When the words stop flowing…

writer's block by Lieva

It has been a long seven months since my last blog post.  I used to be able to post new entries at least thrice a week but recently, I have been having more and more problems restarting my blog.  I’ve actually visited my blog quite a number of times during the past months but have been unable to write anything.  I have traveled to a number of places already since my last post but still, I couldn’t quite rev up my writing engine.  So how does one exactly cure this writer’s block?

The simplest way I thought of to destroy this mental obstacle was to write about it.  At least this would give me something to write about.  It may be trivial and of little interest to many but this solves the problem of knowing where to start.  Writing about it lubricates the writing gears in my head.  This fresh start allows me to go forward and write things that matter to me and to those who read my blog.  Acknowledging this frees me from a psychological burden of missing out on writing events during their moments of freshness.  Just writing again makes me want to write some more…

So when the words stop flowing… write about it.  I guess that’s how you finally defeat writer’s block.  =)

A first timer’s guide to Ilocos

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I have always wanted to see what Ilocos was like ever since I saw pictures of Vigan on a magazine. All the articles I’ve read whether on the internet or on other publications have described Ilocos as more than Vigan so to speak. Vigan is only one of the numerous beautiful places hidden within the awesome province of Ilocos and I was fortunate enough to get a firsthand view of this when we decided to pack our bags last week and just go for this Ilocos adventure.

The first challenge will always be how to get there. You could drive yourselves to Ilocos, get on a plane and land in Laoag, or take the 12-hour bus to the province. Driving ourselves was out of the equation since I did not like the idea of driving non-stop to a 12-hour destination. There are a number of plane travel promos all year round but we were unfortunate to run out of slots for our preferred travel dates. Travelling by bus is always the reliable option but make sure to bring a jacket or something to keep you warm because the temperatures go down to freezing when travelling at night. Our tickets for Pagudpud cost 500 each via RCJ Bus Lines and we left the terminal around 9:00pm to arrive at our destination the following morning.

To keep things organized, I’ll be dividing my entries according to the places we visited during our 4 days 3 nights self-tour of Ilocos. Just click on the links below to get the journey started. =)

Pagudpud: Boracay of the North

Laoag: Food Trip

Vigan: History on the Streets

Pagudpud: Boracay of the North

Who could blame them for calling this the Boracay of the North? Its white-sand beaches, clear blue skies, and warm friendly people will rival what the original has to offer. There’s actually more to Pagudpud than its famous beaches if you have the time to explore as we did.

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Laoag: Food Trip

Mang Joseph picked us up from the resort and dropped us off at the Sentro to take the bus going to Laoag. The bus fare was about Php 70 if I remember correctly and it’s a one and a half to two hour trip depending on your bus driver. The bus stops every once and a while to pick up or drop off passengers. No aircon buses here so prepare to face the heat of the sun and dusty winds going to your destination.

We arrived at the Laoag bus terminal a couple of hours later and took one of the many tricycles waiting at the terminal to get to our hotel. We booked a room at the La Elliana Hotel, a decent and cheap hotel with unaccommodating staff. The room was clean and basic and our bathroom lacked a toilet seat. Nevertheless, it served its purpose for the Php 800 price tag.

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Vigan: History on the Streets

Before going to Vigan, we decided to pass by Paoay first to visit North Luzon’s famous Paoay Church. It’s Php 33 each for the jeepney ride to Paoay which would take around 45 minutes to an hour. The driver dropped us off at the back of the church and my eyes grew wide with awe as we slowly came upon the outline of the entire church as we made our way to its front. It was indeed a beautiful sight to behold! The church was clear of any commercial structures that would impede the awesome view and the whole area was properly taken care of by its residents. We took in the view and said a few prayers before making our way to Batac to catch the bus going to Vigan.