Gala La Travels: The Real Treasures of Bolinao ~ PANGASINAN

I remember when I was about to leave Addessa Corporation in 2012, my friend Pamela told me this: "Baka iba na ang mga kasama mo sa mga travel mo". I just smiled and said, "Siyempre gagala pa rin tayo, basta itext nyo lang ako". My exploration started on April, 2010 when our group decided to spend Good Friday and Black Saturday at Cabalitian Island in Sual, Pangasinan (I don't have a post on this travel yet. Will post one, hopefully soon).

Well, I have no idea what will happen when I moved to CB Mall on April, 2012. With the new environment, I hoped I'd meet friends whom I can share this passion in traveling. Then i met the Marketing and Leasing Team. We have actually planned several trips-Do some photoshoots in Baguio, beach bumming in Pagudpud, Manila etc..), but none of them pushed through. Until some of the team members made their exits to the company for personal reasons. Then, I recalled what my friend Pamela told me. I smiled again. For your information, even if I'm not with Addessa anymore, we still managed to arrange our schedules and went on to these trips: Historical Tour at Corregidor Islands, Oct.6, 2012, Minalungao National Park in Nueva Ecija, April 14, 2013, (read here) and Cabongaoan Beach in Burgos, Pangasinan, May 19, 2013, (read here). Oh by the way, that's not the issue here. I just want to emphasize how I really love traveling. And it happened that I am sharing the same passion with them, and I take charge of the documentation.

After almost a year, we wrapped up with a plan. This time, with new friends/officemates. And this is also to celebrate the birthday of our friend/officemate Kysser Mirador on May 1, 2013 at Patar Beach in Bolinao, Pangasinan. The foods will be shouldered by the celebrator, of course! Aside from the free food [LOL!], I think another thing why this plan pushed through is because May 1 is a holiday (Labor Day). NO WORK. Nothing to worry about papers, phone calls and office.. Time to relax, unwind and CELEBRATE!

Aside from the world-renowned Hundred Islands in Alaminos City, Bolinao is one of the top-of-the-mind tourist destinations (and maybe the highly-commercialized beach) in Pangasinan. It is located at the northwestern most tip of the province. Patar Beach, known for its crystal blue waters, fine, white and golden brown sand mixture is a favorite destination among the beaches in Bolinao. It houses several hotels and resorts to accommodate guests who wants to spend overnight.

I've been to Bolinao for the second time already, but this was the first time I stepped on the sands of Patar. I've been there during my college days and performed some studies for our thesis. And since this was my first time, of course, I did not miss the chance documenting the place for this blog.

Another added attraction in Patar Beach is the small lake a few meters away from the beach. I was not able to trace where the fresh water in the lake came from. A bridge was built for easy access of guests from small cottages at the beachfront to the Cabanas in one of the resorts. There are seasons that the lake runs out of water and all you can see is the lush greenery.

Sunset in Patar Beach is a lovely sight.

It's already 11:00 in the morning when we reached Bolinao. We stopped at the town proper to buy some foods and dropby at the house of Kysser's Aunt to pick up some things we will be using. We parked our vehicle in front of the Church and get inside and uttered our prayers.

The Bolinao Church

The St. James The Great Parish or commonly called, the Bolinao Church is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Built by the Augustinian Friars in 1609, the church has really gone through tests of time. The church's original structure was 75 ft tall (like an eight-storey building). Unfortunately, parts of the church collapsed due to strong earthquake in 1788. Half of its Tower was damaged. In 1819, the Church Convent was burnt. Today, some parts of the church have already been replaced and renovated but there are also some parts that have been completely restored including the facade that gives it an ancient look.

Credits for Bolinao Church marker: Travex Travels

The Church is not really spacious when you get inside and the altar is very simple. Statue of St. James The Great riding a horse can also be seen inside.

Gwiyomi shot inside the church ( kj ung isa dyan, :c )

TIME FOR FUN!

After visiting the Church and buying some foods, we headed to Patar and enjoyed the rest of the day!

1) Bolinao Binungey, a native delicacy that is common in Bolinao. It is made of "malagkit" cooked and served inside a bamboo. They sell it for 3 for P100.00 or P35.00 each. 2) Colored fish. 3) AR-ARUSEP SALAD. Ar-arusep or seagrapes is a form of seaweed.

The popular jumpshoots

The Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

Our plan is to catch sunset at the lighthouse, but since we enjoyed swimming (i hope :c ), we were not able to do it. Atleast, I was able to take shots of the lovely sunset while waiting at the cabana. Although the lighthouse is just a few meters away from the beach, the sun is already covered with clouds when we reached it.

The Cape Bolinao Lighthouse stands 351 feet above sea level atop Punta Piedra Point, a towering hill of solid rock which is the sharp point of Cape Bolinao itself, built in 1905 by Filipino, British and American engineers.

Learn of of this, CLICK HERE.

HOW DID WE GET THERE

We hired a vehicle for this trip and our pick up point is at Calasiao. From Calasiao to Bolinao town proper, it took us almost 2 hours. We passed by the City of Dagupan, municipalities of Binmaley, Lingayen, Bugallon, Labrador, Sual, City of Alaminos and municipality of Bani. Patar Beach is about 30 minutes from Bolinao town proper.

For commuters coming from Manila: If you are traveling from Manila, take Five Star (or Victory Liner) with terminal in Pasay (Tel. No. 02-911-7359 / 421-4716 / 421-4717) and Cubao ( Tel No. 02-853-4772 / 851-6659 / 851-6614). They have daily trips to Bolinao via Camiling, Tarlac. From Bolinao town proper, make an arranged trip with tricycle going to Patar Beach. Travel time is 6 & 1/2 to 7 hours.