ECOTOURISM

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
SPECIAL FEATURES


LATEST TOWN STORIES


Some netizens liked, commented, and shared this. Share your comment. Mag-reply ako once mabasa ko.
Stories of town explorations.
As a millennial who also committed many social media mistakes during its early days, I consider my previous blunder callouts as baptism of fire to the world of virtual reality.

• [...] we millennials were the babies when this digital revolution of networking happened. Like an innocent child, our posts were genuine and authentic.

• After 17 years from this moment, the church became even more prominent with scientific conservation applied.

• I couldn’t remember who owned the digicam I used, but I’m sure I never owned a digital camera in 2008. However, I’ve already gravitated to digicams back then. I knew that I already had an innate interest in this phenomenon called blogging now.

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA MARIA, ILOCOS SUR, PHILIPPINES
EDMARATION

2008 is almost two decades ago. As a millennial who transitioned from the analogue to the digital era, I know the feeling of being at the crossroads of these two eras. I created my Facebook profile in 2008; but prior to that, I already had a Friendster account in 2004. Back to the future, I’m now writing this 2008 story from my 2025 standpoint.

 ►  My thoughts as a millennial: 2008 versus 2025


The mere thought that this story happened 17 years ago is saturating my current mood now with nostalgia. 2008 was already a part of the digital era when we, millennials, documented our daily lives genuinely in digital formats. At the dawn of the digital revolution and information technology, we’ve just bid farewell to our scented stationeries, Sterling notebooks for our journals, and—at times—Cattleya notes.

The dawn of social media was as genuine as our written diaries. It became toxic, though, at a point in time; but I think that social media also had its own learning curve. It was a process.

Social media is a virtual community that is self-regulating through community feedback. Like an actual community (like a barangay, a town, or a city), social media community matured through the years of trial and error—gatekeeping what’s best for the virtual community. But of course, our online community also had its darkest days. It’s just that, we millennials were the babies when this digital revolution of networking happened. Like an innocent child, our posts were genuine and authentic until we got consumed by our egos through constant validation and Dopamine rewards for the likes and shares. Truth to be told, I also became a part of this toxicity and trend. At that time, social media was relatively new, so I'd say I also underwent the trial-and-error period.

Social media superstars were born until the landscape changed. It became a commercial platform—and it has always been (from subtle then to more profound now)—in exchange of our attention and engagements. As a millennial who also committed many social media mistakes during its early days, I consider my previous blunder callouts as baptism of fire to the world of virtual reality.

SANTA MARIA CHURCH, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA MARIA • I took this photo in 2008, and I originally uploaded it on Friendster. My Friendster account back then was an extension of my stint as a campus journalist who wrote feature stories. Friendster used to be a platform for my feature journalism and some random personal stuff.
The change in social media landscape is expected, though. It was new during our time as social media babies. Social media also matured with us with a lot of gatekeeping, things to learn & unlearn, and wisdom to ace both the toxicity and inspiration associated with it.

After all, social media is beautiful and inspirational when utilized for the right reasons.

 ►  The 2008 memories of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur


In 2008, I was able to save some photos I took in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur. I originally uploaded these photos on Friendster. When Facebook became the trend, I reuploaded them into Facebook. This story happened on 2008-December-29, 2 days before the new year (2009). At that time, I joined my churchmates in a community engagement. I was 20 years old then. I just passed my board exam in nursing at that time. I still got a lot of time to join church activities at that time because I was still unemployed.

I couldn’t remember who owned the digicam I used, but I’m sure I never owned a digital camera in 2008. However, I’ve already gravitated to digicams back then. I knew that I already had an innate interest in this phenomenon called blogging now. Back then, I just wanted to take photos of places and experiences so that I could share them to my Friendster account.

On our way to Vigan, we had a side trip in Santa Maria. We visited some church friends in an inland barangay. I went up the hill and took a selfie. Atop the hill, the view of the Ilocos rice fields dominated the frame.

