Story & photo by Lorenz S. Marasigan
Conclusion
Cagayan Valley welcomed us with a breakfast of native food. I helped myself to two helpings of pawa—steamed ground glutinous rice filled with peanuts—and a few pieces of Ybanag longanisa, which is the local version of sausage filled with garlic, and eggs. The locals also served us sugarcane juice and fresh carabao’s milk.
Cagayan is just a few hours’ boat ride to Batanes. Not much is known about the province in terms of tourism, but it has a lot of places to offer its visitors. It has a huge coastline, an extensive array of mountains and rich, lush vegetation.
While it is widely known as the venue for two seasons of reality show Survivor, Cagayan is also noted for its rich Spanish culture.
After breakfast, we took a quick ride to the Basilica of Our Lady of Piat, one of the 12 minor basilicas in the Philippines.
Piat, known as the Pilgrimage Center of the North, is home to the black image of the Virgin Mary, which the locals believe has miraculous powers. It is housed inside a glass case, whose small window at the lower back portion is open for devotees to touch.
The church’s façade is a bit mundane, but the interior is much more interesting. Stained-glass windows that depict the events leading to the arrival of the image to the Philippines decorate the whole church.
After a quick prayer, and some snacks in between, we traveled to Cagayan State University, just a few minutes away from the basilica, to get our hands dirty.
Inside the campus, we were able to try feeding goats and milking cows, which, I must say, is not an easy thing to do.
Chicha-what?
Braving a shower, we went to the Lighthouse Cooperative in Tuguegarao. This is where the locals make the famous chichacarabao, or their version of the chicharon. We witnessed how the snack was made, from the removal of the beef’s hair from the skin, to the cutting, to their first contact with oil, and then to the next and, ultimately, to quality control before packaging.
I cringed at the sight of the carabao’s skin, and pledged not to try it. But, curiosity won, and I took a bite of the crunchy, airy, popped-skin snack, and quickly fell in love with it. The best one for me is the hot and spicy flavor. It’s a must-try!
We continued to eat our take-away chichacarabao in the bus, which was then headed to another church: the Tuguegarao Cathedral.
The cathedral was originally built in the 1600s by the Dominican friars, and was heavily damaged during the Second World War. It was then rebuilt by Bishop Constance Jurgens.
Its façade is made with bricks of different hues of red, and is decorated with pilasters. Inside, the church is decorated with intricate symbols that shine through two light holes from the roof.
Assembled noodles
Famished from all the activities we did for the first half of the day, we went to a local pancit batil patong stall to have our lunch. I was so hungry that I had a serving and a half of the noodle dish.
Making it is painfully long. The ingredients are not cooked together, and had to be assembled on a plate before serving. It is made with miki noodles, sautéed vegetables, carabeef, poached egg and is topped with onions.
On the side is a slice of toasted bread and a bowl of batil soup, which is incorporated with the dry ingredients throughout the culinary experience.
The best drink to be paired with this dish, in my opinion, is local beer.
Drunken night
Because it was raining, we had to cancel our trip to the Callao Cave, and decided to visit the local museum. Housed inside the capitol compound, the museum allows guests to relieve the history of the province, and even visit a replica of the Callao Cave.
It was about five in the afternoon when we arrived in our resort hotel, Balai Carmela, and after a night without a bed, my body was longing for the comfort of soft, warm comforters and a hot shower.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the hot shower, nor the rest that I wanted. The group had other plans: drink until we are all drunk to talk about all the inanities in life. This is where we were all able to bond. We played charades, and competitive as we naturally are, we fought—with now addled minds—until the other group lost.
By 4 a.m. we were inside our rooms, and clocked in a few hours of sleep in our bodies before heading off to the town of Iguig by 8 in the morning.
The town of Iguig is where clay makers live. Unlike pottery made in other provinces like the ones in Vigan, Iguig’s clay masterpieces are mashed, kneaded, molded and sundried. In almost all of the houses that we passed by, men and women pound, mold and cut clay in their front yards.
Cooking the clay was a different method, too. While its counterparts use giant kilns, clay in Iguig is cooked on an open fire. This method has been passed on from many generations to the next.
Visitors can buy products from various stores in the town. Prices are so competitive that you can buy a small pot for P20! But seeing how the locals put so much effort in making clayware, I believe haggling is not an option.
After an hour of walking and shopping for pots, we decided to move along to our next destination: the San Antonio de Galicia Church, which is also in the town of Iguig.
