Northloop D4 | Dec 24, 2025 • Chasing Coastlines: Ilocos Region to Cagayan Valley

Asis woke me up early and wanted to hit the road while everyone was still asleep. It felt a bit wild because he had told his relatives we were going to the mall that day. But instead, we quietly packed up and left, only planning to say goodbye to Grandma who was already up and saw us off.

He said that if we stayed longer or pushed through with the mall plan, we might not have made it to Santa Ana in time for Christmas Eve. It also probably would have cost us more since it’s the season of giving. We most likely would have ended up buying gifts for his relatives and younger cousins, and treating everyone out for food. That’s usually the scenario when visiting relatives in the province here in the Philippines.

So yeah, we left earlier than expected. Asis said it was our trip anyway, so we should do what we wanted. I just hoped he hadn’t promised anything to his younger cousins. He had gone to bed past midnight after a drinking session with them, so I was a bit worried about him driving. But he said it was all good and that he would just catch some sleep once we reached our last stop.

For that day, I really enjoyed the road trip. We passed by the windmills and stayed for a bit to take photos with Ochre. It was my first time seeing wind turbines up close. We stopped at the first 7 Eleven we saw to grab snacks, then headed to Patapat Viaduct.

That used to be the farthest we had ever gone in Ilocos, and this time we finally passed through into Cagayan Valley, which was a first for us. We also stopped by Claveria View Deck, but there wasn’t much to see. Still, the countryside made up for it. The rice fields were beautiful. The roads, though, were rough in some areas with bumps and cracks, and there weren’t many cars since it’s already far up north.

We arrived at the Aparri Welcome Arch around 2:00 PM, then reached the Aparri marker close to 3:00 PM. It was surprising because there were a lot of people around that time. Some were even blocking parts of the road with sticks or makeshift barriers, then asking for money after, saying it’s Christmas.

To be honest, the living situation felt a bit shocking. It looked rough. Maybe it was because of a recent typhoon, but I’m not really sure. We didn’t stay long and decided not to go down anymore.

After that, we headed straight to our last stop somewhere in Santa Ana. I was still looking for camping grounds or inns where we could stay for the night, but since we were booking last minute and it was Christmas, we didn’t get many replies. We also ruled out camping because of the rain showers during our trip.

I found Kristine Resort and Campsite, which was open and looked decent, so we went for it. Another family actually booked after us too.

When we reached the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport, we were stopped at a checkpoint. Apparently, it’s treated more like a restricted economic zone than a regular town, so security is stricter. It was all good though, just part of entering the area.

We even saw a rainbow as we entered, like a little welcome.

The place itself was really beautiful. Everything felt so green, with mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. Santa Ana had that quiet, untouched vibe. It felt peaceful, full of greens, and the kind of simple community life that reminded me of a Ghibli scene. Not overly developed, not crowded. The air just felt different there.

We arrived at the resort at around 5:00 PM. After settling in, we went around the area to look for stores where we could buy food for our Christmas Eve dinner and withdraw cash for the next day.

Everything we did that day was decided on the spot since we didn’t have an itinerary to follow. It had its pros and cons, but we really enjoyed the freedom of it all. It felt lighter, less rushed, and more like we were just letting the trip unfold on its own.