Kapurpurawan rock [Photo Hunt: Natural]

According to my Ilocano friend, "Kapurpurawan" means "white" when loosely translated.  The rock formations here are all natural---formed, washed and shaped by nature.  A hill of white limestone (or sandstone), a sedimentary rock that seems out of place in this blackish rocky coast facing the South China Sea.  The rock surface felt like fine grit sandpaper, and it's not dusty.

We were the last people who arrived here that late Sunday afternoon.  According to a tricycle driver whom we met along the way, Kapurpurawan is about 3 kilometers from the highway.  But with the very rough terrain, it felt like 10 agonizing kilometers.  I wish we had a 4 x 4!

Afraid that the car would give out, we decided to park on the side of the dirt road and walk the rest of the way.  The place was isolated---no houses in sight, tall grasses and trees on both sides of the road, we were virtually in the middle of nowhere!  We eventually caught up with 2 guys, who like us, looked lost even with the tricycle driver as their guide.  At the end of the dirt road is a tidal marsh and towards the coast is Kapurpurawan. 

This place is amazing. We expected to see the sunset here but the weather suddenly changed and before we knew it, clouds turned dark and rain started to fall.  Worried to get stranded here in a rain storm without shelter, we ran all the way to the dirt road, across the marsh, and climbed the 18 or so steps to a makeshift hut.  I wish I got a video of the running! We ran like crazy---Sally was so pale and couldn't speak, I thought she was having a heart-attack;  Franzia was screaming like a banshee; I could hear Zhallyn giggling and running like I've never seen before. I was out of breath (from running and laughing at the same time) and felt the jiggling all over!  I am in stitches just thinking about it!

Oh, what an experience.  Definitely the best part of our Ilocos trip.

  Sally, Franzia and Zhallyn--before the 100-meter dash

Kapurpurawan rock formation is located in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, 536 kilometers north of Manila.

view from Kapurpurawan

This post is linked to Photo Hunt

Bangui windmills [SWF]

My first reaction when I saw these windmills was:  Whoa, these were built by aliens!  Then I kept thinking about Transformers (the movie). :p 

Bangui windmills, the first power-generating windmill farm in the Philippines---a must-see when you're in Ilocos Norte.  These gigantic wind turbines along the shores of Bangui Bay, Ilocos Norte, face the South China Sea and are considered the biggest in Southeast Asia.  The turbines hub height is 70 meters, each blade is 41 meters long, and the base of a turbine is 6 meters in diameter.


"...As yet, the wind is an untamed,an unharnessed force; and quite possibly one of the greatest discoveries hereafter to be made, will be the taming, and harnessing of it."


                   - Abraham Lincoln, 1860

Bangui is 553 kilometers north of Manila, and 66 kilometers from Laoag City, the provincial capital.

This post is linked to Sky-Watch, Friday

Dinner at MoMo Cafe

@ mirandablue

The MoMo! Gourmet

My mother had her 67th birthday last week and we had dinner at MoMo Cafe in Eastwood together with my 2 siblings.  We don't usually make a fuss about birthdays but my sister was also leaving in a few days so we decided to go out for dinner.  Of course, Fritz was also there---he loves walking around the air-conditioned mall.  

@ mirandablue

I shared the MoMo! Gourmet with my sister.  It's a bowl of Arugula mixed greens with roasted garlic shiitake mushrooms, candied walnuts, fresh white cheese with raspberry-balsamic vinaigrette dressing and garnished with sliced oranges and hard-boiled eggs.

Most of the dishes are for sharing so we didn't order much.  I ordered my favorite appetizer---the melted crab and spinach 3 cheese dip.  It is served with garlic Parmesan toast, tortilla chips and veggie sticks.  And because of the wait, the waiter served us some garlic bread with spread, on the house.  My mother loves meat.  She had the sweet & smoky Hickory BBQ riblets---it's fork tender and off the bone, with party rice, topped with onion rings.  The meat was moist and juicy.

My brother preferred fish so we got the pan-roasted and walnut-crusted cream dory served with spinach cream risotto and lemon anchovy hollandaise sauce.  We had MoMo's own frozen iced tea in dalandan and blueberry in tall glasses.  It was a great meal altogether.

@ mirandablue

Sweet & Smoky Hickory BBQ Riblets

@ mirandablue

Pan-roasted and Walnut-crusted Cream Dory

This post is linked to Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

LP: Makapal [Thick]

Sana di ka mahihilo habang tinititigan mo ang litratong ito.  Ito ang makapal na mga tukod (buttresses) sa dingding ng Santa Maria Church  sa Ilocos Sur.  Gawa sa tisa, ang mga buttresses ay nagbibigay suporta at nagpapatibay sa istruktura laban sa lindol.  Kadalasan, ito ay nakikita sa mga simbahang gothic ang disenyo.  Ang simbahan ng Santa Maria ay nasa listahan ng UNESCO bilang isang World Heritage site.  

This post is linked to Litratong Pinoy

Burgos tidal marsh [Watery and Outdoor Wednesday]

@ mirandablue

We walked through this tidal marsh in Burgos, Ilocos Norte to get to the white rock formations.  This area is near the coast so I would assume this is seawater.  The water here is determined by tidal movement.  Marshes are critically important wildlife habitat, often serving as breeding grounds for a wide variety of animal life.

@ mirandablue

Burgos, Ilocos Norte

This post is linked to Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday