Artist of the week

I haven't seen a jukebox like this in decades. Found this one in Macy's Diner in Laoag City in the province of Ilocos Norte. It still works and those are real 45s in there. Only Php5 (U.S. 12¢) per song.

The guard on a hill

The town of Bantay in Ilocos Sur is best known for its 1590 church and bell tower, which was also the site of a battle fought by the revolutionary Diego Silang and his men against the troops of the Spanish colonial government in 1763.
  Named St. Augustine Church, after the Augustinian friars who established the parish, the church is also the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity.
  The bell tower stands on top of a hill some distance away from the church.
  Tourists are allowed up the tower (using some scarily rickety stairs), where the guide will invariably point out that the historic bell was used in the filming of the popular local action fantasy movie Ang Panday (The Blacksmith). Unfortunately, I can no longer remember if he was referring to the 1980 film starring the late Fernando Poe Jr. or the 2009 and 2011 films starring Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.
  According to an Ilokano friend, the word bantay means "hill" in their language. The word also exists in Tagalog, where it means "guard" or "to guard," which is also appropriate because the tower has commanding views of the town, the not-so-distant West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), and the distant Cordillera mountain range.

Bamboo

In the Philippines' rural areas, bamboo huts are still widely used for homes. Traditionally, the roof is made of nipa palm leaves. Though the roof of this one has been replaced with corrugated iron sheets, it still sports a small fringe of nipa under the peak. The raised floor, which is also made of bamboo, has many uses: it helps with air circulation and cooling; when it rains and the ground outside turns to mud, it prevents the mud from seeping into the house; and the sheltered space underneath is also where the family's animals (especially dogs and chickens) can sleep at night. This hut was along the Pan-Philippine Highway somewhere between the towns of Pagudpud and Burgos in Ilocos Norte. Not quite so remote—they're on the power grid.

Hazards

Back in November, I posted a photo of the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. This is the reason why a lighthouse is needed in the area—nothing but cliffs and rocks all along the coast.
  Well, okay, goats too. The rocks are hazardous to ships, and the goats are hazardous to drivers. The local government of Burgos ought to put goat crossing signs in their stretch of the Pan-Philippine Highway.

Island view

One of the resorts on the Blue Lagoon side of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte is the Kapuluan Vista Resort. Its designer used traditional nipa for the roof, and also used stone, wood and bamboo lavishly in its interiors.
  Unfortunately, the beach right in front of Kapuluan Vista isn't very nice. It is narrow and rocky, the water is full of seaweeds, and Blue Lagoon is several hundred meters up the muddy road. The name of the resort is apt, though, with beautiful views of the small islands just offshore.
  Though we didn't stay at Kapuluan Vista when we were in Pagudpud, someone had recommended their restaurant to us, so we decided to go there for lunch.
  We were not disappointed. Kapuluan Vista has its own organic herb and vegetable garden, so we chose dishes which make full use of that fact. The lightly-seasoned fresh tuna ceviche was wonderful, the garden salad was a delightful combination of textures and flavors, and the tacos were buried under the crunchiest lettuce. There was one thing our friend forgot to tell us, though: the servings are huge! Since we also ordered empanadas, we ended up doggie-bagging more than half of our order.

East and west

The town of Pagudpud in the province of Ilocos Norte is gaining popularity as a beach vacation destination. However, its coastline is quite extensive and we found out, too late, that it is best to find out which direction the wind is blowing before choosing which beach to go to.
  Saud Beach is the most developed (relative only to the rest of the town, of course) and generates the most results when doing a Google search for "Pagudpud resorts." It faces west and, because we arrived just when the Southwest Monsoon (habagat) was about to start, the wind was blowing sand all over the place and the current was a little too strong for beach bums like us who only stay near the shore. The habagat season in the Philippines is from May to October (or thereabouts).
  During those months, it is better to stay at Blue Lagoon, which faces east. We drove the extra half hour needed to get there from Saud, and it was worth it. The water had the barest of ripples. During the Northeast Monsoon (amihan)—the other half of the year—this part of Pagudpud gets windy and the waters more turbulent, and it is better to stay in Saud.
  I wish we could have experienced Blue Lagoon in the middle of summer when it would not have been overcast. There is a reason why it got that name, after all.

