Lakwatserong Tsinelas: ILOCOS SUR

The skies have cleared and the moon was at its brightest and nearest to the Earth on one Sunday evening. It was a rare natural phenomenon, “a supermoon”, as they call it and here we are in a hotel named ~~after a moon~~ Luna.

Coincidentally, the hotel’s name completed our share of the hyped supermoon experience. It was an unexpected and last minute invitation as we were ready to leave the only heritage city in the Philippines with a heavy heart.

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The horse-drawn carriage, serving as our mode of transportation on one afternoon, passed by alleys and Spanish-inspired colonial houses sans the cobble-stoned pavements as the obstructed view of a small church painted in yellow with white linings came into sight.

The electrical wirings from lamp posts erected on each corner of a busy intersection relatively hides the panoramic view of “Bassit nga Simbahan” of Vigan, City.

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“What’s zarzuela?” A socialite Filipina of a foreign accent asks randomly. I couldn’t utter a word to define such a term instead I described it as one of the best theater shows I have seen in years. And I was referring to the Tres Patrimoño staged at the Vigan Culture and Trade Center the night before.

So, what’s zarzuela to begin with? By research, it is defined as a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song and dance rendition.

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It appears like a stairway to heaven. A citadel stands at an elevation reached by this imposing flight of steps. My first sight of the grand buttresses and the façade led me to easily conclude - This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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A time machine is not that easy to invent. And even teleporting is not scientifically proven unless anyone here has done an extensive research to refute my point.

Calle Crisologo of Vigan City is the epitome of the so-called traveling-back-in-time scenario. The street is aligned by Spanish ancestral houses, of azoteas in varying Spanish, Mexican and Chinese architectural styles, and ancient tile roofs as façade, complemented by cobble-stoned pavements.

Truly, apt to be called The Vigan Heritage Village.

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The main goal was to visit another UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Philippines at Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur on one weekend. Our gracious host, Mr. Bonito Singson Jr., consultant of Hotel Felicidad-Vigan City, provided us transportation service. Any guest of the said hotel can likewise experience what we have experienced by making reservations. Hotel service is the most convenient way to discover the not so well-traveled road of Ilocos Sur.

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The quirky names whose recipes have been passed on from one generation to another makes an intriguing culinary discovery.

Vigan City is one of the Hispanic settlements in the Philippines. Apart from the architectural landscape greatly influenced by the Spaniards and even the early Chinese settlers on account of the Galleon Trade, Ilocano cuisine is more than a scintilla of evidence to prove the city’s origin.

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Mistakenly identified by a number as part of Vigan City, Bantay is a municipality situated northeast of Vigan, with landmarks quite a walking distance from the city center.

The Bantay Parish, serving as the sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, the Queen of Ilocandia, and the Bell Tower are two of the oldest structures in the province of Ilocos Sur.

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Traditional crafts and folk arts in the form of fabrics and jars is a testament of the rich cultural heritage preserved in the City of Vigan.

A pagburnayan (pottery barn) has produced a national artist in the city of Vigan and export quality fabrics were produced by the loom weavers. We were fortunate to have personally witnessed how these traditional crafts came into existence.

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Utong (small sitaw), kabatiti (patola, snake gourd), sabong kalabasa (squash flowers, squash, siling duwag (non-hot green chilis) and parya (ampalaya, bitter gourd) all came in unison to proclaim: “Eat me for lunch.”

The known Pinakbet dish in the Philippines has an Ilocano version. And during our stay in Vigan City, we were lead to the municipality of Caoayan, on a large hectare of land where a pavilion made of native materials sits near the river and where the ingredients for pinakbet are harbored.

This is Pinakbet Farm.

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Vigan City is an island. I was so amused yet curious of the said statement.

Images of the colonial heritage houses, cobblestone pavements and Spanish-inspired architectural designs and layout of the city’s façade comprises Vigan City but don’t limit yourself to that, as there is more that the city can offer, considering its topography.

The river, beach and the mountains of the city provide surprises and adventures which I myself was caught off guard.

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The rural landscape summoned me. And I entered my appearance.

The horse-drawn carriages lined up in front of the cathedral while the busy thoroughfare across with aligned fast food chains and other commercial establishments tended their own world, and some people gathered in the plazas. That was an ordinary scenario of the only heritage city in the Philippines yet a timeless charm that speaks hundredfold story.

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Old houses reconnect the present from the past. We make our own history, what has been is transmitted from one generation to another. Though not all lives are documented, each of us has a story to tell.

Vigan City is a huge diorama of Philippine history. Aligned residential houses and even commercial establishments is a museum in itself. But there are prominent personalities from the history of the Filipino people whose lives give interest to all. And their respective homes will give us an overview of how they lived.

The scorching sun decided not to participate in our tour. Drizzles were our companion as we hopped from one mansion to another. But the raindrops never dampened the wandering souls of this group of scribblers, photographers and story writers.

facade of the Syquia Mansion

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Felicity. Felicitas. Felicidades.

All of the above pertains to happiness. Seeking felicity for a transient stay is definitely attainable while in the only UNESCO World Heritage City in the Philippines – Vigan, Ilocos, Sur.

Apt for the hotel’s name, Hotel Felicidad gives every visitor a warm welcome and happiness while in the city, a luxurious stay amidst the fun of discovering and rediscovering the rich cultural heritage, tradition and cuisine of the city and the Ilocos region, in general.

the facade

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