A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
While they’ve been around for awhile, board sports like surfing, sandboarding and stand-up paddleboarding are quickly gaining popularity here in the country. If you’re based in Manila, you don’t even have to book an expensive flight to another country to try these out. You can actually try all three board sports up North in Ilocos Norte, which I’ve found is a haven for some of the greatest outdoor adventures.
When I was a kid, I always looked forward to riding the giant slide in local fairs or carnivals. There was something about sliding down from such a height that was so thrilling. Another favorite was the roller coaster, with it’s slow uphill ascents, loops, lurches, and sudden drops.
Trying out sandboarding and riding a 4×4 off-road vehicle around the La Paz Sand Dunes during the Lakbay Norte 2 media tour earlier this year brought back the thrill of these childhood amusement park rides, but amped it up to the next level. Continue reading “Sandboarding and 4×4 Ride in Ilocos Norte”
One of the most meaningful gifts I got during graduation was a set of five basic land cards laminated and turned into bookmarks from a friend who introduced me to the game Magic: The Gathering. An attached note said: “I want to show you the world, but I have no money. Hope these inspire you to explore the world on your own.” Well, they have.
Here’s my version of the five basic lands – plains, island, swamp, mountain and forest – representing five places in the Philippines I’ve been to since then. 🙂
Plains: La Paz Sand Dunes, Ilocos Norte
The La Paz Sand Dunes is a protected sandy coastal desert and beach close to Laoag City, the capital of the province of Ilocos Norte. The sand dunes of Ilocos were said to be created by the interaction of the wind, sea, and river that together cause erosion and deposition. Everyone had a blast trying out the sand boarding and riding 4×4 vehicles around the dunes earlier this year during the Lakbay Norte Media tour. Continue reading “5 Philippine Landscapes as Magic Cards”
As part of the second leg of Lakbay Norte 2 (around the provinces Cagayan and Ilocos), a media familiarization tour organized by the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), I was fortunate to get to see a number places in the North that I’ve never visited and try out some new activities. Here are a few travel firsts from the trip:
Exotic eats. I got to taste tukak (deep-fried frogs), bu-os (ant eggs) and palos (stewed eel) among other dishes during a native Ilocano lunch served by the river in Adams, Ilocos Norte. Though I was afraid to taste the frog because it really looked like a frog’s body despite being fried, the meat actually tasted good (sorry for the cliche – but it tasted just like chicken). The ant eggs were interesting and a little on the salty side. Unfortunately one journalist developed a bad allergy after eating it.
Continue reading “Travel Firsts: Lakbay Norte 2 (Cagayan and Ilocos)”
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