Ilocos Tour Part 6: Foodie Finds

No trip will ever be complete without me finding the usual food fare. I knew I was in really good company during this trip up north, because these 2 girls sure knew how to eat and EAT WELL! :) Perfect foodie buddies, Kim and Milds are!

So if in Vigan, Ilocos Norte, besides the let's-go-back-in-time tour, one MUST go on a food trip in this historic city. I didn't realize Vigan had so much food haunts. Here are some recommended places to go.

LOS MAJITOS STREET DINING

Owned by Sheila Medina, this caught our attention as we made our way to the Vigan Cathedral to hear Mass. The street dining concept was really cool, since it was really cold out while we were there, plus you get to dine within the old walls of the stone houses. It also had a really cozy feel to it, and I think that's what attracted not only local tourists, but foreigners as well.


And what a meal we had in this place! Since we knew nothing in the restaurant, we were supposed to order Ilocano delicacies by the plate. But the really servers tipped us on getting this HUGE PLATTER (think BOODLE FEAST) of everything Ilocano - bagnet, Vigan longganisa,pinakbet, and KBL (kamatis, bagoong and lasuna). Lasuna is a kind of onion found in Ilocos. THIS WAS HEAVEN!!! MUST EAT WHEN IN VIGAN FOLKS!!


We also drank in this spot, the cool winds made it perfect for binge drinking. But as we were drinking, the peaceful Vigan night was shattered by a small riot. It was so cool to watch the whole scene unfold right in front of your eyes! It was like a movie scene where the bad guys wreak havoc and the police come to break it up. If only we understood Ilocano, it would've been so much better.


I'd also like to thank the staff of Los Majitos. They were very accommodating and when the riot broke up they asked us if we wanted to transfer inside the restaurant. Great food with great service warrants a really good blog entry! :) Sheila, if you get to read this, congrats! Great restaurant, I miss it already!!

LILONG AND LILANG'S COFFEE SHOP

We got to here during our calesa trip, and our driver Kuya Richard brought us to the Hidden Garden to have a look around and to eat.

The restaurant had very simple set-up but was prettified by the wood ornaments, the Christmas lights and of course the plants all around it. It made the place really cool even if it was right smack in the middle of the day.



Here, we got to try their Sisig and Pork Sinigang. It was good, but let me tell yoou one thing, we were starving. They say when you're starving everything tastes good. But really, it was good. I just wish that their Sinigang had more meat in it.



LEILA'S CAFE

Found right beside Los Majitos is this quaint coffee shop called Leila's Cafe. Being a caffeine I just had to have my daily dose of caffeine.

The interiors were very comfortable, way MORE comfortable than Starbucks or Coffee Bean. It looked like a house's living room.

I decided to take a seat outside, and have my Caffe Latte which was only P50 (a little over USD1). Amazing! It was strong just the way I like my coffee. Although I would've liked it in a much bigger cup.


They also serve tea, just take a look at the board for other stuff you might like. It's a perfect place to unwind after a long, tiring tour of Vigan.

Just to let everyone know: Everything that we ate in our trip was BELOW P600 (more or less USD15). We didn't scrimp on our food alright, it's just that food in Vigan is cheap. CHEAP BUT REALLY GOOD! Your historical tour could also be a foodie tour!

This was one remarkable trip. Since this was my first MAJOR trip this 2011 I think it will become a benchmark for all my upcoming trips. So I know deep down in my gut, it'll keep getting better and better! :D

Other links to our Vigan tour:
Part 1: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Part 2: Cordillera Inn, Night Shots and Empanada
Part 3: Crisologo and SyQuia Museums
Part 4: Bantay Bell Tower and St. Augustine Parish Church
Part 5: Baluarte and Hidden Garden

Ilocos Tour Part 5: Baluarte and Hidden Garden

I'm kind of rushing my Ilocos entries, I just realized my blog entries are piling up! This is going to be the second to the last entry for our Ilocos tour, and this so happens to be the last few places we got to see around Vigan via our cool calesa tour with Kuya Richard and Michelle.

After having a quiet moment in a Church in the town of Bantay just outside Vigan, we went to the famed BALUARTE of Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson. He used to live here, but now serves as a zoo and a conservation facility for endagered animals. But what's cool is that admission is ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Once you've entered, the first animals you see are these beautiful, colorful birds. We couldn't resist having our pictures taken! They were so sweet!


