People often dismiss Pangasinan as a local tourist destination unless they want to go to the hundred islands national park. Even in alaminos, the lack of modern tourist facilities and hotel comforts discourage visitors to flock the province for a bit of RnR. With the opening of TPLEX travel to this gateway to northern luzon becomes easier and opens possibilities for exploration in the not so visited province. I love La Union but seriuosly guys the beaches of Pangasinan are far better than those found in San Juan and Bauang.
Visitors usually go straight to Baguio as a tourist destination or a brief stop before they head to sagada or visit the famous Banuae rice terraces. But there is another fun and exciting city/province i feel visitors should visit as an alternative to other places up north. Dagupan is a less touristy city on the northwestern part of the island of Luzon and its famous for its milk fish industry nearby are long clean public beaches that might interest visitors.
There are regular buses in manila headed for dagupan, five star bus in avenida( near LRT1 doroteo station)shared with bataan bus transit terminal. Victory liner in monumento has also regular buses for dagupan city. Five Star terminal in cubao has 24 hours northbound buses for dagupan city. It takes around 6 hours from manila to dagupan city. More than 3 hours if you got a private vehicle via TPlex highway.
When you exit the long SCTEX you would be passings thru busy towns like tarlac city moncada etc You know you are already in pangasinan when the bus passes thru progressive cities like villasis and urdaneta, once you turn left in the center of busy urdaneta its all straight towards Dagupan thats less than an hour away. DOnt be impatient most buses have wifi just ask for the password from the ticketing guy. Single journey ticket (MNL-DGN) costs around P350 (DGN-BGO) around P120 non aircon travel time 2hours.
I left manila around 5am and arrived in Dagupan before 12pm. I got off from the victory bus terminal and asks around for direction towards Perez blvd one of three busy areas in dagupan the other two are AB Fernandez ave and arellano street. Many stores close before 7pm but many restos stay open late. Along perez blvd i rode a jeep (bonuan-tondaligan) to get to tondaligan and stay at tondaligan hotel. There are fewer choices for accomodations in this area but the public beach here is long, wide and the city govt is constantly improving this area to make it more popular with tourists. Though the beach at lingayen is better longer and wider, tondaligan beach has its charm, with cottages closer to the ocean and accomodation just infront of the beach area. Ask the jeepney driver to drop you off at your chosen hotel or inn, there are few inns and hotels in this area.
I only took a picture of the backpart of the beach and the a partial view of the coastline since a storm ravaged this area few weeks ago and the govt at this moment is still rehabilating the area. The city govt has big plans for this area and soon this part of dagupan city would be a topnotch tourist draw rivaling or even beating known beach hunts in la union. If you wish to stay in dagupan city i humbly suggest you stay in bonuan its just in the outskirts of town where tondaligan beach is located. Downtown dagupan is a mere 30mins away and jeepneys are availabe 24/7 in this area. P15 to tondaligan beach from downtown dagupan city. The beach itself is clean, nice breeze with rolling waves and shallow waters. There are small carinderias and small convenient stores in the area if you need to take a snack.
There is one famous dagupan resto in bonuan, dagupan city and its just along the tondaligan beach. It
serves traditional filipino food and seafood choices at reasonable prices.
But if youre after city convenience you can take a jeep back to dagupan city and explore this big rustic town. Halfway thru towards dagupan city from bonuan there are atleast two malls you can visit. While youre in the city you can explore its many restaurants, shops, hotels etc.
Dont leave dagupan city without trying their food specialties. Pigar pigar is made of carabao beef sauteed with onions and veggies is a dagupan city favorite. Rows of hole in the wall restos and food stalls along Galvan street specialize on this dish. If youre a solo traveler get their smallest order of pigar pigar cause i ddnt expect to get a large serving which is enough to make you full for a whole day. I havent tried their equally popular "kaliskis" its soupbased with meat.
After exploring the city a little bit in the afternoon after i settled down in my hotel, i went to explore other interesting parts of pangasinan outside of town, i headed for Lingayen. If youre in downtown dagupan there are jeeps going to Lingayen. Ask around as the locals are friendly and accomodating. The jeepneys here are the major transport system just like in many provincial parts of the philippines. Its cheaper compared to buses and trikes. Sorry guys no taxis here.
