Let’s start 2019 with travel, history, and stories, Bingers! So, got any upcoming travel plans to welcome the year? In this stormy weather, most likely, many of us would want to just stay at home and cozy up for the remaining days of our holiday break. But once the sun starts to shine again, you might want to head up north and indulge in the beauty and history of Bataan. Last December, Bataan Tourism, invited me along with other blogger to witness Pawikan Festival and take the best of what the province has to offer along the way. Read up as I share with you the great things that made me fall in love with the humble province of Bataan.
Contents
The Taste of Bataan
The journey started in Quezon City, right outside Trinoma. Bataan Tourism picked us up at around 8AM on a Saturday. We travelled via van and we reached the province just in time for lunch. The quick 4-hr travel prepared us for a heavy yet highly satisfying meal at Ima Pamangan. The restaurant is a mix of turo-turo style and buffet. Our host treated us on buffet. Ima Pamangan is a perfect gateway for tourists to get the feel of Bataan as they treat nothing but the best of Ilokano dishes. Among the food served were dinuguan, adobong balut, stuffed inihaw na pusit, crispy crablets, and sinigang na manok. As a high protein, low carb dieter, I still had my fill by skipping rice and going for the meat and ensaladang pako, which by the way, is SUPER FRESH! I fell in love with it.
Sweet tooth like I am enjoyed the local desserts that were available at the time. I had a hard time picking between minatamis na saging, bilo-bilo, and ube halaya. Ube halaya won my heart because of its chunky texture that is far from the creamy ones that are available in Manila. I just knew that it is legit ube at the first bite. Soon after our meal, a representative of the restaurant talked to us and shared the rich history of their establishment. She even shared that it is a must for everyone travelling around the area. And judging from my experience, it truly is!
The Heritage of Bataan
Soon after we had out hearty meal, we were given a taste of the rich history of Bataan. As you may all know, the province played a big part during the World War II era. The historic Death March happened here and saw the bravery of Filipino and American soldiers against the Japanese forces. First off, we were brought to the landmark where the march began and the tower created to commemorate it.
During our travel, we listened to the full history of Bataan thanks to our tour guide. She kept on sharing the rich history of the province. And I, as a traveller who tries to soak in as much culture as possible, enjoyed every bit of it. Visiting the historic landmarks was just the tip of the iceberg because we did experience history in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. That is what you are going to find out on the 2nd part of my Bataan experience!
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates!
