Stories of town explorations.
We told Mom we were just heading to a resort down the road—that was a lie, and by the time we reached Bessang Pass with numb fingers and no extra-warm jackets, I realized we'd stumbled onto a battlefield we never even learned about in school.
• The sun was scorching in Vigan that morning, but hours later, shivering at the top of a mountain in June, I kept waiting to see my own breath while standing in front of pine trees that had no business being in our province.
• I borrowed my late aunt's cheap digicam, we took off with nothing but a tiny scooter and empty stomachs, and somehow ended up at the Great Wall of China—except it was just a winding road in Cervantes, and it was the most beautiful accident of my life.
WE LIED TO OUR MOM. WE ENDED UP IN A BATTLEFIELD.
The road wasn't supposed to lead here—but in 2010, my brother and I rode straight into a piece of history we never learned in school.
The heat in Vigan that morning was brutal—the kind that sticks to your skin and makes your helmet feel like an oven. But the higher we climbed, the cooler it got. By the time we hit Bessang Pass, my fingers were numb; and I was dreaming to see my own breath. Snap, it was a tropical cold. Nah, my warm breath does not freeze on air. But... it was the coldest air I've ever felt during a hot month in our place—yeah, that was June... June 12th of 2010 to be exact.
Neither of us knew Bessang Pass was anything special. We pulled over because I saw a random road.
📍 CERVANTES
We took many photos, then we argued about moving forward or backing down. Nothing cinematic. Just two idiots riding on a small automatic motorbike, shaken, realizing we had to take a scooter with small gasoline tank down 60+ kilometers of mountain road with no cell signal.
That's when we noticed the pine trees. They looked out of place, like someone had dropped them there by mistake. Then we saw the markers—old war remnants, faded signs mentioning the Battle of Bessang Pass in 1945. We were standing on ground where soldiers had actually fought, and we'd only ended up there because we were too stubborn to turn around.
I don't have a neat lesson from that day. But sometimes, when I'm stuck in traffic or sitting through a boring meeting, my mind drifts back to that cold air, those sudden pine trees, and the quiet realization that we'd stumbled into something older and bigger than us—not because we were wise or curious, but because we were bored and were careless kids.
The mountain town I couldn’t forget
The road to Cervantes was a death sentence I'd always heard about—narrow, unpaved, one wrong turn away from a cliff drop. But when I finally took it in 2010, I found myself standing at a pine-clad mountain pass, alone with my brother, staring at what felt like my own province's secret Great Wall.
Oh yes... I'm from Ilocos Sur, and I had heard about the town of Cervantes several times. I always had the urge to go, but there had never been a chance; besides, it's too far from the city where I live.
I had always heard that the road going to Cervantes wasn't good. It was a matter of life and death! The roads were too narrow, with falling rocks from the mountain. The roads were unpaved; and a few steps away, it was KABOOOOOOOOOOM! You're falling off that cliff! If it rains, the town is literally isolated!
📍 CERVANTES
"Fifteen years later (rewriting and editing this story on 2026-July-10, five months after moving to America, I still catch myself drifting back to that random road."
📍 CERVANTES
My brother also lay on the concrete block, emulating what I had done. Using a cheap digicam I had borrowed from my late aunt, we were able to document our first experiences in Cervantes.
...that was before, but traveling through this road now is as smooth as silk. It is a beautiful winding road. If you're at a higher altitude, the road below may look like the Great Wall of China (or at least like what I have seen in photos). You may say, "I'm at the Great Wall of Ilocos!"
The highway was not busy. Most of the time, my brother and I were the only ones traveling along this highway. This scenario may change, though. Who knows? Cervantes might boom later, and the road will become busy. Lucky me, I witnessed it this way.
📍 CERVANTES
I love taking photos of myself. Sometimes, my self-photos become more important than the views. I took every opportunity to have my photo taken at each stop we made.
📍 CERVANTES
The first time I saw this marker of Cervantes, which was identical to the rest of the markers in all the towns in Ilocos Sur that year (a project of then-Gov. DV Savellano), I went over to have my photo taken
📍 CERVANTES
It was my first time seeing a mountain of pine trees inside my own province.
Although Baguio had already given me this kind of sight, it felt different to see pine-clad mountains for the first time in my own province. It was something I did not expect.
This was in 2010, when I was still new to this kind of traveling.
WE FOUND HISTORY BY ACCIDENT
They said the road to Cervantes would kill me—I rode it anyway and found my province's secret Great Wall.
Going to Cervantes that day was an accident. I just asked my brother to join me for a joyride. We reached Cervantes unexpectedly. We never thought we could.
