Nostalgic Ilocos Sur – Part 1

Well, History is one of my favorite subjects back then, and you’ll find lots of this element in this province. Truly a blast from the past kind of  trip, with hints of knowledge that you too will be surprise to know, let’s explore “Kaja,let’s go”  to Ilocos Sur!

No occasions, nothing special, but soon as I knew that there’s a long weekend (Chinese New Year), we planned going out of town. After almost 2 weeks of planning, and budget challenge of Php 5k, here we are again in the Northernmost part of Luzon, this time, in the Southern part of Ilocos province. Our schedule. . .

January 20 Friday –

• 9:30pm Farinas bus to Laoag, but we left around 10:00pm, we only had 2 stop overs:  La Union and some town near Vigan, Ilocos Sur *sorry I forgot to get it’s name due to sleepiness of mine =)* I’d also like to share around 2:00am we’re wide awake on the bus, we saw like an Unidentified Flying Object somewhere around the fields of whose town I don’t know but it’s in Pangasinan, this light caught our attention it looks like a star but it’s moving literally,we’re quite sure that it’s not an insect nor a star. We tried taking a photo but due to darkness and distance we’re unsuccessful to get a clear image of this object.*goosebumps*

January 21 Saturday –

• 6:15 am arrival at Vigan City, breakfast at Grandpa’s Inn since our room’s not yet available. Around 8:45 am already check in at our room, had quick nap and shower
  

  good morning Calle Crisologo!

longganisa ken kinirog

• 10:30 am Calesa tour started which then finished at 2:30pm. Had our late lunch/merienda, headed back to Grandpa’s Inn for some nap

• 6:00pm woke up from siesta nap, decided to head out for some night stroll, dinner and a hint of night life-Vigan style
  

  dine and drunk at Trellis :p

• 9:00pm we called it a day and returned to Grandpa’s Inn for some long hours of sleep.

January 22 Sunday – 

• 7:00am hello sunshine, free breakfast,did some quick morning stroll, souvenir shopping,packed things up, check out time
  

  only in Vigan!

• 11:30am on board at Partas bus going home to Manila. We arrived at Manila around 9:30pm.

Location:

Ilocos Sur is a province located along the western coast of Northern Luzon. Well known for cultural-heritage sites, blooming histories, crafts and cottage industries.

Vigan City is the capital of Ilocos Sur, facing the South China Sea and is 408 kilometers northwest of Manila. The name Vigan came from the Ilocano word “kabiga-an” pertaining to the plant “biga” which is a tuberous plant that once grew along the banks of its rivers.

Ilocos Sur Map

Getting there (commuting):

Manila to Vigan City – Farinas Bus Transit buses going to Laoag City (Espana terminal, bus fare costs Php 500.00 per head) 

We took the 9:30pm trip since we’re really not in a hurry, but our bus left the  terminal at 10:00pm, we arrived at Vigan City 6:15am *only 8 hrs travel time,that’s fast!*. It’s typically an 8-10 hrs travel time so I suggest taking the late night trips like we did so that travel time is shorter and you’ll have exact time of arrival at Vigan for those required hotel morning check-in times.  You’ll get off at Bantay National Highway, then just ride a tricycle (fare should be Php 20.00 only but if they notice that you’re tourists they’ll charge you Php 50.00 for a 5-10 minute ride )going to Vigan City or to your chosen accommodation, easy as that! Other available bus liners going to Vigan City are Partas, Dominion Bus Lines, Maria De Leon..do the research!

Accommodations: Vigan City has lots of accommodations, from budget-friendly to mid-range and classy hotels, inns, transients. We chose to stay at Grandpa’s Inn, aside from it’s catchy name and being popular, what made me chose them is because it’s just 2 blocks away from the tourist spot Calle Crisologo, we did not regret our stay with them, we’re lucky that they allowed us to upgrade our room even though they were really fully-booked at that day,they offer reasonable room rates, great service and food, fast WiFi connection, Spanish-era ambiance, and should I say this or not..ok,we’re able to spot some celebs/personalities also checked-in at this place.

The Calesa Tour: DOT accredited calesa tour guides exists in this place, they charge Php 150 per hour.  Grandpa’s Inn was the one who offered this tour to us since they have tie-ups w/ some calesa tour guides. This is perfect for those who wants to explore all tourist spots,Vigan City itself and it’s neighboring towns in a day w/ less hassle, calesa experience, comfort.

Vigan Arc *we’re lucky coz the road was closed due to River Cruise project construction*

10:30am Calesa Tour started, our itineraries were. . .

1. Burgos Museum – entrance fee of Php 20.00 per head. Father Burgos’ home is now a satellite museum of the National Museum. You’ll see lots of memorabilia, antiques, photographs of Padre Burgos and his family. This museum also shows dioramas depicting local history, Ilocano and Tinggian archeological and ethnographic displays and a hall of fame for the heroes and achievers of Ilocos.

Padre Burgos Museum

believe it or not, this is a Typewriter..cool!

2. Crisologo Museum – no entrance fee, just donations. Mansion of Crisologos turned into a museum, inside you’ll see the antiques, memorabilia and other prized possessions of the Crisologos steeped with history.

Crisologo Museum

love this part, Ms. Carmeling’s room full of shoes,bags,clothes

3. Pagburnayan Pottery Making – no entrance fees. The root word “burnay” is an earthenware jar crafted by a potter’s hands with the aid of a potter’s wheel. Here, you can experience pottery making with your bare hands for free! There are some souvenir shops nearby, it’s cheaper compared to those stores in Calle Crisologo.

some finish products

enjoying :p

These itineraries were just half  of our 4 hours calesa tour, I noticed that it concentrated mainly on art, culture, history. We learned a lot just by visiting these places, it’s like we’re in a History class field trip haha, kudos to our local tour guide Kuya Jaime, he’s very informative, talkative, accommodating enough to accompany us to each tourist spots.

On my second Ilocos Sur travel post, you’ll see the other half of our tour (Bantay Bell Tower, Hidden Garden, Baluarte). And helpful info you might need such as our budget breakdown, contact details.

To be continued . . .