Impressed by Ilocos
The new Cebu Pacific flight to Laoag, Ilocos Sur, landed at 5:30 a.m. My first impression upon being back there after so many years was that the province became cleaner and greener.
We went to a famous breakfast place — Dawang’s Eatery — supposedly a favorite place of President Bongbong Marcos. The meal was heavy enough to last us through dinner! I was told Ilocanos really eat a heavy breakfast that includes rice and lots of meat such as igado (spiced pork liver with innards), dinardaraan (crispy dinuguan), imbaliktad (rare, stir-fried beef in garlic, ginger, onion, and vinegar), and tinuno (grilled pork), plus the classic Ilocano vegetable dish pinakbet.
A short walking tour of Laoag was great after a heavy meal. We explored Aurora Park, the sinking bell tower, St. William’s Cathedral, and the Ilocos Norte Capitol.
After a short drive to the town of Bacsil, we saw the traditional way to make basi (sugarcane wine). A carabao walked around the sugarcane press where the juice was collected, boiled and mixed with other leaves and bark to make basi or Ilocos vinegar, depending on how long these are fermented in burnay or clay jars).
Next stop was Batac, a place famous for their empanada and miki. The best Batac empanada would be Nanay Glory’s, who put her children through school because of her successful (and delicious) food business. The flavorful Batac miki (noodles) served with a hard-boiled egg was simply flavored with lots of garlic, a chicken stick, and annatto seeds.
Of course, Paoay Church was on the itinerary. This beautiful church is one of the four in a collective of the Baroque churches of the Philippines, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Then it was off to Badoc, the birthplace of the great painter Juan Luna. The Juan Luna Shrine is his (and his brother, General Antonio Luna’s) ancestral home, but even with the lack of Luna original art, it’s worth a visit.
Another church worth visiting is The Saint John the Baptist Basilica or the Shrine of La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc, which houses the Virgin Milagrosa statue of the Virgin Mary that was washed ashore in 1620. The wooden statue is said to have been given to the sea by Christians in Japan, who could not practice Catholicism then because of persecution during the Tokugawa regime. This statue of Mary, along with a statue of Christ of the Black Nazarene, came ashore in 1620 at Paguetpet on the border between Sinait and Badoc. The statue of Mary went to Badoc and the statue of Christ went to a church in Sinait.
It was a joy to witness how tupig was made at Irene’s Native Delicacies in Currimao. Tupig is soaked glutinous rice mixed with coconut milk, muscovado sugar, and young coconut strips that is wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. Irene makes this plain or with ube. The version of the municipality of Sarrat has sesame seeds in it!
It was a busy first day as we finally rested at La Playa Tropical in Currimao. After a hearty breakfast of the best crispy longganisa, we set off on the “Umok ni Siwawer Vintar Adventure” in Barangay Parparoroc, an eco-tourism adventure park in Ilocos Norte, just a 20-minute drive from Laoag. Here, we ziplined one way and did “The Bike Zipline,” pedaling our way back over the river of Vintar Dam.
Then it was back to Paoay for lunch at Kusina Valentin, a restaurant overlooking the historic Paoay Church and serving excellent Ilocano dishes! Must-tries include bagnet (crisp fried pork belly) and their seafood pizza and sinigang with gamet (seasonal violet-hued Ilocano seaweed). Immediately after lunch was another adventure, as we enjoyed a 4x4 on the sand dunes of Laoag. Dinner at Seafood Capital in Laoag’s center had us try more Ilocano dishes.
Lunch at Saramsam Restaurant in Laoag was a treat, as restaurant owner Samuel Blas was there and made us try the most delicately thin okoy (fried shrimp fritters) and the original pinakbet pizza (which he invented).
We left Ilocos Norte to head to Ilocos Sur and the historic city of Vigan, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. First stop was the National Museum of the Philippines Ilocos Regional Complex, which includes the Padre Burgos house built in 1788 (this is the house of the martyred Fr. Jose Burgos of GomBurZa fame) and the old provincial jail. The carcel or former jail houses “The Basi Revolt” Gallery, which holds a series of 14 paintings on the uprising that was collectively declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2009. It also has an impressive collection of memorabilia of former Philippine president Elpidio Quirino, who was born on the second floor of the jail, where his father was warden.
Not to be missed is Calle Crisologo, the main street of the preserved town where one will feel transported back to the colonial era. It is lined with shops that sell souvenirs, bagnet and other Ilocano delicacies to bring back to Manila. Do have the super-yummy Vigan empanada at Irene’s.
I dropped by Vigan Mayor Bonito Singson’s office, where he showed me a unique souvenir, a specially designed “Vigan Passport” that one can have stamped at each visited historic place in Vigan.
We then had our last Ilocano dinner at Calle Brewery (the only brewery in Ilocos) with Ilocos Sur Vice Governor Ryan Singson. It was a perfect last meal, as the Vice Governor gave each of us a parting gift, a bucket hat made from Ilocano fabric by Masabel Iloco (www.masabeliloco.com) as a great way to remind us of our great three days in Ilocos.
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Cebu Pacific flies daily from Manila to Laoag at 4:05 a.m. and Laoag to Manila at 6 a.m. For those who wish to follow this itinerary, contact Travel Warehouse at (02) 8687 2490 or email [email protected].
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