Nostalgic Vigan

We arrived in Vigan coming from Paoay where we had a glimpse of Paoay Church. Though it is indeed part of the plan to drop by this city for our Ilocos tour, we basically have no itinerary here whatsoever. I'm just revisiting since I've already been here four years ago (photos at the top were taken way back in 2011) , but for my two friends it was their first.

I didn't suggest specific place to go to since we only have a limited amount of time. We are, you may say, ''aimless wanderers''. I think it's a good thing to have a bit of spontaneity in your life once in a while. We just choose to go wherever we please and welcome whatever comes our way. If we consider something as interesting, then we'd stop by to have a look. The first one that caught our attention is the Metropolitan Cathedral otherwise known as St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Similar to Paoay Church it is also regarded as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Site where it also follows an ''Earthquake Baroque'' architectural design of large buttresses on its side. In the middle of its facade, just above the entrance you will see a statue of St. Paul the Apostle.

Upon entering the church, we were revered by its stunning interior and its vast incurvated ceiling beautifully crafted with intertwined gold pattern creating a unique zooming effect to the altar. It made me wonder how demanding and painstaking it was to have those designs painted. Man's ingenuity truly is remarkable.

The church also features an altar dedicated to The Blessed Virgin Mary and like what I did on my previous visit here, I offered a little prayer. 

When we got out of the church, we were greeted by the sight of the horse-drawn carriages, and it's nice to know that they're still numerous in this city. I remembered during my previous visit. I was talking to the coachman giving us a tour. I admire his horse and asked for its name. He replied ''Lovely''. Only to find out that it's a ''he''. I said ''if your horse is aware that you named him that, he would have kicked you!'' and we all started laughing.

Passing by at Cafe Leona made me remember my first taste of Bagnet, the Ilocano version of Lechon Kawali. It is a crispy pork belly meat, deep fried to perfection! On my last visit, I recall my friends and I having dinner here when carolers passed by playing ''Silent Night'' on a violin. It was delightful.

We then walk through Crisologo Street. I don't know if it's just me, but it seems as if there are now more business establishments (coffee shops, souvenir shops and whatnot) that have developed compared to my last visit. Personally, it tends to ruin the attractiveness of the scene. I guess there's nothing we can do as it is part of the area's growing commercialism.

The weather is humid and there were hundreds of people walking. My friends decided to have a milk tea nearby while I, stopped taking photos and look at the surroundings in its entirety. 

Most of the people are probably not aware that the road they are treading, is the same road where known figures in history such as President Elpidio Quirino and Father Jose Burgos walk, run, play, had bruises on their hearts and knees. The same road where thousands of Spanish, Japanese, and American soldiers marched during the different eras of war and conquest. 

I realized that only by looking back you will recognize the real significance of this place.

Exhausted from the heat, we headed to the Hidden Garden to chill. We had ourselves some fruit shakes and another bite of the Ilocos Empanada. The food is already gone when I realized I haven't taken any photos of it. You can't blame us, though, as it is quite delicious.

We went back to Crisologo Street when the sun has set. Though the atmosphere is quite different at night, the street is still crowded, making it hard to get around. We at least manage to buy some souvenirs for ourselves and our friends.

We were all pretty tired, so we decided to go to the bus station going to Manila. Along the way, I realize that this little ''sight-seeing'' of ours is not enough to really appreciate what Vigan has to offer (I wish we could have hopped on a carriage and look into some museums) and how I noticed that there are so many changes since the last time I was here. I've recently read several blog articles about Vigan and their impression of the place. It is quite fascinating how their reactions are different from what was written years ago and the recent ones. 

I later discovered that some of the structures were painted or decorated with different colors (some outer walls are painted with blue, green and pink) when I looked closely at my photos, which are not exactly someone would expect to see upon their visit. Now, we do know the importance of keeping them well taken care of, but we should at least be mindful on how it will look like to the overall appeal of the setting. I'm just hoping that these paints will fade away soon rather than the ''Ancient City'' losing its glamor of antiquity.

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