The Ilocandia: Pagudpud Beach

It was my first time to see Ilocos' white sand beaches and I couldn't agree more with people adoring them. Pagudpud possesses beauty and charm distinct from the other beautiful beaches around the country.

I've long heard about Pagudpud since it's very popular in the north where I came from. In the past, there had been opportunities for me to go to this place but timing was never right.

Pagudpud being located at the far end of Ilocos Norte is very far from Manila but is already near Cagayan. Of course, I just learned about this when I saw some signage pointing to Claveria, a town in Cagayan. But I tell you, sulit ang mahabang biyahe!


Day 1: Malingay, Pagudpud

Well, our little outing pushed through despite the fact that before the set date, only 3 to 4 people confirmed attendance. Come Friday night, there was 10 of us.

We hired a van for 14k I think, but we paid P1k each (the 2 kids excluded) and Mara the manager shouldered the rest. (This is why I'm trying to convince her to ask for a car from her parents so we'd have our own transportation whenever we wish to go out-of-town. Too bad she's not into cars.)

We left Baguio at past 1 a.m. after a late dinner at 50's Diner. We reached Candon City, Ilocos Sur after two hours. At around 5 a.m. we were already passing by Vigan. Earlier, we planned to tour around the place on our first day but we arrived way earlier than expected so we just went straight to Pagudpud.

We stopped at the market to buy food and other supplies.

Pakbet, syempre.

We rented a cottage at Wally's World Surf and Homestay, located between the two grand resorts Hannah's and Kapuluan Vista. Shortly after putting our things down, we went to test the waters at the beach.

The waters in front of Wally's is actually for surfing, the waves are big and harsh and the shore is rough with shells. We were allowed to use the surf boards stocked at the cottage and ask Kuya Wally for surfing lessons but none of us braved the harsh waves. In the afternoon, we went to the other end of the beach in search of halo-halo and a beach more suitable for swimming.

Long and white road

After hours of basking under the sun, we had an emergency situation and had to rent a cottage, just when we're about to leave. To make the most out of it, we just bought something to eat and stayed for a while.

While waiting for our dinner, we passed time playing pool. That night, there was also a videoke machine at Kuya Wally's so nakigulo din kami dun. :)