SANTA MARIA CHURCH, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA MARIA • I climbed the hill and took a selfie as a remembrance for this 2008 experience. This is Edmar, when he was 20 years old. That brown jacket I used is originally owned by my grandmother which I asked from her. I still have that jacket with me in 2025.
SANTA MARIA CHURCH, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA MARIA • This is the view from the top of the hill, a 2008-ish vibe.
SANTA MARIA CHURCH, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA MARIA • I also took a photo of the barangay road. Potholes and cracks filled the one-lane road. The road seemed like if would lead us to the foothills of the mountains of Ilocos if we followed the path.
As we passed through the poblaciรณn of Santa Maria, I took a snap of the Sta Maria Church, now called officially as Minor Basilica and Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption.

At that time, this church—a UNESCO heritage site—was not yet as celebrated as it is today.

SANTA MARIA CHURCH, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA MARIA • This is the 2008-ish version of the famed Santa Maria Church. After 17 years from this moment, the church became even more prominent with scientific conservation applied.
SANTA MARIA CHURCH, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA MARIA • I took this photo as we crossed the Santa Maria Bridge. This became my last frame as we exited the town at dusk.
The sky has turned dark when we were about to leave the town. I took a snap from the bridge in Santa Maria that connects the town to the rest of the northern towns of ▼ ILOCOS

LATEST STORIES COVERING ILOCOS

via the ▼ MANILA NORTH ROAD

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ LUZON ISLAND • Manila North Road/MacArthur Highway: Local Guide + Review

This is a travel blog feature, local travel guide, review, and curation dedicated to the Manila North Road as a subject matter.
.

I managed to take a photo of the mountainous landscape of ▼ ILOCOS SUR

LATEST STORIES COVERING ILOCOS SUR

at dusk.

I have countless memories of Santa Maria even as a child, but this 2008 memory was captured in photos. Back to the future (2025), I'm rekindling these memories as part of my digital diaries now.

 ►  Realtime Ending Thoughts


It's 09:02 AM of 2025-January-26 as I write this realtime ender. I'm writing this blog now here in Cotabato inside our paternal ancestral house. It's Sunday, and it seems inviting to have a quick ride around. However, my nocturnal self is telling me I need to sleep now because I haven't slept yet overnight.

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ KABACAN • It's a realtime photo-ender in our ancestral house in Cotabato.
The good thing here is, I'm not ending my January without a blog post. It's a productive week, and it's a productive day.

▬ END OF STORY ▬


LATEST STORIES COVERING SANTA MARIA • SEE ALL IN A SEPARATE WINDOW


MORE BLOGS YOU MIGHT LIKE. SEE TABS BELOW.

▼ ILOCOS SUR ▼ SPECIAL FEATURES ▼ FEATURE POSTS

 ►  More 'Ilocos Sur' Blogs



MORE STORIES COVERING 'ILOCOS SUR' | SEE OLDER STORIES

 ►  More 'Special Features' Blogs


MORE STORIES COVERING SPECIAL FEATURES | SEE OLDER STORIES

 ►  More 'Feature Posts' Blogs


MORE STORIES COVERING "FEATURE POSTS" | SEE OLDER STORIES

MORE TOWNS OR LOCATIONS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE:
S LI C T M V P B SC IS

UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST

2025-January-26:
• This post was published.
NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.

Some netizens liked, commented, and shared this. Share your comment. Mag-reply ako once mabasa ko.
Stories of town explorations.
The reason why I like the town of Santa is because much of its land area is covered by a national park—meaning, the town has a spectacle of forest reserves, pristine mountain ranges, low-key springs, and biodiversity that probably is unknown to an average Ilocano (including me).

• What a great way to reminisce about my pandemic experiences. I realized that it was not a bad season at all. I came to understand and learn about my province more intimately.

• My context for this blog [...] is the story of Santa in relation to the Manila North Road (MNR) during the pandemic..

