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.
This is the other side of my privilege. I had access to this information not as a clinical worker, but as a writer.
» We often regard wishes as fairy tales as we see in Disney movies. However, Girlie’s story was no fairy tale. It was more than a fairy tale—it was her own real-life movie where she is the one writing her own life’s script.
» The story of Girlie is proof that there’s no reason for any of us to give up in life. Her determination was stronger than her fears.
🇵🇭 FEATURED STORY
I’ve seen just recently how a person died slowly of fungal pneumonia. I knew the clinical history, but I don’t know how to explain it to his housemates and partner that it was an HIV case. The family of his partner was not even aware of it.
In my clinical practice, I also had a “minor” patient who happened to be a s*x worker. She tested positive for HIV. Worse, my nurse colleague got pricked with the needle used to insert the IV cannula of that HIV carrier who happened to be our patient, putting my colleague at risk of having the virus, too.
These experiences have made working with people with HIV a familiar part of my profession.
► A deep dive to the “positive” world of HIV
Recently, I met an 18-year-old girl who is positive of HIV. She just turned 18, but her status as an HIV carrier has been positive since she was a minor.
At this point, this is the other side of my privilege. I had access to this information not as a clinical worker, but as a writer.
While meeting people with HIV is not new to me, this encounter gave me an incredible opportunity to talk about her condition in depth—something I never had with my previous hospital-based HIV patients.
► “Girlie” (HIV positive status in childhood)
The first thing I asked about Girlie* was this: When was the time you became aware of your condition?
Girlie responded that she was given an insight by her grandmother about her condition, and it started to concern her when she started taking medications. At that time, she said that “I didn’t take it to heart.” She said that before her mom died, she also received advice from her mother that she should take the medications for her to remain healthy.
I didn’t stop from there. I had to ask an additional question when it “sank in” to her that she is HIV positive. I was surprised by her response that it only “sank in” just recently. Girlie just turned 18 years old a few months ago.
Coping up as a kid: losing her parents and dealing with her condition
Girlie said that when she was a kid, she was more carefree. She didn’t think about it much. Now that she’s older, she wanted to shift her focus to the dreams she wanted to pursue. “I have reasons to keep going,” she said. Despite losing both of her parents, she wanted to keep going for her dreams.Since Girlie’s parents are gone, I asked her of the support system that she got. She told me that it’s her grandmother. She also mentioned her friends, but her friends are not aware of her condition.
Of winning and achieving
“Arts. I pursued the arts.” These were the words of Girlie when I asked her about her greatest achievement in her 18 years of existence.“I realized this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to create. I want to evoke emotion through my arts. I found out that I could do arts of all forms like visual, applied, and motion arts.” She emphasized.
In all her creations, I asked her what she thought was the most significant in her life. She struggled to pinpoint one at first because she has a lot of creations.
“I made a sculpture.” She quipped. “I got a good score in school from that creation. I created the artwork while I was sick. Despite all that, I enjoyed doing that artwork while I was sick. I loved the output, and the people around me also loved it.”
She also gave me deeper insight into her creation. “The artwork is about Nirvana. It’s about Buddhism. That theme is relevant to my situation right now. It’s about peace.”
Her greatest fear, and how she is dealing with it
I know that this is not an easy question. Sometimes, asking this question needs nuance, because it potentially crosses personal boundaries. However, Girlie was fearless in answering my question about fear. Her answer?“Relapse.” It’s just a single word, but it’s a fearful reality; and Girlie was fearless to admit and confront her own fears. It’s one word but heavily loaded with meaning.
This fear also comes with potential disturbances in her mental health. So, I asked her how she manages her mental health.
“I shifted my attention to school. I also found out that I’m good at sculpting. After creating my first piece, I was inspired and I wanted to create more.” She answered with beams of hope and optimism.
Inspiration and Strength
“I take inspiration from Renaissance art,” she explained. I’m also learning about it in school. When I asked if there was a time when she thought that her condition has affected her dreams, she was brave to say this: “Yes, but I choose to think positively. I need to choose to accept it because staying sad won’t help me either.”Asking about her greatest strength, she said: “My mom. I think about her all the time. She has always supported me in all the things I wanted to do.”
Wishes from the past, of today, and in the future
I asked Girlie if she has wishes in the past that have come true.“Yes. I always dreamed of having an iPad for my artwork. I had high grades last time, so I was gifted with that.” She replied.
“Secondly, I became more comfortable with myself.” She added.
I asked her: “If you had some ungranted wishes before, which one would you want to be granted soon?
“I want a longer life for my grandma. She’s 80 years old now. I want her to see my achievements.” She replied.
My greatest moment with my grandmother is happening all the time. I love spending and celebrating my grandma’s birthday.” She added.
I ended my conversation with her by asking her greatest wish as of this moment. This was her answer: “I wish to live more. I wish to live longer. I have had hardships. Despite that, I wish to have a long life.”
► A Pink Wish
Girlie is one of the beneficiaries of the Make-a-Wish foundation. She told me that her wish of having a pink cellphone at that time was granted.
According to her, everything was unexpected. It so happened that she attended an event in her hometown. She participated in a certain activity when someone casually asked her of her wish, and she said that she wished to have a pink cellphone.
She did not expect to get one. She was with her grandmother at that time, and she said that she even cried when she received a wish that was granted almost instantly. She was grateful that her wish came true.
Girlie’s granted wish impacted her life positively. She said that her journey as an artist also changed in a good way. With her pink cellphone, she said that she used the device to get exposed to different forms of art. When her wish was granted, the cellphone became her bridge to pursue her passion for arts, as she used the device to gain more art exposures.
We often regard wishes as fairy tales as we see in Disney movies. However, Girlie’s story was no fairy tale. It was more than a fairy tale—it was her own real-life movie where she is the one writing her own life’s script. With my conversation with her, I have to say that she has succeeded in writing her own life’s movie very well starting at a young age.
Her story is also the story of many young girls out there. With her granted wish that changed her life positively, the pink cellphone would surely contribute more ideas, passion, and drive to write the script of her future and to direct her real-life movie with a plot of inspiration with a happy ending.
The story of Girlie is proof that there’s no reason for any of us to give up in life. Her determination was stronger than her fears. Her dreams were bigger than her doubt.
*Girlie is a pseudonym used in this blog post to protect the name and identity of the interviewee
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2026-January-10:
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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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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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NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.
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