Francesca and Henk-Jan's Backpacking Trip!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Don Enrico Y Dona Francesca
When Francesca came back we still had a little time to kill, so we watched a bit of TV in the lounge. I got us a taxi around 3 PM and we landed in Laoag around 18:30. We knew we still had a 1 hour bus ride ahead of us to get to Vigan. I’d found a company called Partas that sent fast and reliable buses to Vigan on a regular basis, so we had a jeepney take us there. We ended up in this jeepney with Kevin, an American working in Hong Kong who was enjoying a mini holiday in the Philippines. We ended up talking for the 15 minute jeepney ride to the terminal and continued our chat the entire drive to Vigan. Kevin was very interested in our stories and Francesca and I were eager to share! Talking killed the time quickly and before we knew it we’d made it to our destination. We’d found a cheap hostel in the Lonely Planet which we’d booked into, and had a trike drive us there.
The Vigan Hotel was indeed pretty basic and had definitely seen better days, but we figured it would suffice as a base for a few days. All the traveling had made us hungry and some grub was on our minds. I took Francesca to Café Leona, a place I’d found recommended all over the internet. Never a bad sign! Francesca quite enjoyed her chicken parmesan, and my noodles weren’t shabby either. We had a quick look at the cobble stone roads of the old town of Vigan, before returning to the hotel to prepare for the day ahead.
The 17th of June would become an action-packed day. Basically we were going to fit all of Vigan into this one day. After an early breakfast in the room we got up and I had a look around for a calesa (horse-drawn carriage) and some extra information from the Tourist Office. However, the place was closed and I had to rely on some other locals for information. The answers I got confirmed my suspicions: a calesa tour to all the major sights would be the best way to take in Vigan. I went back to the hotel, picked up Francesca and together we headed out to pick out a calesa. It didn’t take too long to find one and once the price for the day was agreed upon we headed out.
Around 11 AM we reached our first goal: St. Augustine Church in nearby Bantay town. We didn’t pay too much attention to the church since something else had caught our eye. Behind the church loomed a large bell tower in a state of relative ruination. We learned it had been built around 1490, and found that it had actually survived pretty well. We were allowed to have a look at the several bells that were still in place, also giving us a breath-taking view of the surrounding hills and infrastructure. Well worth the steep and narrow climb!
Our next stop was the Padre Burgos Museum. We made it in minutes before closing time (lunch), but were let in and had the whole place to ourselves. Not that that mattered too much, because the lack of A/C made the place pretty unbearable. The museum houses Ilocano artifacts, weapons, kitchen utensils, basketry, costumes, jewelry and some Padre Burgos (a famous Spanish priest) memorabilia. Didn’t take us too long to get through! Our calesa-man took us to a nice pottery making place, where the clay is still baked in large underground ovens and the handicraft is still made by hand. A large stack of broken earthenware attested to this fact. I got to have a try on my pot-making-skills but ended up with a round lump of clay with a hole in the middle. Not too impressive!
The same could be said about the ‘Hidden Garden.’ This place first started as a garden where the architect owner practiced his landscaping hobby. It has grown to become a restaurant through the years and has been the secret dining place of celebrities in Vigan. There were no celebrities there when we visited and the garden wasn’t that insane either. We guessed they pay the calesa drivers a small commission to take visitors there.
The Baluarte Zoo, a tiny park with a rather sad selection of animals was next on the list. We came close to a bunch of free-roaming ostriches, a hornbill, some parrots, loads of deer and felt bad for the tigers. The next stop did catch our attention: The Crisologo Museum used to be the home of the late Congressman Floro Crisologo and wife Carmeling, former governor of Ilocos Sur. It contained memorabilia of the late Congressman, which we were free to peruse at our own pace. Once again set in a gorgeous old Spanish mansion a wonderful place to learn a little about the region’s history. Outside we got some pictures with our man-horse-and-cart, before finishing our tour clip-clopping over the cobble stones of Calle Crisologo. We knew there was one more mansion we could check out, so we walked back a bit, only to find out the Syquia Mansion’s doors were closed. Calle Crisologo, the only street that was kept entirely the way the Spanish planned it sadly didn’t give us the feel we had hoped. This was mainly caused by the overwhelming presence of souvenir shops that really ruin the otherwise gorgeous view. We decided to return to the Vigan Hotel to rest up for the highly anticipated dinner awaiting us.
Our hosts picked us up by tricycle around 7 PM. It didn’t take long to drive to the Arce Mansion, where we were immediately ushered into the dressing room. Francesca started off with a grand brown Spanish dress, whilst I heaved myself into an off-white gentleman’s suit. A photo shoot ensued and some great pictures were taken. We didn’t feel satisfied though, so we both changed outfits and had more pictures taken. Satisfied with our outfits we headed upstairs. Thankfully the dining room was air-conditioned so we didn’t have to worry about eating in our costumes. Whilst the pineapple juices were being served a lady stepped into the room and started serenading local and international songs for us, which she continued to do during the entire dinner.
The first dish arrived shortly after and turned out to be a slightly salty, but tasty soup. A large stack of food soon followed: a bowl of rice, tuna with vegetables, fried pork and chicken, as well as stir-fried vegetables covered the table: we were in for a treat! As we quietly enjoyed our dinner the singing continued and we really felt warped back in time. Because dessert was coming we had to stop eating, but we nearly managed to clean the plates, which was impressive with the amounts we’d been served. A cup of tea was combined with a cassava and a brown rice cake, which were again pretty filling.
After we finished all of this delicious food it was time for more pictures in the living room, after which we had to get back downstairs. Instead of putting our own clothes back on we switched into some new outfits. I had had my eyes on a friar’s robe, and whilst Francesca was putting on another dress I got a quick photo shoot next to a cross. I then put on an awesome Chinese merchant’s outfit, with Francesca outdoing my style with a lovely blue gown. Another photo shoot, including random headwear followed, both inside and out, before finally donning our temporary clothing in exchange for our permanent weathered gear. Sadly, it marked the end of our very enjoyable evening in Vigan. We were brought back to the hostel, where we enjoyed the evening in peace, packing our bags for the return to Laoag and Manila.
The next morning we grabbed our free breakfast and brought our bags downstairs. We managed to catch the last seconds of the final game between the Lakers and the Celtics, before finding ourselves a tricycle to take us to the bus station. We had high hopes the trip back to Laoag would be as smooth as our first trip, but it turned out to be much more of a hassle. When we asked for the next available bus we heard we’d have to wait an hour… There was no A/C waiting room and the temperature was not entirely pleasant. We decided to look around and see if we could pop into a store to wait there. We found a second-hand shoe store, where we hung around, pretended to be interested. For some reason I had a hunch a bus might show up sooner than we were told so I ran back to the station, and sure enough, there it was! I rushed back to get Francesca and we managed to secure some decent seats.
Back in Laoag we took another tricycle from the bus station to the local Laoag Museum. It turned out to be an unexpectedly pleasant stop. The museum gave us a glimpse of the Ilocano heritage by showcasing Philippine rural life. Our next stop was the Sinking Bell Tower, named thus because it is slowly sinking into the soft soil of the city. Apparently a decade ago, the entrance was still tall enough to let a man on horseback enter. Now it’s not even tall enough for a normal standing man. We wanted to have a look inside, but found the door closed. We were told we could ask in the nearby church, but after walking around with our backpack for a while trying to find someone with a key we gave up and headed for the tourism office instead. We had wanted to have a look at the UNESCO World Heritage listed Paoay Church, but weren’t sure how to get there. The people in the tourism office offered us much needed advice, water and A/C. Outside we hired a tricycle to take us to the church and back, a good 50 minute drive away.
Here’s a little information about the Paoay Church: “Construction of the church started in 1704 and was completed in 1894 by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo. It is probably the best-known “earthquake Baroque” church in the Philippines. Large coral stones were used for the lower level while bricks were used for the upper levels of the church. The walls are 1.67 meters thick and are supported by 24 carved and massive buttresses.” Francesca and I were instantly impressed by those thick walls with its curves. We walked around the structure, and had a look inside as well. Sadly, the inside was not as impressive… There were some cool paintings and amusing ads to get readers to become ‘of the cloth,’ but we realized the real pull of the church was the outside. Furthermore, the roof had come down due to earthquakes and had been replaced by a rather ungainly steel cover. We walked back outside, got ice creams to go and asked our driver to take us to the Laoag airport.
Once we got through security and checked in we got some sad news. The flight had been delayed by an hour… Since there was literally nothing at the airport we were now in a bit of trouble. We hadn’t had dinner yet, were hungry, and couldn’t get food. I started asking if we could order pizza to be delivered at the airport, but none of them would do that… Just when we thought we’d have to wait until midnight for food (the time we expected to be back in Manila) one of the security officers kindly offered to take me with him on his motor bike to get dinner! Awesome! He took me to a mall, where I picked up a pizza and pasta. Just as we returned at the airport our plane came in and as I went through security once more, boarding started. Perfect timing! We got to thank the kind officer on our way to the plane, and enjoyed our food, as well as the quick flight back to Manila.
