Driving 3 weeks to the northern tip of mainland Philippines — Patapat Bridge, abandoned resorts, land's end, and the trip home to Cebu

Driving 3 weeks to the northern tip of mainland Philippines — Patapat Bridge, abandoned resorts, land's end, and the trip home to Cebu

In one line
A Korean dad who drove for three weeks from Mactan, Cebu, reaches the northern tip of mainland Luzon, sees Patapat Bridge, wrecked resorts and the land's-end point, then spends three days driving home to Cebu and takes his family to an amusement park.

💡 Key takeaways

[Patapat Bridge]
• A coastal road runs along the mountainside, so people stop to sightsee and fly drones.
• Someone charged money to shoot drone videos. He thought it was 100, but was told it was 300 because of a minimum group size (unit: check the video).
• He ate empanada (a Spanish-style dumpling) from a roadside stall, dipped not in soy sauce but in chili vinegar.

[Northernmost town and beach of Luzon]
• According to the host, this is the northernmost town and beach on the Philippine mainland — about 10 hours 30 minutes from Manila, and 1,339 km from his home in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu.
• Apart from islands further north like Batanes, it's the very end of mainland Luzon and the point closest to Korea.
• There are wind turbines, and there was a zip line running to the hill.
• Large hotels and resorts are ruined, with roofs blown off (including Hannah Beach Resort and Convention Center).
• It was the weekend so a few people were around; he says a weekday would have been even emptier.

[Getting to the northernmost point — caution]
• He expected a proper road, but the way in was rough and dangerous.
• Hardly any cars pass, so turning around was hard; he finally turned in an empty lot.
• The point had no sign at all and nobody there.
• A carabao's leash was stretched across the road at one spot.

[The way home and the car]
• The return trip was 1,200 km over 3 days, with two RoRo ferry rides.
• Over 3 weeks he drove about 3,500 km in Luzon; the host says his Ford truck developed no rattles despite mountain roads and sharp corners.

[Amusement park (name: check the video)]
• After one ride on the roller coaster you must wait 15 minutes to ride again, and it stops once it starts raining.
• The Boomerang ride won't run unless four people gather.
• There are operating-hour limits too, so even with a group they couldn't ride. It was quiet even on a Sunday.

⏱ Chapters
00:07 Patapat Bridge and cyclists
01:09 Empanada and chili vinegar
02:12 Drone fee and ruined resorts
03:16 Northernmost beach of Luzon
06:17 Reaching the mainland's northern tip
08:18 Three days home with two RoRo ferries
09:21 Family reunion and the car's condition
10:22 Roller coaster and Boomerang at the amusement park

💬 What viewers said (68 comments)
• Most comments thank him for the 3-week northern trip series and welcome the family reunion.
• Viewers who'd been there shared the point's name (Ma-Ira Ira Point), nearby parking, the wind farm, and memories of once-crowded resorts and the zip line.
• Some missed seeing Vigan, and others talked about the cost of fuel.