Northern Escapade 1 - Vigan, Ilocos Sur

For our Summer Trip this year, the Guyz and Gals decided to go up north to Ilocandia.

Our initial itinerary for this 4day/4night trip is to go all the way to and spend the 1st day and night in Pagudpud, the 2nd to be devoted within the confines of Laoag City, the 3rd in the City of Vigan, while the 4th would be allotted for extra time and land travel. I believe that this timetable means the trip will be less stressful, especially for the driver, as you are already travelling your way back to Manila while you are enjoying the sites of Ilocandia. Hence, you should be guided by this principle in every trip that you shall make.

Putting it in matters of distance, while Pagudpud is more or less 570kms from Manila, Vigan City is a lot nearer at 407kms. Hence, you’ll have a shorter trip on your way home. However, since my bestfriend Doc will only join us on our 3rd day, we decided to alter our schedule.

From our office in Makati, I had to go through the hassle of the usual Friday night rush hour on my way home to Quezon City where my Hunny and I are to meet my bestfriend Ganie. We left QC at 9:00pm and arrived at our home in Ramos, Tarlac at around 10:45pm. Not bad at all considering that it’s Friday.

Since we had to wait for Angel, our rendezvous with the Guyz/Gals at the 7-11 convenience store in Paniqui was moved to 1:00AM. Good thing, we were kept awake by the many stories of my loving mother.

Then off the Guyz/Gals go. (Oliver & Bette, Ganie, Ariel & Mitch, Jeric & Myra, Angel & Bibing(Angel’s Sister), Belinda & Eric, and the very lovable EJ. Abner and Jen, will meet us in Laoag as they still were scheduled to be on-duty for Saturday.

Our 1st stop is the Paraiso ni Juan in Narvacan. What the heck, all of my passengers are deep asleep whereas I was already driving for more than 6 hours since we left Paniqui. So I just parked on the road and went to dig in for my requested chicken sandwich prepared by Eric.
Paraiso ni Juan is famous for being one of the spots where the late FPJ shot his legendary “Ang Panday”. The place really is a beach where people have their picnic, and during low tide, one can cross the boulders serving as a bridge to the grotto located at the end.

South China Sea

Huge

Grotto

After leaving our things at the house of Tita Vangie (Jen's Aunt) in San Juan, Ilocos Sur, we proceeded back to Vigan and had lunch at the Grandpa’s Inn and Restaurant in Vigan courtesy of Tita Vangie.

In the afternoon, we went to visit the "Baluarte", which is actually within the confines of the mansion of Ilocos Sur's most influential son, Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson. The place is really akin to a zoo, though in my opinion, it is better maintained than the rest.

For a minimal fee, you get to see different kinds of birds like cockatoos, lories, cockatiels, and an ostrich. There is also a camel (maybe the only one in the Philippines), on which you can ride and take your pictures. Lots of miniature horses, and of course, flocks of sheep and deer roaming around. One of the attractions of the place is a booth on the second floor where you can take pictures with a baby tiger and a python, of course for a fee.

"You can reach me by Caravan..."

Laki ng Birdie

Wad mo 'to tatadat ha...

Fierce

There are also stalls outside selling the delicious “tinubong”, “calamay”, and other ilocos favorites such as chichacorn.

Hey Bambi

Our next stop is the "pagburnayan". As the name implies, it is here where the best clay pots and jars ("burnays") of the north are made.

Diggin' in

Pots...anyone?

Got dirt?

Manong (sowee I forgot your name...mea culpa) was very accommodating and made an instant demonstration on how to make a jar. He was able to mold a bare puddle of mud into a very beautiful and elegant jar. Manong was likewise able to make intricate designs on the jar by simply using a tiny piece of wood.

great hands

awesome

Patrick Swayze wannabe

Finished Product

Our final stop for the day is the Hidden Garden. This is a place where you can find lots of plants and even buy them for a lesser price. We first toured their impressive Garden, and being a green thumb, I bought 2 seedlings of Bottle Palms for P50 each.

Plants...where are the Zombies?

Carabao Topiary....Guyito, is that you?

We then had dinner at their Lilong & Lilang Coffee Shop. The food is somewhat pricey but it was worth it. We had a feast of their dinengdeng, grilled chicken, bagnet, KBL (kamatis, bagoong and lasona) and our all-time favorite “warek-warek”. Their native halo-halo is a must-try for those who have a sweet tooth like me.

Halo Halo


Warek-Warek



KBL


The Guyz/Gals with the Owner of the Hidden Garden

With our tummys full, we finally proceeded to the house of Tita Vangie in San Juan, Ilocos Sur (more or less 30 minutes from Vigan) where we are to spend the first night of our Northern Escapade that has just “Vigan”.

Calle Crisologo

Father and Son

Crisologo at Night

Other notable tourist sites in Ilocos Sur, which unfortunately we failed to visit, include the Vigan City Heritage Mansion (Village), Crisologo Musuem, St. Paul Cathedral, Syquia Mansion, and Villa Angela in Vigan. The Bantay Church and Bell Tower in nearby Bantay Town. The Baroque Church in Sta. Maria (declared a World Heritage Site) and Pinsal Falls in Sta. Maria. The Padre Burgos Museum, as well as, the Magsingal Musuem will give you a piece of Philippine history.

Of course, all these are more than enough reasons for us to go back to this part of Ilocandia.