Good Friday at Magat Dam in Ramon, Isabela

While on vacation at Isabela with my in-laws, hubby and I went to Cauayan City to meet up with my law school and bar review besties, who are now our kumare and kumpare. 🙂 They took us to Ramon, Isabela so that we can take a look at Magat Dam.. I did not expect that the Magat Dam and its vicinity would literally take our breath away. The following pictures would show you why it’s worth the distance and travel time…

It was Good Friday when we went to Magat Dam. It’s quite a drive actually, with our kumpare Andrew doing all the driving. Magat Dam is located at Ramon, Isabela and have been constructed since 1982.

You would have to walk to the concrete road/bridge to take a closer view of the Magat Dam and the beautiful Magat River, a major tributary of Cagayan River. 🙂

When there’s no water flowing from the dam, and on hot days like that Good Friday, tourists can ride a boat and enjoy cruising around Magat River. There is also a floating market in the middle of the river.

Can you see the ray of light at the picture below?

A closer look at the hydroelectric power plant…

The tour would not be possible without Andrew and Grace, my law school besties, bar review buddies, and now I am godmother to their first child, Bree. ❤

While walking towards the parking lot, we have to stop and take a picture again. As what I’ve mentioned, we can’t get enough of the beauty of the place.

Mountain ranges as backdrop. 🙂

Holy Week in Isabela (also my first time in Cagayan Valley Region)

My thoughts of the Cagayan Valley are filled with visions of green surroundings, mountains and hills, rice fields and forests… So when I learned that we will be spending Holy Week at the house of my father-in-law in Isabela, I was really excited to visit this side of the Northern Luzon. Again, memories of grade school Civics and Culture subject came back, as we were required to memorize all the regions in the Philippines and the respective provinces then. And I thought at that time that Cagayan Valley has the prettiest name. 🙂

About to leave Central Luzon..

The picture above was taken when we were about to leave the Central Luzon Region. Nueva Vizcaya is looming ahead. As what I said, it’s my first time to visit the Cagayan Valley Region. And just the view of the mountainous province of Nueva Vizcaya is enough to make me bounce on my feet, hahaha

It’s almost a twelve-hour road trip for us as we had several stop overs: first, to take our lunch at Hacienda Luisita and another one, coffee break at Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya. It’s past 10:00 in the evening when we arrived at Echague, Isabela. It was a tiring but memorable road trip, as the road leading to Isabela provided us with spectacular views.

The next day is a Holy Thursday; every commercial establishment is closed in Isabela. Hubby and I took a walk at their neighborhood in Echague, where he used to spend summer vacations when he was younger. It was such a quaint neighborhood, where one can inhale the fresh air, hear the trees swaying, take a bike ride, or simply take a walk without worries that someone might harm you. It’s a town where everyone knows everyone.

We also got to taste the local pancit in Isabela, what they call as “Pancit Cabagan”. We found an eatery selling pancit Cabagan while we were walking in their neighborhood. We did not hesitate to order, and it was gone in an instant. To be fair, it wasn’t just us who ate the local pancit 😀

The next day, we visited our kumare and kumpare in Cauayan City, just two towns away from Isabela. We visited their home, where the delicious local delicacy, dendelot, is waiting to be devoured, LOL! We loved it instantly.

Dendelot. The local sticky rice, with a twist. With sweet sauce.

It was Good Friday then, and they took us to Ramon, Isabela where we could visit the beautiful and breathtaking Magat Dam. But that would be a separate blog entry. 🙂

What made our trip extra special is that we brought our pets with us. They clearly enjoyed the trip as much as we do. 🙂

Would you agree? 🙂