Langyaw: The Road Trip: Vigan, Pagudpud, Tuguegarao, Santiago

I drove for a hundred or so kilometres (6 hours) with my car’s hood unlatched. I noticed this only when we stopped at a gasoline station for a stretcher, halfway into our destination. I was lucky the hood did not fly open towards our windshield or someone else would be writing this story. Excitement can really get the better of anyone, but I am glad that even with that major safety blunder, I still went ahead and tick this to-do off my list.

I had been curious about driving to Pagudpud and back. I never thought I would muster the courage to finally do it, being a fairly amateur driver. I got my first car seven years ago. It was a 15-year old automatic Accord, which I had to have fixed before driving. It would take three weeks including the repainting, so I had time to enroll in a driving school for a 10-hour session. This was enough for me not to be a threat to my life and others. For four years, I was a “good” driver, very defensive, not going beyond speed limit, letting pedestrians go first, and not violating traffic rules (except for the two times, when I did not see the signs). Driving was fun, but it was also a stressful endeavor, since one wrong move could spell the difference between life and death. This is not to mention the possible breakdown that I would experience on the road, which my old car gave me a lot of (overheating and starting problems).

So, when I decided to go on this very long trip with my new car to the north, it was not without a lot of hesitation. What if the car overheats? What if I lose control on a slippery, winding road and careen to my death? What if I miscalculate overtaking and slam to an incoming truck full of metal bars?

Excitement won.

Vigan

The plan was to go all the way to Vigan, and stay the night there. Then, we’d go to Pagudpud, passing by Laoag. Initially, we planned on taking the same way back home, but I got braver and decided to up the ante by taking the opposite side on the east, so we would “circle” the entire North Luzon.

I took NLEX, SCTEX and TPLEX on the way to Vigan, and this was on a Sunday, which was a day after the entire country would leave Metro Manila for vacation (for many, it was going to be afive-day weekend). So, traffic was not an issue. In fact, there were times when I would go over 120 kph, just to experience the speed. That may not be fast for many, but this was certainly a first for me.

We got off the express way around 6pm. That’s when we decided to take another break and have coffee. I noticed the hood and remember Szymoborska’s “Could Have”. My panic would be useless, so I just promised to be more careful the next time.

The drive from Urdaneta to Vigan was not as fast, ranging from 60 to 90 Kph. It was a bit more stressful, however, with quite a number of slow vehicles that I had to overtake and pedestrians crossing without care. I was never drowsy. About 60 kilometers before we reached the world heritage, the road started to become a bit more challenging. At night, when there are only your car’s and few incoming vehicle’s headlights to light the way, a winding road is evil.

But we got to Vigan. The moment I parked the car at the hotel’s parking area, I thought, “Wow. I did it!”.

Bantay Watchtower

Calle Crisologo

Pagudpud

I was on this trip with a friend. Without him backing me up on the crazy idea of taking the opposite route back home, I would not have done it. So, from Vigan, we drove to Paoay, where we visited the historic church, the lake and the Malacanang of the North. From there, we drove to Pagudpud, thinking we could take a swim, but we had to be content with watching a full rainbow over the dangerously wavy water. There was a typhoon at the southern part of Luzon, and it had been raining the entire night in Pagudpud, where spent the second night at a resort by the beach. I thought, “Slippery roads”.
We did not let the rain stop our plan. We went for the windmills in Bangui, which was a sight. From there, we started our drive southward. The road crossing the northernmost part of Luzon has beautiful scenery. We stopped by Patapat viaduct, watching the violent waves crash the shore of north Luzon. It was romantic.

Bangui Windmills

On the way to Tugegarao, just after the famous Patapat viaduct, there is this place called, “Paraiso ni Anton”, where you could get snacks and souvenir items. I should have asked what the DENR-protected place was all about, but I did ask about the road going to the next city. I had to be sure my sedan could make it. We were told it was going to be another 6-hour drive, and the road was all concrete. That was a relief.

We drove through mountains, intermittently greeted by coastal areas, making the trip relaxing. We would stop by whenever I find a spot worthy of a picture, or when one of us needed to stretch, and most of the time, we would just sing to our playlist. I never thought road trips could be this fun!

We got to Tuguegarao after a 6-hour drive (the lady was on point). It was already 5pm, and we thought that we should go somewhere familiar, and have dinner. We went to SM, had dinner and bought stuff we need for the longer drive back home.

I thought that I could drive straight home after that. From Tuguegarao, Waze directed us toward Roxas, probably because that was the fastest way, but I wouldn’t consider this the safest. It was a very dark highway with very few commuters. Once, while I was driving, I tried turning off my headlights (for a split second), and it was just pitch black. We were in the middle of rice fields that did not seem to end. If the car broke down, it would take hours before somebody could probably help us. I remembered, “Wolf Creek”, and thought, if that happened, we would be smarter.

We took another break in Roxas, and checked the Halloween program at their city hall.

At this point, I was already very tired. I did not think I could dive for any longer than 2 hours. We decided that it was not safe to drive straight home, so we looked for a hotel to stay the night. We found a good one in Santiago.

Before driving home the next day, we decided to visit Magat dam. This was a two-hour detour from where the hotel was but it was worth the drive. It’s a good place for a jog.

The drive back home was far from uneventful. There was a part in Nueva Viscaya going to Ecija, where the road looked like multiple fat S’es one on top of many others.. The rain and the slow-moving trucks did not make the drive easy. For the first, time I had to overtake two or three trucks at a time or I would have to spend another night on the road. Overtaking at a zigzagging road reminded me of needles and medical check-ups. I don’t like it, but it had to be done.

After eleven hours, we got home. This was after driving through more winding roads in the rain and being stuck in traffic at the express way for an hour due to multiple road accidents. Finally parking the car at my place could not feel any more amazing. As I turned off the engine, I counted 27 hours all in all of driving. Others could probably do it faster, but I did it. I could still improve my overtaking skills, and still be smarter with other road decisions, like which way to take, but I had learned something about driving and about myself in just 27 hours on the road. Once again, I learned if I really want something, I will do steps to make it happen.

The unlatched hood of my car is a safety concern that must not be repeated. I can’t say about road trips, though. There is something about opening the car window and just feel the wind, fresh and cool. The spontaneous visits to places and the relaxing feeling of being on the road that cuts through mountains, forests, rice fields, villages, and snaking by the coast and cliffs trump what-if fears.

Notes:

Gallery: