Vigan City

Final Leg - The Northern Region Exciting Activities

Nightfall October 31, 2007. Streets were lighted already when we entered Vigan City. Hubby, our ever reliable driver since day one, was having problem with the van’s windows tint. It was him though who choose the medium colored tint. I don’t know if he was just tired after almost six days of traveling, since this was his first time to complain about the tint since day one. Early today we left Pagudpud at 10:30 AM to see the sight at Laoag and other Ilocos Norte towns. The last stopped we had was at Badoc, home town of Juan Luna. It was 6:30 in the evening, still rush hour at Vigan when we parked our van in front of Ilocos Sur Capitol Building. We were looking for two things. First was for Max’s restaurant and second was for our pre arrange accommodation in one hotel at Vigan which I don’t want to mention the name. The streets in Vigan were small and motorcycles were everywhere.

I had a chance to ask a middle age woman for direction going to our hotel and I was impressed since she gave me direction like she knows the place like the back of her palm. We decided to drop our things first at the hotel and then go back to have our dinner. From the woman’s direction we reached the hotel. Vigan’s most streets were very narrow and some of them have one way direction only, I felt its like very congested at Vigan’s city center.

The hotel turns out an old building converted to a hotel. Parking was at the back near the swimming pool. Main entrance going to the hotel is thru a small double opening door which was just a step away from the street. Inside you’ll find their reception counter. We were greeted by a staff at the counter. She gave me two rooms with three single beds. What I have reserved was for one unit with two bedrooms in it, which they have confirmed thru SMS early last week. The staff told me that the unit was not available since the Koreans who were supposed to check out today have changed their mind. None the less, she offered me if I wanted to see the rooms.

At the second floor of the hotel where our rooms are, there was a big receiving area with old furniture and chandeliers (ofcourse were in Vigan, what would I expect). It’s like a scene from typical Pinoy scary movie. It was Halloween that night and my son kept pestering his two little sisters with creepy stories about hunted house. My second daughter was acerbic when she asked her Dad, if he was sure if the place was a hotel or another ancestral house of the Marcoses. Three single beds were lined up inside the room. It has walls and floors made out of hard wood. The toilet was on one side and an air conditioner unit on the opposite side, a colored TV was hanging on the other wall. I heard my daughter again spoke in low voice “Dad, this is not an ancestral home but an ancestral public hospital” Hubby was quick in covering her mouth before the staff could hear her.

Hubby made an excuse to the staff and told her that we would just take our dinner outside and once done will come back. In no time were out again in the streets of Vigan looking for Max’s (the only familiar name in sight) with no intention of going back to that hotel. At the plaza, there was an “October Beer Festival” that night. The stage was fronting Max’s Restaurant and people started to gather, we could not parked in front so the guard had told us to drive around and parked at the back.

Inside the restaurant we saw one familiar group having dinner. They were one of the guests also during our stay at Apo Idon Hotel in Pagudpud. They told us that after dinner, they were heading for Manila since they have completed their Vigan tour. Fried chicken never tastes so good after 7 days of eating fresh vegetables and sea foods. Crispy Pata and Karekare were ordered, I guess kids have grown tired of Bagnet. Hubby had his Vigan Longanisa (my youngest girl fondly called this at Pagudpud as “shortganisa”). After dinner since Calle Crisologo was a block away from the restaurant, we went straight to see what it can offers. 6-Cycle Mind band was at the stage when we went out of the restaurant

As if time stood still at Calle Crisologo, holding hands while walking with my hubby (yhey…), we talk about how on earth they were able to keep these antiquated houses. It was a romantic scene walking on narrow cobbled stone on a calm night with my hubby. Street was well lighted with antique looking street lamps. Large capiz wooden windows can be seen at the second floor and some souvenir shops below these century houses. My girls were running after a Calesa, this was their first time to see and was very fascinated. My son was busy looking for souvenir bracelet or a bag; he wants to give it to his special friend once we got back to Manila. I saw my Mom very busy looking for bargains. She bought an Ilocos Blankets and told me that the price in SM was more than double than here. We walk a few hundred meters with my husband holding my hands; Mom took pictures of me with my hubby hugging me close on his arms. It was passionate not until my hubby softly whispers to my ears “I will keep you in my arms, there’s no way for you to do another souvenir buying spree”. I caught other local tourist attention when I blurted with a big laugh. Truly Vigan is a place like no other.

Vigan Plaza Hotel Looks modern but still has a Vigan appeal. Since it was Halloween eve and kids don’t want a creepy night, we stayed at Vigan Plaza and did not come back to the other hotel I mentioned a while back. The plan was to sleep and rest until late morning. Since the kids were tired after a long travel and Vigan has not much to offer that will be of interest to the kids, we decided to cut our trip by one day. Tomorrow after lunch we will leave for Manila. It has been a very long day; it was 10:00 in the evening when I turned off the lights.