(Very) Late bloomer

We're still on the first day of our Ilocos trip. After Vigan, our next destination was Laoag. We had to take a bus on an approximately two-hour drive. We were supposed to stop by Paoay and Batac (our itinerary included Fort Ilocandia, Paoay Church, and Marcos Museum) but for some reason, we decided against that idea. It was around lunch time when we reached Laoag City. A trike took us to the town proper. We happened to mention to the driver that we wanted to go to Batac, and he said he could take us there for a certain fee. I cannot remember anymore how much he was going to charge us, but it's probably a costly one because we didn't bother calling him on the number he had left us. Sorry! :( We were starving, so we immediately looked for Macy's, a popular diner frequently talked about in blogs and travel advisories. While traveling from Vigan, we already had our minds (and tummies) set on eating bagnet , and so we ordered one and Yangchow fried rice. We were quit...

In this batch are pictures taken at Vigan's Hidden Garden, Crisologo Museum, and Syquia Mansion. That man is Kuya Driver/Tour Guide/Photographer. This concludes our historical Vigan tour. By noontime, we were off to Laoag. (Part 4 coming up . . .)

It was still early when we passed by the Spanish-reminiscent Calle Crisologo , so most souvenir shops were still closed. I'm not sure but someone told us that at night, this street turns into a bright, busy, and fun hangout. Too bad our itinerary in Vigan was only for half a day. Below are some of my favorite snapshots of the area. To get around Vigan, we rented a kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) for Php150 per hour. We learned from kuya that kalesa drivers are actually trained by the local government to serve as tourist guides to visitors. Cool huh? Last, but not the least, our driver -cum -tourist guide graciously volunteered to be our photographer as we made our stops. What more can we ask for? :)  More pictures yet to be uploaded . . .  

It's summer time once again! School is over, Holy Week is a few days away, and everyone is starting to make plans for their vacation. Head for the beach or a nearby resort? Participate in sports marathons? Take a crash course in arts, culinary, or photography? Organize a family reunion? Or simply spend a weekend watching cable TV or old DVDs? The choices are aplenty, depending on the available time and budget. Since I am restricted by both, I figured I have to be as creative as I can in order to join the summer frenzy. And so . . . BACKTRACK to July 2011, that memorable time I spent in the scenic province of Ilocos. The destinations: Vigan, Laoag, and of course, Pagudpud! Mitchie ♥ Come to think of it, this is a very belated account of that trip. Shame! But as they say, better late than never. Yes!! FIRST STOP: VIGAN Richie and I reached the UNESCO World Heritage site of Vigan in the wee hours of the morning, probably around 4:30 am hahaha! We realized we eithe...