The Archives: Vigan

I am republishing my post on our several trips to Vigan starting 2008, taken from my old blog. Ilocos in general is a beautiful province, and Vigan is one of the most popular cities in the region. We love going to the north to see and experience Vigan and the surrounding sights and cities. We go for work, liesure, and even bring friends around. That's how much we love the place and I'm sure you will too, if you get to experience Vigan the way we do.

A deer grazing in Baluarte and a run-down building along Calle Crisologo

HOW WE GOT THERE

For the first three trips, we took the bus, specifically Partas to Vigan. One can board either from the Cubao/Araneta Terminal or the Pasay Terminal (along Tramo). Other bus lines regularly plying the route is Viron, Fariñas Trans and Florida. The trip takes about 7-10 or more hours, depending on your time of travel and the traffic. Best to ravel in the evening as you can sleep during the entire trip and the trip generally takes faster. You can also take a plane to Laoag, Ilocos Norte then take the road trip to Vigan for about 1-2 hours. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines regularly has flights to Laoag.

You can also drive all 410 kilometers to Ilocos, of course. Just take North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), then take SCTEX, and exit through Hacienda Luisita. Take the McArthur Highway, passing Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union and eventually Ilocos Sur.

WHAT TO DO THERE

Ride the Kalesa! The kalesa is a horse-drawn carriage, the most common, authentic way to tour around the city. Take advantage of the "old world" feel and take your time to look around. The kalesa ride is at 150 per hour and it will take you about 2 hours to go around, without stopping at museums (because museums take more time). I suggest that you take the kalesa, go to landmarks, then just take note which museum or landmark you want to go back to, then just take a tricycle going back.

Walk around. Vigan, being a relatively small city, is fairly easy to figure out in terms of roads, places where you can eat, shop, etc. The main attraction in Vigan, Crisologo Street, is a good 5-10 minute walk.

Smoke native tobacco. That is if you do smoke. The Ilocos region is know for producing tobacco. They sell these locally grown and rolled tobaccos for 5-10 pesos each, depending on the quality. And because tobaccos only require you to puff and exhale (as opposed to cigarettes which you have to inhale), they are, as some people say, the lesser evil with a better after-taste.

For night owls, visit Legacy Superclub. It’s the only one of its kind in Ilocos Sur, and possibly the entire region. The vibe is relaxed during weekdays, but the energy is definitely higher during weekends.

The St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral

WHAT TO SEE

Vigan Cathedral - The St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral is right beside Plaza Burgos and fronting Plaza Salcedo. It's a simple yet nice, old church. There are also several smaller churches/chapels but the Cathedral is the one we always visit.

Son of Fidel Go giving tourists a demo 

Ruby Pottery - Home and shop of the National Folk Artist Award recipient Fidel Go. This is where Burnay or clay jars, pots, and everything in between are made. I had the priviledge of meeting this kind and very accomodating man during one of our trips there, and gamely allowed us to try pottery-making ourselves.

Rowilda's or Cristy's Abel Iloko - Be amazed as they demonstrate how the yards and yards of the Abel Iloko is made. I saw for myself how thousands of strands of thread are needed and weaved, making the famous habing Iloko runners, blankets, etc.

Museums - For a dose of history, you can visit several museums like the Crisologo Museum, Burgos Museum and the Syquia Mansion for a minimal fee.

Plaza Burgos - Named after Padre Jose Burgos, one of the three martyrs (GomBurZa) who were beheaded. This is where the Vigan Cathedral Belfry is erected and also where the stalls serving local delicacies like the sinanglao and empanada are located.
Plaza Salcedo - Named after the Spanish conquistador who established settlement in Vigan, making it one of the largest Spanish settlements in the country. The plaza also faces the Arzobispado (Archbishop's Palace), the Provincial Capitol, the Municipal Hall and other key offices.

Bantay Bell Tower - The name of the tower is actually St. Agustine's Bell Tower and located in the town of Bantay, the “gateway to Vigan. They just ask you to give a donation to help maintain the cleanliness of the bell tower which once served as location for a couple of movies including Panday (which starred the late Fernando Poe, Jr.).

