Cruising

By Mae Lorraine S. Rafols

A three-day trip may not sound like a vacation. Most people if given a three-day break from work, would probably opt to stay at home, sleep or simply go to the mall if in need of entertainment.

Three days, however, can already open endless possibilities for anyone who wishes to skip the city and go for a much-needed holiday.

Well-paved roads, added local flights, and tourism campaigns from nearby provinces can provide options that are worth exploring for a hurried journey.

If reluctant to go anywhere outside of Luzon, the tourist destinations of both Northern and Southern part of the region are actually enough to plan a three-day respite.

For this three-day trip, we opt for the more distant Ilocos Region – a place one can visit by taking a one-hour plane ride to Laoag, or by taking advantage of the excellent roads of the North Luzon Expressway or the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

Ilocos tourist attractions provide a unique blend of historical and natural pleasures that open up all kinds of vacation possibilities. Three days is actually sufficient to visit both Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Consider a visit to Laoag, Paoay and Batac in Ilocos Norte, then Vigan and La Union for Ilocos Sur.

Day 1: The charms of Ilocos Norte

For a longer and more comfortable holiday, take a flight to Laoag via major airlines such as Philippine Airlines (PAL) or Cebu Pacific. PAL has a morning flight at 10 a.m. and afternoon flight at 5:45 p.m. Cebu Pacific has one flight daily, 6:10 p.m.

For the first 24-hours of your trip, consider a cultural and historical travel to Laoag, Batac and Paoay – cities situated closely and are easier to reach.

While in Laoag, the capital of Ilocos Norte, visit the St. William’s Cathedral. The church is known to be older than Paoay Church. It is famous for its Italian Renaissance design as well as its Sinking Bell Tower, located 85 meters away from the church.

The church has an unusual two-storey facade, supported by two pairs of columns on each side of the arched entrance. The top of the facade holds a recessed niche that showcases the image of the city’s patron saint, San Guillermo (St. William). It has windows made from capiz with wrought iron screens.

The church was damaged by a hurricane in 1640, by earthquake in 1706, by fire in 1843, before it was restored in 1880.

St. William’s Cathedral’s bell tower is massive and solid, and at 45 meters high it is known as the tallest bell tower in the Philippines. It is called the “Sinking Bell Tower” as it sinks about an inch each year, because of its weight and its foundation (it was built on sand).

To know more on the history of Ilocos, head for the Gameng Museo Ilocos Norte. This lifestyle museum showcases the cultural heritage of the Ilocanos and the different ethnic tribes of Ilocos Norte. This museum is set in the old Tabacalera Warehouse in Laoag City, which was used as the administrative center of the tobacco monopoly during the Spanish era. Here you will find various archaelogical relics and artifacts from the province’s 22 towns and one city – including traditional clothing, utensils, farm implements and varying woven baskets.

Another feature is the ancestral Ilocano house that was fitted into the warehouse. Wandering through the different rooms will definitely give you a sense of traveling back in time, and catching a glimpse of Ilocos’ provincial life.

From Laoag, buses and local jeepneys offer a ride to Batac – the hometown of former President Ferdinand Marcos. Batac offers a number of scenic and historical tourist attractions including the Marcos Museum or “Balay Ti Ili” and General Ricarte Shrine.

Balay Ti Ili is the Marcoses’ ancestral house which has been turned into a museum that displays the memorabilia of the late President’s 20-year reign, as well as his service in the Philippine army during World War II.

Among the exhibits are dozens of life-size statues of Marcos in various outfits, all the car license plates he used since he joined the government as a Congressman, and the letters he wrote to the Filipino people while he was in exile in Hawaii.

It is here where Marcos’ body lies in a glass case in the adjacent mausoleum.

The General Ricarte National Shrine, on the other hand, was built in honor of a beloved native of Batac, General Artemio Ricarte, who was a revolutionary hero and a controversial World War II figure.

He was the first chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1897 and during the American occupation refused to vow any oath of allegiance to the United States.

The shrine consists of a memorial park that features a statue and two field guns, as well as a library and museum that has photographs and relics from his life, and also several American and Japanese guns from the World War II era.

From Batac, we suggest you end your first day vacation in Paoay. Continue a trip down history with a visit to St. Augustine Church, or more popularly called Paoay Church.

Paoay Church is inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage list (together with three other Philippine baroque churches: Nuestra Señora in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur; San Augustin in Manila; and Miag-ao Church in Iloilo) in recognition of its unique architectural style which is a reinterpretation of European Baroque by Chinese and Philippine craftsmen.

