Ilocos Trip Day 1: Exploring Vigan

Our original plan was to take Pagudpud-Laoag-Vigan. As recommended by others who have been to Ilocos, it would be better to start off the farthest and then back. Going to Pagudpud by land means 13 (minimum) hours of travel. Okay, this sounds a bit of a challenge because it means half of the day sitting on a bus. No wonder there is a joke that says Pagudpud means "pudpud ang pwet". On the other hand, Manila -Vigan is an 8 hour drive.

You can reach Ilocos via plane. Cebu Pacific and AirPhil flies to Laoag, which is located in between Pagudpud and Vigan, while SeaAir flies to Vigan but the price is very expensive.

For our trip, we all agreed to this itinerary:

10PM - Bus to Vigan

Day 1
7AM - Arrival in Vigan, Check in
Tour whole day

Day 2
7AM - Check out
7:30 AM - Bus Vigan to Laoag
11AM - Tour Laoag
4:30 PM - Bus Laoag to Pagudpud
7:30 PM - Arrival in Pagudpud, Check in

Day 3
7AM - 11AM - Pagudpud North bound tour
12 NN - Back to Homestay, check out
1PM - 3PM - Pagudpud South bound tour
3PM - Bus Pagudpud to Laoag
5 PM - Arrival in Laoag Robinson's
7PM - Flight back to Manila

We gathered in Florida Bus station near Kamuning Road in Quezon City. If you are coming from Manila, Florida has a terminal in Lacson Avenue, walking distance from Espana.

What's cool about this pink flowery bus is that it has a toilet, tiny but clean, to lessen stop over. At 10 PM, we drove off.

Before dropping us off in Vigan, we stopped over at Marsha's Delicacies, very famous for their Royal Bibingka.

We checked in early at Cordillera Inn. We chose this place for its price and location as its right along Calle Crisologo. The staff were friendly and the family room we availed was spacious and tidy. The bathroom is clean and has hot shower. You can check their website here..(btw, use internet explorer to view this site, it has issues with chrome and firefox)

At 10AM we went to Ilocos Sur Tourism Information Center to get a map of the city. Most of the spots are just near each other that you can just walk around instead of hiring a tricycle like P.Burgos Park, Cathedral of Vigan, Plaza Salcedo, Ilocos Sur Capitol and Padre Burgos House. There are lots of museums but if you are not interested, you can just skip these.

One of the must do's in Vigan is riding in Kalesa. Kalesa rental is on a per hour basis and the driver will serve as a tourist guide. Without any hesitation, we rode on a Kalesa to go to the farthest spots like the Pagburnayan (Jar Making Factory), Hidden Garden and Baluarte ni Singson. It's best to visit Pagburnayan in the morning to witness a horse mix the clay.

I like Baluarte ni Singson. People can come in with no entrance fees. Colorful birds welcomed us on the entrance and immediately you will see 2 camels. It's nice that they let some of the animals roam around the area like the horses, goats, ostrich (I forgot the others.. :)). I like their butterfly garden as it has more butterflies compared to the one in Baguio. They got more tigers compared to Manila zoo. And every 30 minutes there is a show where they let their audience participate by touching the animals.

We got back just in time to check out Calle Crisologo at night. I was surprised to see how the place transformed at night. It surely looks a looooot different in the morning. It's truly a romantic place. I like how the light's reflection added drama on the street and how busy tourists were buying souvenirs and pasalubong. The ambiance in the street is so perfect that Restaurants pulled out chairs and tables so people can eat outside. We, too, were so thrilled to experience eating outside Cafe Leona. We tried Cafe Leona's Pakbet and Bagnet. I'm a bagoong lover so I was satisfied with my meal. :)

After our hefty dinner, we strode along the park. Salcedo Park was stunningly beautiful at night with lanterns that look like stars. We also tried their special empanada. It was the first time I have ever tasted an empanada and it was delicious.