Saturday, May 26, 2018

LINGAYEN GULF : An Eco-Historical Travel

Do you want  to experience  to travel to one  historical  place  but this time by the beach. Try  to visit Lingayen Gulf and  discover  the history  behind it.
 
As a traveler it’s nice to learn  first the short history of the place like Lingayen Gulf  which is located at the Northwestern part of Luzon. Because of the historical events where General Douglas MacArthur lands in the Philippines at Lingayen Gulf in Luzon on January 9, 1945  it added  an attraction  to the tourist and visitors who wish to come. The beaches here may not be picturesque as that of the more popular white sand beaches of Boracay, Cebu, Mindoro or Bohol, but Lingayen offers unique tourist attractions, which can’t be found anywhere else in the country, or in the world.
General Douglas MacArthur landing in Lingayen Gulf , Luzon, on January 9, 1945
Clean and Green Environmental Surroundings
When we arrived it was early in the morning  I was  surprised   by the simple, calmness and clean surroundings  along the  beach. You can easily see the big billboard of Linagayen Gulf Baywalk wherein cleanliness and  the safety of the beach goers  are ensured  as you can see  along shore  lines  the  beach watchman  posts . The baywalk is long wherein you can enjoy  walking with your dog  or jogging alone or with your friends. The cottages along the road are so affordable and the owners maintain   cleanliness  by putting  trash bags and collecting it afterwards. Bathrooms are simple but it is clean. I am happy  that the residents here are not only after  the income from their business  but  they prioritized and maintain cleanliness of the surroundings. Leaving this place at the end of the day, you learned many things especially cleanliness of environmental surroundings.


A Place for Educational Tour
Lingayen Gulf  is a must to visit   by the students who wish to swim , see and make a glance  and educate other historic places in town. A  tour guide  must be present  during the  visit so that the students will fully understand the importance of history behind the historic place. Not to forget how to preserve the natural beauty of the environment.


In addition to the historical beach here are other  lists for must-visit  places when in Lingayen:

1) Urduja House
The name was taken after the beautiful legendary warrior princess Urduja, Urduja House is the official residence of the incumbent governor of  Pangasinan.
2) Provincial Capitol Building
Both Urduja House and the capitol building are part of the capitol complex, It was built before World War II and restored after suffering damage during the war.
3) Ramos House
Lingayen is the hometown of former Philippine President Fidel Ramos, and his childhood home can be found on Primicias Street, in the corner of The President Hotel inspired by him and built on their family property. The house is already a re-construction of the original, which was destroyed during World War II.
4) Capitol Beach and Baywalk  This is the beach I’m discussing about in my blog which is also considered historical. The beach is just a five- to ten-minute walk from Urduja House. It is a long stretch of beach with powdery gray sand, perfect for walking barefoot and jogging enthusiast.
5) Aguedo Agbayani Park and Veterans’ Memorial Park
The capitol building is just between these two parks, so if you are visiting the capitol, why not walk around these historical parks, too? If you love green environment Aguedo Agbayani Park offers  like this since it has has plenty of trees and benches. Did you know that the park is named after one of the previous Pangasinan governors. Veterans’ Memorial Park,  which displays life-size war weapons, was built to honor the war veterans of the Lingayen Gulf landing.
6) Sison Auditorium Visit this place if you want unique American architecture. Because of it’s beautiful architectural structure it become famous in Lingayen venue for wedding receptions, parties, and other events.
7) Lingayen Church (Epiphany of Our Lord Parish) Another historical Church structure that can also be found in Lingayen. Record shows  built in 1710, this church was re-constructed after it was partially destroyed by World War II.
8) Bagoong (fish paste) factories
 For food souvenir and gifts enthusiast you will love this area only a few minutes  ride (around 10 minutes by tricycle from the capitol complex) but still in the town proper are the bagoong (fish paste) and patis (fish sauce) factories. Lingayen is particularly famous for its bagoong in  town.


Where to Stay
Good if you have relatives or friends living in Lingayen. However you can stay at the President Hotel, whose rates start at Php800 is  a simple and homey hotel and, Ramos House is also just around the corner. It is also a five- to ten-minute walk from Aguedo Agbayani Park.

How to get to Lingayen, Pangasinan
There are Lingayen-bound buses from Edsa like Victory Liner, which has trips leaving almost every hour from its Cubao terminal, Travel time is around 5 hours.