Our 3 Days Trip to Cagayan Province

My balikbayan aunt from the US of A asked me if I can accompany her to Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. It’s where my other aunt (her old sister) resides. I’ve been to Tuguegarao City when I was Grade 2 and it’s been so long since that time. I said yes hoping that she would ask me to visit some tourist spots in Cagayan.

My aunt paid for the two-way fare for both of us and it cost P9,757.92. We left Manila on February 4, 2020 and returned February 6, 2020.

By 6:19 AM of February 4, 2020 we were already at the Domestic Departure Area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Our plane is Cebu Pacific. By 7:38 AM we were already boarded and by 8:44 AM we were already at the Tuguegarao Airport. That’s a little over 1-hour trip by plane. If we took the bus, it will be a grueling 12 hours trip on land.

The Tuguegarao Cathedral

After meeting my Cagayan-based aunt and all her relatives, my US-based aunt and I decided to tour Tuguegarao City. We visited the famous Tuguegarao Cathedral, the Cagayan Museum and Rizal’s Monument. In the afternoon of our Day 1 in Cagayan, we went to the famous Our Lady of Piat Church in Piat – a town west of Tuguegarao.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Piat, Cagayan

We left Tuguegarao around 3PM via van. Waiting time look about 30 minutes because there’s a certain number of people required before the van would start the travel. The trip between Piat and Tuguegarao is not 24/7. Public transportation is scarce in this province. The last trip to Piat from Tuguegarao is about 3:30 PM and the last trip from Piat back to Tuguegarao is about 5:30 PM.

Here’s more information about Our Lady of Piat Church.

Day 2

We left Tuguegarao City early in the morning to the town of Peñablanca. It’s where the famous Callao Cave is located. I’m not fond of visiting caves and other natural wonders because it requires trekking and lots of walking. Good thing the Callao Cave is walking distance from the parking lot of the National Park.

Callao Cave is a seven-chamber, limestone cave in Peñablanca and is one among many in the area. It’s part of the town’s protected landscape. Recently, the National Museum declared the place as an “important cultural property” of the country. Last year, scientist confirmed the discovery of a new human species that lived there. The inquirer has an article about it that you can view here.

I’ve seen a lot of pictures of Callao Cave on the Internet but the feeling of visiting the place is way better. It’s so huge that a chapel is located in one of the chambers. Before you reach the cave by the way, you have to climb about a hundred steps.

I was impressed by the tourist guides in Callao Cave. They have a very nice presentation on the history of the cave and of Cagayan in general. They are also well verse on how to take good pictures and videos using smartphones. The guide asked us to do certain poses that brought up amazing pictures of Callao Cave.

In the afternoon of February 5, 2020 (our Day 2), we visited the town of Iguig, Cagayan. The famous tourist spot there is the Calvary Hills. It features life-size statues from the Passion of the Christ (The Way of the Cross). If you’re Catholic and religious, you would really appreciate this place.

During out time in Tuguegarao City, we stayed at the Casa Angela in Aguinaldo corner Taft St, Downtown Tuguegarao. It’s not the best hotel in the area but the staff were friendly and accommodating.

Day 3

February 6, 2020

We spent the morning with my Cagayan-based aunt and our other relatives. We had lunch at Kusina Cagayana which is near the Cagayan Airport. We also had the time to visit the Tuguegarao City Hall. The capital of Cagayan Province is Tuguegarao City, and the capitol is located a few kilometers away from the town center.

By 2:30 PM we were already boarding the Cebu Pacific plane that will take us back to Manila. By 4:19 PM we were at the NAIA. That’s about 1.5 hours trip. My US-based aunt attended her college reunion and some other events. About a week after our trip in Cagayan, she went back to the US.

About a month after our Cagayan Adventure, the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was declared in Metro Manila. I haven’t gone outside of Metro Manila ever since. It’s been 8 months.

Callao Cave in Peñablanca, Cagayan

Calvary Hills in Iguig, Cagayan

Tuguegarao City Hall, Cagayan

I will be posting more pictures of each destinations we visited. Please stay tune.

Flickr Tags: Tuguegarao City,Cagayan,Iguig,Our Lady of Piat,Callao Cave

New Washington, Aklan

This town was named after the first president of the United States of America – George Washington. I was curious on why and the answer can be found in Wikipedia:

Established on January 15, 1904, the municipality was named after the first president of the United States, George Washington, as a tribute to the Thomasites, a group of American teachers who in the early 1900s established a new public education system in the Philippines, taught basic education, and trained Filipino teachers with English as medium of instruction. The municipality was formerly called Fonda Lagatic, which was derived from Lagatik River that stretches along some of the municipality's barangays at a length of 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi).

The Municipal Hall of New Washington, Aklan

New Washington, Aklan is also the birthplace of Jaime Cardinal Sin – famous archbishop of Manila during the Marial Law up to the Cory Presidency. There’s a huge statue of him at the New Washington Park.