• [...] the Manila North Road [...] facilitates us to have a glimpse of the panoramic townscapes and adventures awaiting a curious town explorer.

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA, ILOCOS SUR
EDMARATION

From the excruciating process of obtaining my travel documents in Makati to a private van ride back home in Ilocos, many of my significant pandemic stories are all in my hard drive. Of course, breaking free from the stringent regulations of mobility at that time was also a process worth keeping in my hard drive. Even the smallest hint of freedom gave me chills of excitement. It was like a "there's no mountain high enough" or "I will cross the ocean for you" moment to finally break free even for a moment.

Note: MacArthur Highway and Manila North Road are the same. In Ilocos Sur, we simply call this road as "highway" because this is the only national highway in our province that directly connects us to Manila. The official name MacArthur Highway or Manila North Road is not commonly used in Ilocos Sur.

 ►  Backstory: I am breaking free!



I'm writing the opening spiel of this blog post today—2024-November-02; and I couldn't be any happier to finally lessen my backlog of pandemic stories. This story happened on 2021-December-19. My pandemic memories were intentionally saved by me in a format where I could revisit the actual events. As much as I want to store everything in my brain, it's not just possible for me to remember every detail. So, my significant pandemic memories of being locked in ▼ METRO MANILA

LATEST STORIES COVERING METRO MANILA

until the day I went home to Ilocos were all documented and saved in my drive.

Because of these circumstances, our random ride on 2021-December-17 led us to the town of Santa while plying the almost empty ▼ MANILA NORTH ROAD

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ LUZON ISLAND • MacArthur Highway or Manila North Road (Local Guide + Review)

This is a travel blog feature, local travel guide, review, and curation dedicated to the Manila North Road as a subject matter.
(MacArthur Highway). This is the only primary highway that connects my province Ilocos to the rest of the world on the ground.

LUNA HILL, SANTA, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA • In the photo is my brother waiting for me on the seawall along the Manila North Road with the view of the Luna Hill at the background.
Even though I've been to Santa countless times—countless enough that the town has become so usual and ordinary in my perception—my pandemic imprisonment opened me to another perspective. At that time, I saw the town of Santa from a different light. Its idyllic beauty, the majesty of her mountains (my favorite in Ilocos), and the sparkle of its sea exuded more meanings.

It's only 15 minutes away from ▼ VIGAN

LATEST STORIES COVERING VIGAN

on a scooter, but my Vigan-washed view of things changed differently.

 ►  Manila North Road: a window to the charm of Santa



As a local of Ilocos Sur, I am pretty much familiar with the nooks and crannies of the MacArthur Highway segment of Ilocos Sur. I probably know more detail than what an average Ilocano may know. This is because I'm fond of paying attention to details, and I document them in my notes for future reference; and if someone would ask me which is my favorite part of the MNR aka Manila North Road (another name for MacArthur Highway), that would be the total stretch of Santa and a segment of the road up to Sulvec Bay in its neighboring town of Narvacan.

MANILA NORTH ROAD IN SANTA, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA • The Manila North Road is a gateway to the wondrous corners of Santa.
The reason why I like the town of Santa is because much of its land area is covered by a national park—meaning, the town has a spectacle of forest reserves, pristine mountain ranges, low-key springs, and biodiversity that probably is unknown to an average Ilocano (including me). This vast area makes the town of Santa a poetic destination for creatives and those who appreciate the kind of character that Santa has. The great thing here is the presence of the Manila North Road that facilitates us to have a glimpse of the panoramic townscapes and adventures awaiting a curious town explorer. While on this road, the external glory of Santa's natural masterpieces can be seen closely, yet so far; clearly, yet elusive.

Meanwhile, the people of Santa live in a narrow plain—dissected by the Manila North Road—in between the gigantic mountain ranges and the mouth of the Abra river. The people of Santa live in a paradise they may have not recognized—maybe because it’s a “normal” thing for them. I have other reasons why I like the town of Santa, but that's a story that deserves another spotlight. My context for this blog by the way is the story of Santa in relation to the Manila North Road (MNR) during the pandemic.