Look at these cute, orange birds. Don't they look adorable? Well...looks can be deceiving. When Milds tried to touch 'em, one of the little imps gave her a peck on the finger! NAUGHTY!!

But this one, MY GOSH! It knew I was taking photos of him or her. And he/she was just so game showing off all of his/her angles! Photogenic!



The big ostrich is also found here in Baluarte. It's funny because they kept pecking at the paint in their enclosure. Is that an ostrich's main diet?

Other animals in Baluarte are the Miniature Horses (you could take them out for a ride via a tiburin, or a small horse-drawn carriage,) and some kind of sheep or deer which we saw were grazing in the vast field. There were also geese, swimming around a tiny pond.



And lastly, this is Chavit's pride: HIS TWO TIGERS. It was so cool to see them lounging around. If they weren't wild animals I would've hugged them!

It was nice to see that Chavit Singson really makes sure his animals are healthy and have their freedom to roam around, and their sanctuary clean. The animals look happy their. Plus the kids had a grand time interacting with the animals. It's a great way to teach them about these animals and conservation. For that, I say KUDOS TO CHAVIT SINGSON! :)

Since we were kind of rushing around and also hungry, we left Baluarte for yet another clean-and-green area: HIDDEN GARDEN. Kuya Richard said there was a nice restaurant we could eat in (that will be in a separate post) so we hurried towards it. It's my first time to see these places, so I was totally psyched.

Although I'm not a big fan of plants, Hidden Garden was a breath of fresh air. There were lots of plants (most were for sale), my Mother would've loved this place!





The Hidden Garden has been visited by some local celebrities like Pops Fernandez and Gabby Concepcion, as evidenced by their wall with photos put up by owner Francis Flores, a landscape artist.. And it has also been used by the Going Bulilit (a popular gag show for kids) kids in one of their shows. I didn't really know that the place was THIS popular.

So if in Vigan, don't miss out on these places. They're really beautiful and it can help you de-stress! If only we had a lot of time in our hands, we'd really take time to go around and take in the sights.

For more information on Baluarte click on this link.
For Hidden Garden please click on this.

Other links to our Vigan tour:
Part 1: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Part 2: Cordillera Inn, Night Shots and Empanada
Part 3: Crisologo and SyQuia Museums
Part 4: Bantay Bell Tower and St. Augustine Parish Church

Ilocos Tour Part 4: Bantay Bell Tower and St. Augustine Church

After looking at antique furniture and seeing how the rich people lived back then, it was again time to hop on our calesa to our next destination. Kuya Richard steered Michelle to the town of Bantay, just outside the heritage city of Vigan.

We got down in front of St. Augustine Parish Church which Kuya Richard says is one of the oldest churches in Ilocos Sur and probably even in Region 1 where the 2 Ilocos provinces belong.

Built in 1590, the church is named after the Agustinian priests' patron saint. Badly damaged during World War II, the church was reconstructed in 1950. The facade is of Neo-Gothic design mixed with Pseudo-Romanesque elements.

We took a look inside, and first thing I noticed was the long aisle and the cool arches. It was so pretty!

And up on the altar, is the image of Our Lady of Charity.

The church also serves as a Shrine for the Our Lady's image. Devotees say that the image has done numerous miraculous deeds. In 1956 Our Lady of Charity was crowned as the Patroness of Ilocandia, following the visit of the Papal Nuncio.

And right beside the church, is the Bantay Bell Tower. Kuya Richard gave us a juicy tidbit: Fernando Poe, Jr. used the bell tower in one of his PANDAY movies.

Pardon the next set of photos you are about to see. Apparently the people tasked to maintain the bell tower got some pretty good tricks up their sleeves. There was this guy who volunteered to take our photos, and we ended up having all these wacky shots.





And this was just outside. When we got in the bell tower, he asked us to do more poses. Funny!






After the photography tour of Bantay Bell Tower, I think it is customary to give the guy (or whoever volunteers to take your group's photos) some tip. I think we gave Manong P20. Oh! And there's also a donation box for touring the bell tower. Just give any amount and sign up on the log book and you'll be just fine. :)

Next up is Chavit Singson's BALUARTE. For the animal lover's, you wouldn't want to miss out on this animal haven! :)

Other blog entries from our Ilocos tour:
Ilocos Tour Part 1: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Tour Part 2: Vigan's Cordillera Inn, Night Shots and Empanada
Ilocos Tour Part 3: Crisologo and Quirino-Sy Quia Museums