Naguilian, La Union

On our 2nd day in the province we went to Naguilian. Mario, Marlyn, Rayvan, Jesse and I went. I am so thankful to my nephew who drove us around wherever we wish to go.

Naguilian is part of the La Union Province which San Fernando City is the capital and Naguilian is a municipality. It is where my mother-in-law Arcadia was born and grew up. We had to go and see where Jesse's roots were from. We went to the municipal hall to inquire where we might find Jesse's relatives and apparently they are very well known in town. Once we mentioned names of the Ochoco's and Sanchez, the name of Brillante Ochoco came up, one of the former Commodore of the Philippines navy. We found Jesse's cousin's house, the Huliganga's, a 3 story house. It is where my camera battery died. We were able to meet the lady that is taking care of it while all the cousins are all in America (if I remember correctly her name is Esperanza). Cousins, please e-mail and correct me if I was wrong. As far as I know, I think my father-in-law is from Luna, La Union. Another municipality north of San Fernando.

The sign to Naguilian, Basi is wine made from sugar cane. My father used to make it including raw sugar when the sugar canes were ready to be cut.

I took this picture from the bridge to Naguilian. This bridge is often flooded and with all the flood recently it was closed for 2 weeks, according to my nephew. No one was able to cross on either side of it. There are 2 roads to take you to Baguio City, this road and another which is about 6-8 hours away. Baguio City is a vacation paradise to a lot of people. Mario would have taken us there if I said yes, but knowing the condition of the roads especially with the recent rains, I didn't think it was wise. The roads are famous for cliffs and erosion and a lot of accidents because of careless drivers.

Jesse in front of the Municipal Hall beside the statue of Jose Rizal, the Philippine Hero.