Blogs from Laoag City, Ilocos, Philippines, Asia

Laoag City and Paoay in Ilocos Norte... read more

I had a wonderful time when I last visited this place. Dinner with a view then. Lovely, with the entire Church illuminated in all its beauty and antiquity. This time around, I brought my family for lunch here. And the view , on this rainy day, is just as awesome. Plus the novelty of Ilocano dishes for lunch did not fail. Paoay Church It is actually Saint Augustine Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this 17th century church combines Gothic, Baroque and even Oriental designs and stands proud , alone and majestic, supported by 24 massive buttresses which render its side view just as interesting as its front view. The belfry is separated from the Church, and looks rooted to the ground like a faithful sentry to its master. As it was ... read more

We made an early start on Sunday morning for the trip up North, first stop was a big breakfast near JP's Call Centre, we (Mummy, Eleanor, the kids and I) were joined by Dicky, Maribel and JP. The breakfast was great value, all you can eat for 80 pesos (a bit over $Au2), the only catch was that you pay double if you leave food on your plate. Michael typically took more than he could comfortably eat but struggled through despite Justine's protests that he was going to be sick. After breakfast we met up with Loni, Helga, Loni's brother Ronnie, his 3 kids and Loni's sister Esty. Loni had invited us to a party that was in the province of Nova Ecija about 2.5 hours from Bulacan, the party was for an infant baptism and ... read more