Blogs from Vigan, Ilocos, Philippines, Asia
February 24th 2012
After a long 6 hour 140km ride from La Union we arrived in Vigan. At first I wasnt sure, its seemed like most other Cities in the Philippines, full of noisy tricycles and confusing road systems! but after looking around the Old Town that changed. Calla Crisologo is the main road running through Old Vigan and only horsedrawn Callesas are allowed. Its just like stepping back 150 years! just very old Colonial houses and cobbled streets. Also many old merchant houses to visit, the best of which was Syquia Masion, full of 19th Century funiture and artifacts. Also great was the local food, many small Caranderias selling local specialities like Vigan longannisa, empanada and Aroz Caldo. Found a good simple guesthouse, The Riverside, fan room with TV and wifi for just 600php.... read more
December 15th 2011
We’ve been in the Philippines for just over a fortnight but haven’t yet sampled much local food. Tonight’s the night. We place our orders—adobo for me, some juicy-sounding ribs for Duncan, and a starter of eggs in a garlic and chili sauce (for my benefit—I’ve got a cold). We rehash our day as we wait for our food. A horse and cart ride around the city to see the sights: a giant gingerbread church and its belltower; a pottery factory on the outskirts of town; and, just as a happenstance, a lunchtime exodus of teenagers pouring out of the high school. At dusk, we strolled up Calle Crisologo, the beautifully preserved street with stone paving and colonial-era architecture that earns Vigan its UNESCO world heritage status. Our starter arrives and I dig in, carving up one ... read more
August 3rd 2011
Packed like sardines, we drove around Vigan, the capital of Ilocos Sur. I have earlier blogged about this when I visited in 2009 (), but this time around I'm visiting with my family and friends. All 12 of us! If there is ever any holiday where "feeding times" were not observed, this is it. Like we managed 2 breakfasts, a very late lunch, too many snacks while cruising on a van, dessert before a proper meal, an early dinner, and perhaps a 2nd "light" dinner? Every meal, one of the kids would ask "Is this lunch or dinner?" So much confusion . And tons of fun! Bantay Belfry: We've Only Just Vigan! First off, we hired a jeepney to take us all around Vigan. Cost us 800 pesos. Not bad. Way better than hailing 3 pedicabs ... read more
Not even a tropical cyclone or 20 hours on a bus could ruin my weekend!
Published: June 26th 2011Asia » Philippines » Ilocos » Vigan
June 26th 2011
It's the end of another busy week and I have been travelling about this weekend. Three weeks in and I still haven't worked out the Jeepney routes they all seem to change depending on how the driver is feeling and if there are floods in the city (which is often). The weather forecast on Tuesday said that there was a tropical cyclone developing to the east of Luzon (large northern island where Manila and Navacan are) and sure enough the rain and wind started to come on Wednesday. I went shopping after work on Wednesday and it had been raining for most of the day but it was relatively calm when I entered the mall near my hotel. About 20 minutes later I went to walk home and looked out of the windows to see peoples' ... read more
Conquering the North Memoirs-Vigan City(2009)
Published: July 5th 2010Asia » Philippines » Ilocos » Vigan
July 5th 2010
What brought me here in this place was the fact that I want to see the place of my lover at that time, which unfornately i broke up with this year. For purposes of reminiscing the past joys I had...I want to include it in my collection. Plus, this place gives me a warm feeling and i feel so at home in it. Vigan is more urbane than Laoag but still manage to preserve the Heritage street or Calle Crisologo. Vigan in the night is romantic. hehe ... read more
December 25th 2009
Partas bus from Pasay City leaves at 9pm for Vigan so at 7:30pm I made my way from the hostel, took me a couple tries before a cab agreed to take me, I don't understand this why do taxi drivers here in Manila refuse passengers, don't they want to make money, very annoying, pain in the butt. Took about an hour to get to the station because of traffic. Once there the small station which can fit only 2 buses at a time, is very chaotic, people everywhere with their luggages, I need to queue for ticket as you can't buy it in advance, the queue snakes around the crowd and have to ask people where does the line end so I can take my place, I have carried my pack the whole 1/2 hour in ... read more
January 7th 2009
We arrived in Vigan midday and were unceremoniously dumped into the middle of the road. Right. Vigan hosts an unusual form of transport, horse and carriages (called calesas). We hopped in one with our bags and headed off to the overpriced and underwhelming Gordion Inn, where he fortunately only stayed one night. The horses in Vigan all look on their last legs. Between us and our bags I think we may have finished ours off! We didn't do much the first day. Vigan had the look of a city that would have been very beautiful and atmospheric were it not for the traffic. Par for the course in the Philippines. The cathedral was pretty, though situated at a traffic hotspot. There were colonial houses, particularly in the one or two pedestrianised streets. These are probably the ... read more
April 1st 2008
Pagudpud - Vigan Trip Feb 29 - Mar 2 A week before our second monthsary she accidentally blurted out the secret destination. A supposed to be surprise vacation to Pagudpud that she had been keeping from me for the longest time, was no longer a surprise. But what we both didn’t realize are the tons of surprises ahead of us that will surely take our breath away. Going to Pagudpud An almost 12-hour bus ride from Manila . It was on a Thursday when our bus left at 9:30pm and arrived at Pagudpud past 7am the following day. I can’t remember how many stopovers our trip had. But the last one would be at Marsha’s Delicacies, a delicacy store known for its luscious pudding. Upon arrival, Kuya Lenzer, our tour guide, was already waiting in the ... read more
September 13th 2007
Last April 4-7, 2007 during Holy Week we(together with my co-workers at Analog Devices Inc.) went on a tour of Ilocos Region(i have another blog for Ilocos Norte tour which i created separately since this is about our Vigan Tour at Ilocos Sur). We went to different places and ate local foods and we all have a great time! We stayed at allan's house where we were treated to a sumptuous meal prepared by his mother! i really liked the dinner that they served us where the mangoes are really sweet and the ilokano style pinakbet was just yummy! Our first stop was Vigan City and below are some info on Vigan City: About 400 kilometers from Manila is the Unesco World Heritage Site of Vigan. It is the capital city of Ilocos Sur located on ... read more
