flip'n travels

Being that we are backpackers, it always follows that we travel on a budget. Our plane tickets carefully booked, our hostels painfully scrutinized, and our daily allowance tightly budgeted. It is also an art of backpacking to find the most affordable places to eat in. We also consider the cultural requisites like flavor, tradition and the old school way of cooking it.

In most cases, we end up being seen in the streets and hawker stalls getting down and dirty. Hawker stalls can be found all over Asia, and the Philippines got a good version of it too. Although Filipino street food are irreplaceable, its nearest and most accessible incarnation would be the food court of SM Malls.

SM Sta. Mesa got a pocket full of stores with treats from different regions of the country. It is indeed a one stop traditional Filipino food expo. We were invited to try out what the food center has to offer.

Lugaw – know generally all over the Philippines as the local version of Chinese congee. It is so easy to make, just by combining the broth, rice, ginger, scallions, some other spices and chicken or beef then VOILA! You have the staple snack of the social class A to E. Lugaw ni Juan is the newest member of the chain of food stalls in SM. Sta. Mesa, their version got strips of ox tripe that made it really unique and special.

Lechon de Cebu – Lechon or roasted suckling pig is a popular star of Filipino celebrations like Fiesta, birthday, wedding, baptismal and the list goes on. As a celebratory dish in the southern city Cebu, it is luciously cooked with juicy meat and crispy thin outer skin. Just make sure it is served hot and crunchy.

Empanada - unlike the mexican empanada, Ilocanos’ version is fried, not baked. The northern colonial towns of the Ilocos region boasts a menu of treats that are uniquely Ilocano. Empanada is one of the most popular among them. Balay Ilocos (Ilocano House) serves those traditional cuisine showcasing the flavors of the north.

Sisig - this is one kapampangan’s pride, known as the kitchen of central Luzon, the Province of Pampanga started a pulutan culture. This dish is made from parts of pig’s head and liver, usually seasoned with kalamansi and chili peppers. It is indeed and undoubtedly the most popular beer match across the country. Where else to try it? But from the kitchen who invented it…

FACT: Lucia Cunanan of Angeles City has been credited with inventing sisig. The Philippine Department of Tourism has acknowledged that her “Aling Lucing’s” restaurant had established Angeles City as the “Sisig Capital of the Philippines” in 1974.

The dish is said to have originated from locals residents who bought unused pig heads from the commissaries of Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga. Pig heads were purchased cheap since they were not used in preparing meals for the U.S.Air Force personnel stationed there.

Pancit Malabon -The ingredients clearly represent the origin of the dish. Situated with the northern fishing ports of Manila, Malabon is the drop-off point of fresh bounties from the South China Sea. Pancit Malabon is a type of pancit, or stir-fried noodle dish. It has a yellow-orange color due to a sauce that includes patis (fish sauce) and crab fat. Its toppings draw heavily from the fresh seafood that is available in the area and may include fresh shrimp, squid, oysters, and hard-boiled duck or hen eggs, as well as pork.

Kakanin (Rice cakes) – There’s a myriad of documented preparation of this traditional snack/desert. Philippines being covered with vast rice paddies, the crop comes really handy to our pre-colonial ancestors. And with recipes passed from generation to generation we are still enjoying the old original and traditional taste and texture.

Who would’ve thought we can experience a good historical and cultural culinary tour inside the Philippines most popular shopping center? Our visit with SM City Sta. Mesa became a sampler of what Filipino kitchen has to offer.

The relaunching of SM City Sta. Mesa Food Court showed an impressive recovery from the wrath of typhoon Ondoy last year. The new festive look and Wifi enabled food park is cheerfully serving the universities and communities of Sta. Mesa in Manila.

We would also like to thank Jolibee SM Sta. Mesa, Pizza Hut SM Sta. Mesa, Island Gas, ASC Marketing, Inihaw Express, Kusina ni Gracia, Baliwag Express and Mr. Maynard Bulosan for showing us what they have for the budget conscious foodies like us.

First things first, there’s no airport in Vigan. The nearest airport is in Laoag, about 2 hours bus ride away. Cebu Pacific Air flies twice daily (to and from).  Vigan is a very small town, you can actually cover a complete itinerary in one day, so it’s a good idea to also check out other towns like Sta. Maria, Narvacan and probably some nearby beaches in La Union province.

