Aha's & Musings: Aparri Travel Notes



I'm finally back from a week-long trip at the North. We stayed at my husband's house in Cagayan and literally went to the "edge" of the Philippines, at the charming, quiet town of Aparri. Here are nuggets of discoveries that I learned from my trip there.

1. Sari-sari stores might not have your favorite detergent bar but they carry Tops bar which does the job fine.

2. Their tricycle that looks like a mini-jeepney, can sit up to 10 passengers.

3. Jollibee Aparri is always jampacked. Jollibee, I swear, you  are everywhere. We once got stuck in a  very remote town because of a dengue attack back in 2005 and you still made us feel home. Thank you.


4. The sea and river clash beautifully here. The meeting of blue waves and green river water is a sight to behold.

5. To get to nearby towns, you can take the multicab. 20 pesos only for an interesting route--> dire-diretso lang.

6. Miss shell-picking? This is the place to be!

7. Most establishments/businesses are Chinese-owned.

8. Just when you thought you're already near Aparri once you reach Tuguegarao, prepare for a road trip that seems to never end. My greatest comfort aside from the endless divine-looking rice fields are the colorful elementary schools I see on every town/barangay. There's something about bungalow type classrooms with a quadrangle and a flag pole that's very nostalgic to me. I'm placing an elementary school design on my bucket list. If you've got a project like this and you're looking for an architect, drop me a line! I'll be thrilled to work with you!

9. I want to save you from hypothermia so I'll add this tip if you'll be taking the bus to get here someday: It is insane not to bring a pair of socks, a jacket with a hood and a blanket on your trip. Airconditioning on buses is on steroids and I'm not exxaggerating. Which reminds me...

I need to thaw myself. Brrr...

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