The Marian Voyage of Peace was held in Tuguegarao, Cagayan last month which I attended to represent the North Philippines Visitors Bureau. The event was organized by the Cagayan North Convention and Visitors Bureau among others.
As part of the three-day Marian Voyage of Peace from June 26 to 28, ten Marian images from all over North Philippines were brought to Tuguegarao, Cagayan and some neighboring towns for public veneration. These included the Our Lady of Piat from Piat, Cagayan; Our Lady of Badoc from Badoc, Ilocos Norte; Our Lady of Guibang from Gamu, Isabela; Our Lady of Charity from Agoo, La Union; Our Lady of Namacpacan from Luna, La Union; Our Lady of Fatima from Valenzuela City, Metro Manila; Nuestra Senora de Caridad from Bantay, Ilocos Sur; Our Lady of Manaoag from Manaoag, Pangasinan; Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion from Malolos, Bulacan; and Nuestra Senora del Mar de Cautiva from Sto. Tomas, La Union.
Clark Airport has become a major international gateway of the Philippines. Now people are asking, what's there to do in Clark? So I've come up with a list of Top 10 things to do while in Clark Freeport and Pampanga!
1. Eat Kapampangan! You haven't been to Pampanga if you haven't savored its food. Pampanga's capital San Fernando, just 20 minutes from Clark, is home to Everybody's Cafe where everyday Kapampangan food is as exotic as it can get. Angeles City is the birthplace of sisig and make sure you taste the original at Aling Lucing's. The sisig at Mely's (San Fernando) and Mila's (Angeles) is also worth the visit. At the Historic Camalig Restaurant, Kapampangan pizza is topped with longaniza, salted duck eggs, and pickle relish.
The halo-halo in Pampanga is also suberb! There are three distinct varieties: Guagua (Razon's), Arayat (Kabigting's and Jurado's), and Angeles (Corazon's). There's also a row of kambingans (or goat restaurants) in the Bayanihan Park area (unfortunately, Mila's where Claude Tayag brought Anthony Bourdain, has temporarily closed shop). But Aryln's and its several branches will definitely not disappoint. Also check out the barbeque at Junjun's and Nathaniel's puto pao and buko pandan.
Speaking of Claude Tayag, you might want to bring a group to have lunch at his house Bale Dutung. But it won't be that easy. Finally, if you're willing to drive to the foot of Mt. Arayat, there is Abe's Farm, owned by the LJC Group of Restaurants of the late Larry Cruz.
2. Shop 'til you drop There may just be a few of them left. But it's still worth shopping around for the best imported bargains. Lest we forget, Clark was the PX center of the country before imported stuff found its way to our supermarkets and department stores.
3. Go horseback-riding along the Sacobia River One of the activities in Clark is horseback riding at El Kabayo Riding Stables. While you can take the horse around the area, if you are adventurous and up to the task, why not go for a ride down to the Sacobia River and enjoy the lahar canyons created by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption?
4. Take a dip at Puning Hot Spring For PHP3,000, you can enjoy a visit to the Puning Hot Spring, complete with treatments. The price includes simple lunch, the 4x4 ride from Garden Restaurant to the hot spring and back, entrance fees to the hot spring and use of the facilities, sand steam (that's where they bury you up to the neck under volcanic sand), body mud pack, and a foot massage.
One of the attractions of the place is a steaming hot waterfall. The water in the stream was close to 90 degrees Celsius. And they divert some of the water into various pools with different temperatures ranging from 40 to 70 degrees Celsius. There are eight hot pools and one cold pool. So if one pool is too hot for you, you can take a dip in the next one.
5. Fly over Mt. Pinatubo We all know about the trek to Mount Pinatubo via Capas, Tarlac. But have you ever wondered how Mount Pinatubo looks from the sky? Thanks to the Mount Pinatubo Sky Tour of Omni Aviation in Clark Freeport, you can now do that at a very reasonable price.
It's PHP4,500 per head, regardless of the number of people who'll fly. That's because they have different sizes of planes. So if you're just alone, they can send you up on a two-seater Cessna 152 plane which I took.
6. Try the international cuisine along Fields and Don Juico Avenues I already mentioned local Kapampangan food. But the Clark area is a mecca for international cuisine. And Fields Avenue brings you around the world with its international restaurants. Among my favorites are C' Italian Dining, Zapata's (Mexican), VFW, AC Rumpa and Subdelicious (American), Cottage Kitchen (Cajun/Creole), Red Sea (Lebanese), Hana-mi (Japanese)... the list is endless! There's even a Korea Town along Friendship Highway.
Maranao Grill in Oasis Hotel has the RST Buffet every Friday. RST stands for roast beef, roast lamb, sushi, sashimi and tempura. Inside Clark, Mequeni Cafe in Holiday Inn whips up one mean buffet as well. I tried their lunch buffet once and it's worth more than the price.
