Since arriving at the northern part of Luzon, I have been seriously waiting for a dish of garlic longanisa. And before departing for Ilocos Norte on our third day of Lakbay Norte , it was at last served at Los Palmas Resort in Tuguegarao. I cannot be more happy to start the day with my favorite dish.

A quick stop at the Patapat Viaduct for some photo ops after almost seven hours of ass-busting bus ride and we’re off again; this time for a thirty-minute ride to Kapuluan Vista Resort at Pagudpud’s Blue Lagoon.
Before donning our rash guards, we had a leisurely lunch first. Tuna Kinilaw and Escabeche Bagnet for appetizers; Fern Salad, Breaded Fish Fillet and Chicken Kilaguan for the main course; eggless leche flan for dessert; and to top everything off, a dose of frozen margarita.

Having previously tried surfing at Baler before and gaining a few more pounds since then, I knew that I’d be better off shooting Blue Lagoon’s seascapes than riding its waves. So off they went to the sandy part of the beach and off I went to the rocky parts with my tripod and cameras.

A dead tree that got sucked out fifteen meters from the shore by the waves caught my attention and I was soon busy balancing my tripod while getting pounded by some serious waves . I was checking out the angles, moving slowly through the seaweeds when the waves pulled down and revealed a big drop a few meters from where I was standing.
With the waves getting stronger, I wrapped everything up and proceeded to the surfer’s beach. Everyone was almost done, good thing I managed to snap a few frames before we went back to Kapuluan Vista.
Everyone was hungry enough to eat an elephant after surfing and for dinner, we proceeded to Paoay’s Johnny Moon, a café inspired by the works of famed Ilocano hero, Juan Luna. The restaurant is located on a cluster of food establishments, bookstores and a restored Tabacalera converted into a museum; quite a nice place to hang out in.Our exhaustion complete, we zoomed off to the sprawling Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center in Paoay to recharge our drained body; tonight we sleep, tomorrow we explore again.

   L A K B A Y N O R T E 3 S E R I E S

   ON THE ROAD: LAKBAY NORTE 3 CAVING AT NORZAGARAY & BASS FISHING AT PANTABANGAN DAM
   TOPLOADING & WHITEWATER RAFTING AT KALINGA | SHOOTING LANDSCAPES & SURFING AT THE BLUE LAGOON
   PADDLE BOARDING & BIRDWATCHING AT PAOAY | HIKING AT HOLCIM’S ECOTRAIL & AIRSOFT AT BAGUIO COUNTRY CLUB
   RIVER CRUISE AT DAGUPAN & GO KARTING AT TARLAC | JUNGLE SURVIVAL, SPA TIME & PINOY HENYO AT SUBIC
   PUNING’S HOT SPRINGS & LUBAO’S PRADO FARM
   HOW I JOINED LAKBAY NORTE 3 LAKBAY NORTE 3! | PICKED 4 LAKBAY NORTE 3!

   LAKBAY NORTE IS AN ANNUAL MEDIA FAMILIARIZATION TOUR AROUND NORTH LUZON
   ORGANIZED BY NORTH PHILIPPINES VISITORS BUREAU