A few hours in Vigan

Day 4
Feb 11, 2013
Vigan

The next morning, we ate breakfast at Cafe Uno, a small charming coffee shop found right beside Grandpa's Inn. I ordered longganisa and hot chocolate since these were highly recommended by a few blogs I read about Vigan.

Cafe Uno

The rest of the morning was spent by my friends in Calle Crisologo to buy pasalubong  while I stayed at the hotel to rest. Later in the morning, we visited St. Paul's Cathedral, a major religious landmark, before heading to Cafe Leona for Vigan Bagnet and embutido.

St. Paul's Cathedral, Vigan

Cafe Leona

And then, we are back in Manila later that evening... 3.5 days were definitely not enough to enjoy everything Ilocos has to offer - we did not even have time to enjoy Pagudpod beach. We will definitely be back in a year or 2... or 3. I already miss the food while writing about this trip...

Estimated expenses:
 420 PHP - Texicano hotel (985 PHP/night for 2 persons plus 280 PHP additional person)
 200 PHP - Cathy's homestay (1200 PHP/night for 6 persons)
 740 PHP - Grandpa's Inn (1780 PHP/night for 2 persons plus 450 PHP additional person)
 625 PHP - Sand boarding
   10 PHP - Kaibigan falls entrance fee
 100 PHP - Kaibigan falls guide fee
1000 PHP - gas (1348km @ 89.27 liters)
2000 PHP - food (500 PHP/day)
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5095 PHP

From Kaibigan Falls to Bangui Windmills

Day 3
Feb 11, 2013
Pagudpod and Vigan

At 9 AM the following morning, we made our way to Kaibigan falls. The supposed 30-minute trek became an hour because of all the stops we made along the way to take pictures.

It was already 10:30 AM when we reached the falls. The water was like melted ice so no one attempted to take a dip in the pool. All we did was pose for pictures...

Kaibigan falls

Later in the afternoon, we went to Blue Lagoon beach. The water was more inviting this time, but then, time was not on our side. Everyone wanted to catch the Bangui windmills before it gets dark. So, after lunch, we went back to the hotel in Saud beach to check-out. 

Blue Lagoon beach

At 4 PM, we left Pagudpod - I found it funny that we traveled all the way here, the Boracay of the north, but did not even try the beach. We reached the Bangui windmills before 5 PM and stayed there until the sun set. 

Bangui windmills

We then made our way to the last city of our 4-day trip - Vigan. We had our dinner at Macy's Diner - a Hollywood-inspired restaurant - complete with posters of Hollywood classics and a vintage jukebox machine.

It was already past 9 PM when we reached Grandpa's Inn, a one-of-a-kind hotel in Vigan. Everything in the hotel is vintage (or feels vintage) - the piano in the corner (which surprisingly works), the yellowed photos in the frames, the antique furniture and memorabilia. While it looks really unique and charming, you won't find me wandering alone this hotel at night (it's creepy!).

Grandpa's Inn

We actually almost looked for another hotel as the cheaper room (dormitory room for 6) was not available anymore (I did not find a way to make the reservation while in Manila - no online reservation and no one answered my call!). But we decided to stay.

Unique beds at Grandpa's Inn

Before calling it a night (it was a long day after all), we just had to go to Calle Crisologo for some photo-op. We knew the houses built during the Spanish-era would look majestic under the glow of orange lamps in the night sky. We were not wrong.

Calle Crisologo

Sand Boarding at La Paz

Day 2
Feb 10, 2013
Laoag and Pagudpod

We woke up very early the next day for the sand boarding activity so we could avoid the scorching heat of the sun at La Paz sand dunes. Our contact Glenn (contact number 09088853669) picked us up at 6 AM from the hotel and brought us to the dunes which was about 20 minutes away. Glenn's package (2500 PHP for a group of four) covered both not-as-easy-at-it-looks sand boarding and the 4x4 ragged drive around the dunes which included some hold-on-for-dear-life slopes.

