the great ilocos get-away: LAOAG

4 friends, 3 provinces, 3 days, 2 nights, 1 hell of an adventure...
with mapanuri, ang babaeng lakwatsera and his own lakwatsero (na ngayon ay may blog na din, tekamots), we all embark on an adventure to conquer the ilocos province. enough with the intro, simulan na ang countdown ng mga tourist spots na hindi namin pinaglagpas sa ilocandia, some i would even love to go back. 

day 1: january 15, 2011 / saturday

dahil sa promo fare ng cebu pacific, mapanuri had us booked this flight 5 months ago pa yata for this manila-laoag round-trip ticket na talaga namang ay nakamura kami. it was an hour and a half flight na medyo delayed and pag-alis namin from manila for about 10 mins dahil daw sa busy runway ng naia according to the pilot. it was the first ever cebu pac flight na naranasan ko ang isang matinding turbulence which i really enjoyed dahil parang nasa isang rollercoaster ride on a theme park.

we arrived at laoag airport, around 2pm and our first itinerary is to get to the town proper. it took us a 40 pesos jeepney ride from the airport to the city.  buti na lang may kasabay kaming pasahero na papuntang city din kaya mabilis nang nakaalis ang jeep. meron naman daw tricycle pero you'll have to bargain to get the lowest fare possible.

st. william's cathedral

 

the jeepney's last stop is right in front of the st. william's cathedral. too bad dahil may wedding na nagaganap so we just take pictures sa labas lang. i really admired how old churches stand the test of time, sobrang tibay nila. siguro dahil na din sa pagmamaintain ng local government kaya naman astig ang mga probinsya ng pinas. 

the sinking bell tower 

 

sa labas lang ang simbahan naroon ang sinking bell tower. at first we did not notice that it is actually the sinking bell tower, kala ko nga isang old ruins lang, not until we asked the locals. see the picture na lang :)

saramsam ylocano restaurant

 

dahil nga nasa ilocos na kami, we crave for an ilocano dish. we ask some locals kung saan masarap kumain at sabay turo "dun sa jalibee, masarap dun. me makdo din dyan sa kanto." sikat talaga ang combination ni jabee at mcdo. anyways, dahil sa nabasang blog, highly recommended ang saramsam resto so we then proceed to the said place. i think it cost us 40php for the trike ride from the town to the saramsam resto.

the place was good and welcoming naman ang ambiance plus the 'sari-saring chairs' match with 'antique tables na yata' adds to the province ambiance na mararamdamang mong wala ka na talaga sa manila. on with the food.. we ordered their specialty: ang famous bagnet, the saramsam pasta and the poque-poque pizza. the prices were affordable and the food was great!

ang bagnet ay ang ilocano equivalent ng lechon kawali pero malalasahan mo talaga and difference nito sa pangkaraniwang toasted meat. 

the saramsam pasta tastes really good with the bagoong sauce and chili oil on it. gusto ko nga ibulsa un bagoong at chili oil. meat lover ako pagdating sa mga pasta pero this veggie pasta definitely make it on my list!

the poque-poque pizza (hindi ko alam kung bakit yan ang pinangalan nila, sounds like ano..basta) main ingredient is the eggplant. pang-vegetarian itong pizza na 'to dahil walang kahit anong meat, its all gulay. pede din palang gawing pizza toppings ang talong! ma-try nga ang ampalaya toppings, hehehe..

museo ilocos norte

next stop, ilocos norte museum. just besides the town capitol is the museo ilocos norte. as what its name implies, this museum holds all the rich cultures of  the ilocos norte provinces as well as its origins. check out the photos below :)

the back, right-side and front view of the museum; medyo creepy diba..

how it looks on the inside

the museum displays old collections of the different barangays in ilocos norte which shows how simple the way of living is in their own communities, astig talaga ang kulturang pinoy. mula sa lumang damit hanggang sa modelo ng kanilang bahay, makikitang payak ang mamuhay sa rural area. they also have a souvenir shop inside.

the ilocos norte capitol

makakaligtaan ba naman namin ang city hall ng ilocos norte? op kors nat! :D

that ends the first half of day1 in laoag. kailangan naman naming lumipat sa vigan dahil dun kami nakabooked for our hotel then lipat ulet sa pagudpod the next day naman. so next post will be the VIGAN expedition!