Now obviously, you can't eat at all these places in one day since that would be gluttony! So why not stay another day?
7. Do a museum and architectural heritage tour of Pampanga Clark has a historical core from the days of Fort Stotsenberg and Clark Air Base. You can also start your tour in Angeles City at the Center for Kapampangan Studies in Holy Angel University for an introduction of the province. Then head on over to Museo ning Angeles, the Angeles Church, Pamintuan Mansion and the Founders' House. Take a calesa around old San Fernando, a treasure trove of ancestral mansions. Make sure you also visit the San Fernando Cathedral and the churches of Betis (a National Cultural Treasure), Bacolor, Lubao, Minalin, and San Luis to complete your visita iglesia of the province.
8. Swim in Mount Pinatubo's crater lake Clark is relatively near Barangay Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac. So another must do activity when staying in Clark is to trek to the crater lake of Mount Pinatubo to take a dip. Also check out the Pinatubo Spa Town.
9. Play golf at Clark's many golf courses Take your pick! There are golf courses in Mimosa, Fontana and Clearwater to suit your golf needs.
10. Try your luck at the casino If you're a high-roller or just looking for some fun, the Clark area has several casinos including Casino Filipino Angeles, Casino Filipino Mimosa, Fontana Casino and Hotel Stotsenberg's Casablanca Casino.
11. Go wakeboarding! This one is coming soon! But I'm putting it in the list anyway so that we have something to look forward to. No need to drive all the way to Camarines Sur to enjoy world-class wake boarding since the Philippine Tourism Authority is said to be building a wakeboarding facility in Clark.
There are many places to get fresh seafood here in the country. In a lot of coastal towns, there are a lot of small markets where you can find some of the freshest catch of the day. While in Calatagan, Batangas, we dropped by the Gulod Morning Market.
Located along a street corner along the National Highway in Barangay Gulod, you could easily miss it since it's quite unassuming, just a few vendors with some tables and containers (or palanggana) arranged on the shoulder of the road. But when you investigate it closer, you'll realize it has a great variety of seafood at very affordable prices, including a good number of crustaceans rarely seen in Manila markets.
They usually open at 5 a.m. and are gone by 8 a.m. Fishermen literally drop their catch here before proceeding to the main market in town. Which is why the stuff on sale was still moving when we got there. Anything that's unsold gets sold in the town market. So if you want more choices, it's best to wake up early and proceed there.
I'm sure there are small makeshift markets similar to these all over the country that sell the catch of the day. Check out Seafood binge in Capiz for another place to get really affordable seafood. Do you know of any other places with these morning seafood markets?
We all know about the trek to Mount Pinatubo via Capas, Tarlac. But have you ever wondered how Mount Pinatubo looks from the sky? Thanks to the Mount Pinatubo Sky Tour of Omni Aviation in Clark Freeport, you can now do that at a very reasonable price.
It's PHP4,500 per head, regardless of the number of people who'll fly. That's because they have different sizes of planes. So if you're just alone, they can send you up on a two-seater Cessna 152 plane which I took.
The best time to take the flight is early in the morning (at 7 or 8 a.m.) or late in the afternoon. Omni Aviation usually operates from sunrise to sunset so you won't have a problem being too early. You should avoid taking the flight close to noontime since the sun's heat creates pockets of air turbulence that make the ride bumpy. And that is something you'd like to avoid.
But rest assured, the view above the crater is magnificent! Make sure it's also a clear day since you wouldn't want to get disappointed when you're above the crater. While they accept walk-ins, it's best to call to find out if a flight is possible.
Mt. Pinatubo Sky Tour Omni Aviation (Clark)
+63 (45) 8926664
+63 (45) 5995524
Clark Airport (CRK), or the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), in Clark Freeport, Pampanga has become a major gateway for several international low cost carriers such as Air Asia (Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu), SEAIR (Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok), and Cebu Pacific (Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Macau and Cebu).
SEAIR also flies from Clark to Boracay (it's the only airline that flies direct to Caticlan from Clark).
There are flights to Incheon, Korea and onwards to the United States with Asiana. While Spirit of Manila will soon be flying to/from Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur), East Asia (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Osaka, Hong Kong and Macau), the Middle East (Kuwait, Bahrain, Doha, and Dubai) and the Pacific Islands (Palau).
It's less stressful flying to/from DMIA since there are not that many passengers yet. The problem is the airport is at least an hour away from Metro Manila. So how does one get to/from the Clark Airport to the various tourist destinations?
Taxis from the airport can take you to Greater Clark (Clark Freeport, Angeles City and Mabalacat). But they're not cheap. Clark is a destination in itself, a culinary center and home to several golf courses, casinos and leisure estates. It's also a jump-off point for the Mount Pinatubo trek and the Mount Pinatubo Sky Tour. Also check out the Puning Hot Spring and El Kabayo. Plus there are a lot of hotels in Clark Freeport, Don Juico Avenue and Fields Avenue among many other areas. You'll never run out of things to do in Clark Freeport and Pampanga.