The long and winding road

The Patapat Viaduct is an elevated, winding highway at the Northwestern tip of Luzon Island, which is the biggest island in the Philippines. The bridge weaves around coastal hills which mark one end of Luzon's Cordillera Mountain Range, and connects the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Cagayan Valley. The Patapat Viaduct needs a couple of viewing platforms along its 1.3 kilometer length, however, where tourists can safely stop to appreciate its construction, and enjoy the magnificent view of lush, steep hills and an utterly empty sea.

Bridges around the world: Sunday Bridges

Harnessing wind

The Bangui Wind Farm is the first of its kind in the Philippines. Its twenty turbines are arranged in a single row along a nine-kilometer stretch of shoreline in the town of Bangui in the province of Ilocos Norte, which is at the northwestern-most tip of the big island of Luzon.
  It has become such a popular tourist destination since its completion in 2008 that several bamboo and nipa huts offering refreshments, souvenirs (bamboo windmills, anyone?), and much-needed shade, have been erected on the beach where the dirt roads leading to the windmills end.

Guiding light

The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as the Burgos Lighthouse after the town in the province of Ilocos Norte where it is located, is the highest elevated original Spanish colonial era working lighthouse in the Philippines. It also marks the northwestern-most point in the island of Luzon. Construction on the lighthouse began in 1887 and it was first lit on March 30, 1892 to guide Spanish ships away from the rocky coast of the area. The octagonal stone and brick tower is topped with a bronze cupola, and used to be equipped with a kerosene lamp and Fresnel lens, though the light nowadays is provided by an electric lamp powered by solar panels.

Pamulinawen

The Pamulinawen Fountain at the Aurora Park in Laoag, Ilocos Norte is named after a maiden in a traditional Ilocano folk song.
 
The fountain is a celebration of the farmers of Ilocos—both male and female—and of the two products that they are most famous for: garlic and tobacco.
  The obelisk-like monument at the back is called the Tobacco Monopoly Monument and commemorates the lifting of the monopoly on tobacco imposed by the Spanish colonial government on the country. The monopoly was established in 1780 and abolished in 1881.

Northern beauties

The Ilocos Norte Capitol, located in Laoag City, which is the province's capital, as seen from Aurora Park with its Pamulinawen Fountain and the Ilocos Norte Oblation. Laoag is about 480 km north of Manila.

Full support

Last Sunday, I featured a photo of the Church of San Agustin in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, which is one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The reason why its architecture is called "Earthquake Baroque" are these enormous buttresses at both sides of the church.
How enormous? Each buttress is as wide as this side door, which six people standing shoulder to shoulder can walk through simultaneously. The height of an average Filipino barely reaches the middle of the door.

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My Manila will be on autopilot from November 1 to 5. Be well, be good.

Earthquake-proof

The Church of San Agustin in Paoay, Ilocos Norte is one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The parish was founded by Augustinian missionaries in 1593. Construction on the current church began in 1694 and it was completed in 1710. In the UNESCO citation, the Paoay Church is described as being the most outstanding example of "Earthquake Baroque" in the country. It also has the biggest bell tower I have seen in a church so far.

Religion and war

The Archbishop's Palace of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, located in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, was constructed in 1783–1790. It also has a colorful history, having been occupied by revolutionists against Spain in 1896 and used as a garrison by American forces in 1899.

Stepping into history

Calle Crisologo is the best-preserved Spanish colonial era cobblestone street in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Most of the houses have been turned into shops, cafés and inns, but a few family residences—which still contain their original furniture and artwork—have been opened to the public as museums. Calle Crisologo is closed to cars but pedestrians still have to share the street with horse-drawn carriages.

Conversion

The Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul is located in the City of Vigan in the province of Ilocos Sur (more than 400 km north of Manila), and is the seat of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. The church as it stands now was finished in the early 1800s, but its history goes back to 1574 when a chapel of wood and thatch was ordered built on the site by the Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo. Succeeding churches were damaged and destroyed by earthquakes in 1619 and 1627, and by fire in 1739. The church became a cathedral in 1758, when the seat of the Archdiocese was transferred to Vigan. It was occupied by revolutionists during the Philippine Revolution and by American forces during the Philippine-American War.

Philippine Baroque

From May 12 to 24, my husband and I went on a road trip through the Central Luzon and Ilocos Regions, stopping at cities and towns that we've never visited before. My Manila goes outside Metro Manila for the next few days. I hope you enjoy the trip.

