and Kyle stayed in Manila, and the rest went back to Baguio city.

We all need a form of relaxation like this once in a while!

To travel is to break the daily routine and to experience new things. For this eight-day north to south Luzon escapade, we saved big for our accommodation and transportation costs. We were delighted with the result of what we have planned a month before this road trips.  Yes, we failed to visit some itineraries we included in this travel plan, but that gave us reason to plan again and explore more of this beautiful country.

Can't wait for our group's next travel adventure!