Who or what is this?

One of the most fascinating items I saw in the Syquia Mansion was this sculpture of what seems to be a soldier. I say soldier basing on his cape, helmet and sword, but I'm not really sure. It stands in front of a mirror in the mansion. There's something compelling about it. If I were to write a story about the "soldier," it would be a tragic, diabolical one.



Is it just me or is the sculpture somewhat creepy?

Vigan, finally!

I've always wanted to go to Vigan, Ilocos Sur and I finally got the chance recently. It was primarily an overnight business trip, but hey, we were already in Vigan so why not enjoy what the city has to offer.

We left Quezon City for Vigan at midnight and the land trip took us six and a half hours. One of the travel tricks I've yet to master is to sleep while in the car/airplane. I don't think I reached even Stage N1.

We stayed in My Vigan Home. I'm not sure if it was actually used as a house but it seemed like an old house that was converted into a hotel. The plaza is very near and the cobblestoned Calle Crisologo, which is lined with antique and souvenir shops, is even nearer. In the picture, My Vigan Home is the second, orange building on the right. The entrance to Calle Crisologo is on the left.

We heard mass at the Vigan Cathedral, which was just at the other side of the plaza from where we were staying. It was a large church but the mass we attended and the one before it were packed. Luckily, we managed to sit at the front pew.

After mass, we were off to the market. Our host had a suki there where we bought shawls and bags made of abel iloco for a really good price. The most expensive items I bought were at P130 each. The store also had bolts of abel iloco, blankets, placemats and table runners all at very cheap prices. Loved it!

After shopping, we needed to recharge with lunch. Ah, the food. I thought I was going to have a problem because I'm not a veggie eater. Thank goodness for bagnet (deep-fried pork) and Vigan longganisa! I took home two dozens of the longganisa (got them for P120 a dozen).

After lunch, we visited the Hidden Garden that had a variety of greenery and a cafe inside. I liked the herb garden the most. It's the smell! Afterwards, we went to a place where burnay jars are made. Unfortunately, there was no work that day so we didn't see how the burnay was made. We ended up taking photos of the jars and buying souvenir shirts. Tourists!

We also visited Saint Augustine Church in Bantay, Ilocos Sur. The church's interior is beautiful, but what makes this church famous is its bell tower perched on a hill overlooking the main building and the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity. At the foot of the belfry, the wind was whipping my hair into my eyes.

Just like Dumaguete, Vigan's main mode of transportation is the tricycle. But since we were tourists, we rented a calesa for P150 an hour, which took us to the Crisologo Museum and the Syquia Mansion.

The Crisologo Museum was home to the Crisologo family. Quezon City Congressman Bingbong Crisologo was born in that house. The Syquia Mansion was home to the former President Quirino's wife's family. He lived in it too and we saw some of his barongs and canes. During his time, a cane was a status symbol. If you have been to Casa Manila in Intramuros, you will see the similarities in all three houses. But while Casa Manila is a replica of the houses of yore, the Crisologo and Syquia mansions are authentic ancestral homes. There are no admission fees, but visitors are expected to make a small donation at each house for their upkeep.

We culminated our calesa tour with halo-halo in Chowking at the town square. Like all the buildings in the area, the fastfood place's exterior was made to look antique to maintain the old city feel.

It was a real short visit to Vigan, but I loved how we were able to go to all those places. Somehow, the rushed time made the trip doubly worth it.