"Northbound Suarez " a Province of Ilocos Norte Travel Page by gypsysoul73

I tell myself that if I'm going to dream, I might as well dream big while I try to make smaller, but no less important, dreams come true along the way. Well one of my biggest dreams is to see the world. To traverse the planet from the Northern Lights to the Southern Cross. Oh yes, big dreams indeed!

But before I go too far, I should first achieve that in my own country. The Philippines has so much to offer the thirsty (and hungry!) traveller whichever direction it's tropical winds take you. I have barely scratched the surface of this amazing archipelago.

As far as domestic travel is concerned I flew south, or drove south, majority of the time. The south was always more familiar territory, the landscape, the dialects, the food, the people... I knew more people down south than I did north of Manila. And of course there was my dad's hometown down there which we would visit at least once a year.

But not too long ago my internal compass switched direction. It's been pointing north. As far north as Batanes, a groups of islands I've vowed to conquer within the next year. But just south of Batanes and at the north-western patch of Luzon is another region that's been calling my name, Ilocos. Seducing me with it's colonial charm, unspoiled beaches, and intriguing history. I couldn't resist it any longer. And so I went with two of my favorite travel buddies. It was wonderful! I can't believe I waited this long to go beyond Baguio!

In this trip, we peeked into the windows of our past and we ventured through the doorways of our heritage.