Stay, Stray, Play and Feast: Magnificent Nature and Awesome Adventure: Epilogue of 5- Day Family Vacation in Cagayan

Magnificent Nature and Awesome Adventure

Epilogue of 5- Day Family Vacation in Cagayan

Tuguegarao, Cagayan Series 10

Tuguegarao, Cagayan is the third destination

that we visited for the last three years, after

Ilolio City and Guimaras two years ago,

…and Cagayan de Oro City

and Bukidnon about a year ago.

Although we have been traveling
abroad two to three times a year ,

…we decided to cut off our travel outside

the Philippines to once to twice a year

to give way to one local destination.

We only started seriously traveling locally,

which we tremendously enjoyed and we

started routinely included it in our calendar

every year before or after the holy week frenzy.

It was our first time to be in Cagayan which we heard nothing
about except for the being the hottest province and having recorded
the highest scorching summer temperatures in the Philippines.
We rely mostly on travel books before we travel to a certain
place, and our library was teeming with numerous books
of places we have visited and those we intend to visit,
but travel books about the province are a rarity.

The province has never been extensively promoted as a tourist
destination so it was difficult to get information for tourists
traveling as a family with young kids.Most of the travel blogs on
Tugeuerao are more of the backpackers review.

…the ever reliable Lonely Planet

was not of help either as the popular

travel book only dedicated a page

or two about Tuguegrao, Cagayan.

…most people would even react with

disbelief whenever they learn that we are

having a summer vacation in Tuguegarao.

But believe it or not- we had one

of the best vacations of our lives.

Day 1.

We arrived late afternoon in Tuguegarao

from Naga City after a stop- over in Manila,

...and we were happy to see

a tourist booth at the airport,

…and had informative brochures about

the tourist destinations of the province.

Tuguegarao City is one of the very

few cities in the Philippines that

had tourist information brochures

We were picked by a Pulsar Hotel

service van from the airport

…and took us for a very short drive,

…to the hotel that is located in

Penablanca, a town located in

the periphery of Tuguegarao.

Stay, Play and Feast

Pulsar Hotel, Tuguegarao

^^Click the link for more

We had planned the trip as early as December

and we initially booked at Valley Hotel as

it was getting good reviews on the web.

But most of the travel agents are endorsing

Pulsar Hotel, as it is apparently the newest

hotel in the city, we decided to book here.

There was nothing fancy on hotel lobby.

It had basic furnishings of comfy sofas,

coffee tables with rattan chairs, and a

grand piano at the far end of the lobby.

Pulsar staff was very helpful courteous and

the front desk staff was efficient and friendly.

We stayed in an Executive Twin Room,

the biggest and apparently the best they have.

Just like the lobby, there was nothing fancy
on the room. It has two queen sized bed that
could comfortably fit two adults and two kids,

It also had a huge sofa that could serve as an extra bed
and where one could lounge while watching a TV.

The hotel had a rather slow free internet connection,

…a balcony with a very limited view

and could not be used at it is where

the aircon vent and exhaust are located.

The room had a very spacious bathroom,

with a nice bathtub, that compensated

for the absence of a swimming pool.

The hotel is connected to Convenience Store

that closes very early at about 7 in the evening,

…and this may be a big turn off to some guests

as it is located right next to a Total Gas Station.

They have a superb in- house restaurant

called Café Asuncion the offers a decent

choices of good food in their menu.

...and had varied choices of delicious dishes
for their in room dining, and yummy Pinoy

set breakfasts to start your day.

Pulzar Hotel is what I can say an 'a- okay' hotel
as it may not have family friendly amenities
for those traveling with with young children,

…but it could provide a family of four with a spacious,
comfortable and affordable basic accommodation

Stray

Evening City Tour by Trike

^^Click the link for more

After a resting for a while and having our very first
taste of Pancit Batil Patong in our hotel room, we
decided to have an early evening city tour of Tuguegrao.

The hotel staff got us a tricycle as

there are no taxis in Tuguegarao yet, and

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, took us around

the city and its major attractions.

We visited beautiful St. Peter Cathedral.

which was already closed when we arrive,

…but the darkness could not hide the grandeur

and beauty of the ancient and historic church.

The trike driver also took us to

Tugeugarao City center where we

were treated to the sights and sounds,

… the fascinating chaos, the bustle

and hustle of a rapidly developing city.

We also visited St. Paul University as

my wife wanted to see it, being an alumna

of its sister school in St. Paul, Goa, CamSur.

We returned to the hotel and had a dinner

at Café Asuncion before retiring to bed.

Day 2.

