MY first glimpse of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte was from a TV show featuring classical Filipino singers performing kundiman in exotic locations. I still remember the singers in their Baro't Saya and Barong Tagalog, singing songs by Nicanor Abelardo while walking on an empty white-sand beach of Saud.

It took me many years and almost a whole day of travel before I was able to set foot on the beach of my dreams. It was during the mid-1990s when Pagudpud was only starting to get popular, and the only resort on Saud beach was a few cottages operated by locals. We camped on the beach for several days and enjoyed the clearest blue water we've seen in this part of Luzon.