I Left My Heart in Vigan

‘When you reach the heart of life you shall find beauty in all things, even in the eyes that are blind to beauty.’

‘It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.’

I don’t harbor regrets because I believe that whatever decision we did in the past is something that shapes who we are today. But if ever I will reveal probably the biggest regret I’ve made in my life, it is that I didn’t visit Vigan City sooner. I had loved to visit Vigan before it was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or even after it was awarded the title as one of the New7Wonders Cities. I doubt if a lot of people then, knew that a place like Vigan did exist.

I admit that I only painstakingly decided to go there following the hype created by the awarding of Vigan City as one of the new Seven Wonder cities. The city is always in the news, not to mention, countless ad campaigns in the media promoting this fantastic tourist destination. From then on, it seemed that most people were curious, and therefore wanted to visit the city.

The planning for my travel to Vigan (together with my colleagues) took more than three months. First thing we had to do is look for an accommodation. We’re on a tight budget, so I had to look for a cheap but decent hotel to stay in. Transportation is another thing. Considering that we are planning a two-day trip, most of our budget will be spent on the rental of a private vehicle. The planning and preparation was hard but I was able to manage it somehow. I finally set-up a 2-day and 1-night itinerary to Vigan. It was November 21-22, 2016. But unexpected things happened prior to our trip. I was frustrated when more than half of those who committed to join me in the trip all backed out. I almost decided to cancel the trip but somehow it did push through.

Our journey to the North started early. Only five of us finally made the cut of joining the trip. The 16+ seater van we rented out was very spacious with just six people inside, including our driver. The early morning journey went smoothly as expected. Our first stopover is at Candon City, where we had our breakfast. After that, we went to a quick visit to the Candon Church. We continued our journey, with stopover along the way, for some bathroom breaks. Our first official photo op was at the old Quirino Bridge. After that, we again hit the road. It took not more than an hour before we finally reached our first destination in our travel plan. It was Bantay Church and Bell Tower. Contrary to the belief of many, Bantay Church is not part of Vigan City but it is located in the Municipality of Bantay.

The vicinity of the church is crowded with mostly local tourists. We managed to go inside the church and at the top of the magnificent bell tower for some photo op.

Our next stop is Baluerte. It is a huge property-turned-into-zoo owned by former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson. We didn’t really enjoy our stay there because it was an open area and the sun is intensely hot that morning. But we did buy some souvenir items from the many stalls inside and outside of the place. After Baluarte, we made our way to the Pagburnayan area, and then off we go to Hidden Gardens for our lunch. The food at Hidden Gardens was good. We ordered famous Ilocano dishes such as bagnet, pinakbet, dinengdeng, and longganisa. We were all full when we left the place.

 

We decided to go straight to our hotel to take a brief rest before hitting the streets of Vigan. Our accommodation is something I am very thankful for. The hotel seemed small outside. Even our room is enough for me and my three other companions. But what I really liked about the place is that it’s spotlessly clean and the staff are accommodating.  After our much needed rest, we were revitalized to start our main tour of Vigan. Our van dropped us at Calle Crisologo where our journey back in time started.

Old houses are nothing new to me, but Vigan heritage houses are eons different. Maybe seeing a cluster of them do brings some nostalgia in me. They evoke a different atmosphere that I appreciated and longed for. I lived in the city and always detested the noise and pollution there. Vigan on its part is free from that. I did see some commercial establishments around, which I believe is inevitable.

As we strolled along Calle Crisologo we neglected our travel plan of going to the museums and other heritage houses around the city. We immediately took the opportunity to buy items Vigan is famous for. It was almost dark when we’re finally done with our pasalubong shopping. We headed back to our van which is parked along Plaza Salcedo. Vigan cathedral is located nearby so we took the chance to go inside the church. After that, we went straight to the Plaza just in front of the church. We sat in the benches located there and waited for the dancing fountain show to start.

I have to say that watching the dancing fountain is the highlight of this trip. The show was amazing and we really enjoyed it. After the show, we went to Café Leona. This time we only partook in a very light dinner, as we were still full from our lunch. We capped the night in the streets of Vigan by sipping frappucino which we bought at Coffee Break Vigan.

The following day is Sunday, it was our second and last day in Vigan. After taking a bath, we prepared everything for our departure back home. After breakfast we settled everything and checked out at the hotel. We proceeded to Plaza Salcedo for our last photo op, and after that, went to Tongson’s for another pasalubong shopping. Outside Vigan we still managed to stop at Marsha’s Delicacies to buy more pasalubong. Then off we go back to Tarlac.

Our Vigan trip is short with a lot of things left undone and unexplored. Nevertheless, we did enjoy our short stay there. The six-hour travel was all worth it. Personally, if I were given another chance, I will go back there and extensively explore the city without the fear of time gaining in on me. I think I will never get bored even if I stay there for a month.  I might even consider migrating to Vigan permanently. More than its famous heritage houses, what drives me to come back is the simplicity of life and the laid-back atmosphere the city imbibes. Vigan is a place striving in today’s modern era with its simplicity and unpretentiousness. But behind this simplicity lies the classic beauty and old grandeur that city boys like us will forever adore. I never expected that preserving the past will lead us to appreciate the beauty of the days when commercialism and technology are nonexistent.

Try to set foot in Vigan and I'm sure you will also fall in love with the place, its history, its cuisine, and its people. I did, and it leaves me heartbroken when finally I had to bid my goodbye to her.

Itinerary

Day 1 (Saturday)

01:30 AM  Assembly

02:00 AM  ETD to Vigan City

06:00 AM  Breakfast at Candon City

07:30 AM  Quirino Bridge

08:30 AM  Bantay Church and Bell Tower

10:00 AM  Baluarte

11:30 AM  Pagburnayan

12:30 PM  Lunch at Lilong and Lilang Restaurant (Hidden Garden)

02:00 PM  Check-in hotel/Rest (Mojica Residencia Hotel)

04:00 PM  Calle Crisologo, pasalubong shopping

06:00 PM  Plaza Burgos, St. Paul Cathedral, Ilocos Sur Capitol, Vigan City Hall

07:00 PM  Plaza Salcedo, watch dancing fountain

08:30 PM  Dinner at Café Leona

09:30 PM  Coffee Break Vigan

10:00 PM  Back to hotel

Day 2 (Sunday)

06:00 AM  Woke-up, last min prep

07:00 AM  Breakfast

08:00 AM  Check-out at the hotel

08:30 AM  Pasalubong shopping at Tongson’s

09:00 AM  Marsha’s Delicacies

09:30 AM  ETD to Tarlac City

01:00 PM  Lunch at La Union
04:30 PM  ETA at Tarlac City