I’ve been living here in Manila for 3 years now and I haven’t got the chance to see the beauty of what my own country can offer until I got invited by The Village Pipol team to head to Ilocos Sur! So I searched for Ilocos Sur and the beautiful spots there, I got so excited that I even planned 5 outfits for our 3-day vacation(too much huh? Haha!). 

Ilocos is the first and the farthest place I’ve gone to travelling by land and I thank God for guiding us through the entire trip. Our road trip was long and tiring for we travelled 7-8hours including pit stops.

If you haven’t been to Ilocos Sur, then let me take you there through the photos I took during our trip and show my experience.

We left Manila at around 2AM and got there at 10AM but that includes our breakfast and restroom breaks. Ilocos is comprised of four provinces: Pangasinan, La Union, ILOCOS SUR & Ilocos Norte. But this trip concentrates in Ilocos Sur.

When we got to Vigan, I was really in awe because the places that I once saw in the photos came to life – LITERALLY! I couldn’t get lucky enough for we stayed at Vigan Plaza Hotel located at the heart of Vigan which is just beside the infamous Calle Crisologo that I again just saw in photos before. After checking in our hotel, we dozed off for an hour or two to get some energy for the full packed adventure!

Day 1: Food & Culture

Of course, there is no better way of discovering the culture but by tasting their food – at least that’s what I know. From our hotel, we walked through Calle Crisologo to reach the Post Office. I wondered why the tourist guide took us there, but little did we know that there is a cafeteria beside the Post Office – which they call Sinanglaoan Sa Post Office.

Sinanglao is a staple fare within Vigan and most possibly in other towns of Ilocos Sur. It tasted like Sinigang with a slight bitter taste which they say Papaitan. The hostile taste of sourness and bitterness made me want to eat more. I enjoyed the meat, but not the other cow parts – intestines, liver, skin.

Pagburnayan Pottery. It was my first time seeing how a pot is made. This pot below was made on the spot by the owner of the pottery which is a National Folk Artist - Fidel Go! He even told funny joke while making this beautiful pot.

We took a lunch break at Cafe Vigaa which is located in our hotel. Their Bagnet Kare-Kare is Heavenly!! Seriously! I went to the room for a quick nap.

And for dinner, we went to The Sitio Food Park. Food parks are very popular in Metro Manila right now that you could find them anywhere. But The Sitio Food Park is the first ever and only food park in Vigan. It's a mixed of local and global cuisine. I loved the Lemon Hub for it was so refreshing!

I ended the day with a good shower.

Day 2: More Tourist Spots!!!

My friends JP, Jean, and I had our breakfast at Cafe Bigaa because it was a complimentary from the hotel! Yay! for free breakfast!
 
After finishing our meal at 8am, we took a walk around Calle Crisologo again to see how it looks without a lot of people. It was MUCH better because you get to see the street without getting irritated by the large number of tourists going there.


The Bantay Bell Tower sits atop of a hill and boy it was tiring! But it was worth it.

The sun was blazing hot when we reached the Baluarte Zoo. And mind you, the entrance is FREE! You only have to pay when you want to take a photo with the animals. I was good just seeing them in person, but don't want to get too close to them.

The Safari Gallery is just plain amazing! I was really SHOOKT seeing those animals(dead animals) displayed inside a room!

We had our lunch at Pinakbet Farm. We were served by locals in a costume and even prepared a show for us! It was really fun and entertaining. Their pinakbet was so addicting cuz they used crunchy chicharon that complimented the soft vegetables.
  
My most favorite part of the trip or just the day probably is the Adventure Zone. It was my first time zip lining! I was scared at first, but I enjoyed eventually because it felt like I was flying! Oh! and the Giant Swing was the most funny part because our friend took a video of us screaming! haha!

Day 3: Water Sceneries. (Last Day huhu)

This was the MOST exhausting part of the trip! But by just looking at these photos, I never felt like we had to trek up the mountain just to reach the top of the falls.








                                     

If you are looking for places to visit, then put Ilocos Sur in your list because you will never regret visiting this majestic place!

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