SUYO ... Chasing waterfalls

"I may not live next to a waterfall or will ever be in my entire life. The one least thing I can do is go visit and admire not one but as many as I can and share them with you"

-pagnapagana

Suyo, Ilocos Sur Municipal Hall

The municipality of Suyo in the province of Ilocos Sur is near the mountainous areas of the Cordilleras and rivers runs through it. They still have those forested mountains although some patches of “kaingin” (burning of forest/grassland for cultivation purposes) can be notably seen from a far. Surely Suyo is one of the places to look for nature’s gift, the waterfalls.

Here is the account of my Suyo chasing waterfalls last June 6, 2013.

Please practice the leave no trace outdoor ethics when going to these nature places. Let us not vandalize, put graffiti on their rocks and stone walls. Manage and dispose our waste products properly.

-my pagnapagna-

We arrived at Bitalag Junction at 8:10 in the morning and departed at 8:29 am by riding a passenger tricycle (painted white and green) going to Suyo. Arriving at Suyo Municipal Hall at 8:51 we paid the tricycle and went up inside their Municipal hall. We passed by the sitting policemen and went further inside and sat at the chairs on the corridor looking around for their Tourist center but there seems to be no such said office in their Municipal Hall.

I stood from where I sat and went inside the first office.

“Good morning mam” I greeted them.

“Mabalin agsaludsod, ammo yo kadi nu anya ti direksyon mapan idianay waterfalls?” (Can I ask a question, do you know the directions going to the waterfalls?).

We talked and after which she accompanied me to an office upstairs. On our way upstairs we chanced upon the Barangay Captain of Patoc-ao  Mr. A. Adayan (I hope I got the name right) and he offered us to take us around. Because we do not have our own ride (we were planning to hike) he offered us to take a ride on their motorbike but there were two of us so they went looking for another motorbike for us to use through the hospitality of the chief Tanod of Barangay Patoc-ao Mr. Eleazar Saydocen (hope I got the name right). 
While waiting for them to find another motorcycle, we went ahead at the office upstairs, I introduced myself, she gave me a flyer of the different tourist spots of Suyo and she introduced herself as:

Leah A. Esperanza

LRCO-1 / Acting Tourism Officer

LGU- Suyo Ilocos Sur 

The motorcycles were ready so we thanked her and went on to ride.

We departed the Municipal Hall at 9:20 am and arrived at the drop-off point 12 minutes later. From that point on we walked, arriving at the falls at 9:39 am. The waterfall is called “SANGBAY NI RAGSAK”. 

Sangbay ni ragsak CLICK HERE

Our guides were also the drivers of the motorbikes led by Chief Tanod of brgy. Patoc-ao Mr. Saydocen. At the Sangbay ni Ragsak area, they stayed at the shed just before the falls while we went closer to the falls to take some photos.

    
At about 10:20 am we departed from the falls and rode on the motorbikes and arrived at downtown Suyo at 10:40 am. They parked the motorbikes and went on to our next destination, the waterfalls at Barangay Poblacion. This time we just walked. We started walking at 10:53 from the Municipal Hall arriving at “SANGBAY” at 11:05 am. At 11:15 we departed from the falls and went to “DAWARA FALLS”. 

Sangbay CLICK HERE

Dawara CLICK HERE

It was 11:45 when we departed “Dawara Falls” arriving back at the municipal Hall area at 12:04 pm. The Chief Tanod introduced us to a passenger tricycle driver who will take us to the falls at barangay Man-atong.

We thanked them and went to have our Lunch at a store nearby.

At 12:19 pm we rode on the tricycle and went to barangay Man-atong.  

  We arrived at the drop-off-point at 1:00 pm and from there, we hiked with the driver as our guide arriving at the “FALLS at MAN -ATONG” at 1:57pm.

Falls at Man-atong CLICK HERE

The skies became darker and it began to drizzle. 
We hiked our way back arriving at the drop-off-point at 2:20 pm.  We rested and rode the tricycle arriving at downtown Suyo at 3:36 pm. We paid and thanked the driver for his services.

We went back to Bitalag junction and rode a bus bound for Home Sweet Home.

-end of pagnapagna-

For another Blog post about "Dawara, Sangbay and Sangbay ni Ragsak... the second time around" CLICK HERE

Subject   : Suyo, Ilocos Sur
Location : Municipality of Suyo
                 Province of Ilocos Sur
                 (where Sangbay, Sangbay ni Ragsak,
                 Dawara and Falls at Man-atong
                 are located)

How to get to Suyo, Ilocos Sur:
1-  From Manila, take a bus going to any of these northern Luzon places such as : Laoag City, Vigan City, Candon City and Abra. All of these passes through Tagudin, Ilocos Sur, so get down at BITALAG JUNCTION which is located few minutes away after the Yellow Market (Tagudin’s Public Market).
2- At Bitalag Junction (Bitalag is a barangay of Tagudin) wait for or look for the tricycles with white and green paint (yellow tricycles are for Tagudin’s). With 25 pesos as fair going to Suyo , Ilocos Sur, you may pay the whole tricycle for 150 pesos for the total passengers of 5. Tell the driver to get you down at Suyo Municipal Hall.

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