Bonuan blue beach

Bonuan beach in Dagupan City is still one of the great beaches in the province. It was the first choice of tourists in the 70's and 80's. Thousands still visit here especially in the month of April and May.

With "inihaw na bangus" in your menu coupled with "oysters", Bonuan beach will be unforgetable.

Mount Paldingan, Binalonan

To claim that there is a mountain in this town is beyond geographic explanation though I can prove to you that the people of Binalonan have embraced and loved the scenic view of it.

Mount Paldingan is located at the northeast part of Binalonan near barangay Santa Catalina about 15 km. from the town proper.

It takes tremendous amount of effort and time to climb this mountain though it doesn't need any hiker's tools to reach the peak. All you need to have is a guide who knows the terrains.

The prize of the adventure is not satisfactory reaching the top but the going down the other side of the mountain where you can find the waterfalls and a river. To quench the thirst and to clean the sweat of the long walk and climb, the clear and fresh water is just what it takes.

image is courtesy of binalonan.com

Cacupangan Cave, Mabini (Part 2)

Here are some more images of Cacupangan Cave.

Cacupangan Cave, Mabini (Part 1)

It is difficult to say something about a place where I haven't gone. I'll let the images above tell you how wonderful is the Cacupangan Cave.

Gandalf Swords made by a Pozzorubian

One of the main characters in the trilogy Lord of the Rings is Gandalf as you see in the picture. According to the reporters in the video that I previously posted the swords used in the the Lord of the Rings were made in Pozzorubio. It was reported that Gandalf's sword was designed by the same person.



The designer Rodrigo Revote, 44, made the Gandalf swords used by "Frodo" and "Aragorn" in winning the throne of Gondor. His family moved from Pangasinan to his wife’s, Irene, hometown in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, in 1985, with their two children.



The original Flavio (Poe’s main character in Ang Panday) was Servillano Revote, his deceased father who was a blacksmith himself.

San Fabian Beach

San Fabian beach has been one of the most visited places in the early 70's and 80's until the late 90's. Visitors from Isabela, Cagayan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Viscaya, Tarlac, La Union, and Benguet usually flock the beach in May 1 or they call it "Pista ng Dagat". The beauty of the beach is exceedingly great that the people who go to the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag are tempted not to visit San Fabian.

As of today, it is still a place of destination and relaxation.

Butao Spring Resort, San Manuel Pangasinan

I first stepped in the land of San Manuel Pangasinan during the 1992 Regional Secondary Schools Press Conference held in the Mataas na Paaralang Juan C. Laya, which was and still arguably considered the best secondary school in the entire Region I in terms of the facilities and infrustractures.

Journalism was the focus but most of the time I got to hang around with my friends and walked out of the campus. We asked some bystanders in the town, which is 5 minutes walk away from the school, about the best place in the town. They resoundingly replied the word "Butao" .

We rode into the tricycle and traveled some ten minutes east to reach Butao. We went to the what they called the "original Butao".

This is a spring resort which was built in 1985. It is a swimming pool about 500 meters in length and 250 meters wide or shorter. The water starts shallow, which is for children and those who don't know how to swim, going deep to 7 feet. The water flows continously to maintain the hygiene. Around the pool are cottages.

It was the main attraction of eastern Pangasineses in the early late 80's and 90's. Because of hundreds of tourists goes there everyday in the 90's that the "original butao spring resort" couldn't accomodate them anymore, swimming pools were opened nearby. Though the water of these newly built pools are no longer natural or I may say not springing from below but being pumped and with the addition of chlorine.

If you happen to go to San Manuel, just drop by and try the fresh water of this resort.

right image is courtesy of http://www.geocities.com/sanmanuelians/

Tondol Beach, Anda Pangasinan

Tondol Beach, Anda Pangasinan, is two hours away from Dagupan City passing Binmaley, Lingayen, Alaminos, Sual, and Bolinao. From the town proper of Anda, it takes 30 minutes to barangay Tondol.

