Sison Auditorium, Lingayen, Pangasinan

I visit lingayen for the first time when I attended the ISSAS National Congress 2015. One the venue is on the Sison Auditorium. The place is great, according to the host. It was an old building almost forgotten until the recent Governor Espino, renovated and brought back the grandeur of the place. Now it serve as a venue for events, wedding, etc. Even the neighboring places rent the place to hold their events.

Here is a youtube video of Sison Auditorium, Lingayen, Pangasinan.

Pangasinan Adventure

We left the Pasay City from Victory Liner bus terminal at 12:45 and reached Lingayen around 8 pm in the evening. There are some stops like the Dau, Tarlac, Dagupan and the last Lingayen. When we reached Lingayen we took the tricycle to take us in Pangasinan State University where we are asked for 20 pesos each. We then spend the evening at the PSU Hostel. The PSU Hostel has a warm and accommodating staff, the place is clean and comfortable to stay with. At a very affordable cost of 300 pesos per night.

The served meals was great,  I ate longanisa and blanched kangkong  with their famous bagoong for breakfast. Along with other foods during the day.

Why was I in Pangasinan? Well I attended the prestigious ISSAAS Conference, Thanks to my institution for funding the travel.

Kusiong Beach Cotabato City

Kusiong is a barangay of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. There are a lot of beach resort in these area. The locals commonly called it Kusiong beach of Cotabato City because the nearest city of these beaches is the City of Cotabato. Punta Isla is just one of the resort.

When one decides to visit Kusiong the main road going there is through the SPDA road along the national highway. From here you will traverse a mostly cemented road, there are some parts that are rough. It will take you about 20 minutes by vehicle to reach Kusiong.

The road towards Kusiong is quiet remote. You will meet a few villagers. A forested mountain or hill is what you will see besides the road. As you reach Kusiong there is a small community along the beach.

You can enjoy the refreshing water. The water in Kusiong is a combination of sea water and water from the Liguasan marsh. It is always warm. The waves is very minimal because it does not directly faces the sea.

The Farm @ Carpenter Hill, City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

Our annual planning was held at the Farm @ Carpenters Hill, City of Koronadal South Cotabato. It was my first time to visit The Farm in Koronadal. It was located beside the National highway on the right going to General Santos 10 minutes away from the city proper of Koronadal.

As I entered the gate of The Farm. I felt the cold atmosphere there are lots of trees (more like a tropical garden setting) and the place is clean, and silent perfect for someone who needs focus and relaxation. There are a few staff that I encountered as I walk towards the venue of the said planning. They are very warm and accommodating.

The facilities are well maintained it seems that everything is just purchased. They have a beautiful array of bonsai garden. the bonsai are well cared. It also has a beautiful butterfly garden. it was full of butterfly's off course. The place is well landscaped. They have a children's play ground where they can run and play.

Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, Burgos, Ilocos, Norte

According to our tourist guide these place is a must-see when visiting Ilocos Norte. It is located in the rocky coasts, fronting the roaring waves of bangui Bay, Burgos, Ilocos Norte. It is about 3km from the Maharlika highway, we took a rough and bumpy ride towards the Kapurpurawan rock formations and another 5-10 minutes walk from the drop off area.

The best time to visit is during early morning when the heat of the sun is not that intense.

"Kapurpurawan" or "puraw" is an Ilocano term which means white. As you look around the rock formations are "puraw" or white in color. These are called sedimentary rocks, a beautiful works of nature, formed due to millions of years of combined forces of wind, water and waves from the ocean.

It was so captivating to see these work of nature for the very first time. Nature has its own way of shaping wonders.

Bangui Windmill, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

        The windmill is one of the places to be visited during our arranged tour. The Bangui windmill is located at the northern most part of the Philippines at the municipality of Bangui, Ilocos Norte, facing the South China Sea.

The first in Asia and the only windmill in the Philippines. The turbines are spaced 326 meters apart, each 70 meters high, with 41 meters long blades, with a rotor diameter of 82 meters and a wind swept area of 5,281 sq. meter. It is so amazing traveling the highway with the giant windmills on the side you can see how majestic things could be.

It is like a graceful arc reflecting the shoreline of Bangui.

The ingenuity of man combined with the power of nature can bring light to many homes of Ilocanos and nearby provinces.
Travelling across the Philippines has always bought new and amazing things to discover and be proud of.

VIGAN

Our visit to Vigan is such an amazing trip.  It was the northernmost city established in the Philippines by the Spanish. It is one of the the towns of the province of Ilocos Sur.

At the time of our visit we are staying at Plaza del Norte hotel at the city of Laoag. From the hotel we hire a tricycle for 200 pesos which sent us to the town of Batac of where the former President Ferdinand Marcos Mausoleum was located. From that town we ride a bus to the city of Vigan, it took as almost an hour and 30 minutes to reach Vigan, it cost us a 100 pesos each. At the Plaza, we hire a calesa (a horse-drawn carriage engaged in providing transport services) that brought us to the beautiful heritage town of Vigan. The calesa tour cost 150 pesos per hour.

Its like a journey back in time, established in the 16th century. It fells like I was bought back in the time when the Spaniards used to rule the Philippines or it looks like you are bought to the old streets of Europe.

Vigan is the best-preserved examples of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia. It represents a fusion of Asian building design and construction with European colonial architecture and planning.

It is so fascinating that at these present time where things change so fast, that these place was preserve to its original state. the time when Spaniards build their houses patterned from their houses in Spain.