One of the things I like about New Washington, Aklan is the Sampaguita Gardens. It’s like a private resort with Mediterranean and Christmas Theme. It’s definitely a must-see place in New Washington. I will post a separate blog article of Sampaguita Gardens soon.

Other things I like about New Washington, Aklan are the old houses. There’s a huge bahay na bato besides the public park that is repurposed into a business space for Palawan Express. An ideal way to preserve at the same time optimize existing old, stone houses.

New Washington also has a nice esplanade that gives you a great view of the sea.

Welcome to New Washington, Aklan

I love New Washington marker. I hope it could have been closely spaced.

A great view of the sea even from inside the tricycle.

New Washington Archway

A monument for New Washington’s famous son – Jaime Cardinal Sin of Manila

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, New Washington, Aklan

Sampaguita Gardens, New Washington, Aklan. Will post more pictures of this gorgeous Christmas-theme inspired place.

Nice house along the National Highway, New Washington, Aklan

Old and New

Hall of Justice, New Washington, Aklan

An old house in Poblacion, New Washington, Aklan

New Washington Public Park

An old bahay na bato repurposed as a business establishment for Palawan Pawnshop

Another old house

I’m guessing this is the ancestral house of Jaime Cardinal Sin’s family in New Washington, Aklan. There’s a church logo on the facade

Another old house repurposed as an outlet for Western Union, New Washington

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church, New Washington

Interior shot of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church, New Washington, Aklan

 

 

7-11 New Washington, Aklan

Some business in Poblacion, New Washington, Aklan

The Old Town Hall of New Washington, Aklan

Flickr Tags: New Washington,Aklan,Jaime Cardinal Sin,7-11

The Vibrant Town of Kalibo, Aklan

July 19, 2019

I just took the van from Caticlan to Kalibo for P100. It was almost a 2-hour ride. I had lunch at Jollibee Kalibo and then take a tour of the nearby Kalibo Church, Museum and plaza. The museum entrance fee is only P50 and the display were beautiful, specially the paintings. I rented a tricycle to take me to the Capitol Building (Kalibo is the capital of Aklan), City Hall, Kalibo Freedom Park, and Rizal Monument.

Kalibo Municipal Hall, Aklan Province

The Municipality of Kalibo is huge. Whenever I visit a new town or city, I always go straight to the heart of it – the main Roman Catholic church. In Kalibo it is the St John the Baptist Cathedral Parish. It has a single belltower with seemingly Doric-inspired columns in the façade. Unfortunately, it’s closed when I visited so I wasn’t able to take a picture of the interior.

Next, I visited the Aklan Museum which is housed in a building built in 1882. I’ll create a separate blog post for the Aklan Museum because it contains a huge collection. I next visited the Kalibo Pastrana Park where a monument to Jose Rizal and other heroes are located. Nearby is the Kalibo Public Library and Police Station.

I rode a tricycle and asked to be taken to the Aklan Freedom Shrine, the Kalibo Municipal Hall and the Aklan Provincial Capitol. Kalibo is the capital of the Province of Aklan. I took my lunch at Jollibee Kalibo.

Here’s more information about Kalibo, Aklan from PhilAtlas:

Kalibo is a coastal municipality in the province of Aklan. It serves as the provincial capital.

The municipality has a land area of 50.75 square kilometers or 19.59 square miles which constitutes 2.79% of Aklan's total area. Its population as determined by the 2015 Census was 80,605. This represented 14.02% of the total population of Aklan province, or 1.07% of the overall population of the Western Visayas region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 1,588 inhabitants per square kilometer or 4,115 inhabitants per square mile.

You may also visit the Official Website of the Municipality of Kalibo and the Aklan Provincial Website.

 

 

Downtown Kalibo, Aklan

Aklan Filipino Bakery in Downtown Kalibo

 

 

St John the Baptist Parish Church, Kalibo, Aklan. Roman Catholic Churches are the heart and center of old Spanish-era towns.

Aklan Museum in downtown Kalibo.

Jollibee Kalibo, Aklan

#VibrantKalibo

Kalibo Pastrana Park in front of the Kalibo Cathedral

Jose Rizal Monument in Kalibo Pastrana Park, Aklan Province

Other Philippine Heroes honored at the Kalibo Pastrana Park

 

Tricycles in Kalibo, Aklan have wider seats than tricycles here in Pasig City

Kalibo Municipal Library and the Kalibo Police Station

I wonder if this is the new Kalibo Municipal Hall because it’s being constructed right besides the current Municipal Hall.

Aklan Freedom Shrine dedicated to the martyrs of Kalibo

#VibrantKalibo archway

Kalibo is also the capital of Aklan Province. The design of the Aklan Provincial Capitol is in the Greek style with Corinthian columns.

Kalibo Terminal Eastern Side. This is where the jeepneys and tricyles to other parts of Aklan are plying from. I rode a tricycle here to the town of New Washington.

Flickr Tags: Kalbo,Aklan,Jollibee,Museum,St John the Baptist Parish Church,Aklan Pastrana Park,Jose Rizal Monument