It was just a spur of the moment, I texted a friend who lives in Vigan just to check how's everything and then for some reason the conversation kinda ended up me telling him that I will probably visit next week. Then the first week of May came, and yes out of nowhere everything seem to fall into places. My 2 days vacation leave got approved,my roommate agreed to come with me,packed my bag and next thing I know where waiting for a cab going to the north bus terminal. I decided to pick PARTAS bus liner as I've read many good comments from fellow netizen. And they were almost right, except for some who said that you can sleep comfortably on the bus. The Partas bus isnt as fabulous as i thought it would be, we paid Php 645.00 each for one way fare from Cubao to Vigan, from what i've experienced it doesn't really have anything that sets it apart from any ordinary air-conditioned bus I've ridden.It's nice and clean and quite fast,but the travelling time is what shocked and almost killed me. It was the longest 12 hrs of my life, it was no far from the travel time I spent when I went to Naga, Bicol by land. One thing I learned during the 12 hour ride is that never to travel by land again if travel time will be more than 5hrs.
We arrived at almost 12 noon, it was May 3 and the town is celebrating their annual fiesta. The place isn't as festive as I thought It would be,probably because the programs and dance parade wont be until Sunday. We stayed at my friends home in Salcedo St,they made our Vigan trip extra special and made us experience Vigan like were really are one of the locals :) ,his mom even cooked the most famous dishes of Vigan like : Pipian, Lomo-lomo and Puki-Puki ( my favorite of all ), they also made sure that we get to taste their well known version of EMPANADA.
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| The famous VIGAN Empanada and Okoy both from IRENE's at Salcedo St in Vigan |
Their empanada is quite different from the usual empanada i've known, their version is made up of eggs, cabbage and pork or beef or chicken, and the crust isnt the sweet crust like the ones in Manila, the crust is thin and crispy and cant really explain the taste but its delicious and worth giving it a try.
Aside from delighting ourselves with the native delicacies, my
friend and I hit the famous heritage village the first night that we're in Vigan. The place made me feel like I'm in Europe, it was very classy... the old big houses..the lights... the streets...the Kalesas passing by with amazed tourist inside and It was surprising to know that in the heart of this amazing Heritage Village lies a perfect place for party goers. Im talkin about the Legacy Club, unfortunately im too tired to party its not in my to do list, so we pass on partying and moved on to see the night at the Heritage Village.
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| mesmerized by the old houses and the magnificent ambience of heritage village |
As we walked around,I noticed that most of the shops in these site sells souvenirs and antiques.
The Souvenir shops in the area sells shirts with Vigan designs , Blankets and bags from the most- talked about ABEL's,ref magnets,keychain,purses and wines that are proudly Vigan made. But as we reached the almost end part of the Heritage Village I was thrilled to see the night market.
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| one of the many food stalls in the night market |
Their night market is almost the same as the night markets that we have here in Manila, theres a part where you can eat ....this place reminds me of our favorite Midnight Mercato at the The Fort. Different dishes were served,some were native delicacies, they also have pasta,rice dishes and all looks really inviting and tempting.
The best thing to do to always remind me of Vigan is get a souvenir! But I'm no fan of keychains or shirts or anything like that. I got myself a chest box lookin thingy thats perfect for keeping my blankets and bedsheets and my seasonal clothes. We had a few bottles and our pulutan from the KUBO VILLE , Its also known as DOS MEAL.Its one of the great places where u can stay if u just wanna hang out ...chill...talk and bond with friends. We dont have a lot of days to spend in Vigan so we tried to maxime each day, the following day we went to visit the the must-see HIDDEN GARDEN. If your the type of person who loves green and food you should check out this place. Its really very romantic and relaxing in Hidden Garden and they have the most wonderful staffs.
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| Lunch time at Hidden Garden |
My Personal list of Must Try/Do/See and Buy:
* try Vigan's empanada , they said the best empanada is the one from IRENE's at Salcedo St.
* Visit the Heritage Village
* Ride a Kalesa for Php 150/Hr
* Hang out and bond with friends at Kubo Ville , their located in Salcedo St :)
* Visit the night market near the Heritage Village
* Drop by at the Hidden Garden and discover the place for yourself, their food is a must try!
* For pasalubongs:
- I would recommend u buy shirts from the tiangge's at BALUARTE, they have the widest selection and cheapest price ranges from Php100-160
- Prices at night market near Heritage Village offers bigger discounts compare to the shops at Heritage Village itself.
- Bagnet at Stall number 49 @ Vigan Public market
- Ilocos Vinegar and Chichacorn are readily available at an affordable price @ Vigan Public Market
- My personal fave pasalubong: Empanaditas from Sylvia's, their location: San Lorenzo Village, Pantay Fatima Vigan or u can contact them at: 09157533388.
- Basi (ilocos wine )can be bought at Heritage Village for Php60.00 for small bottle and 120 for big bottles.
If someone will ask me how will rate my visit to Vigan. I'd say its 4/5, almost perfect except for the 12 hours travel time, but I guess the place is worth the travel time :). Will I come back again? A loud YES! ...given another perfect opportunity, I will dare to see Vigan again.
Xoxoxo, iCe
