canagatan: where the only thing more unpredictable than the weather is the wifi
welp, here i am writing about this place i visited a while back. canagatan, if you can even call it that. it's one of those barangays in the middle of nowhere, part of baggao municipality in cagayan province. let me tell you, if you're looking for a bustling metropolis, you've come to the wrong place.
so yeah, it's way up in northeastern luzon, philippines. coordinates are 18.0000° n latitude and 121.8000° e longitude, which basically means it's pretty far from everything. the name comes from some ilocano word for reed or cane, which makes sense because apparently they used to have a lot of those there. someone told me that the whole area was covered in these plants back in the day, which is why they named it that. pretty creative, right?
the geography is basically rolling hills and it's close to the pacific coast. sounds nice, but let me tell you, the roads getting there are something else. i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. temperature's about 25.73°c, feels like 25.95°c, which basically means it's hot and humid. humidity is at 61%, so not too bad i guess. pressure's 1011 hpa, which whatever that means. all i know is that it rains like crazy from june to november, so don't plan your trip then unless you enjoy being perpetually damp.
if you get bored, tuguegarao city is just a short drive away. there's also solana, cagayan and other municipalities nearby. though honestly, the transportation options are limited to local buses and jeepneys, so getting anywhere takes forever. and when you do get somewhere, you're looking at basic guesthouses and small inns. don't expect any fancy hotels here.
someone told me that the whole cagayan region has some pretty amazing natural attractions - caves, waterfalls, you know, the usual stuff nature enthusiasts go crazy over. me? i'm more of a "show me a decent coffee shop" kind of traveler, but hey, to each their own.
the population is only 500 people as of 2020, so it's definitely not crowded. everyone's into ilocano culture, which is cool i guess, though i couldn't really tell the difference from any other filipino culture. agriculture is big here, rice and corn mainly. so if you're a farmer, you'll feel right at home.
what else can i tell you? oh right, it's pretty rural and off-the-beaten-path. amenities are limited, so if you can't live without your daily starbucks fix, you might want to reconsider. but if you're looking for a place where you can actually hear yourself think and see some stars at night, then maybe give it a shot.
that's pretty much it for canagatan. i'm not sure why i'm writing about this place, but here we are. maybe someone will find this useful when they're stuck deciding whether to visit or not. my advice? if you like quiet, nature, and don't mind basic accommodations, go for it. if not, maybe stick to tuguegarao city. your call.
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