4x4 ride at the La Paz sand dunes

Paddle boarding at La Paz sand dunes

On the way back to the hotel, on our sand-drenched condition, we stopped over at Malacañang Ti Amianan (Malacanang of the North), the official residence of the late President Marcos. No one would think we would be visiting a palace with the way we looked - messy hair, shorts, slippers.

Malacañang Ti Amianan

View from the mansion - Paoay lake

We went back to the hotel afterwards for a much needed bath. For lunch, we ate at Saramsam Ilocano restaurant, another highly recommended place in Laoag - and for a very good reason. The oil-based Saramsam pasta - with shrimps, tomatoes, mango slices - and Poque-Poque pizza - with eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and eggs - were to die for, not to mention healthy.

Saramsam Ilocano Restaurant

Poque-Poque pizza

Saramsam Pasta

Maja Blanca - Ilocano version

After lunch, it was time to leave Laoag and head to Pagudpod. Along the way, we made 2 stopovers at Burgos. The first one was at Cape Bojeador, which unfortunately already forbids visitors from going up the actual tower.

Cape Bojeador

Next and last stop was at Kapurpurawan rock formation. The name translates to whiteness, which is exactly what one would find here - creamy white limestone formation, in the middle of nowhere.

Kapurpurawan rock formation

It was almost night time when we decided to leave Burgos and head to  Cathi's Homestay (contact number 09195716680 ) in Saud beach in Pagudpud, where we would stay for the night. The place was really cheap - 1000 PHP for a room good for 5 - but only because there were no basic amenities (no tv set, no hot water) at all. The owner though was really friendly and allowed us to check-out very late in the afternoon the next day.

Cathi's Homestay

We had dinner in the resort next door - Api Idon resort - where I discovered another new favorite dish - Mountain Chicken. It was a great way to cap off the night.

Mountain Chicken

Road trip to Laoag

Day1
Feb 9, 2013
Laoag

The last time I went to the north was quite unforgettable for one specific reason - there were 14 of us cramped in a single old van (!) and it did not help that we had slowest driver ever. I woke up in the middle of night and found all other vehicles overtaking us - in a wide freeway. We left at around 10 PM and reached Pagudpod at around 3 PM the next day.

This time around, there were only 6 of us in a car - a Hyundai Elantra - which is quite roomy. There were 4 of us in the backseat and it was not bad at all (there were 2 pint-size girls with us). We left the office at past 9 PM, 5 hours after the planned time, and arrived in Laoag at 7 AM.

We stayed at Texicano hotel which is right in the middle of the town proper. The room we got was spacious and it even had a kitchen sink and refrigerator. It could use a little makeover though but you get what you paid for.

Texicano hotel

After a few hours of sleep, and a brief lunch, we started to tour Laoag. We first went to the plaza and then to St. William Cathedral and the Sinking Bell Tower.

St. William Cathedral

Later on, we viewed Ferdinand Marcos' remains at the Marcos Mausoleum, which we reached a few minutes before closing time. On the wall opposite the mausoleum is a banner containing a comparison of  the administrations of Marcos and Corazon Aquino, which is understandably, given that we are on Marcos' domain, biased towards Marcos. The data are quite intriguing though and warrant further rumination.

Marcos Mausoleum

A comparative study of 2 administrations

We then went to the centuries-old Paoay church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was completed in 1710.

Facade and bell tower of Paoay Church

We reached Paoay lake before sunset to try out paddle-boarding, which was heavily publicized in most blogs about Ilocos trip. This was one thing I was really looking forward to but, alas, we did not find anyone offering the activity - even the people around the lake area were not aware of it.

Paoay Lake - very serene and perfect for paddle boarding

After a brief stop at the lake, we proceeded to Fort Ilocandia resort hotel, the only 5-star hotel in the north.

We then had our dinner at La Preciosa, where we tried a few of the local dishes including Poqui-poqui which is a unique kind of eggplant omelet (tortang talong) with lots of slice of tomato and onions. I don't eat eggplant but I enjoyed this dish very much.

La Preciosa

Chicken Adobo

Poqui-Poqui

The gang at La Preciosa - Migs, Marc, Jojo, John, Marianne, and Susanne