While Day 0, Day 1 and Day 2 were manageable, this photo sums up our Day 3:
We departed from Pagudpud at around eight in the morning and amidst the stormy weather, we reached Vigan on time. But before that, we made a stopover in Bantay.
Bantay boasts its Bell Tower that was built 427 years ago.
[12:00 PM] The rain didn't stop us from climbing Bantay's Bell Tower. Tho it's quite slippery (coz of the rain water going inside the tower), it was still awesome to see the town below!
Bantay Church & Bell Tower
First built in 1591, it served as the town’s watchtower before being turned into a bell tower by the nearby church in 1857. Located roughly 10 minutes from the town of Vigan, it’s located in the town of Bantay, Ilocos Sur.
It has looked over the town of both Bantay and Vigan for centuries, and was known as Diego and Gabriela Silang’s favorite date spot during the 17th century. The bell tower is situated on a hill, making it the best vantage point for those who were assigned to watch over the towns of Vigan and Bantay.
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[12:40 PM] The rain started to pour heavily upon reaching the entrance of Baluarte ni Singson. That's the reason why we didn't have the chance to see the entire place...well, just a cute little pony looking for a shelter.
Baluarte ni Singson
Baluarte is a ten minute drive from Vigan City. It is owned by Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson and sometimes called Chavit’s Fortess. Unlike other zoos, Baluarte is a wildlife sanctuary dedicated to facilitating education, conservation and protection of endangered species and wildlife. Visitors of Baluarte are guaranteed to rediscover life amongst the animals in unique and entertaining ways through first-hand experience. In fact, one can come and play with the animals inside Baluarte. It is so interactive that visitors can feed them, pet them, whistle with them and even roar with them.
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[1:10 PM] Since we didn't stay for long at the Buluarte, we we're given more than an hour(++) to explore Vigan's city proper.
We first headed to Calle Crisologo to buy some good stuff for pasalubong and we didn't bother to try the kalesa coz we thought, "we have this in Iligan". 😅
Calle Crisologo
The major attraction of Vigan is its mestizo district which is filled with Spanish-style houses that evoke a bygone era when its people lived prosperously because of the Manila-Acapulco maritime trade. For visitors who want to experience being transported back to this period in Philippine Spanish colonial time, a walk or a calesa ride through Vigan’s Calle Crisologo or Mena Crisologo Street is a must.
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[1:40 PM] After few photos were taken, we headed to the famous Ilocos Empanadahan.
Empanadahan
Unlike the usual empanada, it has a thin and crispy crust where you can dip to a ketchup or a vinegar(they also have the Ilocano vinegar).
This time, we're already discussing if we should pursue Baguio or nah. It was something important to Grace so the normal eating sesh became a crying sesh. Huhuhu
Anyway, commercial buildings adapted the local architecture that's why if you can observe, Mcdo has a classic look (even RRJ, SM Hypermarket, and other famous PH brands).
[3:15 PM] After buying some more pasalubong, we ended our Vigan tour. Although we missed a lot of our "supposed" destinations due to the weather condition, it was still awesome!
Okay, inside the van, we're still arguing if we should go to Baguio or nah. But because of these:
But surely we will visit Baguio sometime in the near future! :)
We had dinner somewhere in Pampanga and arrived in Manila at around 9pm. We said our goodbyes to the group and since my aunt was in Laguna that time, we just booked a hotel somewhere in Cubao.
I guess that wraps up our Ilocos Region Tour! Watch out for our Manila adventure in my next post! :)
See ya around,
Glaze 💕