Ultimate Ilocandia Adventure Part 1: Ilocos Sur

The X-mas vacation gave me an opportunity to once again satisfy the wanderlust in me! My “itchy feet” took me up north, to the Ilocos region. Btw, I have my new travel buddy Lah-lah. We’re colleagues in the academe; we just discovered that we both have “itchy feet”. Anyway, Ilocos region is composed of two provinces, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. Both are located in the northern part of the Luzon Island.  If you’re coming from Manila, you will reach Ilocos Sur first.

Getting There

From Manila, you have to ride a Partas or Farinas bus. These two bus company have direct routes to Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. Catch a bus going to Vigan City or Laoag City. In our case, we waited for a bus at Dau Bus Terminal. Dau bus terminal is just about 15-20 minutes from Clark (if you’re coming from Diosdado Macapagal International Airport). The bus fare is Php 384/person (10 USD). We traveled at night, so we left Dau at about 11:30 PM. After 6 hours, we already arrived in Vigan. Day trip usually last for about 10 hours, night time is much faster because there are no bus stops, and you just have to sleep the whole journey. The only backside of night travel is that you’ll miss nice view of the countryside. I have been to Vigan last year, so I have seen the view of the countryside of Ilocos. Below are some photos I took inside the bus and also during the bus stops.

a beautiful rocky shore at the bus stop.. 

if you passed the Quirino bridge, it means you’re about to reach Vigan City!

VIGAN CITY

Vigan City is the capital city of Ilocos Sur. This city was built by the Spanish during their colonization of the country. A part of this city, the Heritage Village, is well-known for having well-preserved Spanish colonial houses. The city is also famous for its baroque churches and museums.

Welcome to Vigan!

 It was still dark when we set our “itchy feet” in this charming city. We told the bus driver to drop us off at Plaza Salcedo, the town center, which has a man-made lake. At the end of the plaza you will see the St. Paul Cathedral, and then at the opposite end is the Ilocos Sur Capitol Building. Since it was still early for a city tour, we decided to stroll and photo op around the plaza.

the St. Paul cathedral at dawn…

Plaza Salcedo before the sunrise..

infront of the ilocos sur capitol building..

City Tour

For the city tour, a kalesa ride is a must! A kalesa is a horse-drawn cart, which are plenty around the plaza. The kalesa tour cost Php 150/hour (4 USD). It will take about 4 – 5 hours to see all the attractions. The kalesa driver knew exactly all the spots that a tourist wanted to see. Our kalesa driver, Norbert was our tourist guide cum photographer. It was actually my second time to see the city, but the eagerness in me never vanished. The itinerary of the kalesa city tour is as follows:

Norbert and his kalesa

Bantay Church and Bantay Bell Tower

The Bantay church is also a relatively old church, distinct for its maroon colored façade. At the far right side, you’ll see the bell tower. The tower is made of red clay bricks, built by the Spanish to watch the sea of coming threats or enemies. You have to climb the staircase to reach the top,  where the huge bell is located, plus a very nice view awaits you. Entrance fee is Php 20/person (less than 1 USD).

 infront of bantay church..

the scenic bell tower..

let’s go to the top!

the view.. wonderful!

UNESCO World Heritage Marker

The UNESCO declared Vigan City as a world heritage site. It signifies the importance of this city as a historical and cultural site. Through this, the preservation of the city will be given concern. So it’s a must to see this marker.

 the UNESCO marker..

up-close..

Burgos Museum

The actual house of one of the GOMBURZA (Gomez, Burgos and Zamora) priests, Padre Gomez. The GOMBURZA are considered martyrs and heroes. During the Spanish period, they were executed by guillotine, because of the false accusation of rebellion by the Spanish government. The museum has a lot of antiques and interesting artifacts.  Entrance fee is Php 20/person.

antique pots..

ilocos sur hall of fame

 the living room..

 this is actually a telephone!

Baluarte

Baluarte is the private zoo of Chavit Singson, the former governor of Ilocos Sur. It has almost a complete collection of animals, from ostrich to tigers. It also houses a butterfly sanctuary. Best of all, no entrance fee! You can even ride the ponies for free!

 welcome to baluarte!

 hey ostrich, come here!

 can you tell what animal is this?

I met these ducks along the way..

so pretty!

Vigan Pottery

The pottery maker, Bingbong demonstrated how to make traditional clay pots. He also toured us inside the shop, showed their huge oven where they bake the clay pots. No entrance fee, but  atleast buy something from their store

 pottery making demo..

the long and huge oven, where they bake the clay pots..

sea of clay pots..

Villa Christina

This old Spanish colonial house was the place where Tom Cruise stayed during the filming of his movie “Born In the Fourth of July” in 1985. You can actually stay in the same room where he stayed. The entrance fee to the house is Php 10/person. (Sorry I don’t have photos here!)

Crisologo Museum

The museum is the former residence of one of Ilocos Sur’s famous political family, the Crisologos. The head of the family, the former governor of Ilocos Sur, Floro Crisologo was assinated during the 70’s. He was shot point blank at the back of his head while kneeling and praying inside the St. Paul Cathedral. Inside the museums are the family’s memorabilia, including the assassination photos of the late governor. There’s no entrance fee, but atleast you have to give small amount as donation. The photos shown below were from my first visit of Vigan last year.

the entrance to the museum..

an antique four-post bed..

 mirror, mirror on the wall..

Heritage Village

This is the well-known historical site of Vigan City. The main street, Calle Crisologo is lined with old Spanish colonial houses, museums, antique stores and souvenir shops. This is my favorite spot in Vigan; I just love walking in this street (even under the hot sun!). For pasalubong (gift items for the family or friends from travel), I bought coin purse made of woven fabric at 20 Php each. A lot of items are also available, like woven bags and rags to antique chest.

the famous street, calle crisologo

what street is this?

a nice morning stroll..

we enjoyed our kalesa ride!

Empanadahan

The Empanadahan is the best drop-off point after the tour. This place is lined with several stalls, where you can enjoy the city’s specialty, Empanada. This popular street food looks like crepe, Vigan version. Its filling is made of vegetables, like cabbage and carrots with meat and whole egg, wrapped in wrappers made of egg and rice flour, and deep fried.  You can choose regular or special. The difference between the two is that regular is just veggies, while special has meat and whole egg. Both are best eaten when dip in vinegar, yum! I want to return to Vigan City just to eat empanada

my empanada… yummmm!

After our half-day city tour of Vigan, we decided to continue our journey up north, to Ilocos Norte. Our main destination is the small town of Pagudpud, known for its white sand and pristine beaches! Read the Part 2 of this post for the continuation of our Ilocandia adventure. Ciao!

Summer of 2007 in Vigan…

I’ll never get tired of visiting this place!

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Song of the Day:

I Wanna Be With You by Mandy Moore. I like this song so much, that I never get tired of listening to it. Mandy Moore is one of my favorite pop singer. She was able to maintain her wholesome image, not unlike her contemporaries, like Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson. Btw, this song is included in her album “I Wanna Be With You” (2000) was featured in the movie “Center Stage” (2000).

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DISCLAIMER: Prices may go up, establishments may go bankrupt. It is recommended that you also check or research about the fares, fees and prices for your own convenience. The author of this blog is not connected with any of the hotels, resorts or establishments mentioned.

Exchange rate during the time of travel: 1 USD = 41 Php