Gone to Vigan

CEBU, Philippines - Well-preserved remnants of the Spanish colonial era, classic architecture of century-old casas, resonant brick roads, all in an old place north of the country. It’s the ‘vintage village’ of Vigan.

It was my birthday treat to myself that I decided to visit Vigan. It was a nostalgic hankering for a glimpse of the past. Fired up by my image of Vigan as portrayed by various sources, I couldn’t wait to set foot there.  

Vigan is the capital city of the province of Ilocos Sur, at the western coast of Luzon, facing the West Philippine Sea. It’s one of the “New Seven Wonder Heritage Cities in the World.” The place is known for its cobble-stone streets and old structures with unique architecture that bear Anglo-Asian influences.

It takes seven to nine hours bus ride from Manila to Vigan. Traveling at night is better, so as to just sleep the time away with less street noise and to arrive by morning refreshed and ready to explore. That’s just what I did.

The ride brought me to a city cast in the romantic spell of the sunlight. I was greeted with the Ilocano greeting “Naimbag a bigat!” Good morning! And indeed it was.

The place was smaller than I had imagined. It was easy to cover the whole area either via ‘kalesa’, tricycle – or by foot. I took the ‘kalesa’ in going around, purposely to feel the nostalgic vibe of the city. By the way, I was traveling alone.

First, I visited the St. Paul’s Cathedral or Vigan Cathedral, in front of the Plaza Salcedo and the provincial Capitol. Next stop was the famous Calle Crisologo, a major attraction of the city. The street is named after Mena Pecson Crisologo, one of the notable citizens of the Ilocos Region that rose to prosperity from the Manila-Acapulco trade. The street was the central commercial district back then – even in the present, with souvenir shops selling various ‘pasalubong’ items. The local government of Vigan wanted to preserve the old character of Calle Crisologo that only ‘kalesas’ are allowed on the street.

I visited the house of Padre Burgos, one of three friars known as GOMBURZA who were beheaded during the Spanish regime. The house was now Burgos Museum, with old furniture and clothing that Padre Burgos owned and used. Some of the old photos of the friar were also on display.

At the St. Augustine of Hippo Church or the Shrine of the Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, the Bantay Bell Tower was established in the 1590s, and served as the watchtower for pirates back then.

At the Pagburnayan Pottery, the main producer of Vigan’s famous pots, tourists could have a free demonstration on how to make their own Vigan pot. But I was not able to get my hands on it, since the queue of people waiting for their turns was quite long.

The Hidden Garden served me a sampler of their herbal drink, the ingredients of which came right from their own garden. It was soothing, deliciously sweet and spicy. The place was cool and calm, with an eatery offering organic food.

Another important stop was at the Baluarte, a big park and zoo. Interestingly, the place had no entrance fee. Visitors were allowed to take a free donkey ride and see some wild animals, dead or alive. Owned by Chavit Singson, the place displayed some of the animals that the former Ilocos governor had hunted in Africa. It had a gallery of preserved animals and wonderful paintings, called Safari Museum.

Of course, to fully experience Vigan, I never failed to taste its famous delicacies – especially the Vigan ‘longganisa’ and ‘bagnet’. And what a taste it was!

The whole experience was such a birthday treat. I had gone to Vigan!