CamSur

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Vibrant and Frenzied Tuguegarao: Evening City Tour by Trike


Vibrant and Frenzied Tuguegarao 
Evening City Tour by Trike 
Tuguegrao, Cagayan Series 2

 We stayed in our room to rest for a while after
we arrived at Pulsar Hotel at about 4 PM,


 …ordered a room service for snacks,
 and we all had our first taste of  
the famous Pancit Batil Patong.


 At 5 PM, we went to the lobby and informed the 
front desk  that we plan to have a  familiarity tour 
of the city  and we requested for a taxi, but we were
 told that  there are no taxis in Tuguegarao yet


 …but they gladly fetched a tricycle for us.


 The kids were excited as it would be their first
tricycle ride, while it has been almost two
decades for me and my wife’s last tricycle ride.


 It was a noisy and bumpy ride and our friendly driver,
Nestor took us around the city and its major attractions.




 Our first stop was the St. Peter Cathedral. 
The historic church’s ground was already dark 
but we still managed to take some photos.



 Nestor then took us to the back of the church as
 he pondered that  the back door may still be open.   
The church backyard was well lighted where
 there was a makeshift basketball court, 


 …and lovely park with a figure of  
the Virgin Mary as a centerpiece.
.



 Our trike driver was right-
 the rear door was still open.


 I was able to take photos
 of the ancient church,



 

 …that was in a state of disrepair,



 … and undergoing renovation
during our visit.




 The church is  a major attraction  
of the city and extra effort should be done  
to improve the cleanliness and sanitation  
of the really, very smelly toilets.


 My wife requested the driver to take us 
to St. Paul University as she wanted to see 
the school, being an alumna on its Goa, CamSur 
branch  from pre school, elementary until high school.



 The school was already closed but we were 
able to take photos in front of the school.
 That was enough for us and.we were happy


 He then took us around to the very busy 
city center where I took photos of some of the 
important landmarks in the heart of the city.




 Tuguegarao City is the capital of Cagayan 
Province and the Regional Center for  Region 2,  




...and just like any other developing cities
  in the Philippines- it is raucously noisy,




 …streets choking with vehicles, 



 …scattered with popular fast food chains 
in every block and every nook and cranny,




 …adding to the wonderful cacophony of disorganized
 chaos characterizing this rapidly progressing city. 




 Tuguegrao Centro, no matter how chaotic 
is a must visit for every tourist in Cagayan,




 …as it where one will experience sights and sounds,  
feel the pulse and the vibrancy  and the life of the city 
that uniquely reflects the urban Cagayano way of life.




 We returned to our hotel when it started to rain.


 Surprisingly, our ever courteous  w,elcoming  and very reliable
 trike driver asked for only 150 pesos that  we found a little bit
underpriced, and not compensatory  for his excellent tour guiding
 services - so  we gave him 500  pesos and he was thankful.


 We were lucky, we had a congenial Cagayano
welcome from Nestor. These are the kind of  people
 that touches your heart and make you feel good 
that despite all the hardships, they never take advantage, 
willing to help and be of service even to strangers like us  


Nestor is one rare breed that makes you feel proud
thinking there are still  honest and hardworking  people
like him, and luckily,  we found one in Tuguegarao.




We then settled for a late dinner in Cafe Asuncion.
 It was our first day in the city-  we are beginning 
to feel at home.and  we were starting to have fun.

         
Watch out for my other
Tuguegarao Blog Series

Pulsar Hotel Tuguegarao


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