Stray

Tuguegarao to Sta. Ana Roadtrip:

Historic Road to Paradise
^^Click the link for more

After an early breakfast in the hotel, we were on our way
to Sta. Ana, located two to three hours away from the
city, where we have booked for an overnight stay

in Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort.

Little did we know that we were in for one of

the most scenic and historic road trips of our lives.

We passed by scenic towns located along

the banks of the mighty Cagayan River

on its way north to the Aparri Delta.

We passed by Iguig, the town

closest to Tuguegarao City

known for its Calvary Hills,

…then passed by Amulung,

…and Alcala, where the sight of the beautiful

St. Phelomene Church caught our attention.

We enjoyed the beautiful

countryside of Gattaran,

…that my family likened to the toporgraphy
of Czech Republic’s Carlovy Vary,

…with the European landscape replaced

with an oriental and more rustic character.

The road from Gattaran to Lallo gave

us a pleasant surprise when we saw

a beautiful castle by the roadside that

happened to be a hotel and a souvenir shop.

Also near by was a suspension bridge that

looked like a miniature version of San Francisco’s

Golden Gate Bridge, that apparently links

the highway that leads to the Ilocos Region.

It is in Lallo where the historic St. Dominic Church,

the former seat of the Nueva Segovia, one of the five

original Archdioceses created by Spain, is located.

We took the Lallo diversion road,

where we caught a glimpse of

the Lallo International Airport

that was undergoing construction,

…that led us to the town of Gonzaga where we enjoyed
the sight of what seemed to be hundreds and hundreds
of verdant mounds dotting the roadside and the horizon,

…that looked like a greener version of

Bohol’s very popular Chocolate Hills.

Gonzaga is the penultimate town to Sta. Ana,
our final destination which is a part of the
Cagayan Special Economic Zone,

…and where Sun City’s Cagayan Holiday Leisure

Resort, is located, where we would be staying overnight.

Stay, Stray, Play and Feast.

Sun City’s Cagayan Holiday Leisure Resort.
^^Click the link for more

Sun City’s Cagayan Holiday Leisure Resort

is a picturesque seaside resort in Sta. Ana, Cagayan

located in one of the most northern part of Luzon.

It is a huge resort complex and one would be

overwhelmed of its grandiosity of its entrance

façade and posh lobby upon checking in.

Guests are brought to their villas

with electric cars as they are located

a little bit far from the entrance.

Stay.

We were booked in a 2 bedroom villa,

and we were delighted to see how
big and beautiful it was

It has a spacious living room,

…a full dining room with kitchen, and

the unit was so impeccably designed

It had two bedrooms, the first one with a

Queen sized bed and its own toilet and bath,

...and the other one with two single beds.

Both rooms were tastefully decorated.

There were three, rather old, box type

flat screen TVs, one each in the two

bedrooms and another in the living room.

The second toilet and bath is located

near the kitchen and dining areas.

Some villas even have a private

pool on their backyards.

Play and Feast

Guests would never run out

of things to do in the resort.

They have a beautiful beachfront where

one could just laze around and relax

while watching the beautiful sunset,

…while the kids couldn’t get enough of

the various waters sports facilities being

offered by the resort, day in and day out.

They have a gorgeous infinity pool, and

we had a great time bonding there.

They also have an excellent

spa and a well equipped gym.

The resort also had a quaint seaside dining

area but the service was rather slow that it took

us forever to wait for out orders to come,

…that we decided to have then delivered to

our room, which came packed in disgusting

styros without any eating utensils at all.

The food tasted great though, and I would

recommend dining in their Chinese Restaurant

located near the Casino to avoid any inconvenience.

Although the hotel had a very poor costumer

service, we still enjoyed our stay in this resort

as it is beautiful, well maintained and affordable.

Day 3

Stray and Feast

Cagayan’s Magnificent Historic Churches:
An Astounding Journey Back in Time
^^Click the link for more

We checked out from Cagayan Holiday

Leisure Resort after a heavy breakfast,

which again was served in styrofoam boxes.

We hopped on a rented van and instructed the driver
that we intend to visit some historic churches and

important sites along our way to Tuguegarao.

First on our list was

Lallo’s St. Dominic Church.

Formerly known as the old Archdiocese of Neuva Segovia

we really wanted to visit this church as it is one of the five

original Archdioceses established by the Spaniards together

with our very own Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres in Naga City.

The church was preserved well and

maintained it’s grand old glory.

…it gave us an awe inspiring feeling

of getting face to face with our past.

