to follow-up my last post 'bout my la union trip/vacation... i know, i know, it has been taking too long. but there's just so many things to do... i have a job and a life too. :)
well, there really isn't much to say but our supposedly trip to the haven that me and my bestfriend dreamed of didn't push through. i guess pagudpud would have to wait for some other time. the van we rode on, which is owned by my bestfriend's family, is not that much up to very long trips anymore. a trip to pagudpud will take 5-6 hours from san fernando city (la union). so, we just opted for a shorter trip to vigan. i didn't regret it though... vigan isn't a bad option. besides, it was my first time to visit ilocos, so why would i complain?
vigan is about 2-3 hours drive from my bestfriend's place. the travel time isn't that bad considering the nice scenery you will be passing by on the way. we tried to take pictures while on the road, but we missed most of the best shots or it's just that we can't get a decent shot. it's so hard to take pictures while in transit. besides, we were too engulfed in the beauty of the sights we were passing by that we forget to take out our cameras earlier. but nevertheless, the moment we stepped on to vigan soils, we can't help but to shoot... and shoot... and shoot!
the first thought that came into my mind when i saw vigan was that it was like intramuros, only way, way better. although intramuros has somehow preserved some of our very rich cultural heritage in the form of old buildings and houses, i can't say that it's the same outside of it. there were so many old houses and buildings that have been destroyed in manila to give way to new constructions.
i admire how vigan was able to preserve our rich filipino heritage by keeping the old architectural designs. my bestfriend said that it is a requirement in the city that when new business establishments are constructed, the old architectural designs must be retained and preserved. heck, i nearly didn't recognize mcdonald's there, if not for the big yellow "M" sign. even this popular american fastfood looks like an old spanish house. and to my surprise, i saw a familiar insignia on one of the buildings in vigan. i felt reminiscent looking at it since i was once an employee of its makati head office. i am talking about the CAP building, which looks very much different from its other branches. of course, it also has a spanish look and feel to it, blending nicely with all other establishments in the area.
since we arrived in vigan at around lunch time, we looked for a place to eat. there was one place my bestfriend was talking about but we couldn't find it, so we ended up at cafe leona. it's just a small, cozy restaurant near the heritage village. they don't only serve good ilocano food but the nice interiors of the restaurant would also nourish your artistic appetites.
after munching on some ilocano treats such as bagnet, diningding (which is an ilocano version of pinakbet), vigan longganisa, and some chicken at cafe leona, we proceeded to the heritage city where more shooting and a little shopping took place.
the heritage city of vigan is also much like the wow philippines tiangge in intramuros. you can buy local products ranging from food to crafts. although i never really bought anything for myself, i did buy one small remembrance for a friend. it's a miniature carriage-like swing made of wood. i chose it because i noticed that it is very typical to find one of these swings in the heritage village. i just don't know if it's also the same for the whole of vigan. in fact, tourists like to take pictures sitting on those wooden swings.
here are more of the pics i took at the hertiage city...
our trip doesn't stop here... but of course, i will reserve my story and pictures on the next installment of my la union - vigan trip post. :p
well, there really isn't much to say but our supposedly trip to the haven that me and my bestfriend dreamed of didn't push through. i guess pagudpud would have to wait for some other time. the van we rode on, which is owned by my bestfriend's family, is not that much up to very long trips anymore. a trip to pagudpud will take 5-6 hours from san fernando city (la union). so, we just opted for a shorter trip to vigan. i didn't regret it though... vigan isn't a bad option. besides, it was my first time to visit ilocos, so why would i complain?
vigan is about 2-3 hours drive from my bestfriend's place. the travel time isn't that bad considering the nice scenery you will be passing by on the way. we tried to take pictures while on the road, but we missed most of the best shots or it's just that we can't get a decent shot. it's so hard to take pictures while in transit. besides, we were too engulfed in the beauty of the sights we were passing by that we forget to take out our cameras earlier. but nevertheless, the moment we stepped on to vigan soils, we can't help but to shoot... and shoot... and shoot!
the first thought that came into my mind when i saw vigan was that it was like intramuros, only way, way better. although intramuros has somehow preserved some of our very rich cultural heritage in the form of old buildings and houses, i can't say that it's the same outside of it. there were so many old houses and buildings that have been destroyed in manila to give way to new constructions.
i admire how vigan was able to preserve our rich filipino heritage by keeping the old architectural designs. my bestfriend said that it is a requirement in the city that when new business establishments are constructed, the old architectural designs must be retained and preserved. heck, i nearly didn't recognize mcdonald's there, if not for the big yellow "M" sign. even this popular american fastfood looks like an old spanish house. and to my surprise, i saw a familiar insignia on one of the buildings in vigan. i felt reminiscent looking at it since i was once an employee of its makati head office. i am talking about the CAP building, which looks very much different from its other branches. of course, it also has a spanish look and feel to it, blending nicely with all other establishments in the area.
since we arrived in vigan at around lunch time, we looked for a place to eat. there was one place my bestfriend was talking about but we couldn't find it, so we ended up at cafe leona. it's just a small, cozy restaurant near the heritage village. they don't only serve good ilocano food but the nice interiors of the restaurant would also nourish your artistic appetites.
after munching on some ilocano treats such as bagnet, diningding (which is an ilocano version of pinakbet), vigan longganisa, and some chicken at cafe leona, we proceeded to the heritage city where more shooting and a little shopping took place.
the heritage city of vigan is also much like the wow philippines tiangge in intramuros. you can buy local products ranging from food to crafts. although i never really bought anything for myself, i did buy one small remembrance for a friend. it's a miniature carriage-like swing made of wood. i chose it because i noticed that it is very typical to find one of these swings in the heritage village. i just don't know if it's also the same for the whole of vigan. in fact, tourists like to take pictures sitting on those wooden swings.here are more of the pics i took at the hertiage city...
our trip doesn't stop here... but of course, i will reserve my story and pictures on the next installment of my la union - vigan trip post. :p
4 comments:
hehe, ang cute! ang liliit! :))
click mo para lumaki.... ;p
ang cute nung frames effect ng pics :)
salamat... :)
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