Strolling around Cabugao, Ilocos Sur

(This is part of my Ilocos Sur townhopping last June 15-16, 2013)

Morning of June 16, after visiting the town of Sinait, I visited the town of Cabugao next. Cabugao lies south of Sinait and the next northernmost Ilocos Sur town. I have planned of forgoing my visit to this town but the charm of its beautiful and high church bell tower seen from the bridge just before entering the town proper is something I can't resist. And yes, I changed my mind and did visit Cabugao because of that.

Cabugao Municipal Hall. Ilocos Sur.

From Sinait where I took a southbound bus, I alighted in front of Cabugao Town Hall. The hall is painted mint green and its design is simple but engaging. Traces of American-era architecture can be seen in its design, completed with a Spanish "karatula"declaring the hall "Presidencia". There is a small but well-landscaped garden in front of the town hall, making the whole place more pleasing to the eyes.

Sinait : A Town of Legend

(This is part of my Ilocos Sur townhopping last June 15-16, 2013)

Sinait Church. Ilocos Sur.

From a short tour around Bantay, Ilocos Sur, the second town I visited the morning after my Abra town hopping is the town of Sinait, the northernmost town of Ilocos Sur. After Sinait comes the town of Badoc, which is already a part of Ilocos Norte province.

I alighted in front of the Sinait Municipal Park, located some steps away from the town church and the municipal hall. The park certainly needs some maintenance work but overall, is a nicely designed one.

A Blast from the Past : Ilocos Sur

I have been to Ilocos Sur years back but during that time, I was not yet a travel blogger and a backpacker. Even then, I was already fascinated by the different town church that we have passed by, and the greeneries and natural wonders one will see while on the bus.  I have imagined myself then going back to Ilocos Sur and do a town hopping. That imagination came to reality after four years.

Ilocos Sur Capitol

It was June 15, 2013 when I decided to have a backpacking conditioning because I will be backpacking Palawan for 4 days at the end of the month.  I chose to go to Abra and Ilocos Sur, given the fact that Abra is the only Cordilleran Province I am yet to visit then, and I have been planning to have a town hopping in Ilocos Sur since 2012. I first townhopped Abra in June 15 and the story about it can be found here : My Abra Townhopping.

Unexpected Beauty : Talavera

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

Talavera is a Nueva Ecija town found at the center of the province. It was formerly part of Cabanatuan during the Spanish period but separated and became a new town in 1852 (talavera.gov.ph). It was then known as Barrio Katugian (place where many "tugue" or mung beans sprouts) but where joined by barrio La Torre, Pulong Buli, Conception and Valle when it separated from Cabanatuan to form the new town.

Talavera Town Church. Nueva Ecija.

My last destination for my one day Nueva Ecija tour is the town of Talavera. I have never been to Talavera before and I just heard the town through some of my friends but there’s not a mention of anything special about the town. One of my friends, Ma’am Lynniel Carbonel lives in Talavera but she hasn’t told me anything interesting about it because maybe we were preoccupied with some other things related to our jobs because we are both in the academe. So I wasn’t really expecting something while I am on my way to Talavera from Muñoz.

San Jose and Munoz : Visiting Nueva Ecija's Northern Cities

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

Nueva Ecija has five cities and two of them can be found north of the province : San Jose City and the Science City of Muñoz. Because visiting all the Philippine cities is also part of my quest, I seized the opportunity to visit these two cities during my one day Nueva Ecija tour.

From Rizal, Nueva Ecija, I rented a tricycle for Php 120.00 to San Jose City. There are public utility vehicles plying the route Rizal-San Jose but they are available only during afternoon and it was just 1:30 PM so I've got no choice but to take the tricycle.

Upon arriving at San Jose, the most dominant structure you will see is the San Jose Cathedral, the house of the Diocese of San Jose which oversees Roman Catholics of the Northern part of Nueva Ecija. The Cathedral is huge though the architecture is modern. Nevertheless, the church still exudes elegance and the mere size of it makes it a noticeable edifice.

San Jose Cathedral. Nueva Ecija.

Exploring three Eastern Nueva Ecija towns: Bongabon, Rizal, Pantabangan

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

Bongabon, Rizal and Pantabangan weren't originally included in my itinerary. For one, I thought they are so far from the center (Cabanatuan) and it would be very difficult for me to get there because of the lack of public transportation. But the truth is, I would really like to go see Pantabangan because I read from a website that it has a Spanish-old Church. So when the opportunity to visit the town presented itself, I immediately grabbed it.

From Palayan, there are plenty of jeepneys plying the road going to Bongabon so all I had to do is to get into one. Upon reaching Bongabon, I rode a tricycle to bring me to the town center where the town church and hall must be located. The town church is located just beside the tricycle terminal so I noticed it immediately.

Bongabon Church. Nueva Ecija.

A short visit to Palayan City

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

The newly built Nueva Ecija Provincial Capitol

From Cabanatuan, my next destination was Nueva Ecija's official capital: Palayan City. Palayan has been the province's capital from 1965, when it was decided that a new government center be built in an otherwise virgin and sparsely populated area. The area between Cabanatuan and Bongabon was chosen and it was here where the planned city was built according to an urban design which allows for continuous development without much problem when it comes to space.

A walking tour on Historic Cabanatuan

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

I have been fascinated by historic places since I was in high school, and it is actually evident in most of my posts. Well, that was one reason why I decided to do a walking tour around Cabanatuan, even though most travel blogs and website dedicated to tourism doesn't have Cabanatuan at the top of their list of Philippine tourist spots. 

