Falling In Love Further North: Ilocos

Aside from Baguio, Ilocos was one item on my travel bucket list of year 2013. And it was such an amazing experience having to cross that item off of my list with the funniest (and the most "gentle" and "non-raunchy") bunch of friends I have ever met.

And yes, I am very painfully aware that I am posting this blog more than a month late but in my defense, I was busy...procrastinating. And dealing with writer's block, which I haven't fully recovered from, mind you.

With the help of e-Philippines travel (Brian Sacamos, our agent, and Kuya Allan Ong, our driver and tourist guide), we were able to smoothly buy a package tour for Vigan, Laoag, and Pagudpud of mid-December last 2013. So, thank you, Sir Brian and Kuya Allan! :)

So, what fascinated me about Ilocos? What drove me to put it on my travel bucket list? The place is a cultural gem. When I think of Ilocos, I think of Spanish colonization, Ferdinand Marcos, romantic and lovely lamp-lit streets lined with Spanish-style houses, "dinengdeng", and bagnet. My father is an Ilokano and although, I do not speak the dialect, I was raised eating dinengdeng, bagnet, and pinakbet. Of course I wanted to visit this place of interesting food names and a common household flavor. Of course I wanted to visit the hometown of many of the most famous politicians of the country. Of course I wanted see it in person, to experience it, to live it. The allure, the romance, the charisma of hearing the place "Calle Crisologo" alone was enough to transport me to a scene of a beautiful Spanish-inspired wedding. I was resolute. I was pee-my-pants excited with the mere thought of it.

So without further ado, here are the places we've visited in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte! :)

By the way, guys, photos are mine, otherwise duly credited. So, please don't steal them.  ;)

Places

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Bantay Belfry and Church

Burnayan Pottery

Baluarte

Marcos Mausoleum

Church of Paoay

Malacañang of the North

Fort Ilocandia

Bangui Wind Farm

Saud Beach

Calle Crisologo

Cape Bojeador

Food

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The Hidden Garden of Vigan

La Preciosa

The Ilocos region offers so many places worthy of visit; so many food hubs worthy of a try. There were still a lot of places in both Sur and Norte we wanted to visit like the Pagudpud Viaduct, Paoay Sand Dunes, Crisologo Museum, and a lot more. But because of our limited time, we only have to prioritize a few. So, if you plan on going on an all-out Ilocos vacation, do yourself a favor and do it in a week or more if you want to. If you're going to explore the place, live it and love it! :)

Calle Crisologo: The Muffled Life of a Simpler Past

When we speak of Vigan, it has always led us to the famous Calle Crisologo. A little background: "Calle" is Spanish term that translates to "street". Calle Crisologo was named after the famous Ilokano poet and politician, Mena Pecson Crisologo. This district is lined up with Spanish-style houses drawing out the Spanish colonization era.

We only got the chance to visit Calle Crisologo on our last day in Ilocos. Kuya Allan told us that the best time to visit the district was at night when the lamps are lit, shadows are cast, and the streets are quiet and romantic. But since we are pressed for time, we visited it during the day and on a very short time. Nevertheless, seeing the famous Calle Crisologo in the flesh was definitely remarkable.

Calle Crisologo

Battles in Bantay

It was a glorious Friday morning when we arrived at the warm province of Ilocos Sur. The skies are bright with a few clouds here and there.

After 9 hours of travelling and finding impossible sleeping positions in our rented van, it was a relief to finally get some fresh morning air. Thankfully, along with fresh air is a majestic view.