In Plaza Salcedo
Something I ate yesterday had clearly upset my system a little and I was a bit ill just after bedtime. I felt better this morning but kept things simple at breakfast with just a roll and a banana. We met up with Jezzy at nine and set off on a tour of Vigan and the vicinity.
We walked through Plaza Burgos which is named for Padre Jose Burgos, a Filipino Roman Catholic priest who campaigned for the full incorporation of Filipino priests into the Catholic hierarchy in the country, which at the time was dominated by Spanish friars. He was arrested on false charges of sedition and incitement to mutiny, and executed in 1872. There is a monument to him in the centre.
Plaza Burgos
We passed the cathedral which is dedicated to the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle. It is currently closed and shored up after serious earthquake damage in July 2022. It was hard to take photos because of all the scaffolding.
The Catedral Metropolitana de la Conversión de San Pablo Apóstol
The original church building here was a simple wood and thatch chapel, replaced by a stone church in 1641. This was damaged by earthquake in 1619 and 1627, while a third church was burned in 1739. In 1758 it was elevated to the status of a cathedral, so this much larger replacement structure was designed to take the place of the church. It was started in 1790 and completed ten years later.
The Father Burgos House
The cathedral faces Plaza Salcedo, where we had watched the fountains last night. On the far side of the plaza we came to the former home of Padre Jose Burgos.
The Padre Burgos House
The lovely old house, built in 1788, is now a museum with some original furniture. It is an example of the traditional Filipino bahay na bato buildings developed during the Spanish colonial era. It was an adaption of the local bahay kubo style of building, which was a house on stilts. The bahay na bato took this skeleton but replaced the wood with stone foundations (bahay na bato means ‘house of stone’) and filled in the lower floor. The custom of using the lower floor for storage and the upper for living quarters was retained. That upper floor was built largely of wood with windows of capiz shell. The wide entrance below was designed so that a carriage could be driven inside and the occupants descend without exposure to the elements.
Window detail, and old phone
In one of the rooms
Carcel de Vigan
Nearby we visited the old provincial jail, the Carcel. This started as a small town jail facility in 1657, and served as the provincial jail of Ilocos Sur from 1818 onwards. Elpidio Quirino, the Sixth President of the Republic (1948-53), was born in this building in 1890 while his father was serving as warden. He later converted part of it into a library which he named in honour of his mother, Gregoria M. Rivera. It remains today the main public library of the city.
Entering the museum
In 2014 the prisoners were moved to a new provincial penitentiary in the adjacent town of Bantay and the old jail was donated by the provincial government to serve as part of the regional museum complex.
Various sections include an exhibit about the life of President Quirino with artefacts and paintings. One room is full of paintings telling the story of the Basi Revolt which were commissioned by the Spanish to deter future rebellion. Basi is the traditional sugarcane wine of the Ilocos region, and there are displays of items associated with its production.
Sign outside, and in one of the cells
Quirino exhibit, and one of the Basi Revolt paintings
Another room had photos and floorplans of some of the churches in the region, which we were to visit later in our stay, and models of lighthouses. But I confess I found the building, and the signs it still displayed of its former function, more interesting than most of the exhibits!
Building details
Outside we boarded a traditional calesa to tour more outlying sights. I had mixed feelings about this. I don’t usually like to take such horse drawn carriage rides as I worry about the welfare of the horses. But I also didn’t want to cause hassle for Jezzy by refusing nor to make her feel uncomfortable. And I have to confess I enjoyed the sensation of the slow-paced ride and found it cooling on such a hot, sultry day.
The calesa
Nuestra Senora de la Caridad de Bantay
Our first stop was at the church of Nuestra Senora de la Caridad in Bantay, which was reconstructed in the 1950s after considerable WWII damage. Like the cathedral it was also damaged by the earthquake but has been partially restored. But unlike the cathedral it is in full use as a church, as we saw with a gathering of altar servers, we assumed for training. They were very friendly and for the most part happy to pose for a photo.
Some of the altar servers
The church is a place of pilgrimage for many Filipinos as it houses a statue of Our Lady of Charity, venerated for the many miracles she is believed to have performed. According to local legend, the statue was said to be found inside a wooden box floating in Bantoay River in Ilocos Sur. Many attempted to retrieve it but to no avail until the people of Bantay were able to do so with ease. This struck me as remarkably similar to the legend I read about the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Bonaria in Cagliari.
We didn’t spend a long time looking around as we didn’t want to disturb the groups of altar servers and those addressing them. But I did note some patched-up earthquake damage on the walls. I liked the restored stained glass windows in particular.
Inside the church
Outside we saw the watch tower on a nearby hill. This dates from 1591 and was used by the Spanish colonists to look for invading pirates. It was converted for use as the church bell tower in 1857 but again used as a watchtower during the two World Wars. It too was damaged in the earthquake and it can only be viewed from a distance as the structure isn’t safe.
The watchtower and the steps up to it
Local crafts
We then visited a traditional weaving business, Cristy's Loom-weaving, with 100 year old looms in use by the fourth generation of family weavers. They produce strips which can be used as table runners or placemats, as well as other objects such as bags and scarves. We saw a demonstration and were then invited to have a go. I accepted the challenge and was pleased that my efforts looked OK. In the (inevitable) small shop we bought a couple of placemats as a gift for my sister.
At Cristy's Loom-weaving
We also went to a traditional pottery jar-making business where again we saw a demo. But neither of us was tempted to try this as we know how badly wrong it can go! And I was pleased not to be offered any for sale as we wouldn’t have wanted to transport anything so large and delicate on our flights!
At the jar factory (kiln on the right)
In progress, and the finished jar
The Hidden Garden
From here we continued to the Hidden Garden which proved not to be hidden at all – there were signs everywhere! At first I thought it was a plant nursery or garden centre, but although some plants were for sale its main role was as a restaurant and coffee shop. I didn’t want to eat a full meal so settled on just a dessert of ‘sweetened banana' which proved to be cooked banana slices in a sort of thin condensed milk over shaved ice. It was quite refreshing and gentle on my still uncomfortable stomach.
After lunch we had a short stroll around the garden, tightly packed with flowers. I loved the bougainvillea display!
In the Hidden Garden
City Market
We had said goodbye and thank you to our calesa driver on arrival here and met up with Edwin who joined us for lunch. So it was he who drove us to our next and final destination, the city market. We had a look around its various sections while Jezzy introduced us to some local favourite foodstuffs such as salted eggs (dyed pink to distinguish them from normal ones), banana ketchup and more.
At the market
Chris went to the nearby foreign exchange with Edwin to change some of our dollars while Jezzy and I chatted in the car. Then it was back to the hotel for the rest of the afternoon. The pool was quiet so I had a nice swim, then we relaxed in our room until dinner time.
In the evening we went to Café Uno in another hotel nearby, Grandpa's Inn, with both Jezzy and Edwin. I still had stomach-ache so didn’t have much, just rice and a few vegetables, but I did try the peanut sauce from the beef dish chosen by those two and it was delicious!
We were back at the hotel quite early so after saying goodnight to the others Chris and I had a short stroll around the block. Back in our room we followed the score during a crucial match between Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. With the time difference making it a 10.00 PM kick-off in the Philippines we only felt able to follow until half time, but we went to bed feeling fairly comfortable with a 4-1 lead. Had we known the match would eventually finish 4-3 we might have felt a little less comfortable!
This featured blog entry was written by ToonSarah from the blog Travel with me ....
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