The Island Explorer

I was already on my way back to Tuguegarao from Cagayan Holiday, but it seemed that Sta. Ana wasn't ready to leave me. Around 10 minutes from Cagayan Holiday, we passed a resort that looked very promising from the outside. I told the driver to stop so we can take a look. The sign read: Avalon Beach Club.

Now, prepare to drop your jaw. The Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort is located in a special economic zone in the northernmost tip of Luzon island. It is also known for its casino, the main attraction for the Chinese who came in droves in the past years. 

If you enter the Cagayan Holiday Resort, you will notice a wall that makes vehicles turn towards the reception area. I was a bit curious what was beyond the wall. When I was walking back our room, I noticed a small gate that opened to a verdant garden. I inconspicuously entered the gate and discovered a different resort. 

When I explored Sta. Ana in Cagayan two years ago, I knew the place was destined to delight its visitors. With unknown isolated beaches and stunning uninhabited landscapes, this Northern Luzon escape has always been on my mind since I left. 

I almost forgot this part of the trip. Well, it's not already part of Sta. Ana. After that memorable trip to Palaui and its surrounding islands, we headed back the next day, refreshed and recharged to Tuguegarao for our flight back to Manila. Most of us were able to visit the Callao Caves way back in 2008, but we decided to revisit the place, for the sake of those who haven't experienced it yet. Callao Caves is located around 30 minutes away from Tuguegarao, in the town of Penablanca. There is an entrance fee to the caves, and the last time we visited, there was this boy wonder of a tour guide, who followed us through the caves with stories and descriptions of the rock formations. We were looking for boy wonder, who spoke fluent English, but he wasn't available. You go up around 100 steps to reach the cave entrance. Then, in the second chamber, you will fall upon this magnificent chapel inside. You may have seen this photo in most magazines, but it's still diffe

Crocodile Island was called as such because it did look like a crocodile with its head above the water. The long island revealed a wide beach as well because it was low tide. Crocodile Island was actually a rock that formed the reptile's head. We climbed the rock and savored the spectacular view of Sta. Ana and Palaui Island. The island as I've been told is a popular picnic ground, because of its proximity to San Vicente port. The island was free of litter though, and only shattered corals piled up on the beach. The island also had a rough terrain on one side. The rock was kind of soft though, so one should be careful when climbing. We did our mandatory group photo to capture the memory of this trip. The sun was beginning to retire, so after that, we headed back to the resort. We were dropped off at a jetty away from the resort. We used a makeshift suspension bridge to cross to the resort. As soon as I hit the beach of the resort, I rushed to capture these wonde

The waves grew rougher when we left Cape Engano, and the dark clouds started to roll in. Most of us dozed off in the boat, and after what seemed to be 40 minutes, I heard our boatman telling us that we were approaching Anguib Beach. Back in Jotay's, we were told that Anguib Beach was closed, because they were "cleaning" it. So when we  saw people swimming in the wide beach from afar, we were pleased that we didn't listen to that warning. Like most wide white beaches in the Philippines, Anguib Beach was touted as the Boracay of this side of the world. I've been hearing of testimonies of white sand and spectacular sceneries. Well, as soon as locals describe any beach as Boracay, I tend to ignore these descriptions. True enough, Anguib wasn't like Boracay. It was more like Pagudpud. However, they got the scenery right. We told our boatman to drop us off at one portion of the beach that didn't have many vacationers, and that's to the east end of th

And so the adventure began. We escaped mainland Luzon and rode a boat to Palaui Island. The island is said to be rich in flora and fauna. The relatively large island had dramatic coastlines, with hills and cliffs jutting out into the open Pacific. Beaches line the shores, and there was green everywhere. The waves got rougher as we moved further, and more smaller islands showed up. There were rock islands, that made you feel that you were invading Jurassic Park. There was no human life in sight, no boats, no tourists, no activity. Suddenly, the view of a lighthouse came into sight. This was the famous Cape Engano Lighthouse, regarded as one of the most beautiful in the country. Built in 1888, the lighthouse served ships crossing the Babuyan Channel and the Pacific Ocean.   We hit a coral sand beach that was the start of our shortcut trek to Cape Engano. Our boatman tells us that most hike from another entry point in Palaui Island for two to three hours to get to the lighthouse.

It's difficult to find new places in the Philippines these days, as everything seems to have been discovered already. When I heard about Sta. Ana in Cagayan province in the Northeastern part of Luzon, I had to map out a plan to get there. After visiting Tuguegarao, I finally made my way to Sta. Ana, home to the Cagayan Special Economic Zone that aims to be the next Subic or Clark. Sadly, I was surprised that the Cagayan Special Economic Zone was far from being progressive. It was located in a town called Sta. Ana, around 3 hours drive via private van from Tuguegarao. I saw the vehicle imports from Japan and Korea in empty lots. But we were here not because of the cars, nor the casino. We were here for an adventure that was only lived out in my mind. We found our way to Jotay's Resort, probably the most popular and the best resort in Sta. Ana. It was a small, well kept resort, that looked actually like a decent motel facing the sea. I liked the terraces where one could dine an

We were in Tuguegarao for work, and had to catch a plane to Manila, but the only flight available was in Laoag. So, were decided to take an entire day driving from Tuguegarao to Laoag, stopping by popular spots on the way. Our first stop were the Callao Caves in Cagayan, just less than an hour from Tuguegarao. The Callao Caves had a chapel inside, which made it unique and interesting. A young boy presented himself to us as a guide. The kid spoke to us in English, which was nice. He said he had to because he usually takes in foreigners. We traversed through the 7 passable chambers which were all huge. Though plain, it was still fun to trek down the cave and see the light pass through the cracks on the surface. We then continued our journey. The road to Laoag was smooth. Cagayan province looked the same from town to town. The scenery changed when we reached the northern coast of Luzon. After seeing the Cordilleras from a distance, we arrived at Ilocos Norte. The view was impressive. Amaz