The Vigan Experience: Cobbled Stone Streets, Calesa Rides and Ilocano Treats

The author, in her not-so-prepared pose...


For someone who has lived her entire life in Southern Luzon, the North seems to be a distant place cloaked in a haze of mystery and adventure, so that when my friend Lheila asked me to go with them to Ilocos, it was an offer I can hardly resist--not that I even tried to resist!

How It All Started...



Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to step into the cobbled stone streets and feast my eyes on the beautiful vista of Vigan's Spanish colonial houses. In fact, I almost had the chance when my Humanities II class at UPLLB held a field trip to Ilocos. Being a cash-strapped iskolar ng bayan, however, I forgo the trip because I could not bring myself to ask for extra money from my parents. I promised though that I will manage to go there one day. The opportunity knocked once more when Lheila and Sheila (two super cool travelers!) concocted a Vigan-Pagudpud-Laoag itinerary. This time, the timing was perfect. We had no classes in law school; midterms were just over; and I still have few savings left for a tight-budget biyahe.

The Trip and Arrival


Our trip to Vigan was scheduled Friday night and we planned to catch Partas' deluxe class for a more comfy trip. However, we ended up riding on the Viron bus instead after the makukulit na ticket agents at the Viron terminal convinced us to board their Laoag-bound trip. The bus was satisfactory; it was new but the seats were sort of small (or am I just large?), so Lhei and I were a little bit crowded. Yet we're no-frills travelers and fare was only around Php 650. So overall, it was just OK.

The bus left the station at around five PM and stopped several times at different stopovers. I dozed in and out of sleep while Lheila, beneath her bright yellow sarong she used as blanket, was soundly asleep (a real backpacker indeed!). At four AM, we were awakened by the voice of the konduktor, yelling that it's time for us to get off since we're in Vigan already. Finally! :)

Yaawwn. Stretch. I was tired but excited. We were dropped off just in front of the "Vigan" arc where tricyles wait for early morning passengers. We asked the trike drivers where we can possibly check-in -- a clean but cheap place, preferably. The funny thing is, they almost instantly agreed over one name: Casa Teofila.

Casa Teofila, as it turned out, has that motel-y ambiance, which I simply shrugged off because we found the price of the place, at Php 600 for a double room, quite reasonable (i just refused to think what the previous guests have been there for). We're kick-ass budget travelers after all! :) As far as I'm concerned, the room has all the basics: a queen-size bed large enough for both of us, air-conditioning,cable television and hot and cold shower. Plus, it was clean and the Php 600 already covered more than 24 hours of our stay. Most of the time we were out exploring Vigan anyway.

Kalesa Ride...Visit to Historical and Scenic Landmarks...and a Taste of Ilocano Cooking


After catching on some beauty rest, we had a hearty breakfast at Chowking. I was delighted to see that the design of Chowking also has that 19th-century, Spanish-era theme. I would later discover, however, that the same is true for all the restaurants within the City, particularly those near Calle Crisologo.



Chowking Vigan



Max's Vigan


Just outside Chowking are the calesas (horse-drawn buggy) parked near Plaza Salcedo and in front of St. Paul's Cathedral. We hired one of the calesa drivers to take us on a tour around Vigan on board his calesa for Php 150 per hour.Tourists need not worry about exorbitant rates because calesa rides seem to be regulated by the DOT. Rates are uniform at Php 150 per hour, which by the way was super sulit already because we visited a lot of places in less than three hours. What is more, all that we had to do was to sit back and relax because the driver knew exactly where to take us. These calesa drivers are experts and will take tourists to must-see places without the need of telling them. Also, I can't remember seeing jeepneys around. Upon investigating, I discovered that only tricyles and calesas or caretelas are allowed in the area.




The start of our calesa ride



St. Paul's Cathedral of Vigan


Our first stop was the Burgos Museum, the residence of Padre Jose Burgos of the GOMBURZA, who was one of the three martyred priests during the Cavite Mutiny. The Museum preserved its 19th-century facade and interiors, with plenty of memorabilia related to the life of Padre Burgos and the era in which he lived. It also showcases different relic collections both from the pre-Spanish and Spanish periods.


Lhei, standing beside an antique calesa near the foot of the stairs of Burgos Museum


Not far from the Burgos Museum is the Saint Augustine Church and its Bell Tower, more popularly known as the Bantay Church Bell Tower. The church and its belfry are considered important historic and religious markers in Vigan, as it was there that the Diego Silang uprising occurred, as well as the miraculous acts of the Lady of Charity. Today, the belfry is also a picturesque spot.


