Early the following morning, at around 4:30 am, we checked out from the house and started gathering by our van. However, we weren't able to get out because our neighbor's car was blocking the driveway. We were finally able to start traveling to Ilocos at 5 am. We were so excited!
Call me naive, though, but I didn't expect Ilocos to be sooo far. I thought it would be, like, 3 hours away, but 3 hours passed and we were still in La Union! We slowly began removing our jackets and cardigans and realized we were not in Baguio anymore. Haha!
Tirik na ang araw when we finally arrived in Bantay, the town before Vigan. We got off our van for a photo op at Quirino Bridge.
Quirino Bridge
Then we headed to
St. Augustine Parish
...this grotto of
Our Lady of Charity
...and
Bantay Bell Tower
We then proceeded to our hotel in Vigan, which is a budget hotel called Green-R (I'll write a separate post about our accommodations. Because everyone was so tired from the travel, we decided to rest first in our individual rooms but not before eating lunch at a nearby carinderia.
Why did we choose to eat in a carinderia? We wanted to experience genuine Ilocano dishes and foolishly thought we could eat genuine dishes there. But the dishes turned out to be average, and the owner charged us exorbitantly. Imagine, it was a really shabby place that lacked chairs, and for just our table alone, we were charged P500 for 4 viands - and the servings were really small! (Plus I still think I got stomach flu from the food there.)
So much for that rant. At 3pm, we went out from the comfort of our rooms and toured Vigan.
Baluarte
Pagburnayan or RG Jar Factory
The Unique Establishments of Vigan
Calesa Ride
For just P150, you will be toured around Vigan City in a horse-driven calesa.
Vigan Cathedral
Calle Crisologo
Empanada near Plaza Burgos
Dancing Fountain and Lights Show at Plaza Salcedo
That night was the start of how this vacation turned downhill for me because I woke up with terrible stomach cramps, diarrhea, and nausea (alright, are those starting to get too familiar?!). We were scheduled to tour Ilocos Norte the next day, and the entire group, including Yuri, went. However, I stayed in Vigan to nurse my illness.
But don't worry! I got a different tour of my own. Stay tuned tomorrow for that!
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