The Philippines: ILOCOS SUR, Heritage City of Vigan (Part 1)

Ilocos Sur ("sur" means south) is located south of Ilocos Norte.  The main tourist attraction is the heritage city of Ilocos Sur which can be toured in one day.

Getting around.  A calesa (horse-driven carriage) can take one around the heritage city for USD3.5 per hour IF and ONLY IF you did not rent a van for the trip.  The calesa will take one around the heritage city - Baluarte, bell tower, clay making, etc.  But again, if you rented a van, the van can take you around these same places.  

Bantay Bell Tower (Destination 1 of 4)
An old structure in the St. Augustine's Parish Church compound...one can see Ilocos Sur skyline from the bellfry.

Bantay bell tower in the background

Chavit Singson's BALUARTE (Destination 2 of 4)
Open 7am-6pm
"Where animals graze freely and wander around with the humans" - this is one rare sight in the Philippines.  A zoo, by itself is a rare thing in this country, much more a zoo with animals that roam together with humans! And what's more, entrance and rides are free!  Of course there's a donation box, but nobody is watching if you put in donation or not.  In the Philippines, this is impressive.

True to its by-line in their website, Baluarte is "Not just a zoo, Baluarte is an interactive wildlife sanctuary and facility".  There are shows scheduled all throughout the day and if one is lucky or can wait for the schedule, one can also watch them for free.

One can ride the "tiburin", a small-horse-drawn carriage and camel for free.

One can take pictures with these white and colorful birds for free!  Better try this out in Baluarte...in Jurong Bird Park in Singapore, posing with even smaller birds costs $5!

The deers in the place are allowed to roam around like dogs.  Imagine yourself in the streets along with some stray dog, that's the scene in Baluarte, really cute!  A deer would come near you and check you out by sniffing, like dogs do!

ostriches, tiburins and deers graze freely

Modesty aside, we've been to zoos in Singapore, Bangkok and Hongkong with an impressive number of animals in custody but it was only in Baluarte that the experience was "interactive" and for free.  If only for this, Baluarte is worth the trip!


Grandpa's Inn (Destination 3 of 4)
We had our lunch at Grandpa's Inn, one of the many old brick houses within the heritage city, that is both an inn and a restaurant.  The furnitures and fixtures are really antique and with a little imagination, one can be transported back centuries ago.

upstairs receiving area

room accommodation

restaurant

In the next post is our visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site in Vigan...