Stay-In Vacation at Golden Berries Hotel & Convention Center

After almost 20 years since I departed Tabuk, Kalinga, - the place where I grew up, it was a blessing indeed to be able to go back and visit. 

Now considered a city (Tabuk City), some hotels have already been up.

It was such a good place to stay while I and my family had a vacation for a week.

Early morning infront of the hotel

Another good thing is the fact that this is the hotel closest to our relatives' residences which are only 5-minute drive going to the houses. While I and my husband got a room in the hotel, the rest of our family chose to stay with our relatives. They enjoyed bonding with them that way ;).

There is one inn much closer to the house and much cheaper, but it didn't have the hot shower my husband wanted. It was basically more on a transient boarding house and we were not so sure about its security as well.

Golden Berries Hotel is located along the provincial road of San Juan, Tabuk, Kalinga province in northern Philippines. This makes it easy to locate because it is close to the road. The hotel is also a popular venue for seminars, conferences, wedding and other occasions.

Golden Berries Hotel has 15 rooms and 3 convention halls for various functions. Rooms are clean and regularly maintained, with amenities; - A/C, cable TV, wi-fi, and with hot and cold showers.

My husband loved their brewed coffee! We actually bought 2 regular packs of this to take with us to the US ;).

Our stay in the hotel also came with a complimentary Filipino breakfast, but only good for one person :(. It wasn't a big deal though, because our family was always cooking for us big meals 3x a day...LOL!

The pool was a plus! Our nieces and nephews went there for a swim while the adults stayed at the poolside, eating! hahaha! It was fun being together with loved ones together with food. :)

We ordered from the hotel and they were all good! 

The Famous "White Carabao" Landmark in Bulanao

Our tour group ;)

While having a tour around Tabuk, we happened to stop by at this famous "white carabao" landmark in Bulanao, Tabuk.

It surprised me now located in a different spot. I learned later that the city government moved it from its old location which was at the middle of the road intersection to the side of the street fronting St. William's Cathedral. It also looked brighter with its tri-colored green-orange-yellow combination and is now a waiting shed, making the carabao on top of it.

I couldn't seem to find answers to my question as to why they transferred the monument, except that there was an issue of the old monument being abused by placing lots of advertising banners, political, commercial ads, etc...losing the monument's historical purpose, thus, there was an executive order issued by the governor of Tabuk prohibiting any streamers and banners of any kind on the landmark.

The "White Carabao" monument symbolizes the main occupation of the residents of Tabuk, - which is farming, and is always a prominent historical landmark when you reach the town of Bulanao - the town it became popular with.

I've witnessed the presence of this monument 15 years in this town while growing up, and being a small child those days, I actually called Bulanao "white carabao" everytime I see it. :) That would also meant I am already 5 minutes close to home! ;)

Honestly, I couldn't complain about the landmark's new location now with a waiting shed below it. it looks like it is now serving its purpose much better with its much improved looks...just my opinion! :)

A Quick Look of St. William's Cathedral

We were not actually able to step inside this cathedral for a detailed visit. Due to other trip itineraries we had in mind, we thought of just taking its photo as we stopped by on the other side of the street.

St. William's Cathedral is located in Bulanao, one of the towns in Tabuk which is like 2-3 kilometers away from Tabuk town proper (Tabuk City). It is located right along the road fronting the "white carabao"-turned waiting shed so that everyone in the area can easily see it clearly. Its architectural design is quite catchy so that someone with a camera couldn't resist taking photos on it :).

It's known for its modern architectural design obviously seen on its facade. At the back of it is the St. William's Academy, a school named after Msgr. William Brasseur, who were then the apostolic vicar of the Mountain Provinces. This is how ST. William's got its name, - for both the cathedral and the school.

Passing Pasunglao Bridge/Canao Bridge

From Tabuk town proper, 3 kilometers away is the Pasunglao Bridge. This bridge is already replaced by a new bridge called Canao Bridge, named after Antonio Canao in honor of the first Kalinga native congressman.

The Canao Bridge is considered to be the longest bridge of its kind in the Cordilleras.

Pasunglao Bridge was not replaced until lately in 2008, under the North Luzon Agriculture Quadrangle (NLAQ) program of former president Gloria Arroyo.

Canao Bridge is now a road linking Tuguegarao-Tabuk-Bontoc roads, and mainly linked to Mt. Province, Abra and Apayao from tabuk City.

The Chico River Dam Tour

It was Holy Week but we got the chance to hire a van and a driver to take us to places worth visiting. We tried our luck to contact a tour guide who could give us information as we tour around, but nobody was available since it was already Holy Thursday. So, we just went ahead and tour on our own. The actual visits with some few good photos were good enough to enjoy the trip. :)

The Chico River dam has a rich historical past. It used to be an electric power generation project in 1973 for the purpose of increasing the electrical power by 50% in Luzon.

Unfortunately, the project didn't push through and finally shelved in the 1980's because the local residents didn't approve of it, particularly the Igorots who were living in the villages. The local residents who resisted the Chico River Dam project continued fighting against it for 3 decades and finally won, causing the project to be shelved for good.

If the dam was pushed through, it would submerge villages of some local residences along the Chico river, including the terraces, their burial grounds and their sacred groves.

Basically, the dam project meant destroying all their property, - which their way of life has been based upon.

The residents who fought hard against the dam didn't find it easy. The Chico River Valley became a war zone where many casualties were involved. High-powered arms were used between the rebels and the government militaries. There were a lot of groups involved during the fight and it would be a long story to tell in detailed information.

I didn't remember much about this while growing up. I was only a 5-year old innocent kid who wanted to play and enjoy the kid's world...:)

But visiting a  place with a noted historical past is way more than enough to have a memorable trip such as this, - with the company of loved ones of course!