Meet More Chances

Cape Bojeador or Burgos Lighthouse

It's a cultural heritage, established under the Spanish government in
1892. The octagonal stone tower is located on top of a high hill. It
overlooks Cape Bojeador wherein galleons usually pass by during the
Spanish era.

The Cape Bojeador lighthouse is the highest elevated lighthouse in the
country. It is 65 feet (20m) high, making it the best location to
guide ships. It is continuously run by solar panels and is operated
with new lenses.

If you travelled on your own car, the lighthouse is not hard to find
since it is located on the north side of the Maharlika Highway, near a
bridge. There is a cemented road that winds up the hill. A caretaker
is there to assist the visitors. The lighthouse offers a scenic view
of the rocky coast of the town and the South China Sea. It can be seen
from the neighboring towns on a clear day.


Kapurpurawan or White Rock Formation

Kapurpurawan in Iloco, from its root word Puraw, means white. It's
like a giant white sphinx rising up the blue skies. It's one of the
most visited tourist destination in the country.

It has a smooth wavy patterns on the surface. This unique rock
formation is created through sedimentation and erosion. It's through
the surrounding forces in the area, the sea, the strong wind and the
land. With this reason as well, the landscape constantly changes.

The dust road going to the site is about 3 km. Then there is a
cemented trail in a wide open field. The short hike is worth it. The
area is surrounded by bonsai trees naturally dwarfed by the condition
in the area. And finally, the site of the rock formation up close is
really stunning.

The administrators of the area are now requesting visitors to register
and pay a minimal conservation fee. The only concern is, the daily
pack of tourists visiting the place can somewhat speed up the erosion
process that affects the formation. The management should as early as
now plan strategies to preserve the area.


Gamet, The Black Gold of Ilocos

Gamet is made from dried marine red alga called Porphyra. It's an
edible seaweed extensively cultivated in many Asian countries. In
Japan, it is used to wrap the rice and fish for the sushi. And
popularly used in the Korean food called gimbap. In the Philippines,
its used in Ilocos for salad, omelet and soup.

Gamet is abundant between November to December in the coastal waters
of Burgos. The weeds grows on rocks which are directly exposed to
where the waves crash. They live in the narrow openings of rock
formations.

In the municipality of Burgos, most families earn a living from
gathering and processing gamet. Collecting the weeds are not easy
since they are gathered slippery rocks. They need to be extra careful.
They need to be aware of the waves otherwise they might crash onto the
rocks.

In picking the weeds, they need to use gloves for protection. They
commonly use the thumb and forefinger in gathering the weeds stuck up
on the rocks crevices.

They use a fish net to wash the weeds in the sea water to reveal its
natural sheen. Then the weeds are spread out on bamboo mats and dried
under the sun for a few days.

Gamet is actually a high priced food. And the price is basically
dependent on the quality. The darker gamet has a higher price.

Gamet has a growing demand in the local market as well as in the
export market. The reason why the local government and concerned
agencies continuously assisted the residents with the proper training.
The agencies provided the necessary technology to preserve the quality
of the product, for them to be more competitive in the market.

Gamet is now being sold in the local market nationwide. You may try
tasting these black seaweeds and find it out yourself that it's worth
the golden price.


If you want to check out all these fun stuff in Burgos, it's only
located 538 km north of Manila. And it's 49 km away from Laoag.

For your travel assistance in going to Ilocos Norte, you may want to
read our article, Ilocos Norte :  Travel Up North.