The Philippines: 7 to go in ILOCOS NORTE (part 3)

http://blauearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/ilocos-norte-map.j

7 must-see destinations in Ilocos Norte
The tour in Ilocos Norte took us to 7 municipalities in the province.  We rented a van for a two-day tour of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, for $170.  The van comfortably seats 7 persons.  Contact number of the van operator is +639194746513.

In part 1 of this post, we have been to (1) Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos and (2) Wind Farm in Bangui.  In Part 2, we continued on the tour to the many attractions in (3) Pagudpud alone.

In this post, we continue on our tour to Bacarra, LaPaz, Paoay and Currimao.


Acrobatic Bell Tower (Destination 4 of 7)
Bacarra, Ilocos Norte

From Pagudpud, we traveled a couple of hours to Bacarra where the Acrobatic Bell Tower is, so called because its bell tower tilted and fell due to an earthquake, thus an "acrobatic" act.  Notice the bell tower is made of bricks, quite a common site in Ilocos Norte, their old structures commonly were of brick materials.

Acrobatic Bell Tower

Our first day tour ended with a sumptuous meal in one of the local restaurants in Laoag.  There is not much night life in Laoag.  At Java Hotel where we stayed, they have a bar called Eagle's Nest Bar where some of the locals and tourists go to at night.


Fort Ilocandia Resort and LaPaz Sand Dunes (Destination 5 of 7)

On our second day of the tour, we got a glimpse of the Fort Ilocandia Resort, a hotel originally constructed by the (former Philippine President) Marcos Family for their daughter Irene's wedding reception.  The hotel structure is made of bricks and is within Laoag City.

Fort Ilocandia Resort

Sand dunes.  The sand dunes are found in the coastal village of Barangay La Paz. "The dunes lie to the west of Laoag, between the city and the coast, and to the south of the riverbank where Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino located." (WikiPilipinas)

The famous LaPaz sand dunes is a film location site, both for local movies (Himala and Panday) and international (Born on the Fourth of July).  It is also known as the"Desert of the North".  A lot of extreme sport activities are done in the 85-sq km sand dunes.

Sand dunes

Our next stop was supposed to be the Malacanang of the North, but since a new governor has recently been elected at that time (May 2010) and has made Malacanang the provincial seat of power, the place was off limits to tourists.

We moved on to our next stops: the St. Augustine Church in Paoay and the coral formations in Currimao.