Tondol Beach offers a long stretch shallow and calm waters. There is a cemented pathway along the shoreline which enables everybody to walk and move further to the other parts of the beach.

morepictures 1.. 2..3
images are courtesy of pangasinan.org

Mapandan Pangasinan

Mapandan was formerly a barrio of Mangaldan. It was before located in the hilly regions of the south where there used to be plenty of "pandan" a native palm whose leaves will add aroma to cooked rice. The leaves also are stripped and woven into mats. That's why they call it Mapandan.

Agno Pangasinan's Umbrella Rocks

"Come with us in Agno Pangasinan", said uncle Danny. "We will go to the beach and see the umbrella rocks".

"Nope, I can't travel that long, I'll just swim here in the river and play with the rocks and sands instead", I replied.

That conversation was 25 years ago. Uncle Danny brought some of their pictures and aghastly said, "Wow beautiful, it is really true about the rocks, I hope I went with you, anyway there are more days ahead, I'll be with you the next time".

Since then I have never stepped in the land of Agno. That was a quarter century ago.

I may never have to go to Agno but I really desire someday, there are quality images that we can look around now because of the digital technology. There are images available online of Agno Pangasinan.

Agno Pangasinan is 28 kilometers away from Alaminos Pangasinan, the home of the Hundred Island National Park. The umbrella rocks are found in Sabangan Norte.

I'll be there. Someday I'll say, "I was there".

image is courtesy of www.agno.pangasinan.info

Tambobong Beach, Dasol, Pangasinan

This located in the Dasol,Pangasinan. The 18 kms distance from the town proper will take about 45 minutes to an hour of rough yet scenic drive. A white sand beach with water that teems with marine life. A favorite site of anglers and scuba divers.

This is a wonderful beach soon to be touched by tourists. The magnificent beauty of this exquisite virgin beach.

Tambobong has a beautiful extensive cream sand beach; great for strolling on. The sand is quite fine but not powder fine and some portions in the water are sandy--good for swimming. The water is crystal clear, very inviting!

Mount Balungao Pangasinan (Part 1)

Going to the Mount Balungao Pangasinan


I always dream to go near this mountain which captivates the eyes of every passengers traveling to or from Manila. There is wonderful sight at the eastern part of the McArthur highway. It enhances the view of the ricefields and the sunrise.

Some of the adventurers got to the mountain through walking and riding "kuliglig" at the middle of the scorching sunlight. Let's join them by watching this video.

Regine Velasquez
Listen to Regine's greatperformance,
watch Asia's Songbird

Pangasinan's tourists attractions

Pangasinan tourists destination--Watch the grandeur of the Hundred Islands National Park, the white-sand beach of Bolinao, The Cape Bolinao lighthouse, the shrine of our Lady of Manaoag. The reporters here claimed that the swords used in the movies Braveheart, Gladiator, and Lord of the Rings were made in Pozorrubio.This video is from the TV Program "Trip na Trip".

Sabangan: A wonderful place in San Nicolas

I remember the rocky and dusty roads from barangay San Rafael to the town proper of San Nicolas in which Kalesa, a horse drawn carriage, was the main transportation early in the 80's.

"Insan dalian mo, hininihintay tayo ng kalesa ni uncle Berting", says my cousin.

Of course we would be having a picnic with my uncle Boy's 'kumpadres' in the place called Sabangan. This was a small river or in vernacular "ubbog" at the end part of San Rafael just before hitting the Agno river in the 80's. I was going there to play and swim with my cousins. It was our paradise during our childhood, a clear flowing water with fishes and shrimps. Also, collecting stones was my favorite, not a stone (pag-isiso) to rub our body.

