Baluarte ni Chavit

Since Vigan is Singson's territory I just had to highlight what they have done for Vigan. 

Baluarte ni Chavit

Honestly didn't do much research which is what I always do when I travel. I was clueless as to what Baluarte ni Chavit has in store for us. I thought it would be a museum-type similar to that of Malacanang of the North in Laoag. It turned out to be a zoo.

There were parrots:

Pardon my weird posture. The parrot's claws were digging through my shoulder so I couldn't move that much.

A goat having an identity crisis (or simply liked the food of the geese/duck):

Deers, makes me think of Japan:

Gwen feeding the deer for Php 10.

Tigers. I think they have around 6 tigers here:

We got up close and personal with a 6-month old tiger:

That fake smile cos I was so scared the tiger might eat my hand off

Zebras:

Would you believe that this is in the #philippines? You can find tigers 🐯, zebras, deers, and a lot more in the 70-hectare Baluarte ni Chavit. They also have a museum of different preserved animals that Singson hunted in South Africa. #IloChos #weveonlyjustvigan #attheviganingwithyou #animal #zoo #itsmorefuninthephilippines

A photo posted by nini (@jemappellenini) on Sep 28, 2015 at 5:32am PDT

They even have a museum of different preserved animals that Chavit Singson hunted. Hunting ain't cool. Just saying.

Look at all those deers' heads. The lion, bear and humongous elephant. How was he able to kill them?

Dancing Fountains at Plaza Salcedo

Every night at 7:30pm, people gather at Plaza Salcedo for the Dancing Fountains show. It was amazing! In Ayala, we only have the lights show every Christmas, but in Vigan, they have this every freaking day? Wow.

I think it lasted for more than 30 minutes. Actually we didn't finish it anymore cos we wanted to have dinner already. They played so many songs, including Frozen's Let It Go, Eye of the Tiger, Katy Perry's Firework, Psy's Gentleman, and Jingle Bell Rock.

Ang bongga lang ng dancing fountains sa #IlocosSur! 30min ata yun. They played Eye of the Tiger, Katy Perry's Firework, Psy's Gentleman, and Jingle Bell Rock 😮🙌 #itsmorefuninthephilippines #AtTheViganingWithYou #IloChos #weveonlyjustvigan

A video posted by nini (@jemappellenini) on Sep 25, 2015 at 7:17am PDT

They have managed to develop the city while maintaining it's beauty of an old Spanish town.

We've Only Just Vigan

Vigan has been in my domestic travel bucket list because of the picturesque beauty of old Spanish houses. I'm also into the history, culture and the arts when I travel. "If these walls could talk," right?

All I was thinking before this trip was how nice my photos would be but I never thought about how scary it is to be in an old town. Nothing strange happened anyway.

Vigan is in Ilocos Sur, around 2 hours away from Laoag and 4 hours away from Pagudpud. In May 2015, it was declared as one of the New 7 Wonders Cities. It is considered "the best-preserved example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia".

Here are the places we visited in Ilocos Sur:

1. Bantay Bell Tower
2. Grandpa's Inn and Restaurant
3. Hotel Luna
4. Cafe Leona

Bantay Bell Tower: The Bell tower of Santuario de Nuestra Senora de Caridad, St. Augustine Parish, Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

Built in 1591-1592, it was constructed as a belfry of the church and the watch tower of the town.

Our driver mentioned that this is where Fernando Poe Jr. shot a scene in Panday.

There was this nice old man who offered to take our photos. But it didn't stop with group pictures...

 

He took individual photos and made us pose. I must say, he's already a pro at this. He knows the angles and position where to take the photo. See for yourself:

Took a while for us to get this shot

Going up the belfry seemed quite dangerous especially when there are a lot of people already there.

The flooring is made of wood planks and you can peep in between them. It felt like it could collapse anytime. No worries, it's sturdy enough.

I wonder if they still ring it?

The bricked wall of this bell tower atop a well-landscaped hill on such a beautiful sunny day is the perfect background for a photo, don't you think:

Grandpa's Inn & Restaurant

We had lunch at Felicitas!

Bagnet Sisig, Igado, Sizzling mixed seafood, Bagoong rice and Felicitas Fried Rice 😋 #lunch #foodcoma #AtTheViganingWithYou #IloChos #weveonlyjustvigan

A photo posted by nini (@jemappellenini) on Sep 24, 2015 at 11:33pm PDT

Everything's just so yummy! You can never go wrong with Filipino food served in the province. It's fresh, natural and just delicious!

We checked out their rooms after. They have one with beds made out of calesa. Really creative.

This hotel has a homey feel to it.

Hotel Luna. The newest addition to Vigan's accommodations. Hotel Luna opened just a year ago. It's the only hotel-museum with a swimming pool. The other museums were closed by the time we wanted to go so we ended up here.

It blends with the rest of the city:

I was so happy to see a few of the works of my favorite sculptor, Daniel de la Cruz:

A photo posted by nini (@jemappellenini) on Sep 25, 2015 at 9:08am PDT

Cafe Leona
My friends and I have been wanting to eat bagnet pizza since we were in Laoag. Glad that this restaurant is just beside our hotel, Vigan Plaza Hotel.

The interiors are not well maintained but I guess people really go here for the food.

A photo posted by nini (@jemappellenini) on Sep 25, 2015 at 9:15am PDT

It's the Zobel skirt used as a table cloth!



Vigan is just breathtaking. Food is great. The tourist spots are picture-worthy. There's still more to share about our Vigan experience in my next post.