To/from Metro Manila, Philtranco has direct buses to the Clark Airport that leaves SM Megamall five times a day (2:30am, 7am, 11:30am, 1pm and 3pm). You can also catch the bus from their Pasay and Cubao stations. To/from Pasay, the fare is PHP350, and to/from SM Megamall and Cubao, the fare is PHP300 (schedule and fares at time of posting).
To/from South Luzon, from the Philtranco stations in Pasay and Cubao, you can switch buses to destinations in South Luzon, Bicol (Daet, Naga, Legazpi, Tabaco and Donsol), and even to the Visayas (Samar, Leyte and Panay) and Mindanao (Davao). Daet has a surfing beach, Tabaco has ferry services to Catanduanes, another popular surfing area, while Donsol is where you can swim with the whale sharks from November to May.
To/from North Luzon, you can now hop on a bus from the Clark Airport direct to various destinations in North Philippines. Partas has regular aircon and VIP buses to Ilocos (Laoag and Vigan) and Abra. If you plan to go surfing in La Union or Pagudpud, or explore Vigan, you can take these buses. If you want to go to Baguio, Partas drops off passengers at the Sison, Pangasinan station of Victory Liner. Partas VIP buses from the Clark Airport to Laoag cost PHP600 and to Vigan cost PHP484.
Genesis buses take passengers to Baguio City and Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija as well. From Cabanatuan, you could find buses to Cagayan Valley and onward buses to Ifugao (Banaue). You can also get buses to the rest of the Cordilleras (Banaue and Sagada) from Baguio City.
Update (03/10/2010): Clark Airport/DMIA claims to have a 24-hour direct air-conditioned jeepney/shuttle services to/from the Dau Bus Station and SM City Clark. It's Php45 for the Dau Bus Station, and Php30 from SM City Clark. But it seems many people say they did not see any.
In case you miss any of these buses, you can always take a cab to the nearby Dau Bus Station where buses to various destinations in North Philippines and Metro Manila (Pasay, Cubao, Sampaloc and Caloocan) depart from. Sampaloc in Manila is the station closest to Malate where most of the budget hotels and backpackers accommodation can be found. In Cubao or Pasay, you could switch buses for other destinations north or south of Metro Manila.
If you are bringing a car, you can park at the Clark Airport and catch your flight. Overnight parking is PHP90 for every 24 hours, and PHP30 for the daily rate.
Philtanco schedule to/from Clark is Pasay-Clark 06:30, 07:00, 11:30, 14:30 (except Thursday) Php350; SM Megamall-Clark 07:00, 07:30, 12:00, 15:00 (except Thursday) Php300; Clark-Cubao/Megamall/Pasay 12:00, 13:00, 16:30, 20:30 (except Thursday). Philtranco numbers are (02) 8518077 to 79; (0918) 2288831; (0928) 4768203; or (0920) 7981422.
There is now a free shuttle bus service for AirAisa guests from Clark Airport to Marquee Mall and vice versa. Buses leave Marquee Mall at 09:00, 10:20, 13:00, 15:00, 16:30 and 19:00 arriving in Clark Airport after 20 to 30 minutes. Buses leave Clark Airport for Marquee Mall at 10:00, 11:00, 14:30, 16:00 and 17:40. Another free shuttle is for Dau Bus Station, leaving Clark Airport at 21:20. For more information, contact Victory Liner at +63(2) 5597735 or info@victoryliner.com.
Update (03/01/2013): Trinoma now has the Clark Airport Lounge. Buses leave for Clark at 03:30, 08:00 and 14:45; and leave Clark Airport for Trinoma at 07:00, 12:00 and 18:30.
The Marian Voyage of Peace was held in Tuguegarao, Cagayan last month which I attended to represent the North Philippines Visitors Bureau. The event was organized by the Cagayan North Convention and Visitors Bureau among others.
As part of the three-day Marian Voyage of Peace from June 26 to 28, ten Marian images from all over North Philippines were brought to Tuguegarao, Cagayan and some neighboring towns for public veneration. These included the Our Lady of Piat from Piat, Cagayan; Our Lady of Badoc from Badoc, Ilocos Norte; Our Lady of Guibang from Gamu, Isabela; Our Lady of Charity from Agoo, La Union; Our Lady of Namacpacan from Luna, La Union; Our Lady of Fatima from Valenzuela City, Metro Manila; Nuestra Senora de Caridad from Bantay, Ilocos Sur; Our Lady of Manaoag from Manaoag, Pangasinan; Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion from Malolos, Bulacan; and Nuestra Senora del Mar de Cautiva from Sto. Tomas, La Union.
