Vigan, Ilocos Sur...Ilocos was known for its old stuctures...like churches, houses and museums. And this is one of them...Ang Simbahan ng Sta. Maria. This church catches my attention dahil sa gawa siya sa bricks and stones. It was elevated from the street and kailangan mong umakyat sa malapad at mataas na hagdanan nito para makita mo ang kabuuan ng simbahan. It was made of brick stones, and the surroundings of the church was so beautiful. Its landscape was overwhelming and you can feel the solemnity of the place. It's very quiet and peaceful...
Another attraction of the place is the Balluarte or others called it Balluarte ni Singson. Balluarte is a wildlife sanctuary owned and manage by Gov. Chavit Singson. It's a very nice place from which most children like to see. From there, you can see a camel, an ostritch, a pony that you can touch and walked with you, birds, deer, snakes, and a lot more. The main attraction in this place are the tigers...which you can take pictures with one of them. Tingnan ko lang kundi manginig buong katawan mo while taking your pictures with the tigers. Whew...OMG! I really prayed a lot for the tiger to behave while I'm on her side....I even can't smile when the photographer says....SMILE...How about you?...Can you??? You can also ride the karitela na hinihila ng maliit na kabayo...Nakakapagod maglakad dahil sa lawak nung area. But its all payed off when you see the beautiful birds na wala sa kulungan....
These are some of the animals that you can see inside the Baluarte...I'm sure lots of kids love to see these place...Don't forget your cameras! Kids...give your big SMILE!!!
After the tiring tour in sunctuary, my next destination is the famous street in Ilocos, the Calle Crisologo. Some says, "you haven't been to Vigan if you did not see Calle Crisologo or the Vigan Heritage Village". In this place you can see the bahay-na-bato, a house made of stone or bricks on its first level and a big slab of hard woods on its second floor. Windows are made of capiz. When you are in this place, malalaman mo talaga na matagal tayong sinakop ng mga Kastila. Even the streets alone are made of bricks and only calesas are allowed to pass thru that street.
At present, this houses became tourists spot and commercial stablishments from where you can buy some souvenirs. You can buy here their famous kumot na iloko as my nanay asked to me buy as a pasalubong. There are also wood curvings, antiques, cloth decors for the house, key chains, and lots of native products of Ilocos. Haaay...I wasn't able to buy many souveniers... Pero di bale, I know someday, babalikan ko ulit ang Ilocos. Kahit ilang beses siguro akong pumunta dito sa lugar na ito di ako magsasawa...malinis, tahimik, maraming magagandang pasyalan, at mababait na mamamayan....
After finished shopping for pasalubong, a friend from the place invited us to eat their well known orange colored empanada. Literally "orange colored". It was so delicious and sobrang nakakabusog. Ang sarap nya isawsaw sa suka with chilli... I highly suggest the reader to try this when you go to the place. Nam-nam-nam...
Did you recognized the man sitting in this photo(your left)? Yes,... your right...this is the photo of our late Pres. Elpidio Quirino. And on your right, is the Mansion Syquia. This was once became the resident of the Quirino-Syquia family. This house is located just a few blocks away from Calle Crisologo. If you go inside the mansion, you can easily recognized that the owner of this house was really rich and has a big family members...There are so much antique furnitures and decors inside the house...For the antique fannaters, I'm sure you'll love this place...
Sa mga katulad kong beginners...try to make your itenerary as much as you can before you make your travel adventure...But as many says...talagang ganyan sa umpisa...may kulang, may mali, may nakakalimutan, and higit sa lahat...minsang nagmumukang tanga lang...LOL...Goodluck!
