Sand Boarding at La Paz

Day 2
Feb 10, 2013
Laoag and Pagudpod

We woke up very early the next day for the sand boarding activity so we could avoid the scorching heat of the sun at La Paz sand dunes. Our contact Glenn (contact number 09088853669) picked us up at 6 AM from the hotel and brought us to the dunes which was about 20 minutes away. Glenn's package (2500 PHP for a group of four) covered both not-as-easy-at-it-looks sand boarding and the 4x4 ragged drive around the dunes which included some hold-on-for-dear-life slopes.

4x4 ride at the La Paz sand dunes

Paddle boarding at La Paz sand dunes

On the way back to the hotel, on our sand-drenched condition, we stopped over at Malacañang Ti Amianan (Malacanang of the North), the official residence of the late President Marcos. No one would think we would be visiting a palace with the way we looked - messy hair, shorts, slippers.

Malacañang Ti Amianan

View from the mansion - Paoay lake

We went back to the hotel afterwards for a much needed bath. For lunch, we ate at Saramsam Ilocano restaurant, another highly recommended place in Laoag - and for a very good reason. The oil-based Saramsam pasta - with shrimps, tomatoes, mango slices - and Poque-Poque pizza - with eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and eggs - were to die for, not to mention healthy.

Saramsam Ilocano Restaurant

Poque-Poque pizza

Saramsam Pasta

Maja Blanca - Ilocano version

After lunch, it was time to leave Laoag and head to Pagudpod. Along the way, we made 2 stopovers at Burgos. The first one was at Cape Bojeador, which unfortunately already forbids visitors from going up the actual tower.

Cape Bojeador

Next and last stop was at Kapurpurawan rock formation. The name translates to whiteness, which is exactly what one would find here - creamy white limestone formation, in the middle of nowhere.

Kapurpurawan rock formation

It was almost night time when we decided to leave Burgos and head to  Cathi's Homestay (contact number 09195716680 ) in Saud beach in Pagudpud, where we would stay for the night. The place was really cheap - 1000 PHP for a room good for 5 - but only because there were no basic amenities (no tv set, no hot water) at all. The owner though was really friendly and allowed us to check-out very late in the afternoon the next day.

Cathi's Homestay

We had dinner in the resort next door - Api Idon resort - where I discovered another new favorite dish - Mountain Chicken. It was a great way to cap off the night.

Mountain Chicken

Road trip to Laoag

Day1
Feb 9, 2013
Laoag

The last time I went to the north was quite unforgettable for one specific reason - there were 14 of us cramped in a single old van (!) and it did not help that we had slowest driver ever. I woke up in the middle of night and found all other vehicles overtaking us - in a wide freeway. We left at around 10 PM and reached Pagudpod at around 3 PM the next day.

This time around, there were only 6 of us in a car - a Hyundai Elantra - which is quite roomy. There were 4 of us in the backseat and it was not bad at all (there were 2 pint-size girls with us). We left the office at past 9 PM, 5 hours after the planned time, and arrived in Laoag at 7 AM.

We stayed at Texicano hotel which is right in the middle of the town proper. The room we got was spacious and it even had a kitchen sink and refrigerator. It could use a little makeover though but you get what you paid for.

Texicano hotel

After a few hours of sleep, and a brief lunch, we started to tour Laoag. We first went to the plaza and then to St. William Cathedral and the Sinking Bell Tower.

St. William Cathedral

Later on, we viewed Ferdinand Marcos' remains at the Marcos Mausoleum, which we reached a few minutes before closing time. On the wall opposite the mausoleum is a banner containing a comparison of  the administrations of Marcos and Corazon Aquino, which is understandably, given that we are on Marcos' domain, biased towards Marcos. The data are quite intriguing though and warrant further rumination.

Marcos Mausoleum

A comparative study of 2 administrations

We then went to the centuries-old Paoay church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was completed in 1710.

Facade and bell tower of Paoay Church

We reached Paoay lake before sunset to try out paddle-boarding, which was heavily publicized in most blogs about Ilocos trip. This was one thing I was really looking forward to but, alas, we did not find anyone offering the activity - even the people around the lake area were not aware of it.

