Day 2 was more hectic than the previous day since it was time for Vigan and the place is just packed with things to do and places to visit. We started with breakfast at Sea Nymph. Tzai and company got there around 7am (my original weekend agenda was just to go surfing with Tzai. I'm glad I decided to go with Dyann on her road trip instead). We ate their baon of hotdog and longanisa and ordered bacon, eggs, rice and noodles at the cafe. We only spent P200.00 on the whole meal!
We planned to leave at 6:30am but because we were slow pokes, we left at 9:00am. We got to Vigan around lunch time. We first checked out Tanjol's Villa Angela -- he found this on the internet but we didn't make reservations. The only room available by check out time is a large room for 4 people (worth P2,400 with breakfast). We were hoping we could get 2 Cuarto Pequenos since it was only for P1,000 (good for 2 with breakfast). We decided to go to lunch first and decide on accommodations while we eat. The caretaker suggested Uno Cafe in front of Grandpa's Inn so that's what we had for lunch.
Part of this road trip was to try out local food even if it meant having lizard or whatever animal balls we could find. Unfortunately, Uno Grill only had fried frogs (Pritong Pokak) so we ordered that along with poqui-poqui (sauteed eggplant in onion, tomato and egg), grilled pork belly (normal), pakbet with bagnet (superb!) and vigan longanisa. Yan and I were surprised to know that lunch was on Tita Merle (super thank you) which means one meal off our budget.
We also checked out the rooms at Granpa's Inn to see if we could check in there. Place was authentically old and actually smelled old too. We were also debating about Villa Angela at this point because we figured that it's as old and rusty as Granpa's Inn. We then decided to go around and check out the other hotels in the area. That's when we stumbled upon Gordion Hotel. It was a mixture of old and new. Best thing was the rooms were newly renovated and was homey. They also had WiFi in the lobby which was a plus factor for us. And since it was off peak season, they offered all rooms at 30% off. We got 2 rooms at P1,400 each. Breakfast is included.
We had a lot on our iterinary slash itenirary (sinadya ko yan.. that's a different story) so we were back in the car after checking in. First stop: Chavit Singson's Baluarte. I don't know if I should call it a mini zoo because the place was humongous but there were not too many animals. There were camels, liliput horses, sheeps, ostriches, birds and tigers. Entrance was free and the manongs will just ask for a tip if you want to pet the animals, ride the camel or have your picture taken with the cockatoo or parrot on your shoulders. Downside was it was packed with people and it was very hot when we were there. It was still treat to see these animals (coming from an animal lover).
We then headed to the Hidden Gardens which we coincidentally had a hard time finding. Nothing great to see there but we welcomed the coolness the plants bring after being grilled under the sun in Baluarte. Oh and we had some shots of the Basi Wine. It's made from sugarcane and was aged in burnay (earthen jars). It was sooo good and only at P200 per bottle. We didn't buy though coz we thought we could get it cheaper somewhere else (only to forget to get some later).
We wanted to ceck out the other museums and plazas but we got lost around Vigan (yeah I know it's so small but it seems that all roads lead to the market!). We decided to park then near Salcedo Plaza and walk our way around Vigan. We found from there the empanadahan at Burgos Plaza and opted to stop for snacks. It was way different from the empanadas I'm used to but great nontheless at P30.00 each.
Walking some more, we found the most famous Calle Crisologo -- a half kilometer stretch of cobblestone street lined with fine examples of 18th century Filipino-Spanish architecture. It was a virtual tourist and photographer's playground! Kalesas are the only vehicles allowed on the street. It was truly awesome! Funny thing was Calle Crisologo was actually located behind our hotel! Since it was so near, Yan and I walked Chloe back to the hotel while Ola and Tanjol picked up our parked car from Salcedo Plaza. That's also when they found out that Burgos Museum was only open until 4:30 pm (it was already around 5pm then).
We washed up for dinner then headed back to Calle Crisologo and found a nice tavern like place called Cafe Leona. We ordered normal food here (morcon and barbecue) only because the waiters couldn't suggest a best seller. I downed my meal with Cervesa Negra because it seemed appropriate. Ola and Yan had hot tsokolate after dinner. And did I mention that it was raining hard? But that didn't stop us from walking along Crisologo and taking pictures. We didn't mind that our photos included large umbrellas. The place was just so gorgeous at night. We headed back to the hotel however as it was I think the smartest thing to do so Chloe won't get wet.
Yan, Tanjol and I stayed at the hotel cafe (and the lobby) for some WiFi to update FB statuses. I ordered tsokolate to go with my WiFi-ing. That was, in my opinion, the best part of this trip.