A taxi took us back to (surprise!) Friendly’s, where our old room was waiting for us for the final days of our stay in the Philippines. It felt good to know we had a few days of quiet ahead of us, before having to face Hong Kong once more. Our Saturday was thus spent in the mall, where we got tickets for the latest Toy Story. Definitely a good movie, well worth our time! As Saturdays sometimes go, nothing much happened and the hours passed slowly. I got dinner from Café Adriatico, which continued to amaze us with its great flavors. Francesca will now tell you about the 19th of June, when we got to hear the story of Imelda Marcos.
The Vigan Hotel was indeed pretty basic and had definitely seen better days, but we figured it would suffice as a base for a few days. All the traveling had made us hungry and some grub was on our minds. I took Francesca to Café Leona, a place I’d found recommended all over the internet. Never a bad sign! Francesca quite enjoyed her chicken parmesan, and my noodles weren’t shabby either. We had a quick look at the cobble stone roads of the old town of Vigan, before returning to the hotel to prepare for the day ahead.
The 17th of June would become an action-packed day. Basically we were going to fit all of Vigan into this one day. After an early breakfast in the room we got up and I had a look around for a calesa (horse-drawn carriage) and some extra information from the Tourist Office. However, the place was closed and I had to rely on some other locals for information. The answers I got confirmed my suspicions: a calesa tour to all the major sights would be the best way to take in Vigan. I went back to the hotel, picked up Francesca and together we headed out to pick out a calesa. It didn’t take too long to find one and once the price for the day was agreed upon we headed out.
Around 11 AM we reached our first goal: St. Augustine Church in nearby Bantay town. We didn’t pay too much attention to the church since something else had caught our eye. Behind the church loomed a large bell tower in a state of relative ruination. We learned it had been built around 1490, and found that it had actually survived pretty well. We were allowed to have a look at the several bells that were still in place, also giving us a breath-taking view of the surrounding hills and infrastructure. Well worth the steep and narrow climb!
Our next stop was the Padre Burgos Museum. We made it in minutes before closing time (lunch), but were let in and had the whole place to ourselves. Not that that mattered too much, because the lack of A/C made the place pretty unbearable. The museum houses Ilocano artifacts, weapons, kitchen utensils, basketry, costumes, jewelry and some Padre Burgos (a famous Spanish priest) memorabilia. Didn’t take us too long to get through! Our calesa-man took us to a nice pottery making place, where the clay is still baked in large underground ovens and the handicraft is still made by hand. A large stack of broken earthenware attested to this fact. I got to have a try on my pot-making-skills but ended up with a round lump of clay with a hole in the middle. Not too impressive!
The same could be said about the ‘Hidden Garden.’ This place first started as a garden where the architect owner practiced his landscaping hobby. It has grown to become a restaurant through the years and has been the secret dining place of celebrities in Vigan. There were no celebrities there when we visited and the garden wasn’t that insane either. We guessed they pay the calesa drivers a small commission to take visitors there.
The Baluarte Zoo, a tiny park with a rather sad selection of animals was next on the list. We came close to a bunch of free-roaming ostriches, a hornbill, some parrots, loads of deer and felt bad for the tigers. The next stop did catch our attention: The Crisologo Museum used to be the home of the late Congressman Floro Crisologo and wife Carmeling, former governor of Ilocos Sur. It contained memorabilia of the late Congressman, which we were free to peruse at our own pace. Once again set in a gorgeous old Spanish mansion a wonderful place to learn a little about the region’s history. Outside we got some pictures with our man-horse-and-cart, before finishing our tour clip-clopping over the cobble stones of Calle Crisologo. We knew there was one more mansion we could check out, so we walked back a bit, only to find out the Syquia Mansion’s doors were closed. Calle Crisologo, the only street that was kept entirely the way the Spanish planned it sadly didn’t give us the feel we had hoped. This was mainly caused by the overwhelming presence of souvenir shops that really ruin the otherwise gorgeous view. We decided to return to the Vigan Hotel to rest up for the highly anticipated dinner awaiting us.
Our hosts picked us up by tricycle around 7 PM. It didn’t take long to drive to the Arce Mansion, where we were immediately ushered into the dressing room. Francesca started off with a grand brown Spanish dress, whilst I heaved myself into an off-white gentleman’s suit. A photo shoot ensued and some great pictures were taken. We didn’t feel satisfied though, so we both changed outfits and had more pictures taken. Satisfied with our outfits we headed upstairs. Thankfully the dining room was air-conditioned so we didn’t have to worry about eating in our costumes. Whilst the pineapple juices were being served a lady stepped into the room and started serenading local and international songs for us, which she continued to do during the entire dinner.
