Vigan and Laoag City Tours
I’ve been wanting to visit the Ilocos Region for the longest time, but I always get distracted by other destinations. :p I finally got to visit it this year together with family. It’s a big region, but you can easily plan a trip to visit its two most popular cities, Laoag and Vigan.
Even though there were only 4 of us, I decided to rent a van (Fernando Sales: 09175474194) to take us around for 2 days so we can comfortably cover all the attractions.
Our first day revolved around city tours which focused on museums and other historical sites.
We took the 10:00 pm trip from Partas Cubao on a Friday night and arrived in Vigan on Saturday at 5:00 am. The van was already waiting for us when we arrived at the terminal, and we started the tour right away even though most establishments were still closed.
We were brought to Calle Crisologo, and I was surprised that people were already strolling as early as 5:30 am.
After sunrise, we then stopped by an eatery located at the post office to try sinanglao (P60 + P10, rice), a soup with generous serving of beef strips, innards, skin etc. It’s really good. Personally, I feel it tastes like sinigang and a hint of beef steak. 😀
With full stomachs, we continued with the tour starting at Bantay Church and its watchtower.
You can climb the tower to get commanding views of Vigan, but we decided to just take pictures by the steps.
Our next stop was a pagburnayan where local earthenwares are made. We got to watch a short demo of how the potter skillfully molds the clay to his desired shape.
We then visited Baluarte owned by Chavit Singson which is basically a mini zoo of his private collection of animals both from abroad and those endemic to The Philippines.
We then made a quick stop at the provincial jail beside the Burgos Museum which is actually the birthplace of President Elpidio Quirino before proceeding to the ancestral home of his wife, Syquia Mansion.
The house is owned by the Chinese ancestor of President Quirino’s wife, Dona Alicia Quirino. Syquia is actually the Hispanized name of their ancestor, Sy Ki Ah.
We then made the 1.5-hour drive to Ilocos Norte.
Our first stop was Luna Museum in Badoc. This is the ancestral home of the Luna brothers, Antonio and Juan.
Of course, one cannot visit Ilocos Norte without going to Paoay Church.
Like most Spanish colonial structures, it is made from bricks, corals, lime, and egg whites. Its most notable feature are its 24 large buttresses that protect it against earthquake damage.
Our second to the last stop for the day was Malacañang of the North.
It is common knowledge that Ilocos Norte is the Marcoses’ turf. Naturally, they had to build a mansion overlooking Paoay Lake.
When Ferdinand Marcos was removed from power, the mansion was sequestered by the government. It was then turned over to the provincial government of Ilocos Norte after 2 decades, who then opened it to the public as a museum.
Lastly, we dropped by Taoid Museum in La Tabacalera Lifestyle Center in Laoag City. The museum is dedicated to Cordilleran culture. Most people (myself included) are actually not aware that Ilocos Norte is home to several tribal communities towards the Cordilleran Mountains.
After a long day, the driver brought us to our hotel for much-needed rest.
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