The provincial scenery reveals itself when you get out of dagupan city and you would be rewarded with beautiful sceneries of rivers, bridges, milkfish ponds and when you reach the quaint town of Binmaley, rows of furniture shops selling antique style wooden furnitures, You can also drop off at Binmaley to explore the area and take pictures of their centuries old church. Their less popular beach is a trike away from the city center.
When you leave the small town of binmaley a road arch welcomes you to Lingayen the provincial capital of Pangasinan. The jeep turns right to a wide boulevard lined with big trees that leads to the various government buildings and the impressive capitol building. Get off the jeep and stroll along the treelined park and visit the capitol building.
Visitors can access the lobby of the stately capitol building, with its pinkish facade. Inside youd see paintings of the many political figures of pangasinan's history. After enjoying the parks and capitol building, a few minutes of stroll will take you to Lingayen's famous beach.
Its seriously the longest and widest beach i have seen in the island of luzon. Its clean, light gray sand and very few beachgoers They have big lifeguard posts and cottages for rent located on a far distance from the shore to prevent visitors from littering the place. The breeze here and scenery is wonderful. Take time to enjoy the beach. It has shallow waters and continuous waves that invites a fun time for the family or if youre in a group. Since theres little shade unlike in many other beaches in the country its best to come here during late afternoons before sunset or early in the morning before 9am.
I wanted to see the sunset at Lingayen beach but i wanted to see more of dagupan city so i skipped taking photos of the sunset. I then rode a trike at the end of the park that leads to the capitol building for P10 to a ride back to the mainhighway towards Lingayen town proper. Spend an hour exploring the town, visit Lingayen's belltower basically taking pictures of this old provincial town.
After that brief merienda at a local cafe and a stroll into Lingayen town proper, i rode a jeep back to dagupan city for a brief exploration of dagupan city at night. Take note store owners and businesses close earlier than usual compared to other big cities in the country. i was surprised that many old shops close before 7pm.
I went back to the tondaligan hotel around 9pm to sleep. Woke up late to take my breakfast and went back to the hotel to pack my things for my trip to Baguio. Now to go Baguio, ride a jeep towards downtown dagupan at the very eastern end of perez blvd are the bus terminals going to Baguio. Roughly its a two hour journey the bus passing along pangasinan's scenic coastal areas then la union to marcos highway where you are rewarded with beautiful vistas of the sea and mountains.
Temperatures drop as you reach closer to Baguio and expect poor visibility in the upper elevations of marcos highway when it rains in Baguio. Kennon road is still the shortest route towards Baguio if you have your own vehicle just make sure Kennon is open for vehicular traffic especially after a typhoon which frequently ravages northern luzon during the rainy season. If youre coming from Bauang La Union or San Fernando, Naguilian road is the shortest route to Baguio.
Be sure you already have an idea where youre staying or better if you book your hotel or make prior reservations. Accomodations can range from backpacker's transient homes to lowcost hotels, midrange to luxury hotels. Though Baguio is coldest from october to febuary, tourists can still enjoy springlike weather during the rainy monts from june to september just check on the local weather when you plan your dagupan-baguio combo trip.
I stayed at baguio prime hotel along session road. Accomodation is cheap around P1500/night some rooms have a nice view of session road and sm baguio. it has free breakfast choices are limited and small servings. I prefer that you try other hotels that offer better quality of sleep and better facilities. There are tons of information in tripadvisory and other travel blogs where you can get the best value for your baguio staycation.
A nonsmoking policy is implemented throughout the city, you wont find any convenient store or vendor selling cigarettes along session road or nearby. I was told by locals that if you need to smoke you can smoke inside billiard halls and bars.