A view of Baluarte Zoo/Mini Farm

Baluarte - Home and "playground" of Gov. Chavit Singson and his hundreds of pets. It's really having his own zoo in his backyard. With the addition of life-size dinosaur models! Upon getting a view from the top, I realize that the developed area is just a fraction of the entire property. What I love about this place is that it's free for all, even the pony rides and the animal shows. You can pet several animals including birds, ponies, and more. I haven't seen tigers so healthy, to the point of being obese, proving that the animals here are very well-fed.

Antiques and not-so-antiques on display along Calle Crislogo

Calle Crisologo - Anything antique (even old vinyl records and magazines), paintings, souvenirs, and some fairly odd items. Also a UNESCO world heritage site, this is the main attraction in Vigan as this is where the old houses are and the street is made of cobblestone. Very nice, especially in the evening.

WHERE AND WHAT TO EAT:

Plaza Burgos - Where the empanadas can be found. Haha! Get the special empanada for only 35 pesos. Yum! This makes the long trip worth it! Haha! You can also find in the carinderias here the "twisted" Ilokano version of the bulalo or papaitan, the sinanglao, with the vinegar and onions. Yum!

Cafe Leona - Along Calle Crisologo is Cafe Leona. The building is what used to be the house of Leona Florentino, a feminist poet. They have a wide variety of dishes, but you must try the pinakbet pizza!
Bigaa Restaurant at Vigan Plaza Hotel - I find that most hotel restaurants serve so-so, bland food. If you agree, then make this an exception. Food at Bigaa is so good, sometimes we don't bother to leave the hotel anymore, especially is we want to relax. My favorites are their Guardia Sibil, Bagnet con Bagoong, Japanese Sinigang, Mud Pie and Turon Cigars. Yum!

Ask around for: Lomo-lomo (only available early in the a.m, for those who came from a drinking session), puki-puki (eggplant, really good), dinengdeng, dinakdakan (sisig-like), dinuydoy, and of course, the Vigan longganisa and Bagnet (you can buy from the palengke or ask around).

Our favorite empanada maker at one of the stalls in Plaza Burgos

The Vigan longganisa is mainly garlic-y compared to the longganisa from other provinces. I was old the way locals cook it is they poke the casing/skin, then boil it in a little water until the water dries up and the oil from the longganisa comes out. Then fry the longganisa in its own oil. Must have with sukang Iloko.

The Bagnet is basically pork (best if belly) cooked in the following order: boiled in spices, dried, fried, dried, and fried again. Sounds pretty long, huh? You got that right! The techniques and process for cooking depends per home/kitchen/cook of course, with some taking days to prepare. A kilo of raw pork would yield only 1/3 to 1/2 kilo of bagnet. The Bagnet con Bagoong at Café Bigaa (Vigan Plaza Hotel) is a hands-down winner for me.

Cornick - The cornick or chichacorn is corn kernels, sun-dried and fried to crunchy goodness. Some stalls sell the flavored variety. I personally like the spicy and cheese flavored ones.

Tongson Royal Bibingka – Bibingka is mainly glutinous rice, grinded and cooked depending on the techniques of each maker. I asked around and found out that the original seller of the bibingka is Tongson’s, the one right beside Vigan Plaza Hotel. You can also try Marsha’s, which is quite popular especially because they have a wider variety of items to offer.

Mom's Bolero: glutinous rice between sponge cake

WHAT TO BRING HOME:

The usual requests are bagnet, longganisa, cornick, abel Iloko, sukang Iloko (native vinegar) and native garlic or native onions (shallots). You can buy all these (along with other souvenirs) either at the market (palengke) or along Calle Crisologo. If you can, ask your hotel front desk if they can hook you up with the Vigan embutido or Mom’s Bolero. I’m salivating already just thinking about it.

WHERE TO STAY:

Vigan Plaza Hotel - I highly recommend this hotel. It's very rustic yet chic and modern. The rooms are very spacious, staff are courteous, and the food at the hotel restaurant Bigaa is great! Must try their Chokolate de Vigan! Yum!

Grandpa's Inn - It's your quaint little backpacker hotel. Don't be fooled by the looks of this inn. Rooms are affordable, and really nice and homey. The service is very good, the food is great, and they have a bar/coffee shop too. Must try the hotel restaurant’s Dinamita, deep-fried green finger chili stuffed with cheese!

I pretty have a lot more to share on Vigan and other cities in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. I will be posting more entries on Vigan and the other places as we discover more. Will surely keep you informed! Much love!

The thread for Abel Iloko just about ready to be loaded into the machine.