PANGASINAN BY BUS

HOW do you explore one of the Philippines' largest provinces in terms of population and land area in just three days? Well, you take the Victory Liner bus, join a group of people who simply love to travel, and allow the NLEX Lakbay Norte team to take you to some of the hidden spots of the province.

Longanisang Binalonan breakfast

Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

Hiraya Wellness Resort

Bolinao rock formation

Bolinao Falls

NLEX Lakbay Norte Victory Liner Bus

Banaan Museum

Punta Riviera Resort

Bued Mangrove Forest Park

I still remember my first trip to Pangasinan during the early 1990s. It was a Labor Day weekend, and we made a last-minute decision to explore the beaches of San Fabian. The bus station in Cubao was overflowing with people waiting for their rides, and when it was announced that the bus to Dagupan was accepting standing passengers only, we volunteered immediately. It was the most excruciating 8 hours of my life.

As the bus weaved through the traffic of the then single-lane expressway before exiting from Dau, only to brave more traffic along the national highway going all the way to Dagupan, I had to endure fatigue, sleepiness and a bad stomach while standing up.

Today, taking the bus is a good alternative to driving your car when exploring the attractions of central and northern Luzon. Victory Liner, with almost 80 years of experience taking passengers across many destinations in Luzon, makes commuting hassle-free. It has a well-maintained fleet of buses that provide smoother, safer and more comfortable rides to commuters, and most of its air-conditioned buses have Wi-Fi and charging ports.

Buses going to the north nowadays make use of the world-class expressways — North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, covering a distance of about 200 kilometers, cutting traveling time and providing a better experience to passengers. The 8-hour trip to Pangasinan is now reduced to less than three hours.

This year's NLEX Lakbay Norte took us to some of the hidden attractions of Pangasinan for three days aboard its mobility partner, Victory Liner.

Binalonan

It is always interesting how a town got its name. In the case of Binalonan, it was called such because "It was a place where people bring their 'balon' or 'baon'." When we arrived in Binalonan, we got to try our baon, which was the local breakfast of longganisang Binalonan, omelet, fried rice, and locally brewed coffee at Hebrews Café. Intrigued by the garlicky taste of their longanisa, we asked the local guide how it is made, and we were taken immediately to the local market where the famous sausage was made. It uses fresh pork meat, some basic ingredients, and its secret — minced native garlic.

From the market, we proceeded to the nearby Binalonan Airfield where the WCC Aeronautics and Technological School is located. We found out that in Binalonan, it is possible to get pilot training and other related courses. But for those who wish to experience flying, WCC offers flights to Batanes and Tuguegarao, and also a 15-minute ride on an ultralight to see the attractions of Pangasinan.

We capped our first day of adventure with a stay at Hiraya Wellness Resort in Aguilar, Pangasinan.

Alaminos and Bolinao

There's a new attraction in Alaminos and it began only less than 20 years ago. This is the Mangrove Forest Park in Barangay Bued, and it has over 25 varieties of the 40 known mangroves in the world. The local fishermen group takes an active role in its preservation and now offers the mangrove experience as part of the tour to the Hundred Islands National Park.

We also met with the tourism office of Bolinao who explained to us the unique Bolinao dialect, the ancient Bolinao skull, and the giant clams. We didn't get to experience them, but we had fun exploring the other treasures of Bolinao: Patar Beach, Cape Bolinao Lighthouse, the Rock Formation, and Bolinao Waterfalls. Our second day ended in the Monarch Hotel in Calasiao, a luxurious hotel inspired by the British monarchy.

Lingayen and Urdaneta

Our last day in Pangasinan started in Lingayen with a visit to Naro Café. Located beside Lingayen Beach, it offers refreshing drinks, seafood delights, and, of course, coffee to those who wish to spend a quiet time by the beach.

We also visited Lingayen's latest attraction, Banaan, the provincial museum. Built on the ruins of the 1840 Casa Real or the old Provincial Capitol, the museum tells the story of the Pangasinense people, their history, their heritage, and their arts and culture. The museum also holds regular exhibits on the works of the Pangasinense artists.

Our last stop has the most unusual attractions in Pangasinan: SM Central Urdaneta, which looks narrow from the main highway but actually has a large interior. It has a roller-skating center in disco colors, and an activity center with a massive screen and Dolby sounds that can be rented for that big-time videoke concert.

NLEX Lakbay Norte always comes up with an itinerary that explores the hidden gems of a place. And its partnership with Victory Liner allowed us comfortable rides in between stopovers.