The Ambitious Cagayan Valley Roadtrip (Cagayan)

Our second day of journey started with a hot cup of coffee at the same time packing things for the trip. At exactly 6 AM we drove and headed straight to Cagayan, and since we planned to go Sta. Ana, Cagayan by the end of the day, we don't need to rush and instead we took time visiting some interesting places in Cagayan.

We passed by a long bridge (the longest so far among the countless bridges we crossed), and the view of the Cagayan river is free from any obstruction! I am really tempted to get off the car and take a photo of the Cagayan River but we can't just stop in the middle of the road! Buntun Bridge is how they call it, and I'm not so sure now if it is really the longest or the second longest bridge in the Philippines. But one thing is for sure when you reach that bridge you're at the gateway of the Smiling Land of Beauty.

First stop is the church of Tuguegarao City, the Saints Peter and Paul Metropolitan Cathedral is one of the oldest church in Cagayan. It was finished in 1767 but suffered massive destruction during WWII losing some iconic representations of the church. It is said that the cathedral is one of the most beautiful edifice in the land for its portrait is seen in Vatican City. It's just that it doesn't have enough clearance in front of the church to get the full view of it  for the purpose of taking pictures, but I'm not complaining.

After lunch we moved on to Peñablanca to see the Callao Cave! I'm really curious about this place, I've seen a lot of pictures and it looks so mystical for me. From Tuguegarao it took us only about an hour driving along the paved road boasting the majestic view of the Pinacanauan River with rolling mountains and vast rice fields as its backdrop. But in the middle of the long road there was a big mudslide maybe caused during the past typhoons and I got scared, I thought we're not gonna make it to the cave but when we saw a tricycle passed through it, we braved that deep and sticky and wet soft earth and arrived safely to our destination!

And here we are! At the Callao Cave! Isn't it very rewarding to see the light that comes in through the hole? As if heavenly bodies descended from the heaven and shone upon us. The small chapel where we stood is the most beautiful chamber of the cave, you could feel the natural energy moving around. The various limestone formations in the cave such as the Praying Angel, the Lion, Ice Cream in the other chambers are like masterwork of an artist that was ingeniously carved for hundreds of years.

From Peñablanca we went to Iguig, another town in Cagayan where the famous Calvary Hills is situated. The Church of Saint James the Apostle is in the town proper and is located on a hill with the view of the Cagayan River. Within the vicinity of the church are the life-size statues of the Stations of the Cross where devotees go and do a pilgrimage during  Holy Week, there's an old well, which was built during the Spanish era and the source of potable water then.

Most churches in Cagayan stood near the Cagayan River, which later came up to me that there were no highways during those times and that the river was the main thoroughfare in going to places. As we moved on, we passed by the town of Alcala, they say that Alcala is famous for its Milk Candy which is made from pure carabao's milk! An old brick church was just along the road and I know that it's the Church of St. Philomene. I was impressed by the  intricate design on its gold door which I seldom see in most churches I have been...it is grand!  You can find this church easily because it is just along the Maharlika Highway.

Oh well, I thought we spent too much time in town hopping and picture taking, imagine we departed Isabela at 6 AM and it was already late in the afternoon when we reached Alcala, and we are 3 hours away from Sta. Ana, so we have to rush and should make it there before it gets dark! And we were hungry too. And we didn't find any milk candies because the stores were closed. Anyway, it's half past six when we arrived  in Sta. Ana, the weather was unpleasant. It was very cold, windy and wet, so we have to check-in right away and went straight to the restaurant and ordered some hot bulalo soup for dinner!

By the way, we stayed in Jotay Resort, the place is comfortable, warm and secured. They have a pool in front of their cozy restaurant. The family room we occupied is just perfect for a family of five, there is a small veranda in front and a space for parking in front of the room. Well, that night I prayed and thanked God for the safe trip we had and prayed for a favorable weather on the next day.

For more information about Jotay Resort you can visit their website at http://www.jotayresort.com/pool.html.

Thank  you for reading.

The Ambitious Cagayan Valley Roadtrip (Isabela Stop)

It's approximately 589.6 km from Manila to Cagayan Valley and less than 9 hours travel time which is really a long journey but it didn't stop us from going! I have lots of plans in my mind which persuaded me to go on with this trip. We don't have any itinerary nor bookings on any hotels, we just got in the car and drove! I have viewed many photos of Cagayan North and it seems like it is a wonderful place to take photographs. It is a spine breaking journey but just think about the green fields, lush forests, red churches, rolling hills, valleys and plateus!

We spent the first day travelling, we only stop to eat or take pictures and decided not to go directly to Tuguegarao and instead spend the night in Isabela. I haven't seen much of this province but I've heard of it when I was still young and it sounds interesting. Isabela province by the way, is a part of Cagayan Valley Region with its capital Ilagan City and is the second largest province next to Palawan (no wonder travelling here took too much). It was initially called Isabela de Luzon to differentiate from other places in the Philippines bearing the name of Isabela. The new province was named in honor of Queen Isabella II of Spain.

You are already in Isabela when you see this mountain bearing its name! It is pretty obvious that they are rich in mountains.

As we went around we passed by a big reclining chair displayed in a park in Ilagan City and we found out that it's called "butaka" and the world's biggest according to the Guinness Book of World Records at 11 feet high and weighing 2,368 kilos! Wow! 

Isabela province is also famous for old churches, unfortunately I only saw two of them but it is awe-inspiring to be close to them and touch the old bricks and wondered about how resourceful people were way back then.

Who would miss taking a photograph of this beautiful brick church in Tumauini? All the while I thought Tumauini is in Bicol but I was misinformed.  Notice the cylindrical leaning tower, and its wedding cake like design of the church, being up close to it made me feel like I am a winner! The Saint Mathias Parish was completed in 1783 and the bell tower is the only one of its kind in the country...for sure.

 Another church in Isabela in the old town of San Pablo is the San Pablo church which was completed in 1624 and has the tallest bell tower in the province. The facade and the other half of this church were the remaining structures left after the Japanese bombings during WWII. The other half was restored and mass is still heard. The smell of the ruins blends well with the scent of the grassy front yard which is being maintained by cattle that mows the lawn willfully!

Another must-see in Isabela is the Magat Hydro Electric Power Plant. Why? Because I always hear about  Magat Dam on TV especially during the typhoon season and I must see how useful this structure is. I also found out that there are also picnic areas in this place where families can spend the weekend or holidays together without spending much because the park is for free. 

Well it's getting late and we have to find a place to stay for the night, my eyes are tired but how can sleep with the view of the prairies?

I find Isabela an interesting place to visit, they don't have too much beaches but they are very rich in forestland and history and I vouch on that the province of Isabela is the richest in Cagayan Valley. It is also the Top 10 Richest Province in the Philippines last 2011, being the only province of Northern Luzon to be included in the list. How about that?

We stayed at Grace Hills in Santiago City, they have rooms good for 2 persons at 600 pesos. The room is clean as well as with the bed sheets and air-conditioned. 

Grace Hills is located at 241 Camacan Street, Centro East, Santiago City

Mobile No. 09057021464

Thank you for reading.