Chapter 3: Vigan and the Kalesa Rides

                                

Mom, Anna, Mason and I headed up to Ilocos Sur to the town of Vigan after Bagio with our driver Roy.Vigan was founded by Conquestadors in 1592. It became a big trade post for the Orient and many of it's old buildings and churches were spared during WWII. It's definitely got an old world feel to it.  We arrived at dinner and check into the really cool hotel called Vigan Plaza Resort. We quickly went out and walked the brick/stone streets to Cafe Leona where I had the best Pork Adobo ever. It should be on "No Reservations" with Anthony Bourndain. We walked the street shops and then went to bed early to wake up early and do some sight seeing.




This is a Kalesa or a horse buggy. They are used in Vigan just like cabs. Around the Salcedo Plaza there were about 50 of them waiting for passengers. It's also a quick way for tourists to see the city which is basically comprised of very old churches from the 1500-1700s and really good restaurants. Some of the churches are visited on pilgrimages by Catholics in the Philippines.

 

We stopped by a pottery factory. This is one of the profitable industries in Vigan. It's a pretty primitive factory as you can see and the keep the overhead down by employing a Carabou to do all the dirty work.



Notice the concerned father always keeping an eye on the 1.5 ton beast with horns behind his family.


After the pottery factory we went by a small zoo and Mason took the girls for a test drive in a sportier Kalesa. He also cried enough for daddy to buy him a toy snake. Later on we forgot to take it out of Pa's van when we got back to Makati. He had it cleaned and the 2 guys at the car wash thought it was a real cobra under the seat. 1 guy screamed like a woman and the other one ran down the street. That's my boy!

       



We did a little shopping after the kalesa ride and had lunch before heading up to Ilocos Norte ( the far north western part of Luzon ). I got word that there might be some waves out there. So after lunch the team set out for Padugpud to hang out on the beach, eat and drink, and hopefully catch something worth surfing.