We suddenly exited TPLEX to make a stop in Pangasinan. We were only a couple of exits away from the end of the tollway and the last part of the trip, which was the climb to Baguio via either Marcos Highway or Kennon Road. And we were doing good time until this exit and detour.

Our stop was at this restaurant in Sison, Pangasinan, which I discovered was a drivers’ stop. Drivers of buses and vans stop here to get a free meal in exchange for them bringing their passengers who will likely eat, drink and shop for pasalubong here.

Pasalubong options including the usual local delicacies including nuts, biscuits, sweets, etc. Many items are not from Pangasinan but may be from neighboring provinces. I even found pastilles from Bulacan being sold here.

There are also fruits and vegetables for those who want to bring home to use in cooking. Though not a market, the prices at the stop are low as these are sourced from local farms.

Of course, there’s tupig at the stop. Tupig has its origins in the Ilocos Region so this is one of the places to get this rice cake delicacy.

Tupi fresh from the grill

We ended up not going back to the tollway but instead used the Manila North Road to Marcos Highway. Kennon Road was closed to general traffic when we passed by the junction. And so it took us almost 2 hours more to finally get to our hotel instead of about an hour if we had not made this stop.

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