The Great Amianan | Paoay Lake, Ilocos Norte
Further going to Laoag, we stopped by the Paoay Lake which is just along the way going to Malacanang of the North.
On the shores of the Paoay Lake lies a mansion once used by the Marcoses called Malacañang of the North; it is now a museum. Adjacent to the mansion is the Paoay Golf Course. The placid lake was wider than we have expected.
Legend has it that this 3.86 square kilometer lake, the largest in Ilocos Norte, once existed as a village called San Juan de Sahagun. Villagers, once god fearing and humble, prospered much that they turned materialistic and selfish over time.
The gods, appalled by the transformation, punished them by submerging the whole place in water, with the villagers turned into fishes, with their jewelries still adorning their scales and fins.
The leaves of the nearby trees rustled against the warm and humid air streaming across the lake.
Terrazas De Paoay, the restaurant in which we stopped by, offers food and refreshments to any visitors who wants to appreciate the unobstructed view of the lake. And to fully enjoy our brief stay, we ordered some Ilocos Empanada partnered with a glass of Halo-halo, what a way to cool down in this hot afternoon.
How To Get There
- From Manila, take any Laoag, Ilocos Norte bound buses (Partas and GV Florida), travel time takes 9-11 hours.
- Alight at Batac Junction then hal any tricycle to take you to Paoay Lake
