“That’s where Gabriela Silang was hanged,” said a friend referring to a spot somewhere along the national highway in Santa, Ilocos Sur. The place overlooks the sea, with what looks like a historical marker erected beside the road. It is indeed a marker, although painted gold, the only one we’ve seen, in contrast to the
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No Comments » The itinerary for Ilocos. We’ve lightly touched this matter in various articles but never found the time to paint the entire picture. This is long overdue especially considering that the Legaspi/Donsol itinerary is already done even before the planned trip. Like the Donsol land trip, Ilocos is an adventure by its sheer distance alone. The
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Places that have a deep sense of history, and pride in that history, often have museums. I could be wrong, of course, but that’s how I see it. We have the the more serious National Museum and the meant-to-be-experienced Museong Pambata. We also have museums dedicated to a specific person, like the Marcos Museum (Batac),
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What first comes to mind when you hear of Ilocos? It’s perfectly ok if you’d say the Marcoses or Chavit Singson, but we’re not referring to a person. You could also say Pagudpud or the giant windmills, but we’re talking about something you eat.
The kalesa, a horse-drawn contraption that we used for a guided tour through different locations in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, seemed like a time machine, transporting us back in time. Turning a corner is like turning a page of our history book, except that the mental photo is littered with fastfood restaurants and other items of
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A desert in a foreign country. This is the weird feeling while standing in the middle of the towering sand dunes. It seems some post-civilization inhabitants would grab our gear and leave us to die. Or a young lady with a mole on her face (if you have someone in mind, no, not that lady)
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Postcard-perfect. That’s how I’ve always imagined Vigan would be. Kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) leisurely rolling through cobblestone roads, passing century-old houses that are witnesses to Vigan’s rich history. I thought it would feel like being brought back in time, walking through the past which we’d otherwise read only in books.
[Read VisitPinas Itinerary for a 3-day Ilocos Trip]
One would usually associate Paoay with the Paoay Church, also called San Agustin Church, and for good reason — this beautiful architecture that is a showcase of Spanish-era churches in the Philippines is listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site.
A lighthouse, parola in Filipino and other dialects in the Philippines (and in Spanish, I suppose) guides ships and anyone at sea. The Philippines is an archipelago, composed of thousands of islands and, quite understandably, a large number of lighthouses. I’ll be surprised to know if you haven’t seen a lighthouse.
There must be some logical explanation why people love really big things. Now that we’re in the midst of a really hot Philippine summer, perhaps it would be refreshing to be cooled by a huge electric fan. But while the huge structures in Bangui, Ilocos Norte may resemble gigantic electric fans, they are really wind
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There’s so much to write about in a trip through Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. Some of the places in Ilocos deserve a separate post, like Pagudpud, while others are lumped according to category just to have a semblance of order. Let’s discuss the different churches in this post. This may be timely for those
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One yardstick of a great destination, in my book, is when it’s somewhere I don’t mind driving straight for hours, get immersed in the splendor of the place for an hour or so, pack up then go home. Pagudpud (Ilocos Norte) definitely fits that standard, although the beauty of this destination is not limited to
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Surprises in Angat Dam
Culinary Bet on the Red Crab
Rowena’s Tarts and
House of Wagyu Stone Grill at
The Original Hawaiian
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