For someone like me and Monette, this town is perfect to unleash the creative animals within us. She can just sit along the curb side, set on trans mode and start writing. As for me, I can walk around and be the clicker happy that I am.

It’s a town where everything moves slowly, so hurrying up to catch the pre-plotted itinerary isn’t exactly the fun way to enjoy the place.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotels and hostels within the blocks around the town center are mostly old houses. They decorate the house with all sorts of antique items ranging from flat iron converted to an ash tray to a make shift corner table out of an old sewing machine, and the list goes on. The interiors are basically colonial, they just put rooms and beds and a signage outside and voila! An antique thrift shop cum hostel. To some lone travelers who got wild imagination, you may want to look for a companion. Rooms resemble those that we see on classic horror films where you can expect to see Lilia Cuntapay materialize in the dark corner of your cold brick walled suite. Room rates are ranging form 700-1500 inclusive of Filipino breakfast. Grandpa’s Inn is where we stayed.

WHERE TO EAT

There are three ways to have a blast with your Vigan food trip.

Fine Dine at Cafe Leona where the perfect time to sit down and order would be at night where they have al fresco dining right at the end of Crisologo street. I never got the chance of eating out here during my recent trip, but a decade ago, the chokolate-E was 0h-so-wicked. I believe they also serve the good old Vigan faves like the bagnet (deep fried pork meat) and longanisa (Filipino garlic sausage).

Street Food trip is also popular among tourists and locals alike. Grab your bag of chichacorn (fried corn kernels) of a small box of cheesy royal bibingka (rice cake). This is a perfect snack while walking around the old town or riding a Kalesa.

Eat Vigan empanada at the park. Shredded lettuce, longanisa and whole egg wrapped with a hand rolled soft dough, then deep fried to perfection.

WHAT TO DO

Get a private kalesa, it’s the horse drawn carriage and a very eco-friendly means of transportation which started during the colonial era. I always wanted to just chill and ride one. Manila still got these iconic road runners, but it’s definitely not a good idea. The very essence of riding a kalesa is to enjoy the picturesque town and fresh air is an important element.

Kalesa ride costs around PhP 150/hour. There is a city ordinance that sets the fare so even if you want to haggle, you can’t. One thing is for sure, the kutcheros (drivers) are friendly and they are not as adamant as those from tourist traps elsewhere. They will tour you around the city. They will take you to several spots like Bantay church and bell  tower, Baluarte and Burnayan.

Bantay Bell Tower

Old bell of Bantay Belfry

pottery of burnayan

WHAT TO BUY

Or what NOT? In the past, Vigan is the spot for antique collectors. They hold the biggest collection of colonial artifacts. Like their houses, the household knickknacks were perfectly preserved. But in recent decades, residents decided to just sell them to antique shops, foreign tourists and collectors. I’m not sure if I am fully against this trade, but it would be cool to leave these items in Vigan where they belong. I heard the number of antique items in this town is dwindling down.

Ilocos Sur skyline, view from the Bantay bell tower

From Manila, land transportation is one of the most economical, PhP 500-600 (one way). Travel time may vary depending on the traffic, it may take around 8 hours on a night trip and 10 hours on a day trip. Several bus companies are operating daily from Manila to Vigan:

Partas Transportation Co. (Cubao QC/Sampaloc Manila) – They can cut the travel time from 10 hours to 7. Drivers got a death wish.

Fariñas Transit Company (Lacson Sampaloc Manila) – Owned by a political family in Ilocos Norte, so people throwing stones is pretty normal, no worries, there’s no recorded casualties or injuries so far. The buses are pretty clean and brand new.

Florida Bus Line (Espana Manila) – Newest addition to the competing bus lines to the north. Known as the “Pink Bus”, obviously not owned by Bayani Fernando but the buses are pretty decent pretty girly decent.

Maria de Leon Bus (Dapitan Manila) – probably one of the oldest in the bunch. They got the friendliest staff but circulating rumors says: the drivers are as senile as the buses, they are really pros, however, the 10-hour trip may become 15 hours. The drivers tend to stop every 30 minutes to take a leak.

