VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: Thu, Mar 07 2013
Author: lv
Subject: VIGAN CITY, ILOCOS SUR


I was in Vigan recently for some errands that I had to do. Since I was already there and it was a beautiful day, I decided to take the opportunity to take photos in and around the city. I had taken photos of Vigan to share with you here at the mb in the past but I could not seem to get tired of taking photos in this beautiful colonial city of Ilocos Sur, so here are more photos that I took for you. There are places that I haven't been before in Vigan that I got to see this time such as the beach and the airport which are actually right in the same vicinity. Since the beach is not that bad and the airport is located in a big area suitable for local and maybe international flights, the city government of Vigan should develop this area because the two places have the potential to draw more tourists to the city which could add more income to the city coffer. There is one hotel there right on the beach and I am not sure if it is private or owned by the government. Nevertheless it needs a lot improvement and it is obvious that it is slowly deteriorating due to lack of maintenance. One of the main attractions of Vigan for me as an Ilocano is the people. I love their Ilocano accents and the hospitality of the people. Being in Vigan feels like being in Seville, Spain which I got a chance to see when I was younger. The Kalesa (horse drawn carriage) tours are quite an experience. Mind you a lot of the kutseros (kalesa drivers) serving as a tour guides speak good English and some can even understand Japanese and other languages. If you are in Vigan, you can hop into a Kalesa in any of the plazas in the town center but try to find a good kutsero tour guide if you can so it would be a more memorable experience for you. Usually a good kutsero would tell you the history of the places he will bring you to. Also, try the empanadas (Ilocos style) at Plaza Salcedo or Plaza Burgos. They now sell this kind of empanada all over the Ilocos but I think the best is still the Vigan Empanada. The longanisa (pork sausage) in Vigan is also one of the best if not the best in the Philippines. The ingredients are simple but very tasty. I love the garlic flavor. You can buy longanisa anywhere in Vigan but to be sure and for a better price, go to the Vigan Public Market. The stalls for longanisas and bagnet which is another famous Vigan delicacy are in the second floor. Bagnet is the Ilocano version of lechon kawali. Vigan is also known for their delicious bibingkas (type of rice cake). If you forgot to buy some to bring home while in town, there is a store where you buy bibingkas and other Vigan delicacies in Bantay along the national highway just outside of Vigan going south. The place which is also a restaurant is called Marsha’s Delicacies. It is clean and they have good food. It is more on the high end and of course a little more expensive. A few minutes away from the town of Bantay is the Banaoang Bridge in the town of Santa. There is a view deck here where you can stop and take photos of the Abra River, the bridge and the West Philippine Sea which was formerly called South China Sea. There is a statue of a couple holding each other showing their intimate moments together in this place by the highway. I was going to take a photo of the statue but unfortunately my camera ran out of battery. It is a beautiful statue but I am not sure what the statue is meant for. Maybe it is telling people that the place can be a place for dating? It is definitely a good place to have a rest and to enjoy the view when you are on a long drive however.

It is the hot season again in the Philippines and Vigan is waiting for you. I hope that you‘ll get to visit the capital of our province of Ilocos Sur, and for anyone who haven’t been to our province of Ilocos Sur, I highly recommend Vigan in your list of must see places especially for the summer months.

Viva Vigan!







OLD VIGAN

To view the rest of the photos, please click:
Slideshow


[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.