But, the very reason for this post is to expose the simple beauty of the city to many people. For me, the main source of Cabanatuan's beauty is its historicity and its silent way of preserving that history, many of which are starting to fade away from the new generation's memory.

I arrived at Cabanatuan City at around 8am that day. I first visited the city hall, which is just a walking distance from Jolibee Circumferential (along Maharlika Highway). There was a simple program that day to commemorate the Independence day so the place was teeming with people, city hall employees and students alike. 

Cabanatuan City Hall facade. 

I was not too impressed by the city hall's design because one cannot see a distinctive facade of the hall, and it seems the building needs some maintenance work. Nevertheless, I still took a photo of the city hall's front side for souvenir. Just in front of the city hall is a Rizal monument, full of wreath that day as well as people taking pictures with the monument. It's as if that was the first time people took notice of the monument. I have to wait for a chance to take a picture of the monument without anyone obstructing it... :)

The Backpacker : Get to know San Josenyong Gala!

Since I was a kid, I have always been dreaming of riding a bus and just let it bring me to any place in the Philippines. I just want to look out of the bus' window while mentally taking shots of the places I see. But I wasn't able to do that then until recently because of many things: studies, budget, work. Besides, my parents won't allow me.

Inside the Davao Museum

And then the year 2012 arrived. I'm no more a kid, have a stable job, and now owns a simple digicam... Voila! I am now trying to fulfill my childhood dream, and I can say I will brave even Sulu, Basilan and Maguindanao just to reach that dream... (No offense meant to those who live in Maguindanao, Basilan and Sulu. It's not me but those people around me who wouldn't want me venturing into those provinces).

Now, let me introduce myself before we continue going on to the the different trips I have made within the Philippines.

My one day affair with Nueva Ecija

I live in Nueva Ecija, specifically Gapan, during the weekdays but I’ll have to admit that I have already toured other provinces before I’ve got the chance to know Nueva Ecija more. It happened one Philippine Independence Day (June 12, 2013), when I have decided to have a historical tour around one of the provinces represented by the 8 rays of the sun in the Philippine flag.

Because 2013 Independence Day happened to be Wednesday, the middle of the week, I decided not to go home in San Jose del Monte and just spend my holiday in Nueva Ecija. I woke up very early that day so that my Nueva Ecija town hopping may cover as many towns as possible.

My original Nueva Ecija itinerary (from GoogleMaps)

My initial itinerary for the day is (as shown above, from Gapan City) : Cabanatuan City, Palayan City, San Jose City, Science City of Munoz, Talavera and San Isidro. I did not include Gapan because I have already toured it and will be posting a separate post for it.

After a year and a month: I'm halfway 'round the Philippines!

Yes, it's true. More than half the number of the Philippine provinces has already been covered by my personal project. And I am so happy to announce that in just a span of a year and a month, I managed to visit my 42nd province just as June 2013 is coming on its end.

I started the year 2013 with my "Ultimate January Tour". It was a 5-day backpacking which covered the provinces of Bataan, Zambales, Pangasinan, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya. I also got to visit the cities of Balanga, Olongapo, Alaminos, Dagupan, Urdaneta, San Carlos as well as the famous resort town of Sagada and Bontoc.

Abra's American-era town: Lagangilang

(This post is part of my Abra Townhopping last June 15, 2013)

Honestly, I have never heard of Lagangilang before. Among all five towns that I have visited in Abra, this town has the least information over the net and the least to be mentioned by different websites and travel blogs. The only thing that persuaded me to visit this town is when I read in a certain website that "there are three Spanish-era Churches still existing in Abra: Bangued, Tayum and Lagangilang". And that did it. I told myself, by hook or by crook, I will visit this town and it's Spanish-era church. I immediately look for ways on how I will be able to reach the town and fortunately, the town is just after Tayum so I decided to just rent a tricycle going there.

Bangued's Twin Town: Tayum

(This post is part of my Abra Townhopping last June 15, 2013)

Yes, I admit. There is no "Bangued's Twin Town" monicker yet. No one has used that monicker  before and I would be the first one... and I hope it would stick.

Why do I called Tayum like that? Bangued, as I have pointed out in this article could have been considered a heritage town if the red brick house ruins around the town proper where saved and restored. Nevertheless, there is still the Bangued Cathedral, San Lorenzo Chapel, the capitol and town hall and numerous remains of red brick houses that would qualify Bangued as such albeit on a lesser degree. That can also be said about Tayum. Aside from that, Tayum is just a town after Bangued (they are located side by side) making them a true twin... a Siamese twin at that.

The town which claims Gabriela Silang: Pidigan

(This post is part of my Abra Townhopping last June 15, 2013)

The last town of Abra I have visited before visiting Tangadan Tunnel is the town of Pidigan. Only about 6 kms. from the capital, Bangued, the town can be reached by getting into a tricycle for Php 20.00 each passenger. The terminal can be found at the left side if you are facing the Bangued Cathedral.

Pidigan is known for the claims that the mighty other half of the famous Diego Silang of Ilocos Sur, Gabriela Silang, was born in this town. That claim still lingers until the present even though written documents point to Santa, Ilocos Sur as the birthplace of Gabriela Silang.

The claim about Gabriela Silang being born in the town is manifested by the imposing monument of Gabriela Silang standing at the center of the Pidigan Plaza. When I reached Pidigan, that monument was the first thing that I have noticed.