The first dish arrived shortly after and turned out to be a slightly salty, but tasty soup. A large stack of food soon followed: a bowl of rice, tuna with vegetables, fried pork and chicken, as well as stir-fried vegetables covered the table: we were in for a treat! As we quietly enjoyed our dinner the singing continued and we really felt warped back in time. Because dessert was coming we had to stop eating, but we nearly managed to clean the plates, which was impressive with the amounts we’d been served. A cup of tea was combined with a cassava and a brown rice cake, which were again pretty filling.
After we finished all of this delicious food it was time for more pictures in the living room, after which we had to get back downstairs. Instead of putting our own clothes back on we switched into some new outfits. I had had my eyes on a friar’s robe, and whilst Francesca was putting on another dress I got a quick photo shoot next to a cross. I then put on an awesome Chinese merchant’s outfit, with Francesca outdoing my style with a lovely blue gown. Another photo shoot, including random headwear followed, both inside and out, before finally donning our temporary clothing in exchange for our permanent weathered gear. Sadly, it marked the end of our very enjoyable evening in Vigan. We were brought back to the hostel, where we enjoyed the evening in peace, packing our bags for the return to Laoag and Manila.
The next morning we grabbed our free breakfast and brought our bags downstairs. We managed to catch the last seconds of the final game between the Lakers and the Celtics, before finding ourselves a tricycle to take us to the bus station. We had high hopes the trip back to Laoag would be as smooth as our first trip, but it turned out to be much more of a hassle. When we asked for the next available bus we heard we’d have to wait an hour… There was no A/C waiting room and the temperature was not entirely pleasant. We decided to look around and see if we could pop into a store to wait there. We found a second-hand shoe store, where we hung around, pretended to be interested. For some reason I had a hunch a bus might show up sooner than we were told so I ran back to the station, and sure enough, there it was! I rushed back to get Francesca and we managed to secure some decent seats.
Back in Laoag we took another tricycle from the bus station to the local Laoag Museum. It turned out to be an unexpectedly pleasant stop. The museum gave us a glimpse of the Ilocano heritage by showcasing Philippine rural life. Our next stop was the Sinking Bell Tower, named thus because it is slowly sinking into the soft soil of the city. Apparently a decade ago, the entrance was still tall enough to let a man on horseback enter. Now it’s not even tall enough for a normal standing man. We wanted to have a look inside, but found the door closed. We were told we could ask in the nearby church, but after walking around with our backpack for a while trying to find someone with a key we gave up and headed for the tourism office instead. We had wanted to have a look at the UNESCO World Heritage listed Paoay Church, but weren’t sure how to get there. The people in the tourism office offered us much needed advice, water and A/C. Outside we hired a tricycle to take us to the church and back, a good 50 minute drive away.
Here’s a little information about the Paoay Church: “Construction of the church started in 1704 and was completed in 1894 by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo. It is probably the best-known “earthquake Baroque” church in the Philippines. Large coral stones were used for the lower level while bricks were used for the upper levels of the church. The walls are 1.67 meters thick and are supported by 24 carved and massive buttresses.” Francesca and I were instantly impressed by those thick walls with its curves. We walked around the structure, and had a look inside as well. Sadly, the inside was not as impressive… There were some cool paintings and amusing ads to get readers to become ‘of the cloth,’ but we realized the real pull of the church was the outside. Furthermore, the roof had come down due to earthquakes and had been replaced by a rather ungainly steel cover. We walked back outside, got ice creams to go and asked our driver to take us to the Laoag airport.
Once we got through security and checked in we got some sad news. The flight had been delayed by an hour… Since there was literally nothing at the airport we were now in a bit of trouble. We hadn’t had dinner yet, were hungry, and couldn’t get food. I started asking if we could order pizza to be delivered at the airport, but none of them would do that… Just when we thought we’d have to wait until midnight for food (the time we expected to be back in Manila) one of the security officers kindly offered to take me with him on his motor bike to get dinner! Awesome! He took me to a mall, where I picked up a pizza and pasta. Just as we returned at the airport our plane came in and as I went through security once more, boarding started. Perfect timing! We got to thank the kind officer on our way to the plane, and enjoyed our food, as well as the quick flight back to Manila.
A taxi took us back to (surprise!) Friendly’s, where our old room was waiting for us for the final days of our stay in the Philippines. It felt good to know we had a few days of quiet ahead of us, before having to face Hong Kong once more. Our Saturday was thus spent in the mall, where we got tickets for the latest Toy Story. Definitely a good movie, well worth our time! As Saturdays sometimes go, nothing much happened and the hours passed slowly. I got dinner from Café Adriatico, which continued to amaze us with its great flavors. Francesca will now tell you about the 19th of June, when we got to hear the story of Imelda Marcos.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home