The Bantay Bell Tower


Saint Augustine Church


Our calesa driver/tour guide took us next to the pottery-making site where the famous burnay jars are being made to date. After taking some pictures, we then proceeded to Governor Chavit Singson's one heck of a recreational park: the BALUARTE ("bulwark" in English). The place is complete with life-size replicas of dinosaurs (crazy!), a butterfly garden and a zoo, wherein kept are exotic animals the likes of ostriches, llamas, and of course, Singson's beloved tigers! At the center of the park is a palomino ride available to guests free of charge.



Governor Singson's impressive Baluarte


The butterfly garden at Baluarte


After Baluarte we stopped by at the Hidden Garden where, expectedly, there is a garden--although not exactly hidden. The ambiance of the place, with all its bonsai plants and landscaping, gave me that Zen-like sense of calm. There are canteens that offer snacks and meals, but we decided to have our lunch at one of the restaurants in Calle Crisologo for more of that Vigan feel. However, we did not refuse the free taste of basi wine offered at one of the stores :) Basi wine is made from sugarcane juice, hence the pleasant tinge of sweetness in its taste. I guess this is another penny-pinching tip to tourists: try out the freebies (free tastes, free samples, etc...) LOL! Just make sure that the source is safe though.


Lhei, not-so-hidden at Hidden Garden


Finally, my much awaited part of the trip--Calle Crisologo. Calle Crisologo is that street often featured in postcard pictures of Vigan, the spot which Vigan is most known for. The cobbled stone calle is lined with houses built way back in the Spanish colonial era and are now included in the World Heritage List. Anyways, I was a kid in a candy store :)

We hopped off the calesa, paid manong driver and strolled around to savor the view of the well-preserved houses standing tall and proud in their antique glories and still gracefully weathering the test of time. Most of said houses, or at least the first floors thereof, now serve as souvenir stores and restaurants.





Simple but Scrumptious...(Yumyum)

That's it, we toured the scenic spots of Vigan in less than a day. Now it's time to fill up our grumbling stomachs with some serious Ilocano dishes. We decided to have lunch at Grandpa's Inn, whose cozy brick interiors I really liked. Since our budgets won't allow us to pig out in wild abandon (plus we're on a diet hehe), we just ordered two dishes that we believed are quite representative of Ilocano cooking--munggo with ampalaya and bagnet and Vigan-made longganisa.

The munggo may have looked like plain munggo, but it was darn home-cooked delicious with the delectable pieces of bagnet (pork lechon kawali) in it. The longganisa: mmmmmmm! Vigan longganisa is not like the other longganisa specialties. It has a dry texture and that slightly-salty-slightly-sour smoky flavor...tastier when dipped in sukang Ilocos (Ilocos vinegar). The entire meal cost us less than Php 300--around Php150 for the munggo with bagnet and Php75 for the longganisa, plus rice and beverages.


Going gaga over munggo and longganisa...


In a true Spanish fashion, I had siesta after lunch, succumbing to the drowsiness that overcame me in the middle of the afternoon heat. After my power nap, we freshened up again and headed out for another gastronomic experience, this time at Cafe Leona. Cafe Leona offers a lot of Western cuisines in its menu, such as pastas, steaks and pizzas and cocktails too! I ordered pasta and then a cocktail drink, the names of which I already forgot. Food was a bit pricey--with a single main course dish costing above Php 100--but delicious all the same. We ate outside the cafe, just in front of the plaza and with a view of the Calle Crisologo where we strolled earlier that morning and of St. Paul's Cathedral. The atmosphere of the Cafe, added to the fact that we're eating outside, made me feel like I was in an old, Spanish barrio :) All I can say is that my experience far exceeded my imagination.






Anyways, that caps our fun day in Vigan. At around the same time, Sheila, Lheila's twin sister, was already traveling from Manila to Vigan. The plan was that she'd tour Vigan the next morning as Lhei and I head further North to Pagudpud and in the afternoon, we will all see each other. Lhei and I went back to our motel-y hotel room to recharge our drained energy reserves for our Pagudpud trip the following day, with more to do, more to visit and more to taste. I guess, I've said it all. Next base: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte :)

Here are the addresses and contact numbers of some of the Laoag-bound buses:

Philippine Rabbit Bus Lines: Rizal Ave., Manila & EDSA, Q.C. Tel # 734-9838, 734-9836

Dominion Bus Line: New York St., Cubao, Q.C. Tel # 731-4180, 741-4146

Partas Bus Company: Aurora Blvd., Q.C. Tel. # 725-7303, 724-9820

Maria de Leon Transit: Dapitan cor. Gelinos Sts., Sampaloc, Manila Tel # 731-4907