Supported by a number of arc-boutant, the church was built in the 16th century. It is neighbor to Calvary Hills, a series of rolling hills overlooking the Cagayan River, where lifesize Stations of the Cross are housed.
After a few pictures and prayers, we hopped on to the bus to Alcala, Cagayan. Our first stop was the Saint Philomene Church, which was built in 1881. Its red-brick facade welcomes everyone through its mahogany doors, which are accentuated with golden leaves. Situated next to the church are a bell tower and a school.
Before we went to Santo Domingo de Guzman Church in Lal-lo, Cagayan, we had a quick lunch at Seguro Snack Hauz in the town of Gattaran. I had a generous serving of pancit batil patong, fried chicken, vegetables and countless pieces of putoflan, which I would call the marriage of soft rice cakes and milk flan.
Dedicated to Saint Dominic de Guzman, the church is the only one left of the three parishes in old Nueva Segovia, a town now known as Lal-lo. What’s interesting about this church is that it has a huge shell resting on the altar, just below the foot of the white-clothed image of Christ.
To cap off our day of Visita Iglesia, we visited the Lyceum de Aparri Church, which has a regal feel to it when we arrived. The altar is a plain white structure with golden decorations, and the image of the crucified Christ at its center.
The church also has a small museum where religious objects are kept and shown to the public.
After that “blessed” day, we checked in at our hotel, took a quick shower, ate dinner, drank a little and slept with the anticipation that our next day would be adventurous.
Tempestuous waves
The key to enjoying the island-hopping tour for a day is to wake up early. So we got up by 4:30 a.m., ate our breakfast in the bus and drove to the port of San Vicente.
Several boats were waiting for us at the pier. We boarded our designated boat and started our journey to the first island: Anguib Beach, dubbed as the Boracay of the North. The waters were calm during the first 10 minutes. The revving of the engine was music to my ears, because of my love for the ocean. We sped up, and the cold wind started wrapping itself around my body.
It was fine by me, but after a few minutes, we were cruising through tempestuous waves. Each one was different from the other, and it got bigger and bigger by the minute. We held on to the boat, securing our cameras, phones and other electronic devices to where the water won’t touch.
We left the port dry. We arrived at the island wet.
The moment I saw land, I felt excited. I’ve never longed for land in my life. It was a first.
Fine, white sand on my feet was heaven after an hour of braving rough waters. Aside from swimming and snorkelling, guests can also pitch tents in Anguib Beach if they want to stay. It has a restaurant that serves local food, the best of which was the lumpiang shanghai paired with a perfectly seasoned vinegar dip.
For those who just want to enjoy the view, colorful cradles were set up on a number of trees by the beach.
After a few rounds of beer—yes, beer in the morning—we boarded our boats to have our lunch at Jerolynda White Beach Resort in Santa Ana, Cagayan.
On our way, we passed through a healthy mangrove shed whose waters were so clear we saw several fish swimming about the area.
When we arrived at the resort, we were treated to an array of seafoods: steamed lobsters, seared fish topped with stir-fried tomatoes, seaweeds, adobo and lumot (moss).
I had so much lobster, I felt stuffed. After a few minutes of resting our stomach, we braved another round of angry waves that were seemingly preventing us from arriving at Palaui Island.
Limits don’t exist
Almost an hour of tight grips on the railings of the boat had my arms pleading. We arrived to what the locals call paradise.
The island was devoid of commercial development. For a traveler to stay in the island, he has to pitch his own tent, cook his own food and make do with what little modern comfort there is in the area.
Palaui exudes the atmosphere of quietness—something that we constantly long for in the city. It is a not-so-quick escape to all the noise of Manila. Quiet, peaceful, calm—this was how I felt after multiple rounds of crashing waves, waters that turn white as they crash to stones and shorelines.
Our guide promised us two things: an easy hike, and landscape and seascape that will get better and better as we move up.
We took the easier trail. As we climbed the man-made flights, we immediately saw the pristine beach glimmering with the sun’s light. The sea was dancing, as I imagined the angels singing.
The next stop had an addition to its picturesque view: cows grazing in the lush green grass, white caps fluttering from one portion of the sea to the next.
By the time we arrived at the top of the mountain, we saw Faro de Cabo Engano, a 19th-century lighthouse that has been named a National Cultural Treasure. I gulped a huge amount of courage and started climbing the rusty stairs of the lighthouse.
From one of its windows, I took a peek at the Dos Hermanas Islands. At that moment, I was refreshed. I was reminded of one of the principles I live by: Limits don’t exist.
Image credits: Lorenz S. Marasigan