Cape Bojeador Lighthouse: Day 3 Ilocandia Adventure

... 3rd day of a fun Adventure!!

It's a Pagudpud Day! So we woke up early and left Laog City at around 8 am.

This is actually my 2nd time in Pagudpud and its still feels like a first time.. =)

footstep to the lighthouse

Pagudpud is 45-minutes away from Laog City. But before reaching Pagudpud we stopped by Town of Burgos for a Lighthouse adventure.

 ☛ CAPE BOJEADOR LIGHTHOUSE

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is located in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. It is also known as Burgos Lighthouse and was built during the Spanish times.

The lighthouse is situated on a hill so better hire a van/trike that could take you on the entrance of the lighthouse.

From the lighthouse you can see the scenic view of the South China Sea. It is used to be a a guide to the ship vessels passing by the Sea.

breath-taking  view South China Sea

 

ILOCOS NORTE: Day 2 Ilocandia Adventure

... and were off to Laoag City

On our way to Laoag City, we stopped-by many places in the province of Ilocos Norte. Laoag is almost two-hours away from Vigan City.

Welcome to Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Norte (Ilokano:Amianan nga Ilocos; Filipino:Hilagang Ilokos) is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon Island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south. Ilocos Norte faces the South China Sea to the west and the Luzon Strait to the north.

Ilocos Norte is noted for being the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who led an authoritarian rule over the country during the latter half of his incumbency. The Marcoses enjoy a modicum of popularity in the province. Ilocos Norte is also known as a northern tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, an upper class hotel and beach resort famous among expatriates, and Pagudpud. (Wikipedia)

☛ JUAN LUNA MUSEUM

The Juan Luna Museum is a restored house of the family of Juan Luna. Inside the museum are exhibits of the family portraits of Juan Luna as well as replica of Juan Luna's paintings. Juan Luna's known painting is the Spolarium. The Museum is managed by the local tourism.

During our visit we were gladly accommodated by the tour guide. The tour guide talks about many things about Juan Luna and what he had contributed to our history. His paintings says something about or history and his works were all dedicated to his countrymen.

 
Also, the tour guide talks about the relationship of Juan Luna, Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo. Well, history speaks to itself... It's all in the Philippine history.

☛ PAOAY CHURCH

Paoay Church (also known as the St. Augustine Church in Paoay) is a historical church located in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. During the Philippine Revolution in 1898, its coral stone bell tower was used by the Katipuneros as an observation post. Paoay Church is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. It currently is a property of the Diocese of Laoag, Ilocos Norte. (Wikipedia)

Our visit to Paoay Church is just so quick because of the heavy rains... =(

mga basang sisiw..lol

Inside Paoay Church

☛ MALACANANG OF THE NORTH 

used to be the bedroom of bong-bong marcos

Malacanang of the North is the home of the Marcos's in Ilocos. This is one of the houses the the former president had built during his leadership.

Right now, the house is one of the tourist destination in Paoay area. They preserved some of the furinitures of the marcos's that is used in the mansion and some exhibits of the paintings of President Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos.

Paoay Lake is overlooking from the veranda of the house.

Paoay lake as the background

☛ FORT ILOCANDIA

The only 5-star deluxe resort hotel in northern Philippines sprawling over 77 hectares of land amidst gentle  sand dunes and pine forests with a 2 kilo-meter sandy beach facing the South China Sea. It is located in the heart of the city of Laoag and the province of Ilocos Norte. The resort is a complete service complex resort hotel. It’s a 10 minutes drive from Fort Ilocandia Golf & Country Club at Paoay and from the Laoag International Airport.

Fort Ilocandia resort is a 5-star hotel resort in Ilocos. It is owned and managed by a Chinese tycoon.

@ the receiving area of the hotel

Vigan: Day 2 Ilocandia Adventure

Day 2 On our 5-day South to North Trip…

Leaving Manila at past 9pm, we arrived in Vigan City at 6 am and it’s raining. We then had breakfast at McDonalds near the Plaza and the Cathedral to start up our adventure of the day.

The City of Vigan (Ilokano: Ciudad ti Bigan; Tagalog: Vīgân; is a 5th class city in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. It is the capital of the Province of Ilocos Sur. The city is located on the western coast of the large island of Luzon, facing the South China Sea.

It is a World Heritage Site in that it is one of the few Hispanic towns left in the Philippines, and is well known for its cobblestone streets, and a unique architecture that fuses Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction, with colonial European architecture. (Wikipedia)

☛ BALUARTE

Baluarte is 80 hectares of gently rolling terrains, hills and mountain sides, the structures of facilities and amenities, its phases of construction is in its best possible realistic and natural habitat for good and sound animal care. (http://chavitsingson.net/baluarte/general-info.html)

@ the receiving area of the mansion

Baluarte is owned by Gov. Chavit Singson.

w/ our tour guide bambi

During our trip we had a chance to visit the Mansion in the compound and had an encounter with the animals. We have our animal tour guide Bambi, the reindeer in Baluarte. (he always follow us up to the mansion) 

@ the 2nd floor

We haven’t really had the chance to roam around because of the rain but we already enjoyed our awesome experience with the Tiger though it’s scary. (thank God the tiger is in good mood!) J

Entrance fee: none (just sign up in the logbook)

☛ POTTERY MAKING

Vigan is known with Pottery, so we’ve visited one of the pottery shops in the city. You can actually witness how the pots were made. Patience, effort and artistry are needed when making one. Pots are kept dry for weeks or more depending on the size, design and the weather.

Souvenir shops are also just around….

Entrance fee: none

☛ CRISOLOGO MUSEUM

The Crisologo Museum or Vigan House National Historical Institute Branch is a Philippine Museum located in the town of Vigan in the province of Ilocos Sur. The museum consists of the preserved ancestral home of statesman Floro S. Crisologo and houses the family’s memorabilia and private collection of religious figures as well as some permanent exhibits that have to do with Northern Luzon’s history, ethnography, archaeology, and natural history. The museum continues to be managed by the Crisologo family, a political clan, along with the National Historical Institute under the auspices of the National Museum of the Philippines. It is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Saturday. It is also known as Vigan House, Crisologo House and Memorabilia, and the Vigan National Museum Branch. (Wikipilipinas)

 

 

There’s a lot of museum in Vigan. Vigan is definitely rich in Filipino culture.

Crisologo Family is one of the families who lead Vigan for how many years. They have started and made Vigan what it is today. 

What you see in the museum are preserve pictures of the family, their vintage cars and the museum is used to be their home from wayback.

☛ CALLE CRISOLOGO

Jump shot of the day!

 Calle Crisologo is the very well-known street in the City. Awarded by the Unesco as one of the world heritage. When you’re in Calle Crisologo it feels like you were in the Old Philippines. The old buildings and mansions were well preserved and the architectural is still intact.

Calle Crisologo is a closed street for vehicles. Only the “kalesa” is allowed to enter the streets. From the first point to the end are souvenir shops. There are also antique boutiques and museum and restaurants in the street.

☛ CAFÉ LEONA

Café Leona is a local restaurant in Calle Crisologo. This is one of the best resto in town which serves local delicacies.

Try the bestseller bagnet!ä

☛ SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH AND BELL TOWER

Our last stop before heading to ilocos Norte.

The Bantay bell tower is one of the best tourist spot in Vigan. It is situated on top of a hill and on its side is the San Agustin Parich Church.