The Paoay Church is famous for its distinctive Gothic, Baroque and Oriental architecture. Its facade reveals Gothic affinity, its gables show Chinese elements, while the niches topping the walls suggest Javanese influence (reminiscent of the famous Boroboudur Temple).

A three-storey coral stone bell tower stands a few meters away from the church. The bell tower served as a look-out point for Philippine “Katipuneros” during the Philippine revolution against the Spaniards, and again by the Filipino “guerillas” during the Japanese occupation in World War II.

The panoramic view from the top of the bell tower is simply magnificent. Here you can see the vast expanse of land until it merges with China Sea.

Near the famous Paoay Church is the beautiful, placid Paoay Lake. It is a landlocked freshwater lake, shaped like a horse, with an area of 470 hectares.

Legend has it that the whole area used to be an affluent town punished for its obsessive attachment to wealth and power. Torrential rains flooded and drowned the entire town. Some local folks say fishermen caught fish with gold rings, a testament to the extravagant lifestyle of the submerged village.

Local hotels and tourist inns are located in Paoay offering modest accommodations at very reasonable prices.

Day 2: History again in Vigan

The second day of vacation can be another time travel of sorts or an enjoyable time for pasalubong shopping by heading to famous Vigan in Ilocos Sur.

Vigan is about three hour’s ride from Paoay and is accessible by taking a bus or private vans with trips to the city.

Vigan transports people back to the 16th century, when Spain turned the city into the center of economics, politics, religious, social and cultural activities of the north. It is a well-preserved Spanish colonial town, remains Ilocos Sur’s capital and was inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1999.

Imagine taking a leisurely walk or a kalesa tour around Mestizo District (now called Vigan Heritage Village), with its narrow cobbled-stone streets lined by well-preserved massive Spanish ancestral houses.

Go on a food trip by partaking on some Ilocos delights such as empanada, bagnet (crispy pork) and Vigan longganisa. Go exotic and have a taste of Pinakbet pizza in Café Leona along Burgos Street.

Shopping is definitely an activity you’ll enjoy while in Vigan. The old houses in the Heritage Village have become an instant showroom of woodcrafts and antique furniture. Find a baul for your bedroom linen or a nice wooden settee for your garden. Don’t be worried about bringing home your buys as these stores can deliver what you bought all the way to Manila for a price. Head to other parts of the city and find other Vigan crafts such as burnay (unglazed earthen jars), linen made of Abel (a local weave), and damili pots (made of terracotta or red soil).

Experience living in ancestral homes by spending the night in Vigan. A lot of Vigan’s old houses were transformed into hotels such as Vigan Hotel and Grandpa’s Inn, a quaint boutique hotel offering one-of-a-kind beds shaped like carts or kalesas.

Day 3: Surf’s up!

Take advantage of the last day of vacation and start early. Take a bus ride to La Union and spend the day on the beach and learn a new sport – surfing! San Fernando, La Union is about 136 kms away from Vigan and can be reached through a two-three hour bus ride. Bus lines like Fariñas and Maria De Leon have daily, regular trips one can take for the journey.

Situated on the northwestern coast of Luzon, La Union is considered the gateway to the Ilocos Region. With its strategic location, the province is one of the business, education, and government centers of Ilocos.

La Union is especially crowded during Lent when religious devotees flock to one of the province’s popular pilgrimage destinations.

Agoo, the oldest town of La Union, was once the site of the much-publicized divine visitations of the Virgin Mary. The Agoo Apparition Site in San Antonio has established the town as a destination of choice for Marian devotees.

But it’s La Union’s seascapes which made the place popular not only among Filipinos but foreign tourists as well. The province is considered a watersports paradise as strong waves make it a favorite destination of surfers. The surf fronting Monaliza in Urbiztondo, San Juan, is the best site for board surfing from November to February. Other good sites are in Carlatan and Wallace in San Fernando.

If you don’t have your own surfboard, you can rent one at a surf shop fronting the beach of Urbiztondo. Beginners can also get lessons from locals managing the San Juan Surf Camp. A package already includes boarding in case people decide to learn the sport for more than a day.

If surfing is not your thing, you can go scuba diving in Fagg Reef. More experienced divers can go to Research Reef, which is endowed with several tunnels, caverns, and crevices.

From La Union, it’s already easy to get a ride back to Manila – and back to reality!