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Leaving the province of La Union and continuing north, we enter the province of Ilocos Sur. Our first stop was the town of Santa Maria, about 355 road kilometers away from Manila, to visit the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion, one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993. We arrived at noon, only to discover that the church is closed everyday from 11:30am to 2:00pm. So unfortunately, we did not get to see or take photos of the interiors. The church dates back to 1769 and the separate bell tower to 1810.


Amazingly, the church's buttresses are almost completely intact, surviving the three events (the 1892 earthquake, the 1898 Philippine Revolution, and the end of World War II in 1945) that damaged or destroyed most of the churches and other Spanish-era buildings in the region.


I'm not crazy about the plaster relief of Our Lady of the Ascension added to a wall beside one of the side entrances, but it does identify the patroness of the church, aside from breaking the monotony of the brick.


I was intrigued by the brick outline of a window and a door on one wall which was constructed of stone rather than brick.


The original rectory at the back of the church is still in use by a priest who obviously likes gardening. Isn't it so charming?


The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion stands on a hill surrounded by a defensive wall. Pedestrians have to climb these steps from the street but there is a narrow, winding road at the rear for those who have vehicles.


Another set of stairs leads down to an overgrown path which passes through a tunnel of trees. I would dearly love to know where that path leads—it looks like a lovely walk (but not in the middle of the day).  LUZON ROAD TRIP SERIES #6

The city of Ferdinand III

From May 12 to 24, my husband and I went on a road trip through the Central Luzon and Ilocos Regions, stopping at cities and towns that we've never visited before. My Manila goes outside Metro Manila for the next few days. I hope you enjoy the trip.

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Home base for our tour of the coastal towns of the province of La Union (Agoo, San Juan and Bacnotan) was Sunset Bay Beach Resort in San Fernando City, the capital of the province. The resort is just outside the city center, with a great view of the little finger of land called Poro Point. If the monsoon rains hadn't decided to come a few weeks early, the view of the sunset would have been great too, since the resort is on the western coast of Luzon, facing the South China Sea (or the West Philippine Sea, if you ask our government and media).


Sunset Bay has big rooms, free wifi, good food, friendly staff, and the casual atmosphere that we like in beach resorts. Our trip to La Union was not for its beaches, but we liked Sunset Bay so much we decided to stay there again on our way back home, still more than a week away.


San Fernando officially became a city only in 1998, but its history reaches back much farther—back to 1786 and the Spanish colonial times. The church of San Fernando, named after Saint William the Hermit, was first constructed then too, but, like many of the other churches in the region, the original structure was damaged during the 1892 earthquake and the 1898 Philippine Revolution, then destroyed in 1945 at the end of World War II. The current church was reconstructed in 1947–49, and St. William Parish Church became St. William Cathedral in 1970.


The facade of St. William Cathedral is almost nondescript, looking like any one of thousands of Catholic churches around the Philippines. The church is also difficult to visit, located as it is in the very busy and heavily-congested center of San Fernando City. I think the small but magnificent sanctuary is worth the bother though.


The resort that has placed San Fernando within the radar screen of Manila's weekend getaway-seeking crowd is the Mediterranean-themed Thunderbird Resort Poro Point. We just had to see it for ourselves, so we decided to have lunch at its restaurant, Olives, which has a wonderful view of the pool and the ocean. For those who are not fond of swimming and water sports, Thunderbird also has a golf course and a casino.


Thunderbird Resort is also the closest one can get to the Poro Point Lighthouse, at least until its rehabilitation is completed and the Poro Point Freeport Zone developed. In anticipation of this and to encourage tourism this early on, a festival centered around the lighthouse was created just this year. Called Sillag (Ilokano for "moonbeam"), the Poro Point Festival of Lights was launched on April 28. We missed it by two weeks!


The weather on our return trip a week later was better, and we were able to put in a few hours of pool time at Sunset Bay Beach Resort. Yes, the ocean's just a few steps away, but even at its calmest, the waters of La Union have too strong an undercurrent for my peace of mind. My photo makes it look like just a wet wall, but the pool's waterfall is strong enough for a vigorous back massage.


Then an early dinner at the resort's restaurant and bar… 


where I discovered the yummy Tanduay Ice while we watched the sun set—behind yet another gathering thundercloud.  LUZON ROAD TRIP SERIES #5