iLonGgA ♥ LaKwAtSerA: 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.