I think I'll never grow too old for road trips. I always loved them when I was a kid, when I was in high school and college, and still loving them now. The bickering, the inside jokes, the laughter, the singing out loud (badly), the pass-the-chips-to-the-back with the entire family. Planning a road trip for the family always stirs up great memories and ideas.
My family has this yearly road trip we take from Quezon City to Vigan, Ilocos Sur as soon as everyone is cleared for the Christmas break. As closely-knit as we are, we make sure we spend the holidays together, with our beloved grandparents in Ilocos. We'd get our vehicles checked -- oil, engine, extra tires etc -- to make sure they're ready to hit the road, do our last-minute shopping the night before, and we're off. The trip usually starts at 3:00 am to beat the traffic that usually lines up at the North Luzon Expressway, that's if everyone who slept through the night (usually the designated drivers) gets up on time. Our first stop is always at the same gasoline station past the toll booths to fill up the gas tank, and grab some breakfast, coffee, and anything else we might have forgotten to bring.
Mt. Pinatubo, the volcano that got the whole Philippines in panic with it's 1991 eruption, is clearly visible as soon as you reach Pampanga. Every year, we hear parents (including myself) with kids who were not yet in existence in 1991 educating them of the volcano, its eruption and how ugly and dusty it made the roads -- adding here and there, that back then the usual 8-hour trip was stretched to 12 or 13 hours, if you're lucky.
Tarlac is a conversation starter, especially if you're tagging along friends who have never been there before. Home for two former Philippine Presidents, Tarlac reserves its bragging rights. The Luisita compound - consists of a mall, convenience store and dozens of restaurants and fast food chains - stands proudly with a Spanish occupation-inspired architecture. Drive a kilometer or two more, and you'll find the gate to Former President Corazon Aquino's family's vast property: the Hacienda Luisita.
Then there's La Union. As if it is always planned, we head off to the beach, unload our boards and surf away! It is during this time of the year (November-February) that the waves are bigger and more consistent. Once we're stoked, we head off to the busy street of San Fernando to buy delicacies they call kalamay and tupig.
Arriving in Vigan doesn't stop the journey. Whether you choose to go around the Ilocos Sur capital on foot, strolling on the cobblestones preserved from the Spanish colonial times, or via the calesa (a carriage pulled by a horse), the road trip continues.
Pictures of these beautiful places and of family members with their wide ear-to-ear smile is the best thing you can get out of family road trips.
Nice place,you have a cool trip.
by:stephen
Posted by: philippines property | December 28, 2008 at 05:15 PM
Yeah! your right "Planning a road trip for the family always stirs up great memories and ideas." Thanks for sharing I've an idea to have a break and take a road trip together with my family this comming summer vacation.
-filicity-
Posted by: philippines properties | February 18, 2009 at 11:23 PM
How many days did this trip take? did you have to stay the night somewhere? and what city is the best midpoint stop between QC and Vigan?
I am planning on a trip to Vigan when we visit the Philippines. I am not at all sure how far Vigan is from Manila. Got an idea in terms of mileage??
Thanks for your input!! - Skyler
Posted by: Skyler G | March 11, 2010 at 09:09 AM
That sounds like an adventure!
Posted by: Viagra | January 12, 2012 at 09:33 AM