A Night in Vigan

It was late night when we arrived at Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Calle Crisologo is just near our hotel, so we went there by walking while others chose to stay in hotel.

Vigan was chosen as one of the new 7 wonders of the world last 2015. It showcases the old houses from Spanish Era that was turned into stores and inns today. These houses were owned by the rich families and Chinese businessmen  before. The Vigan was the center of the trading of goods brought by the traders that sailed from South China Sea even before the Spaniards came. This was cited as UNESCO Heritage Site to preserve the ancient setting.

Even nights, Calle Crisologo are full of tourists. Whether they visit to experience on how it feels like to live during Spanish Era or for a date, the street is worth visiting for. The street can only be toured by walking or by riding a calesa. Motor vehicles are blocked in this street to preserve the Spanish setting. 

While walking the street, we had a good view of an old houses with big wide doors and windows, an old chair, souvenir stores that are still open even its 11 o'clock, souvenirs, furniture store, a hotel, and even a welcome banner for Pope Francis.

We took the liberty of taking each others pictures. Girl travel factor gave me tips to capture the night scenic view of the street with my camera and her as a model. :)

In our last night, we visited again the Calle Crisologo with some of our friends. We even had a taste of Vigan food in this Cafe Leona Restaurant.

Upon touring the street, there are houses that are newly painted. There are even bars. This is very different from the street that I visited 3 years ago. I asked one of the locals why there are bars on the ancient site. He answered, 'that is to promote tourism'. I was like, Huh? I was not expecting that answer. Aren't the ancestral houses and historical site enough to promote tourism? We even went there because of the expectations that we can get back to Spanish era if we will visit Vigan.

I know that some of the houses are owned by the private families. And I do not know if the local government has some power to prevent industrialization in the street. I just hope that the owners choose to maintain the image that fascinated the tourists all over the world.

Ilocos Tour: A 3-Day Travel to the North

The last 3 days of August 2015, we traveled to Ilocos. We had a Vigan-Laoag-Pagudpud tour for 3 days and 2 nights. After almost 12 hours of trip from Manila, we visited directly these old houses of rich families and businessmen from Spanish Era, the Calle Crisologo at Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

The next day, we went to the sinking bell tower. This bell tower is 85 meters away from its church, the St. William's Cathedral in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. This is famous because it was built on sandy foundation and is continuously sinking to the ground.

After that we went to Saud Beach in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. We enjoyed the beach with its very clear water and breathtaking view.

A few kilometers from the Saud Beach is the famous Bangui windmills. The windmills is the major provider of electricity to the province of Ilocos, Norte.

Next stop is the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, a white limestone that was formed a hundred or a thousand years ago. This is just a few kilometers away from the Bangui windmills.

Inside the Burgos, Ilocos Norte, (same place as the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation), is the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse. It is the old lighthouse that was established during Spanish era, and still functions as a beacon to the international ship that enters the North.

After we visited Marcos Musuem (resting place of the late President Marcos), we went to Paoay Church. Also known as St. Augustine Church, it is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. It was founded during Spanish Era using the Earthquake Baroque Architecture. As the name implies, its architecture was built to withstand the earthquake.

Last stop, we experienced the Paoay Sand Dunes. Ilocos experience will never be complete without trying the exhilarating 4x4 ride and the sand boarding. This very huge area of pure sand is located near the beach, and was known to me since the reign of the original movie, "Panday" led by the late action star Fernando Poe, Jr. (FPJ).

On the 3rd day, we went to the Bantay Bell Tower. This bell tower was high enough to serve as a watchtower for the pirates during Spanish Era. They say that you could see the whole Ilocos, Norte when you're up in this tower. This belfry serves the St. Augustine of Hippo Parish Church in Bantay, Ilocos Norte.

Next, we visited the famous hidden garden designed by the famous landscape artist, Francis Flores. He built his own house with this garden concept. Inside the garden, houses different kinds of flowers and herbal plants.

After that we went to Baluarte, the territory of former Governor Chavit Singson. You can see different kinds of animals, domestic and wild animals here.

We ended our trip to eat in this kind of local restaurant, the Lilong and Lilang Restaurant. The restaurant is inside the Hidden Garden and is also owned by the Flores Family, same Flores that owns the Hidden Garden.