A weekend in Ilocandia

A magnificent backdrop of purple skies and a glowing sunset greeted us as our plane landed at the Laoag City airport. Darkness slowly descended on the city as our passenger bus found its way to the place we would call home for the next few days. Rains accompanied us the next morning as we visited different towns. But the incessant showers did not wash away our traveling itch. In fact, the gray skies lent a somber beauty to the northernmost province as we eagerly explored it. Going south Our tour began a few kilometers south of Laoag, with a pottery-making demonstration in San Nicolas, a town in Ilocos Norte known for the craft. We entered a busy workplace filled with pots of all sizes and shapes, with mounds of clay waiting to be worked into different works of art. Every worker was an artist as each hand gave shape to the formless clump that sat atop the slow-spinning potter’s wheel. Still in awe of the talent just demonstrated, our guide had to whisk us away to our next stop further south. It took us another hour-and-a-half to reach Vigan City, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in Ilocos Sur.

It felt like we were being transported back into the Spanish era as we neared Calle Crisologo, with its cobbled-stone streets and ancestral houses. Antique shops lined the thoroughfare, filled with wares allowing tourists to take a piece of Vigan home. Horse-drawn carriages completed the ambiance, conjuring images of señoritas in their floor-length dresses and their señors with hats and canes. Our grumbling stomachs led us to a quaint restaurant, where we feasted on Ilocano cuisine. We ate the local bagnet with much gusto, as the deep-fried pork dish was very hard to resist. Pinakbet was also served, which is a medley of different vegetables usually partnered with bagoong, the popular fermented fish paste. With our gastronomical whims fully satisfied, our guide promptly steered us back north towards Badoc, Ilocos Norte where the artist Juan Luna was born in 1857. The original ancestral home, which burned down in 1861, was reconstructed and converted into a small museum. The two-storey brick home contained some of the artist’s belongings, including Luna’s four-poster bed and paint palettes, and reproductions of some of his masterpieces. It was dusk when we started heading back into Ilocos Norte’s heart, where delicious food and comfortable beds waited for our return. In and around Laoag The pitter-patter of raindrops woke us again the next morning, making us wonder whether the sunny forecast displayed by our hotel concierge was mere mockery. Fortunately, the weather cleared up before we arrived at our first stop for the day. Nestled a few kilometers outside Laoag City is the town of Paoay, where the famed Malacanang Ti Amianan is located. The mansion was formerly owned by the Marcos family, whose patriarch, Ferdinand, was a local of the northernmost province. When Ferdinand was president of the Philippines, dignitaries and other guests were entertained in the sprawling manor. Our van had barely stopped when we opened its doors, for we were too excited to wait a minute longer. We started heading down the path which slowly revealed a stately two-storey house. Our jaws literally dropped as we entered the mansion, with its white marble floors reflecting the morning sun. A grand staircase led us to the second floor, which turned out to be a vast space filled with chairs and tables ready to accommodate hundreds of guests. We made a bee-line to the balcony through the folding capiz doors which opened to the serene Paoay Lake. Words escaped us as we stared at the natural beauty, our pictures giving but little justice to its allure. Since we were on a tight schedule, however, our guide had to peel us away from the scene and bring us to our next destination. Paoay Church appeared before us like a vision, I must say, its stone walls looking like nothing we have seen before. It was an image both intimidating and comforting, as the building was indeed larger-than-life, but with interiors that evoked coziness and warmth. A trip to Ilocos would not be complete without going to the town of Batac, a few minutes east of Paoay town, where the Marcos Mausoleum and Museum found its home. The body of former President Marcos was brought to the town in 1989, after he died while in exile in Hawaii. Gregorian chants filled the little room where Marcos’ body was laid to rest, adding to the already-eerie mood that comes with visiting the deceased. A bronze bust of the late strongman greeted us at the door, while the only source of light slowly revealed itself as we entered the dark room. There, in the middle of the room, lay the barong-clad Marcos. Lights shone on the glass-encased body, his chest brimming with all manner of regalia. We left the mausoleum in a somber mood, but our cheery guide quickly raised our spirits as we headed back to Laoag. Famished from the trip, we rewarded ourselves with the hearty Ilocano empanada, which is made from bean sprouts, the local longganisa (sausage), grated papaya and carrots enveloped in an orange-colored wrap. The deep-fried delight was too good that we decided to bring a dozen pieces back to Manila. Near the market and right in the heart of Laoag city was the Sinking Bell Tower, so-called because it was, well, sinking. The 45-meter bell tower was so heavy that its sandy foundation could not take its weight. Half of its front door was already buried. We returned to our hotel with heavy hearts and leaden feet as we packed our bags for our return trip to Manila. The northernmost province has a chockfull of sights to see and stories to hear, and a weekend to explore it was not enough, to say the least. Flying back to Manila, we knew our trip had already ended. But, we also realized, our love affair with the north had just begun. - GMANews.TV