How could I forget the food they presented. The "bunog" was one of the recipes. Also the "gabi" or "daludal" was cooked well to suffice my starvation that day. Unexpectedly,it was my first time to try the "jumping salad", shrimps that are jumping and are eaten alive.
It was more on playing in the water that day so time ran fast that we had to go home. Our ride again was Uncle Berting's kalesa. Though we stopped sometimes to grab fruits of Camachille that's along the way.

The best part of this travel was the "caterpillar" ride at the Ambayoan river. With the big rocks on the road, the kalesa trembled so many times that pumps my heart and my body alive as the horse keeps pulling us.

One of the place that's unforgettable, Sabangan. Is it still there today?

Whatever happened to Puyao?

I am still wondering why the beautiful place called "Puyao" is not very popular now a days. It was a nature gifted where many had chosen to held their picnics, relaxations, and adventures in the 80's and 90's.

Located at the eastern part of the town of San Nicolas, Puyao had transfixed the eyes of thousands because of the awesome river that flows beside the mountainous terrain. Coupled with the large rocks that a tourists can hang in and take photos at the middle of the river, it was an astounding place. The trees that stood near the water had given such comfort to the people. Also the clear water couldn't stop anybody to swim and enjoy.

It was not only the river, rocks, and trees that factors in. The mountain also had a great impact why many wanted to go there. Groups can have an adventure by climbing.

In my recollection, Puyao had one time the venue of National Boy Scout Jamboree. Since then I haven't heard of this place anymore.

What happened? I just really don't know the answer.

The Bolinao Experience

Bolinao emerges arguably as the most desirable tourist destination in our province. The complete beauty and gift of nature is displayed here. Waterfalls, caves, white sand beaches, hills, and ancient artifacts are the awesome reasons why a nature lover has to come.

For my feet to step in this magnificent place was a great experience. We went to the remotest western part as the pristine Patar beach caught my attention. I beheld and touched the purest water that I could ever imagine that time compare to the beaches I'd been. The coldness of the seawater in the morning and the direct heat from the sun adds up to the excitement of swimming and playing.

Of course the travel wouldn't be complete without going to one of the caves. After that we dropped to the waterfalls, it was a dreamed come true. It sounds weird but I never known any falls other than the popular Pagsanjan. This time I decided not to get wet.

Words are not enough to describe Bolinao. You can make your own story once you have been there. I was there!

WHERE TO STAY:

Puerto del Sol - nice resort with almost 5 star (Bolinao standard) amenities. of course, very expensive. http://www.puertodelsol.com.ph

Treasures of Bolinao - expensive as well. They have a room with a full-floor glass window perfect for watching the sunset.

Urdaneta city keeps growing

I am recently amazed by the improvements of the City of Urdaneta. Financially, the Commission on Audit for 2005 released that Urdaneta City is the leading city not only in Pangasinan but the entire Region I in terms of income.(see). It overtakes Dagupan City which considered to be a highly urbanized city( Cities with a minimum population of two hundred thousand (200,000) inhabitants, as certified by the National Statistics Office, and with the latest annual income of at least Fifty Million Pesos (P50,000,000.00) based on 1991 constant prices, as certified by the city treasurer) while Urdaneta is only a component city of Pangasinan.

The days are gone when the people of Eastern Pangasinan used to travel hours to go to Dagupan to transact business and experience the city life. Department and variety stores, business and professional offices, hotels and theaters can now be found here. Jollibee, McDonald's, Shakeys, Cindys, Chowking and KFC are minutes away from San Nicolas, Tayug, Natividad, Sta Maria, Asingan, Binalonan, Villasis, San Manuel, Rosales, and other nearby towns.

In the past years, one of the biggest problems is the traffic in MacArthur Highway. Those days of slow movement of transportation will be over soon. There is no flyover built but the road widening is now complete. There will be a smooth flow of vehicles. And the irritations of thousands will be gone. It will save time to reach the city.

I believe that Urdaneta city, not long from now, will be considered a highly urbanized city. The economy will boom as business opportunies will grow.