Countless times did I plan for an Ilocos getaway and I can no longer remember when it started and almost ended though. I thought I would never ever push this trip and see Ilocos, I almost gave up.
At last, after x number of cancelled flights and numerous times of postponed planned road trips, I got to visit Ilocos this time. #Feels :p
Just like what they usually say, “Buti pa ang biglaang lakad, natutuloy.”
Last yuletide season 2015, We’ve planned a vacation trip to Ilocos. I got questions like, where to go or what to do in Vigan City, Whats in Laoag? How was Pagudpud? Where did you stay and how much did your trip cost you? Questions that are commonly answered by searching the web though it’s better answered by someone you know and trust. So that’s why I asked a family friend who also have a van for hire and lucky us, he was raised in Ilocos! Bingo!(a plus factor coz he know where we heading to :P)
Seriously, I really do not have to explain it further since I am pretty sure you have seen Vigan on a lot of travel shows, you have googled it, and just like me, you have dreamt of visiting it. But well, there would be a lot of ways to reach Ilocos – either via plane, public bus, or an 8-hour-private-ride.
In this Ilocos Trip, we hired a van which was an advantage since we were able to cut off the usual 14-hour public bus ride to 6-8 hours only (San Jose City to Vigan). We were also able to do some stopovers whenever and wherever we want to. We were able to go around and last but not the least, we were able to meet our budget. Hehe
For San Jose City commuters- van for hire is the most easiest way to get there! You can contact: Kuya Samuel Reyes- 0925-767-2830/0922-931-0770. You can negotiate to him depending on the number of days, nights and place you want to go to.
Kuya SAm adviced us to travel 1:00am, December 26,2015. And surprisingly, we reached Vigan at exactly 5:00am. Good driver right?!
DAY 1: FIRST STOP: VIGAN, ILOCOS SUR
A. CALLE CRISOLOGO: is the main attraction in Vigan because of the old Spanish houses. This is considered as a UNESCO Heritage Site.
B. HIDDEN GARDEN: Vigan’s so called Hidden Garden is not really hidden at all. Well, it is way out from the city center, and one needs to either ride a tricycle or hire a calesa to access it, so I guess it is partly hidden in a way.
The sprawling garden started out as a personal venture for retired engineer, Francis Flores. It started to really blossom and guests started to pour in. Eventually, he opened the place to the public in 1991 and it became one of the usual stops with the calesa tours in Vigan.
Hidden Garden is really intended for people with green thumbs. Here, one can find all sorts of ornamental plants for one’s landscaping needs. Yes, they are for sale. Every mom who has a small patch of ground would definitely love this place. And while I’m not really interested in horticulture, I find their collection of bonsais to be really nice. Believe it or not, I even attended a free workshop once on how to grow them—or hinder them from growing, to be more precise.
Beside us is the wishing well.
C. BANTAY BELL CHURCH: It’s all still a bit hazy to me, but I somehow recall how a fireball blazed into the sky and fell at the hill where an old tower stood. The meteor was taken by a stooped old man and was eventually forged into a sword, the balaraw. That sword was said to grow long by thrusting into the ground.
Ang Panday, a movie from my childhood, was more than a movie for me back then. And now, decades later, I am still unable to believe that I’m standing on the ground where that ball of fire struck.
But erase all that. After doing a bit of research, I stumbled upon a full movie of Ang Panday on Youtube. I started to watch it, waiting for the scene with the bell tower. Soon, I found that my memory served me wrong. The meteor didn’t land at the tower. Rather, a book was found there by Tata Temyong, buried under a tree, after an earthquake shook the ground.
D. BALUARTE: Chavit’s home in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, is one of the top tourist destinations in Ilocos Sur. It stands on a hill and provides an awesome panoramic view of the city. The Baluarte is approximately 20 hectares with a mini zoo, shooting range, and a chapel, among others. Access to the mini zoo, where Chavit’s numerous pets can be found is free for everyone, as the respectable gentleman considers this as a gift to the people. (There as signs in the park assuring us that access to the zoo shall remain free for as long as Chavit “can still afford its maintenance”. We can help him by buying pet food sold at the zoo. By doing so, we didn’t just help Chavit provide such a wonderful gift to the people but also experience the fulfilling feeling of feeding animals.)
E. MARCOS MUSEUM AND MAUSOLEUM: FERDINAND MARCOS MUSEUM AND MAUSOLEUM in BATAC CITYMarcos Museum and Mausoleum is located in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, just a 30-minute ride from Laoag City. The museum can easily be found, as it is near the bridge where all the public buses stop.·
The museum houses memorabilia of the late President Marcos. It is incredibly wellorganized, making it a very enjoyable experience for visitors to learn about his life. The entrance fee is P50 per person while children under the age of four are free.·
The mausoleum is on the other side of the museum and it houses the body of the late president. Picture taking is prohibited inside here. Upon entering the mausoleum, one will also hear Gregorian sounds. There is no entrance fee to visit this side.The center was recently renovated.
F. PAOAY CHURCH: Ilocos is home to some of the Philippine’s oldest churchesone that is always being mentioned when talking about the region is the imposing St. Augustine Church of Paoay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It takes almost two decades to complete the construction of this massive edifice which was started by the Augustinian friars led by Father Antonio Estavillo in 1694 and completed in 1710. It is made up of coral stone and bricks with 24 enormous buttresses on the both sides and at the back, a prime example of “Earthquake Baroque” design which is the Philippine interpretation of the European Baroque adapted to the seismic condition of the country.
Also made of coral stone is the three-storey bell tower on the right side of the church. This bell tower is said to have been used as an observation post of the Katipuneros during Philippine revolution of 1896 and again by the Filipino guerillas in World War II.
Paoay Church is a best example of the localized Baroque architecture with its monumental and massive appearance. A touch of gothic design can also be seen on its beautiful facade while the gables reflect influence of Chinese architecture and the niches on top of the pillars and buttresses suggest Javanese influence as seen in the Borobodur Temple in Java, Indonesia.
G. FORT ILOCANDIA: Last stop for our first day trip.The Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino is a first class hotel in Ilocos Norte, located in Brgy. Calayab, Laoag City — just 9km away from the city proper. Its design was inspired by Spanish colonial architecture. The main building houses a lobby, the casino, the arcades, the shopping arcade, and restaurants. I was fascinated on how they maintained its old look. Stories said, that t’was already renovated. The staircase was sooo wow!So we took the chance to take pictures.
And these places were just for a day! Soo tiring pero sulit!