Paoay Lake - very serene and perfect for paddle boarding

After a brief stop at the lake, we proceeded to Fort Ilocandia resort hotel, the only 5-star hotel in the north.

We then had our dinner at La Preciosa, where we tried a few of the local dishes including Poqui-poqui which is a unique kind of eggplant omelet (tortang talong) with lots of slice of tomato and onions. I don't eat eggplant but I enjoyed this dish very much.

La Preciosa

Chicken Adobo

Poqui-Poqui

The gang at La Preciosa - Migs, Marc, Jojo, John, Marianne, and Susanne

A few hours at Sentosa

Day 5
Feb 3, 2013
Singapore

My flight back to Manila was not until 9 PM so I decided to go to Resorts World Sentosa. I skipped Universal Studios (which was a good thing since it rained that afternoon) and just went to see the largest indoor water tank in the world - S.E.A  Aquarium, home to more than 800 species of marine animals.

Exploring Marina Bay Sands

Day 4
Feb 2, 2013
Singapore

I have been in the Marina Bay Sands complex for the past 2 days already for the conference but I never really had the chance to explore it, save for a quick walk around the Shoppes, where I cannot afford a single thing, and the ArtScience Museum the previous day. So, after moving to Hermes' place where I stayed for the weekend, I met Joanne and Mitch who toured me around the complex.

We first went to the Skypark where I got to see a bird's eye view of the Marina Bay and a partial view of the infinity pool which was understandably closed to tourists.

After we were roasted at the Skypark - Singapore is hot in every sense of the word - we went to the Gardens by the Bay. First stop was at the Cloud Forest, a cool-moist conservatory featuring the world's tallest indoor waterfall and a 35-meter tall mountain covered in lush vegetation, which can be explored via walkways.

We then went to the Flower Dome which features a collection of plants from all over the world.

After exploring the 2 conservatories, we decided to stay here until night time to witness the light and sound show which started at 7:45 PM.

Business trip at Singapore

Day 1-3
Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2012
Singapore

It was way back in August 2003 when I first went to Singapore. Airfares and hotels were heavily discounted back then since it was post-SARS outbreak. We flew via Singapore Airlines, no less, and stayed at a 4-star hotel, all for 225 USD for 3 nights.

Fast forward to 9 and a half years later and I got the chance to go back to Singapore, and this time, it was for free. My supervisor sent me there to attend a Low Cost Carrier conference - to rub shoulders with the CEOs of low cost carriers around the region, some of which are our clients.

For the first 3 nights, I stayed at  the avant-garde Studio M hotel. The room I booked was smaller than I expected but it was very cozy and elegantly-designed. The only real drawback was the tight space in the toilet room - there was not much leg room in it and I am only 5'6".

Studio M loft

Studio M toilet room

The 2-day conference was held on Jan 31 to Feb 1 at the Marina Bay Sands, the latest world-class integrated resort in Singapore which opened 2 years ago. The place is popular due to the impressive Skypark which connects the hotel's 3 towers. 

Marina Bay Sands hotel

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

After the conference, I treated myself to the ArtScience Musuem at the Marina Bay Sands complex to see a few exhibits - the Art of the Brick and Outside In.

The lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum

The Art of the Brick features Lego sculptures by New York-based  Nathan Sawaya. The awe-inspiring collection includes Yellow and a 6-meter long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton.

Yellow

T-Rex Dinosaur Skeleton

The Outside In Photograph exhibit showcases works by Magnum photographers. Mark Power's 'Sound of Two Songs' is an intimate account of a foreigner's impression of Poland. Jacob Aue Sobol's 'I, Tokyo' is a pictorial journal of his experience living in Tokyo.

Sound of Two Songs

I, Tokyo

Later that night, I met a few of my friends from Singapore to celebrate my birthday. It was nice to catch-up with old friends/ex-officemates, most of them I have not seen for a very long time.

Joanne, Hermes, Rica, Gen, Andrew, Mitch, and myself