I have always associated the Ilocos Region with former President Ferdinand Marcos, who was and still is regarded as Philippine Region I's most favored son. Back then, I had a vague notion that Pangasinan being in Central Luzon belonged to Region III, and La Union was a part of Ilocos Province. I must
admit that I had everything so mixed up that I did take Vigan, Laoag and Abra in one breath. In spite of this tupsy turby information, I did have a longing to see the two UNESCO heritage sites (Vigan and Paoay church) up close and personal.
The Philippine road map and travel guide book that DeeJ got from National Bookstore served as our guides for this 350 miles cross country journey. After packing the large compartment of Mazda 6 with our clothes, breads, peanut butter and a cooler full of ice, bottled water and drinks; boiled eggs and egg sandwich spread, we started our trek at around 9:30 AM, Saturday.
The first stop over was the old church of Calasiao, Pangasinan.
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| Sto. Nino Church, Calasiao Pangasinan
It was so unfortunate, that it was only a few days later that I had learned that beside the old church is a shrine that houses the century old statue of Sto. Nino which has been documented to be growing in height through the years.
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Nature lover that we are, we indulged ourselves with the superb view of La Union nestled between the Cordillera hills and the South China Sea,
until we reached the first leg of our much dreamed destination - Ilocos Sur.
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| Santa Bridge, Ilocos Sur |
Heavy downpours slowed down our pace such that we reached Vigan at 7 PM. Notwithstanding the rain and the cold wind, we dared to walk along the Heritage Village. The 150 18th century "bahay na bato" (stone houses) of castillan architecture illuminated both by the moon and antique street lights, stood with splendid majesty on each side of the cobblestone road. It was like being brought back by a time machine to 1572. We rewound to the present time and left lightheartedly confident that we would be coming back.
It was only at this point that we realized we had been travelling for almost 10 hours. The subsequent one hour night drive to Badoc, which providentially is the first town which borders Ilocos Norte, proved tedious as the mica blue Mazda 6 passed through unfamiliar path like a ghost in an eerie backdrop.
The sumptuous dinner prepared by Joel’s mother in law gave us a restful night after refreshing ourselves with the much needed shower. Sunday was sightseeing day. We started with the old church of Badoc, Ilocos Norte;
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| Badoc Old Church, Badoc Ilocos Norte |
then a walk to the past in the restored house of the greatest 19th century Filipino painter – Juan Luna.
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| Juan Luna Shrine, Badoc Ilocos Norte |
  
The great staircases, wood flooring, almost a meter wide brick walls, spacious azotea, small chapel and a deep well drifted Dane to his previous life before he was re-incarnated,such that he stated firmly that he would like to have a house like this.
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| Replica of Juan Luna'sSpolarium |
The Paoay Heritage
After reliving the scenes in ‘Ang Panday’ of Fernando Poe Jr, ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ of Tom Cruise and the fencing match of Lou Perigno in the sand dunes of Paoay,
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| Sand dune of Paoay
we were overwhelmed by the St Augustine Catholic church in Paoay, built in 1593 and listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site.
It is the only existing church in the Philippines which is supported by buttresses, each of which can house a Filipino family.
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Ilocos Norte's Favorite Son
Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was born in Sarrat but his body was laid in estate in a mausoleum in Batac, built in between the family museum and the family mansion.
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| Marcos Family Mansion, Batac Ilocos Norte |
Everybody can view his body free of charge. No photograph taking was allowed. Since it was guarded so tightly, Dane had to content himself with just memories of being so close to a man who lived and ruled the Philippines for two decades before he was born.
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| Father of All Mankind Prayer of Ferdinand E. Marcos |
Laoag City to Burgos
As we passed by Laoag City to view the sinking bell tower of St. Williams, I bought a memory card for my cannon ixus and re fuelled Mazda 6 at a gas station in front of the renowned Java mansion, before we proceeded to see the leaning bell tower or ‘simboryo’ of the old Bacarra church.
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We attempted to trudge the jagged road to Kapurpurawan white rock formation in Burgos. Much that we lusted for this romantic place where the white rock mountain has been transformed to magnificent sculptures by the constant ripping of the waves, we grudgingly aborted the trip for it can only be ventured by a 4 x 4 vehicle.
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| Road to Kapurpurawan |
Windmills of Bangui
But the 21 windmills along Bangi seashores wiped away our disappointment. Much that we undertook great efforts to capture the magnificence of these humongous edifices, we were only left with some snapshots attempting to demonstrate how we were dwarfed by them.
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Finally, Pagudpud
Half an hour from Bangi, we finally reached Pagudpud, declared to be the best beach in Ilocos Norte and with its creamy white sand is claimed to be the Boracay of northern Luzon.
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| Pagudpud Ilocos Norte |
We occupied a family suite with a balcony overlooking the beach in Saud Beach resort.
Since night swimming was not allowed, we soaked in the sea from 3 PM to 6 PM to make up for the long travel we had.
In this context, we compared Pagudpud from our seaside property in Matawe Dingalan, Aurora. The only difference is the color of the sand. The waves, the depth of the water, the cleanliness...almost the same....
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| Pagudpud beach |
and of course we are biased because in Matawe Dingalan we spend less travel so we can soak in sea water for 48 hours much to our heart’s content ... and much more, although Saud’s fee is rightly prized, no one can contest with the very low budget we spend every time we go to Dingalan.
We returned to Badoc for the wedding. The period of relative starvation in Pagudpud was the best prelude to the delicious mouth-watering foods we relished in Joel’s wedding.
Heritage Village
On our way home to Manila, we tucked as much memories that we can handle...
old churches, coastline sceneries, and the best that nature can offer...all for free.
We came back to Vigan with a vengeance. We took pictures so we can relish Heritage Village for as long as we wish.
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| Heritage Village, Vigan Ilocos Sur |
On our way home to Manila, we tucked as much memories that we can handle...
old churches, coastline sceneries, and the best that nature can offer...all for free.
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| Vigan Cathedral, Vigan Ilocos Sur |
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| Sinait Parish Church, Sinait Ilocos Norte |
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| Sta. Lucia Parish Church's Dome, Santa Lucia, Ilocos Sur |
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| Santa Maria Parish Church, Santa Maria Ilocos Sur |
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| Paoay Church, Paoay Ilocos Norte |
Epilogue: We need to go back and spend a week more to be able to see all that Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte can offer...blue lagoon in Pagudpud, Kapurpurawan, Burgos Light House, the river of Adams, A side trip to the beaches of La Union can be an additional treat.
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