Road Trip to Manaoag and La Presa of Forevermore

June 12, a celebration of Philippine Independence Day, falls on a Friday which means a 2-day vacation from work…enough reason to go on a road trip. But there’s more! Mommy Lydia, my mother-in-law, was with us plus we have an “old but new travel buddy”. And so we packed our bags…

We hit the road at 7:36 am towards SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) and TPLEX (Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway). This time, for the first part of the trip, we have a definite destination and a clear purpose.

We reached Our Lady of Manaoag Church before 10:00am and follow the lines of vehicles going to Gate 6 for blessing. We did not wait long for our “old but new travel buddy” to be blessed. During Saturdays and Sundays, blessing of vehicles and religious items is being done continuously by the assigned Priest. But in ordinary days, it is being done after the mass.

After the blessing, we went inside the church in front of the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Manaoag to say our prayers. I had been in front of Our Lady four times…and each time…my heart swells…I am at peace.

Before we leave the altar…I felt drops of water from behind and when I turn around…a blessing of holy water from the priest who just celebrated the Holy Mass.

I bought some religious items from the Church Store…Crucifix, image of Our Lady of Manaoag and Santo Nino…and along with my rosary and prayer books…brought it at the back of the church (near the image of Our Lady of Manaoag with candle offerings) for blessing.

Holy water is also available near the area. Just bring a container, empty water bottles, or buy a plastic bottle from the Church Store…look for the faucet labeled Holy Water (I was not able to take a picture)…and then, fill your containers.

Since it is already lunch time, we decided to find a place to eat near the area. Hardin sa Paraiso Grill and Restaurant is just a few kilometers from the church, but when we’re near the area, a large number of cars are parked along the road and we saw “Sorry, We Are Closed” sign near the entrance.

Next is Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant in Urdaneta. Though, we were disappointed the first time we ate there last December 2013 with Nanay Nor, but we are already hungry…and the nearest. We opted to try their “Buffet Lunch”.

Buffet Lunch at P399 per person consists of: Unli Rice, Pork Shanghai, Pancit Canton, Pinakbet, Fish Escabeche, Pork Kare-Kare, Chopsuey, Bangus Kilawen, Grilled Tilapia, Burong Hipon with Steamed Okra / Eggplant, Beef Kaldereta, Buttered Chicken, Pork Steak, Fish Fillet, Lechon Kawali, Crab Meat Soup, Vegetable Salad, California Maki, Maja Blanca, Palitaw, Pakwan, Unli Iced Tea

Then it’s time to finalize our next destination. Initially, we planned to go to Lingayen, Pangasinan but there will be no activity for Mommy Lydia and we also worry about our accommodation…resorts may be full. Then we thought of going to Baguio…but it will be crowded also.

Then, I suddenly thought of La Presa…the location of the hit “teleserye”, Forevermore. And so, just as always…I surf the net for the available accommodation near the area…but, there were few. I was able to contact one place and luckily, there is an available room. Destination…confirmed. Accommodation for the night…confirmed. Waze…set.

Jonjie opted to use Marcos Highway, our first time, instead of Kennon Road.

Sitio La Presa cannot be found on any map because it is actually Sitio Pungayan located at the top of Mt. Kabuyao, Tuba, Benguet. When we turned right at the end of Marcos Highway going to Santo Tomas Road…we were welcomed with a thick fog…almost zero visibility.