We then dropped by the beautiful

Castle in the Sky Hotel and

Restaurant to take some photos,

..and try the nearby Tinupig stores.

The area is an ideal tourist stop as there

are also restaurants serving local specialty

dishes and souvenir shops located nearby.

We then visited Alacala town’s St. Phelomene Church.

It is an all red brick church with a charming courtyard
that would make one feel that he is in a European piazza.

The massive church door had intricate

grape vine design trimmed with gold.

The church interior was undergoing renovation

so there was not much to see from the inside.

The St. James the Apostle Church,

in the town of Iguig, surprised us.

We came to visit their poplar Calvary Hills

as it was only a week before the holy week,

…but we found out that the church was a treasure
throve of priceless bits a pieces of history.

Inside the ancient church is a relic from the

original cross where Jesus was crucified,

displayed in a glass- encased cavity of a cross.

The church also had an ancient obelisk at the

courtyard that was still intact and seemed to

have been left untouched since it was built in 1700.

There was also a remnant f an ancient brick

Spanish staircase that used to lead to the

river banks of the mighty Cagayan River

The river has since receded and the staircase

is now located far away from the river bank .

Also nearby is well preserved ancient

well that said to supply water for the

town of Iguig in the 17th century.

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived in Tuguegarao

and we requested our driver to take us to what he believes

as the best Pancit Batil Patong restaurant in the city.

He then took us to this Long Life Panciteria

that was located in a convoluted maze of minor

city roads to some secluded and narrow ‘eskinitas’.

Where the chef was kind enough to let me observe

and took photos on how they cook the noodles,

Which was topped with almost everything on it,

…and served piping hot on the table.

The driver was right after all.

The Long Life Panciteria tasted divine, and I could
confidently say, despite the fact that I was not able to
try other panciterias versions in the city this must be
Tuguegarao’s Best Pancit Batil Patong

It was our third day in Cagayan

and we were having a lot of fun.

Day 4.

Nature Trip in Cagayan

Mother Nature at It's Best

^^Click the link for more

It was our fourth and penultimate day in Cagayan,

and this would be our busiest day, as I would speak

for the first plenary session in a medical convention.

My talk ended shortly before 10 AM,

…and we were off for a whole day

tour on a rented van thereafter.

We are headed for the town of Piat to visit the

Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat, where

we passed by the Buntun Bridge, considered

as the longest river bridge in the Philippines.

It is a 1.098 km- long bridge that links Tuguegarao

to the second and third district towns of Cagayan and

Apayao and offers a sweeping view of Cagayan River.

we then passed by the town of Solana that had

a Hollywood- like signage perched up on the hill.

We then traveled thru the scenic and rustic

countryside on our way to the town of Piat.

We arrived after more than an hour at the

Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat,

…and we marveled at the church which was

specially built to house the miraculous image

considered as the patroness of the region.

We returned to Tuguegarao City, and

shopped at the Lighthouse Cooperative,

for some pasalubong that we could take home.

We then requested our driver to take us to a

Chinese restaurant and interestingly, he took

us to Chow King right at the heart of the city.

We were amused as we didn’t mean to go

to a fast food and what we wanted to try was

an authentic Tuguegrao based Chinese resto,

but it was okay as it was a perfect time to enjoy

Chow King Halo- halo as it was a very hot day.

We dropped by the Cagayan Provincial Capitol,

to see the Cagayan Museum and Historical

Research Center, but it was closed as it was a

Saturday, so we decided just take photos of the place.

When we drove to Penablaca to see Callao Cave

and the Insect Bat nocturnal migration- little

did we know that we would be experiencing one

of the most awesome shows of the natural world.

Callao Cave is an unforgettable experience

for me and my family, and we were awed by

the immensity of the breathtaking caverns

and majestic stalactite and stalagmite formations,

…stunningly beautiful chambers,

…and a cacophony of beautiful spleothems

including glittering crystal helictites.

After visiting the Callao caves,

we took a river cruise in a boat

at the pristine Pinacuanan River.

The river snakes thru a scenic wall of

limestone mountains on both sides, and it

is on these rocky virgin mountains where

the the town of Penablanca was named,

We docked at the shore

just below the bat cave,

When a deluge of millions and millions

of insect bats rushed out of the cave opening,

...that it appeared like a living
and breathing volcano crater,
it was so amazingly spectacular
and took our breaths away.

What nature had to offer in this beautiful

less traveled place-is something that

should never be missed in one’s lifetime.

Day 5

The world stood still on our last day in Tuguegarao,
as it would be the day of Pacquiao and Bradley’s fight
in Las Vegas, we had nothing to do after breakfast.