FN Blog - Seven heads are better than one!

After going all the way to Davao last month, the next trip on my list was all the way up north: Ilocos Norte! H and I booked a flight months ago so we got el cheapo tickets–much cheaper than it would’ve cost to drive all the way there. The disadvantage, though, of not having a car is that you’ll have to figure out how to get around the province. If you’re unwilling to shell out about P3,000, you’ll have to commute, hitchhike, or wait for a kindly soul to offer you a ride.

We had a budget to stick to (read: We were being cheap), so we didn’t get our own vehicle and were prepared to take trikes, jeeps, and buses to get to our desired destinations. We didn’t have a proper itinerary, but the following were on my list:

1. See inabel weavers in Paoay
2. See the windmills at Bangui
3. Go to Pagudpud

Since I didn’t make an IT (and boys generally don’t come up with vacation schedules), we were pretty much just winging it the whole trip–a good break from my normally organized agenda!

Laoag
We landed in the Laoag Friday night, and were picked up from the airport by the hotel van. We were booked at Palazzo de Laoag, a charming hotel within the city. The uber-gracious owner, Mrs. Ablan, seemed apologetic that the rooms were small, but the impeccable service more than made up for it! H, a stickler for good service, was impressed with the well-trained staff. Plus the owner and her daughter, Sheryl, seemed to go the extra mile just to make our stay really convenient and comfortable.

Paoay
Saturday was my designated inabel day, and that’s about as far as my planning went. I had no idea where to go, but Kris, a friend on the Ilocos provincial board, hooked me up with some friends who agreed to meet me at the view deck by Paoay Lake. H and I asked the front desk about getting to Paoay, and in the spirit of one-time-big-time, asked about transpo options going to Pagudpud, with a possible stopover at Bangui.

We found out that we could take a jeep to Paoay and back, and that our only option for Pagudpud was a Cagayan-bound bus. If we wanted to stop at Bangui, we would have to wait for another bus to come along because this wasn’t a tourist bus that would wait for us as we cam-whored at the windmills. The Amazing Race theme song started playing out of nowhere.

As we were preparing for our jeep ride to Paoay, we were told that Sheryl was bound for Paoay, and had graciously offered to give us a ride! What luck! We got to see Paoay Church (founded by Augustinian missionaries in 1593) before Sheryl and her friend, Cyril, patiently waited for us as we talked with one of the inabel shop owners.

Inabel is Ilocano for “woven” (from abel, meaning “weave”), and I first heard about it when our mag sent a team up to Ilocos last year. Since then, I had been thinking about traveling up north to see the state of the industry. I’m kind of into heritage conservation, and I worry that inabel would die out–loom weavers have dwindled over the years, and the younger generation isn’t too keen on taking up the craft.

I didn’t get to see loom weavers in action, but I did get to see a roomful of inabel products: blankets, placemats, table runners (all very Pottery Barn-esque, Sheryl told us), and even a watermelon-colored inabel dress…

The ladies at the shop–Mrs. Carriaga, Tessie, and Malou—–insisted that I hold onto the matching bag as I had my picture taken.

So we checked no. 1 off my list on Day 2. Yay! Next mission: Go to Bangui!