When we finished our ultimate northern loop road trip in the Cordilleras, we pointed out that there was a single province left to explore. It was the province of Abra, which despite being within and surrounded by the Cordilleras and the Ilocos Region which we have already visited, remained out of our list until late. It was for good reasons though, travel-wise. One of the places that is a must-see in Abra is only open to tourists during the rainy season, which meant that missing it would mean waiting for another year to have another opportunity. We have already set our eyes on Abra though, hence the hiatus and willingness to wait.

Fast forward, many months after our last countryside adventure in Batanes and a few after settling down in the capital, we finally found the opportunity to take it off from where we left off: Renegade Junctures is back!

Apart from the fact that the trip to Abra is our return to the countryside after a rather lengthy hiatus, the adventure is unique as it was the first time that Ran and I won’t be traveling on our own. There were six of us, including my mom, my brother and his girl friend, and my niece.

We left Malolos City at around 11:30 PM, expecting to arrive in Abra after between seven to eight hours. It was a long drive at night, which was something that I honestly missed.

We reached the heritage province arch of Ilocos Sur at around 05:00 AM, as if reminiscent of our first trip to the Ilocos Region when we reached the same spot at around 05:30 AM. We had a quick stop over, and I woke my niece up so that we could have a photo before the arch.

We then moved on with our journey. As soon as the sun was up, I asked Ran to take the wheel so that I could rest a bit before we reach our first stop in Abra.

I knew we were getting closer when the landscapes around us started to change. Lush mountains surrounded the road we were taking, and the slope of the ground became more pronounced. That was when I knew, even without looking at the online map, that we were entering the Cordilleras.

Originally called El Abra de Vigan which roughly translates to the pass to Vigan, the province of Abra was founded as an independent province in 1846 when it was separated from the old Ilocos Province. During the Spanish colonial government, it was administered by the Augustinian friars from the church of Bantay until missions were established which led to the founding of the towns in what would eventually be the province of Abra.

At 06:45 AM, after seven hours and 30 minutes of sleepless drive, we finally made it to the famous arch that welcomes every visitor to the province of Abra.

The welcome arch to the province of Abra is the Tangadan Tunnel in the town of San Quintin, built in 1934 and is said to have taken two years to complete. The story goes that it is so fortified that during World War II, the American forces tried to bomb the tunnel twice to seal it off and prevent the Japanese forces from advancing, but the efforts were in vain. Decades have passed since then and the tunnel remains standing, serving as testament not only to its formidable strength but to the indomitable spirit of the Itneg people as well.

The tunnel was the sign that we were finally in Abra, and we cannot allow that the opportunity to take photos will just pass.

Next to the tunnel is a monument park dedicated to the heroine Gabriela Silang. During the Seven Years’ War between 1756 to 1763 which led to the British occupation of Manila, Gabriela’s husband, Diego Silang, led an insurgency in Ilocos that sought to depose the Spanish officials and replace them with natives. He allied with the British forces in the process, who in appointed him as governor of Ilocos. The Spanish retaliated by having Diego assassinated, and Gabriela took the torch of battle from her husband and retreated to Abra where her mother hailed from. She laid siege on Vigan, but was eventually forced to retreat back to and go into hiding in Abra where she was later captured. She was sentenced to die by hanging.

I was not able to take a good photo of the monument, and I know that what I have does not do justice to both the monument itself and the heroism of Gabriela Silang. At any rate, Gabriela Silang has left an indelible imprint among Filipinos that her name resounds synonymous to gender equity and women empowerment even to this day.

Just a few meters away from the tunnel as well, on the opposite side of the monument, stands the Abra Pasalubong Center. It sells products, both locally made and sourced from nearby provinces. We stopped to look around, though we did not buy as much yet as we would still pass through the shop on our way home anyway.

We then headed on our way. It would still be quite a drive past the capital town of Bangued before we get to the next part of our itinerary, which was a mountain destination. Along the way though, not so distant from the Tangadan Tunnel, we were not able to help ourselves but stop and get off the car just to appreciate the scenic view that welcomed us in this gateway province of the Cordilleras.

The view, of course, was just a foretaste of the more that awaits us us we move deeper to the heart of Abra. The day has just broken for us, but the excitement that we were feeling was already overwhelming. Almost instantly, Abra was able to capture and captivate us.

At around 07:00 AM, the morning was still young. We went off already, nonetheless, as we would want to make the most out of our first day in Abra. True to its name, it is not just the opening to Ilocandia or to the Cordilleras. It is an opening to natural wonders that we were to explore.