Ahh.
Buhay-probinsya. The life in the province.
A neighborhood close to nature.
Trees are bountiful.
There are rice fields or farmlands almost everywhere.
The narrow roads.
There’s a river or stream (if not a beach) nearby.
Farm animals just minding their own business.
It’s a life almost devoid of modernity.
Typically the houses have their own big backyard and each abode is surrounded by trees.
What's in this post?
Things to do in Mangatarem… there isn't a lot but
It’s worth it.
But before that, let me say that this was just a start of my adventures in the province of #Pangasinan. As it turned out, I’d come back here two more times, one of which will be in my next post.
Going back…
We didn’t have a planned itinerary beforehand. The goal was just to meet, drink for sure, and maybe visit some destinations in Mangatarem if there’s any (I was surprised there are).
As an overview, here’s how we spent our two days and two nights in Mangatarem.
Day 1
- We started out travel from Cubao at around 9:30 AM via bus
- We arrived in Mangatarem town proper at almost 2:00 PM
- Strolled to see the Suaco neighborhood
- Night stroll in the town plaza, food trip at Eat Street, and coffee at Figaro
- Drinking session and catching up at Oms’ place
Day 2
- Early call time for Daang Kalikasan ‘road trip’ and sightseeing
- Lunch at
- Nature walk into the depths of Barrio Suaco (cornfields and streams)
- Rest and left for Manila at midnight (that’s why it’s two nights)
Nature walk
There isn’t many tourist destinations in Mangatarem, but personally, why would I need one when there are some rustic places to be some walking-distance away.
Our friend Oms’ residence sits by a farm and is literally the first house in the barangay of Suaco, Mangatarem.
Upon arriving at their house, since we had eaten already, Law, Itty and I decided to have a walk outside and until we reached the steel bridge over an almost stagnant river.
And If you continue walking farther, there’s a bridge that has a more pleasing view of the river below. There were two carabaos having a soak in the water, probably resting and cooling down after toiling. An afternoon in the province can be really, really quiet and, uhm, laid back. Before it got darker, we walked back home.
And in no time, at a little past 5, dinner was set and we found ourselves getting filled with two authentic Ilocano dishes, pinapaitan and igado, and tinolang tahong. It was already dark when we finished eating, lounged in the terrace area, and decided to go for an evening trip somewhere.
Pinapaitan (left), igado (center), and ginisang tahong (right). Pinapaitan is an Ilocano (native to Ilocos Region) dish whose main ingredients are goat meat and innards and bile. The bile gives this stew the bitter taste. Igado, another Ilocano dish and also composed of both meat and innards (primarily liver), somehow resembles the Tagalog and more popular menudo minus the thick tomato sauce. The tinolang tahong (mussel tinola) apparently is more common than I thought.
Mangatarem at night
If you have been to a province province, you know what happens when the night comes. By 7 or 8 o’clock in the evening, the roads become almost deserted and most shops are closed.
But there is still some night life remaining in Mangatarem, apparently, and that’s what we experienced on the second night.
Mangatarem town plaza
Maybe one of the spots that tries to attract tourist is the Mangatarem town plaza with its Christmasy decorations, you would feel like it’s still December here. Their town plaza was heavily decorated with lights and other ornaments like it was fiesta. There was also a big ‘I ♡ MANGATAREM’ that you can have a souvenir photo with.
Eat Street food trip
But that was just a quick stop. We were really headed to the ‘night life district’ of Mangatarem a.k.a. farm area with food establishments.
Another spot worth visiting for tourists is the Eat Street and the area where this is located where other food establishments can be found.
Manage your expectations –in a quaint town like this, this area is a ‘breath of fresh air’ (actually an oddity).
We first went to the EAT STREET. Basically a food park (a space with different food stalls) which had a live band performing.
We had some takoyaki from one of the shops by the entrance. From what I remember, we wanted to sit as far away as possible from the live band and their speakers because of the bad sound system.
Agkapita
Next, we wanted to have coffee after eating and went to AGKAPITA. ‘Agkapita’ is Ilocano for ‘let’s have coffee’. The idea of putting a coffee shop in the middle of a rice field is brilliant. Moreover, I bet it looks great in the morning when you can see and smell the fresh rice paddies while sipping a hot beverage.
When we reached there, the place wasn’t what we expected (not even by Oms). It looked like a night club with loud music. The ‘bouncer’ asked to leave for not wearing closed shoes but reasoned that we didn’t know and just wanted to have coffee. Eventually he allowed us but, as it turned out, there was no coffee available at that time and we were offered instant coffee instead. So, this prompted us to leave the place and find coffee somewhere else.
Figaro Mangatarem
The barkada at Figaro. Photos courtesy of Resty.
We still needed coffee and thankfully (and surprisingly) there’s a Figaro in Mangatarem. A quick ‘kwentuhan’ (exchange of stories) over coffee.
The real catching up
Some cold Heineken and Smirnoff to cap the night.
What’s next after a hot coffee? We went back to Oms’ place and started the drinking session. Drinking is of course part of the plan. We bought a few cans and bottles when we arrived at the town proper in the afternoon, refrigerated and now perfectly cold like your partner.
Dang Kalikasan
Mangatarem is a landlock municipality. and there are no seas nearby. Instead, it is surrounded by farmlands, hills, and some mountains.
Mangatarem means “mango plantation” and is known for mangoes and is one of the primary agricultural products of the municipality.
The landscapes of Mangatarem changes between the flat fields and the mountains. The mountains to the left separates this part of Pangasinan from the province of Zambales and that’s where the Daang Kalisakasan si built.
The Daang Kalikasan became popular especially for motorbike riders due to its wild uphill, downhill, and winding roads, plus the amazing panoramic view.
On our second day in Mangatarem we went to Daang Kalikasan and we were hoping to see the sun rise from there. However, we were kind of late but we still got an amazing morning view of the town.
There are certain spots in Daang Kalikasan that offer an amazing view of the entire town, as well as open views of the landscape beyond. The mountains in this region aren’t as forested as ours in Montalban, and are more grassy which makes the mountains kind of look bald. Still an amazing vista, and to be honest, kinda look like the mountains you’d see in New Zealand.
Satisfied aftertaking a bunch of photos, we left and decided to go to another place called Daang Katutubo. Unfortunately the road to it was inaccessible at that time so we turned around and went to eat instead.
More from the laid-back province life
We spent the rest of the afternoon lazying around and walking more around the vicinity. We went to a stream, crossed the shanty-looking bridge, went to eat some snacks (kikiam, fishball etc) and went back to the house for dinner. Sarap-buhay.
Panoramic photo of the ricefield behind Oms’ house. Lawrence took this photo, so yeah, thanks, Pochi!
Before the actual dinner, at near sunset, we visited the ricefield behind Oms’ house. There’s an open view of the mountains from there. Perfect during the sunset. This was one of the most serene moments I’ve experienced in my life.
Up to this point we weren’t sure whether to travel back to Manila at night or leave the following day. After eating yet another delicious Ilocano delicacy (dinakdakan), we finally decided.
We ended sleeping for a few hours and left at 12 midnight and took a bus to Cubao where we arrived unexpectedly early so we hung around at McDonald’s before going home.
Final words
Spontaneous and no plans ahead as to where exactly to go. This wasn’t a perfect trip but it was just what I needed. But the main intention was there. To shake of some stiffness of life. To be free and lazy, even just for two days.