I Heart Travels

Our Lady of Manaoag is a religious shrine with countless miraculous tales and healing powers. It is considered the pilgrimage shrine of northern Philippines.  The Filipino Catholics consider Our Lady of Manaoag as the revered patroness of the sick, the helpless and the needy. I came here with friend from La-Union and getting to Manaoag Church is such a breeze because I have someone who can speak Ilocano and knows the traffic going there.   It’s already 4 in the afternoon when we arrived in Manaoag and I really felt the positive energy in the area. I love the welcoming feeling of the church. It is in the northern part of the town and it’s spiritually uplifting. We were welcome by street vendors which is normal in every church. You just need to walk along the inclined road and you’ll see the majestic Manaoag church standing like a father figure.   Devotees from different provinces in the Philippines frequent the shrine all year round. Catholic devotees that needs a solemn place t

  I've been to a lot of beaches in the Philippines before, but it's gone so touristic that I no longer know where to go for some romantic secluded beach vacation. The seclusion of the beach, the peace and quiet, and the utter simplicity of countryside living that make for a good and restful vacation. The northern Philippines boast this beautiful secluded beach the Patar Beach in Bolinao Pangasinan.    Bolinao is known for a number of pristine beaches, the most popular of which is Patar Beach, situated on the western coast along the South China Sea southwest of the town proper. The road going there is unpaved along the last stretches to Patar Beach, but it is at least graded and the ride is not bumpy at all.   I heard that the most popular hotel hear is Treasures Bolinao which has the monopoly of the long white sand in Patar but we stayed in a more cheaper resort hotel which is Villa Soledad. We were 15 persons that need to squeeze in to four king size beds. The hotel has

I am not a fan of cave exploring. It is dark, wet, dirty, crawling with creatures, dangerous and is not safe for equipment. There is something inside the cave that is very mysterious. The eerie silence and droplets of water from stalactites makes me think something unknown is lurking inside. But whenever my itchy feet tells me to be a bit adventurous I will always try something new, that’s what I just did in Bolinao, Pangasinan. I thought that we were just going to Bolinao to enjoy the beach but to my surprise Bolinao is also famous for its caves. A friend is celebrating her birthday and asked us to celebrate with her in Patar Bolinao Pangasinan. We had a great time on our first day partying on the resort hotel we rented and visiting the caves of Bolinao will be our next itinerary.  We rented a van so going to different places wouldn’t be a hassle.    Our first stop after eating breakfast is Enchanted Cave. It is just a 20 minute ride from our hotel. It is the largest cave among