In a nutshell, Vigan is the place to visit if your life is moving faster than it should be, and you are dying to have a break. The place will help you recalibrate your pace with the universe, as you take your slow steps around this town of classic beauty and elegance, you will also get the chance to go back in time and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

Ron

Ilocos Norte is the northernmost province in mainland Luzon. You actually get radio signals from Taiwan, that is if you’re still using a pre-historic walkman with FM band. The province got a long stretch of coastline with the terrain mainly slopes and hills. The northern tip of the province is Pagudpud, a small town covered with a crumpled blanket of hilly jungle. They even tag the Pagudpud beaches as the “Boracay of the North”.

There are buses going to Pagudpud from the city center of Laoag. Travel time is around 2 hours, unless you got a private van and a driver who formerly worked with Partas (bus with a death wish) who can zoom to Pagudpud in less than an hour. From Pagudpud town you can get a tricycle to the beach of your choice, we recommend Saud.

Another popular road stop is the lucrative Fort Ilocandia. Facing the South China Sea, it is located in the heart of the city of Laoag and the capital of Ilocos Norte. The resort is a complete service complex resort hotel. It’s a 10- minute drive from Fort Ilocandia Golf & Country Club in Paoay and from the Laoag International Airport. All these being said, don’t be surprised with the rates.

Another interesting spot in the heart of Laoag is the Sinking Bell Tower of St. William Cathedral. It’s a massive 45-meter bell tower said to be one of the tallest bell towers in the Philippines and was built by the Augustinians in 1612.

The tower has earned its “sinking” reputation because it is so heavy and it was built on sandy foundations that it has consistently sunk into the ground (estimated 1 cm yearly). Stories mention that a person on horseback could enter the tower with ease back when it was built. Now, a person of an average Filipino height has to bend down just to enter the vaulted entrance.

The town of Burgos has a heritage structure called the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as Burgos Lighthouse. It is the highest-elevated lighthouse in the Philippines and the northwesternmost in location. Built in 1892 and still standing today, a perfect setting for a high fashion photo shoot with a Rapunzel peg. The climb up the hill will take around 15-20 minutes, climb up the tower’s spiral stair will cause 10 minutes of dizziness.

Having a quiet moment up the light house is priceless. We wished we could have stayed longer to just sit and stare blank across the scenic view of Cape Bojeador, the landscape looks something like that in Scotland.

Ever seen the Department of Tourism video where Regine Velasquez is strangling herself with an organza shawl? Behind her are the windmills of Bangui. These became popular mid 2000 among shutterbugs because of its strong visual impact. Bangui is a small 4th class municipality before reaching Pagudpud, and this wind farm is currently supplying 40% of electricity in the province.

Paoay is popular because of two prominent feature of the municipality. First is the Paoay Lake. Legend has it that it was the site of a baranggay filled with wicked people underwater after ignoring the warning of a mysterious old woman who came to the place. On the shores of the lake lies a mansion that belongs to the Marcoses. Second, the Paoay Church, one of the four Baroque churches that are inscripted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Known for it’s sturdy coral stone structure and unique facade. Right across the street is a restaurant where you can eat Pinakbet Pizza (Oh yes, you read it right, monette will post something about it, soon!)

One of my favorite stop is the Kabigan Falls in Pagudpud, I’ve been reading and hearing a lot of things about this hidden gem in Pagudpud. We will be posting a separate story about this eco path.

We suggest that you drop by the town called Pasuquin for the local bakers treat, the Biscocho, available in soft and toasted variety. My favorite is the soft Biscocho, the moist bread got a hint of earthy taste and spice of some sort, which made me thinking and figuring-out that distinct aftertaste all through-out the trip. Another must try is the Empanada of Batac. Batac’s version is waaaay better than those in Vigan. Whole egg, garlic-y longganisa, cheese and fillers wrapped in a hand pressed soft dough and fried to perfection. Batac got the most wicked empanada in this part of the world, they even have this street treat in their town seal—Now beat that!

Ilocos Norte is one of the provinces where you need to get down and dirty when you do a road trip. There’s a lot of things to see and do, a weekend isn’t enough. To fully understand and experience the beauty of the province, you may need to take your time, talk to people, stay longer and walk off the beaten paths. The roads may be winding but it will always lead you to where you are heading, that’s for sure.

Ron