We are not bad people, but we had to tell lies to pursue this adventure. We told our parents we were just going to a resort nearby because we knew they wouldn't let us traverse the highway. They said it was risky. One more thing: we were the only good-looking, boys-next-door in our village. The whole village was afraid its boys would get into an accident (this is my secret, keep it between you and me, lol—enough daydreaming).
📍 CERVANTES
Fifteen years later (rewriting and editing this story on 2026-July-10, five months after moving to America, I still catch myself drifting back to that random road.
📍 CERVANTES
My brother and I stopped at Nakayang view deck, where we saw the beautiful valley of Cervantes. .
📍 CERVANTES
My brother was enjoying the view of the beautiful Cervantes valley from the Nakayang view deck.
It was a hot day in Vigan, where we came from. We just decided to go to candon City, only to find ourselves already reaching the remote town of Cervantes with our scooter. That day was hot, and the sky was clear. There was no time for rain drama. But even though it was summer, it was cold in Bessang Pass.
See the images below. The ambiance was really cold. It would be so romantic for lovers to hug each other while driving (Huh? That sounds crazy). This time, it was my younger brother with me, whom I love; but hugging him while riding on a scooter would have been suicide! BRAGGGG!
📍 CERVANTES
Looking at this photo, it reminds me how chilly this spot was.
📍 CERVANTES
We went further, until we already started to descend. The road went zigzagging down to the valley. The cold breeze was replaced with hot air.
📍 CERVANTES
MY Honda Beat just made it!
We weren't able to see the must-sees of Cervantes, because we had no tour guide. We didn't know where to go. In fact, Cervantes is so historical. It was where a battle during World War II happened.
The town has the Yamashita Cave, McArthur Tunnel, Bessang Pass National Park, and Gambang Falls, which are all part of the history of the Philippines! For us, however, the scene we saw along the Cervantes highway was already a must-see, and the romantic, freezing breeze and ambiance of the town was a travel bonus! To my surprise, there were pine trees! It was an awesome view. It felt like I was in Baguio minus the crowd and commerce.
📍 CERVANTES
We spotted this rice field in the valley.
While we were on our way, there was a bike race going up to Bessang Pass. Bessang Pass is the highest point traversed by any highway system in Ilocos as of now. It is foggy and cold.
Cervantes is the crossing for the four provinces of Ilocos Sur, Abra, Benguet, and Mountain Province. Rice terraces are present in Cervantes too!
We didn't find closure or answers of our stupid side that day—just numb fingers, a borrowed camera, and a mountain that kept its secrets. But fifteen years later (rewriting and editing this story on 2026-July-10, five months after moving to America, I still catch myself drifting back to that random road, not because it changed me, but because for a few hours, I was completely, stupidly alive.
PHOTO GALLERY
NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.
Stories of town explorations.
No destination is unworthy. All places, touristy or non-touristy, are destinations that could help enrich your life, understanding, and perspective.
• I judged Bangkok hard and skipped it for years. One night there proved me totally wrong—touristy doesn't mean unworthy.
• I thought "real Thailand" meant avoiding Bangkok. My first visit taught me how silly that was.
BANGKOK: What Nobody TOLD ME
First night in Bangkok: I bought that tank top in Siem Reap, but I wore it in Bangkok.
Anyway, I intentionally skipped Bangkok on my past Thailand visit because I was too judgmental. It turned out that I enjoyed this city, and it made me realize that experiencing the real Thailand isn't just about exploring its less-visited provinces. Actually, that's a wrong notion. You also have to visit Bangkok and its other popular destinations to witness its amazing twists and evolution as a result of successful tourism.
All the old, new, traditional, and modern things in Thailand are all part of Thailand's bigger picture. Thailand now is not Thailand without its not-so-Thai modern additions as a result of mass tourism. So whether it's an old town or a modern city shaped by tourism, it's still the real Thailand.
CONCLUSION: No destination is unworthy. All places—touristy or not—are destinations that can help enrich your life, understanding, and perspective.
These were my thoughts on my first night in Bangkok. I would love to share more stories in the future.
PHOTO GALLERY
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NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.
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.
🇵🇭 SANTA MARIA, ILOCOS SUR, PHILIPPINES
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.
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🇵🇭 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. |
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.
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🇵🇭 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. |
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🇵🇭 SANTA MARIA • This is the view from the top of the hill, a 2008-ish vibe. |
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🇵🇭 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. |
At that time, this church—a UNESCO heritage site—was not yet as celebrated as it is today.
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🇵🇭 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. |
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🇵🇭 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. |
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🇵🇭 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
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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.
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🇵🇭 KABACAN • It's a realtime photo-ender in our ancestral house in Cotabato. |
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UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST
2025-January-26:
• This post was published.
NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.
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