Baguio is famous for its all year round cool weather and its the biggest city in the cordilleria administrative region. People from the lowlands especially those from metro manila go to baguio to escape the heat and enjoy baguio's pleasant all year round springlike weather. December and summer months can get pretty crowded and since baguio is also known as a university town, population doubles during holidays and the summer months. Weekdays are your best bet for a leisurely and crowdless stroll in the many parks of baguio city.
if you have no particular itinerary in baguio and you just want to rest, eat and stroll. Burnham park is just behind session road where many restos and hotels are located. Local baguio residents and visitors spend their time here people watching, riding bikes, trying the boats in the lagoon, etc. SM baguio is at the south end of the session strip and at the popular baguio market is at the north end of session road where you can buy local produce from the province of benguet and souvenirs too.
I spend the whole afternoon when i arrived in Baguio going up and down session road. checking out its side streets, restos and cafes. Its much cleaner and organized now than before. I only went back to my hotel to bring back groceries i bought outside.
The night market on harrison road besides burnham park hosts a nightmarket which sells second hand products from shoes, to bags, clothes etc. Street food is also popular here. One must try the strawberry taho, a favorite dessert in baguio. Well that capped my one night in Baguio, enjoying its cool evenings on harrison road and spending time on my veranda with a fabulous view of session road.
The following morning after a not so filling breakfast at the hotel resto, and with five hours left in the hotel, twas time to explore Baguio more "intimately". To really experience the city of pines or the socalled "old baguio" one must go outside the town center and enjoy its numerous parks . Much visited are the mansion, wright park, mines view park, baguio botanical garden, and camp john hay a former US military rest and recreation area now turned into a business entertainment area with lots pinetrees, rolling hills, cabin style inns, shops, a treetop adventure park, nature trails etc.
You can conveniently ride a jeep going to wright park, mines view and the mansion on lower mabini road where jeeps have a terminal going to these place. Taxis are plenty and cheap and drivers are known to be honest compared to other cities in the country. As for food treats, restos like oh my gulay, cafe by the ruins, Good Taste are popular here. Baguio also has an abundance of cafes and bread shops like Danes bakeshop have a very strong following with the long lines at the counter during peak hours.
Other bread stores worth mentioning in the city are Victoria's, Swiss bakery, and Good Taste Restaurant all offer a wide array of cakes, pastries and breads. Baguio's bread obsession is seen everywhere and every restaurant in town seems to have their own space selling various breads.
I was lucky that we had blue skies that morning, Baguio gets the biggest amount of rain in the whole country so you can imagine what a downer it would be if you dont check on the weather. But yeah its possible to get pleasant weather in baguio even during the rainy season. In fact when i went up to baguio two weeks earlier a supertyphoon ompong bruised the city with heavy flooding many people thought it would take time for the city to recover with the sad pictures of baguio all over the net. Fortunately there was little sign of storm damages on the city so the local govt did an awesome job cleaning up the city.
You need to remember since Baguio is a cold and wet city, its better you start your city tours before 3pm it often rains after. One of the many tourist attractions cities ive seen on another trip was the Baguio Botanical Garden where you can enjoy the mini gardens, the pine trees and even dress up as a native "igorot" for photos. The latest addition to the the BBG is the chinese garden, with its chinese astrological mascots. The old "maze tunnel" has been lighted up for visitors to explore.
I got out of the hotel 12pm and if youre along session road you just need to walk a hundred meters or less to get to the bus terminals at the far right of end session road if youre coming from the baguio public market direction. Travel time back to manila can take 6-7hours but victoria liner offers speed trips for four hours at much higher busfare rates. Victory liner has its own terminal with its own fastfood court, restrooms etc. and regular airconditioned buses going to manila are priced around P480 one way, a longer trip as it goes thru the towns of pangasinan and tarlace, say 6-7hours with two stop overs for restrooms and food.
I enjoyed this trip cause it gives one an opportunity to enjoy two different destinations, lowland and upland... lowland rural sceneries/beaches from dagupan, pangasinan side and the mountanious environment, pinetrees and cool weather from Baguio city, province of Benguet.
I highly recommend this travel itinerary its like hitting two birds with one stone. Dagupan and Baguio are a difference of two hours travel time and the scenery from dagupan to baguio city is worth checking out too. Two very different destination two different ways to enjoy your vacation!
ENJOY THE JOURNEY GUYS!