• Luna Hill

To be honest, the look and location of the mountains located along the highway of Ilocos Sur are very familiar to me; however, I didn’t really know the name of some mountains that could be seen from the Manila North Road.

The specific mountains in Ilocos Sur that I could name are the Mt Bullagao (at the Abra-Ilocos Sur border), My Tupira (in Bantay), and Mt Gusing (in Narvacan). All of these mountains are visible from the highway. The name of the rest of the mountains are unknown to me.

LUNA, HILL, SANTA, ILOCOS SUR
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA • The Luna Hill is one of the prominent mountains alongside the Manila North Road in Santa.
Thanks to this website Peak Advisor for allowing me to decode the mystery of the mountain’s name. Its rich graphic data is very helpful to me in learning more about my province—especially our Ilocos mountains.

According to the Peak Advisor website, the name of the mountain in the photo above is Luna Hill. It rises 486 meters above sea level.

Luna Hill, Santa, Ilocos Sur

In fact, the MNR runs through a portion of its slope in Magsaysay District. The slope of the Luna Hill extends down to the shoreline of Santa. Luna Hill is the epicenter of the Northern Luzon Heroes Hill National Park which occupies much of the terrestial area of the town of Santa.

This mountain is very visible from the MacArthur Highway.

• Santa Seawall

Another notable site along the MacArthur Highway is the Santa Seawall. The highway runs on top of this seawall serving two purposes. My brother and I dropped here to take photos of the beautiful landscape of Santa. This is also one of my favorite spots along the MNR segment of Ilocos Sur because it’s loaded with the wondrous view of the municipal waters of Santa and the gigantic Luna Hill on the other side.

SEAWALL ALONG THE MANILA NORTH ROAD
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA • The Santa Seawall protect this segment of the Manila North Road from coastal erosion.

• Magsaysay District Beach

From the Santa Seawall segment of the MNR, you can also view a portion of the ▼ COASTLINE OF MAGSAYSAY

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA • Magsaysay District Beach (Local Guide and Review)

This is a travel blog compilation of the Manila North Road (MacArthur Highway).
. From the highway, I descended to the beach area for documentation.

MANILA NORTH ROAD
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ SANTA • The Manila North Road runs alongside a portion of the Magsaysay District beachline in Santa.

 ►  Post Scriptum



What a great way to reminisce about my pandemic experiences. I realized that it was not a bad season at all. I came to understand and learn about my province more intimately.

In regular days, a ride along the Manila North Road is more like a necessity or synonymous to daily grind; but during the pandemic, a ride on this highway was a poetic luxury. The natural landscapes that decorated the route are worth every moment during the pandemic—a takeaway I carried with me even after the pandemic. That’s the reason why I’m writing this story now.

▬ END OF STORY ▬

LATEST STORIES COVERING SANTA • SEE ALL IN A SEPARATE WINDOW
MORE BLOGS YOU MIGHT LIKE. SEE TABS BELOW.

▼ ILOCOS SUR ▼ ROADS AND HIGHWAYS ▼ INFRASTRUCTURE

 ►  More 'Ilocos Sur' Blogs



MORE STORIES COVERING 'ILOCOS SUR' | SEE OLDER STORIES

 ►  More 'Roads and Highways' Blogs


MORE STORIES COVERING ROADS AND HIGHWAYS | SEE OLDER STORIES

 ►  More 'Infrastructure' Blogs


MORE STORIES COVERING "INFRASTRUCTURE" | SEE OLDER STORIES

MORE TOWNS OR LOCATIONS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE:
LI C T M V P B SC IS L

UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST

2024-December-03:
• Related posts configured and added.

2024-December-02:
• This post was published.
NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.
CULTURE
FOOD TRIP