Ilocos, We Are In!

I formally just got back to work yesterday. That's because my boyfie and I just got back from the I-L-O-C-O-S region! The Ilocos region is divided into four provinces: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan. Let's talk about our Ilocos trip from the very beginning, shall we?

On the afternoon of May 19th, Darwin and I flew from Bohol to Manila. By the way, we planned and booked this trip way back last March, as I had always told myself that after I turned 24th, I needed to travel somewhere far away. I picked Ilocos because ever since I was in high school, I've always wanted to check out Vigan City's Calle Crisologo. This street is known for its Spanish ambiance, vintage houses, and unique atmosphere that will definitely take you back in time. 

We pre-arranged everything by booking the flight two months earlier and paying our Travel agency in advance. We decided to hire a travel agency to have a hassle-free and stress-free travel experience. The agency took care of everything, from picking us up at SM Mall of Asia and traveling 8-10 hours to Ilocos. Our tour package also included our hotel accommodation and meals. All we needed to pay during the tour were the entrance fees and rides. So, back to the story.

After arriving in Manila, we spent a few hours roaming around SM MOA since our pick-up time was scheduled at 8:00 PM. We had our dinner and did some window shopping to kill time. At exactly 8:00 in the evening, the driver/tour guide picked us up and began the 10-hour ride to Ilocos. Apparently, we spent the night sleeping in the Van and woke up in the land of ILOCOS!!!

I'm posting our travel pictures here, and I'll be uploading them in chronological order from the first day of our tour down to our last day in Manila. I'll also include some captions and back-stories when necessary. Let the journey begin...😍😍

DAY ONE:

When we finally arrived at Ilocos Norte, we first stopped at a restaurant for our breakfast. After that, we were given a few minutes to change our clothes, retouch ourselves, and prepare for our first destination, the Onse Reef Sand Dunes at Paoay. 

Malacañang of the North, also known as Malacañang ti Amianan, was the official presidential residence of our late former president, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and his family. As you can see, it has tons of vintage family pictures of the Marcos family. Their mansion also features an overlooking view of Paoay Lake. 

Then, next to their mansion, you can also find the Chinese Garden. This was built to celebrate the friendship and diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines.

P.S. Sorry for the solo pics. My boyfriend is very picky with the location when it comes to taking pictures of himself. 😂😂 After all, he says he loves taking photographs of me. 😊😍

So, after the lighthouse, we went to Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud, to check in for the night. 

DAY TWO:

Welcome to day two!

Since it was raining when we reached the arch of Pagudpud, we only took a quick snap of the arch. Then, we went on our way.

Paoay Church was our last stop in Ilocos Norte before we went to Ilocos Sur.

THIS WAS IT! This was the street I'd been dreaming of visiting since high school! Ugh, it's so easy to fall in love with the place. Darwin and I walked around Calle Crisologo for like an hour, as we wanted to savor every second we were there. The street was small and filled with restaurants, horse chariots, souvenir shops, cafes, ice cream stalls, and lots of tourists. And just like in the pictures, Calle Crisologo can surely take you back in time. We took lots of pics, but we're just going to keep most of them to ourselves. 😊😜 The place may be a bit busy, but overall, the ambiance was still magical. Then, at 9:00 PM, we checked in at our hotel for the night.

DAY THREE:

Last day of the tour 😚

We had our lunch at the Hidden Garden. Then, we went to the Souvenir Supply House, which has all the souvenir products that most vendors sell to everyone. Since they're the main supplier of souvenirs at Vigan, they're much cheaper than the souvenir stalls you might see outside. We bought lots of Ilocos t-shirts, magnets, bags, and keychains for our family and friends back in Bohol.

Quirino bridge was our last stop before we exited Ilocos and returned to Manila😞. As we were heading back, we went on a side trip to La Union for their famous Grapes Farm. We didn't take pictures of the farm, BUT we have a video of us picking those tasty, ripe grapes! We also bought one of their locally made wines, so we can drink it back in Manila when we check in at our hotel.

We arrived in Manila at around 1:00 in the morning, so maybe you can imagine how tired and sleepy we were. On a good note, we were just happy and grateful for the entire Ilocos experience. Everything definitely went way better than I initially expected. Aside from the unique travel experience, we also met new friends. After our driver dropped us off at Pasay, we booked a hotel for the night. 

BACK IN MANILA:

After a restful night of sleep, we woke up at around 9:00 AM and ate our breakfast. We pretty much spent the entire morning just watching Netflix from our hotel room, drinking wine, and eating the fresh grapes we harvested from La Union. 

Later that afternoon, we went to SM MOA and checked out the rest of the mall (because the mall was huge lol). We also had our dinner there and strolled outside the streets of Pasay until past 10:00 PM, lol. We also bought some beer and chips on our way back to the hotel then we had a karaoke session in our room, hahaha! Then, before we went to sleep, we slowly started packing up our things since our flight back to Bohol was scheduled for the next day.

GOING HOME:

Awwee, such a bittersweet way to end our trip. Although we're excited to go home and reunite with our families, we're also a bit sad that our Luzon trip has come to an end. But as many people say, an end to something can be the beginning of something. 

We're now planning for our next trip soon! Although we're still browsing our options as to which destination we should go to next. We're thinking of B****, P******, or B******, but WHO KNOWS??? CIAO! 😊😊😊