SOLO ROADTRIP TO ILOCOS SUR
I've never driven alone for long periods of time, so going on a five day solo roadtrip through the steep winding mountain roads of Benguet and Ilocos Sur (primarily) seemed like a daunting task. My goal was to find places to photograph that are off the beaten track. Using Google Maps, I plotted coordinates and hoped that some of the roads were properly accessible.
Massive thanks to Chevrolet Philippines for lending me their Colorado High Country Storm!
Aside from driving the entire way, I was also lugging around heavy equipment, taking photographs and time-lapses, flying my drone for the first time (I literally bought one a day before the trip), and of course, filming everything. I even made my first ever vlog which you can watch here:
After an exhausting drive through the dead of the night for a total of 7 hours from Manila to Buguias with a few stopovers, I successfully caught the sunrise along these vegetable terraces I found off the side of the road.
This was also my first ever drone flight. Although I made some minor rookie mistakes (forgetting to load my micro SD card, etc), I managed to get enough shots before I depleted my 2 batteries. After wrapping up, I met a local who was selling plants in her garden (which you can order online here: https://bit.ly/2ZkaKiE), then I proceeded down to Cervantes where I planned to stay for a few days.
Gloomy sunset in Cervantes. I saw this river with a prominent mountain in the back while on my way down from Buguias. Although the terrain was pretty rough, I knew that the 4x4 pickup I was using wouldn't have any trouble with it. Often times, we don't get the conditions we want for photography, so I treated this as an ocular shoot for sunrise the next day.
Thankfully, I was given some good conditions for sunrise to photograph this river & mountain landscape in different ways.
After exploring the area a bit, I got some rest for the long drive ahead to Skyline Quirino.
I stopped over at a random spot with a fantastic vantage point of Tirad Peak, and the surrounding mountain range. This area had serious potential for photography, so I made sure to pin the area on my Google Maps to consider going back during another time. I did notice that there was barely any street lamps, so going here early morning might be a bit tricky.
After what seemed like a series of endless steep and winding mountain roads, I finally arrived at Skyline Quirino. This viewdeck provides a gorgeous view of Abra river, and it's popular especially amongst motorcycle enthusiasts. I wanted to catch the sunset here but that didn't work out the way I wanted. By around 4 or 5pm, the clouds completely engulfed the top of the mountain which blocked my view. I tried waiting it out in hopes of a proper clearing, but no luck there. Although as soon as I drove a couple minutes back down, I suddenly found myself right below the fog. *face palm*
I got a few shots, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed that I only caught the tail end of the golden hour light after all my efforts to get there. In the end, I just took a deep breath, and made my way back to Cervantes before it got too dark. Instead of going all the way back to the view deck for sunrise the next day, my plan was to head back to the random stopover I made mid-day. I was hopeful to catch a proper sea of clouds at least.
The conditions were perfect, and I could feel that it was just about to get even better. It was only dawn, and I already had a couple of images in the bag.
I think my pose in front of the sea of clouds says it all. This was honestly the best sunrise I've seen in a long while. Needless to say, I was extremely happy with my decision to "settle" for a nearer and safer option while still maximizing elements of the landscape. Proper discernment and use of past knowledge really comes into play when making decisions on the field. Being stubborn "for the shot" doesn't always have to apply.
After wrapping up my sunrise session, I got some shots of my new best friend, Chevy Storm. Hehe
I left Cervantes and proceeded to my next and final destination: Suyo. There isn't much to research on about this place, so I was really just winging it. Unfortunately, since it was Sunday, all of the accommodations in the area were fully booked. I was tempted to just head home, but I knew I had to photograph a certain sharp looking mountain I saw a year ago.
So I did find the mountain, and after driving through a couple of difficult roads, I was able to get close to take some photos. The people I met along the way were friendly, and also curious to see me with a big truck in their small community. As much as I wanted to stay another night, I decided to cut my trip short and go back another time when I have better contacts from the area.
I didn't realize how tired I was, but I somehow managed to drive 8 more hours going home. This trip is one of my most memorable trips to date, and I'm quite proud of what I accomplished in those 5 days. Thank you if you read all the way until this! I urge you to watch my vlog to get an even better idea of how things unfolded.
