The farthest north that I have gone!Whew.
We hunted for airfare seat sale for months but no no avail, we decided to do it by bus. Yup! On the eve of May 15, sunday, we hurried to Partas bus terminal in Pasay hoping to get a deluxe bus going to Laoag. Deluxe. whoah! Well, it's like a standard bus where you can recline your seat to the max and have a goodnight sleep. Less passengers, too! Well, that's how I can describe it. hehehe. We phoned in of course before going there to be sure that we have the slot but to our surprise, once we're there, the bus wasn't available. So we contented ourselves with the deluxe bus going to Vigan instead (Php795). Oh boy! 10 hours of bus ride! Good thing I always find my sleep cooperative anywhere, anytime. So we left Pasay at 1900 (Partas do know how to spell PUNCTUALITY) and arrived in Vigan at around 0400. We took a bus from Vigan to Laoag (Php 158).
So as what it was, an all-girl trip to north! With me were Laila Ibay, Esmie Bayawa and Debbie David. :)
So to keep the record straight, and this gave me confusion before, LAOAG is the capital city of Ilocos Norte and VIGAN is the capital city of Ilocos Sur. There.
It was a 3D2N trip but really, the 3rd day should not be included because it was all spent on the road travelling back to Manila. We stayed at UKL Ever Hotel, situated at the very heart of Laoag City. For those who love partying at night, I don't think this is the right place. I didn't see any bar around and all the establishments were closed by 2100. By the way, this is the first time that I didn't succumb to a DIY trip. I find it enjoyable and of course, hassle-free. I think the Php2,745/pax was worth it. Thanks to Nicole Alegre of A&A Express Travel and Tours. So on our day one ....
Paoay Church
Dresses and skirt, seriously?! hahah! Kind of demure...hehehe...
On our next stop, Marcos Mausoleum, well it was still closed when we got there. While waiting for its opening at 1000, we enjoyed freshly cooked empanada ni kuya. :)
Marcos Mausoleum
Lai and Deb posing along with Marcos' luggages!
Juan Luna Shrine
Replicas. Spoliarium and The Parisian Life
Juan Luna, the most celebrated painter in the history of the Philippines was accused of murdering his wife and mother-in-law while staying in Spain. According to Ray (not sure if I remember the name right of the caretaker), there are two versions of how Luna killed his wife. Well I knew from history that Luna really killed his wife but i didn't know the details. Anyway, the first version was, Luna caught his wife in the act with a third party. Crime of passion as they say it. The second, was by accident. According to Ray, the couple's marriage was in trouble. That was the time when Luna's wife stayed with her mom. Luna wanted to talk to his wife. Both his wife and mother-in law were inside the house, just behind the door where Luna was. Then his brothers-in-law came from nowhere for him, Luna wanted to get inside the house, fired his gun at the door, not knowing that the women were there. He was acquitted.
Lunch! Lunch!
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| forgot-the-name-of-this-menu |
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| Bagnet |
We had lunch at Grandpa's Inn. Nice place. Cozy ambiance. We tried ordering for a pizza dinuguan but sadly, it was not available that time. One thing about me is that, I usually get tired of taking pics when I am at a table with foodies,h ehhehe. So these are all I've got. We were hungry! Of course since we were in Ilocos we tried their Bagnet. Honestly, I thought Bagnet is a kind of bread, then I realized that I was thinking of Baguette! heheheh! So Bagnet is technically a deep-fried pork meat. It's crispy. :)
Bells! Bells! Bells! Bells! Bells! Bells!Bells! Bells! Bells!Bells! Bells! Bells!Bells! Bells! Bells!
Bantay Belltower
Vigan! Vigan! Vigan! Vigan!Vigan! Vigan!Vigan! Vigan!Vigan! Vigan!Vigan! Vigan!Vigan! Vigan!
The Kalesa Trip in Vigan costs Php150 per hour. Affordable since we were four in this trip. Manong, the kutsero, has his own IT. Lesson learned, one must avail this Kalesa Trip in Vigan. You can see the best of this place through this trip.
Baluarte ni Chavit Singson. Seriously.
Inside the Syquia Mansion
The Syquia Mansion is the ancestral house of Doña Alicia Syquia-Quirino, wife of former president Elpidio Quirino.
More mirrors, more wealth!
According to the tour guide, Cory Quirino, the grandaughter and yes that one who advocates beauty and wellness, still uses the other room once in a while.
Pottery Making with kuya. " Oh, my love, my darling, I'm hunger for your touch..." chos!
Vigan pavement....
McDonalds' of Vigan
Day Two-
So what happend at the night of day one? heheh.. - Nothing. There was a bar, yeah I remember now, a bar in our hotel but felt so tired and were not into it. I think were not into night clubbing really. Hehehe... And besides, there were no other places to hang out in Laoag!
La Paz Sand Dunes
Yup! I did some sand boarding, too!
Salt!
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
Kapurpurawan Rock Formation- "Kapurpurawan" means "kaputi puti" o "maputing maputi"
The majestic Bangui Windmills!
Wow.
I remember the anticipation of seeing the Bangui Windmills. The route going to this place was really from the above the sea level zig zagging down the coastline. As Kuya Michael, our tour guide/driver took his van into each turn, it was like as if the windmills would finally come to life !The anticipation in me was so high I literally burst into a high-pitched scream when I saw them right before my very eyes!
They are so huge you can even see them from the nearby town!
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Lunch at Berg Blick Deutsche Restaurant. Yummy lunch!
Patapat Viaduct
The beach!
Blue Lagoon. We passed Saud Beach but Kuya Michael decided that Blue Lagoon was better so....
Kabigan Falls. Took us some 30mins of trekking (1.5km) before getting there.
Some souvenirs. (These are not all mine!)
The Sinking Belltower. Our last stop before going home.
Grateful that the weather favored us...hehehe... Summer.. Summer... By the way, special thanks to:
Kuya Michael. I commend his patience and sense of humor... hehehee... congratulations to you for bearing with us the entire trip! Imagine those screams and kulitan! Hahah! Again, special thanks to Ms. Nicole Anne Alegre of A & A Express Travel and Tours for being so cooperative and for keeping a good channel of communication in this trip. For someone who is used to DIY trips, this was not so bad of a diversion. hehehe...
I love Ilocos! :)
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