Disclaimer: Due to the number of
tourists during our visit, there wasn’t a “proper” tour conducted thus the
details for each place are insufficient. I had to conduct my own research
regarding the places we visited so if there are any corrections on the information,
please feel free to comment. Also, due to my camera malfunction, the photos on
this post are grabbed from my friends. Thanks.
Read Part 2 here.
As always, I’m the first one to take a bath at 4:30 in the morning.
While waiting for everyone to finish their bath, we entertained ourselves by
watching Tiyanak (Lotlot De Leon version) and a Dolphy—Panchito movie.
After everyone was ready, we went down to the cafeteria for our
breakfast. We were informed that it will take one hour for our orders to be served. In my head, “na naman?! It’s as if our igado (Bangui experience)
wasn’t enough”. I was really disappointed, honestly. It would’ve been
better if the breakfast was already included in the accommodation package.
Then I saw the breakfast served to our other colleagues (who were there
earlier), and I don’t know if I should feel relieved that we didn’t order. The
one-piece longganisa was too small and
it was served with sunny-side-up egg with rice.
We just decided to have another McDo delivery. Unfortunately, their
delivery starts at 9 AM, which is also our check-out time. Hindi aabot and we will be behind the schedule again so we decided
to just eat cup noodles and share the loaf bread that one of my colleagues
brought. We waited, and waited, and patiently waited. And after about 15
minutes to half an hour, the cup noodles were already delivered. O diba. What a great way to start the
day.
Day 3—11 April 2015 (Saturday).
Our first destination on our last day is the Herencia Café. Actually, we were supposed to eat the famous Pinakbet Pizza on our first day, but we
arrived too early. Good thing, the manager of our travel agency placed an
advance order so the pizza was almost ready when we arrived. I’m a full-pledged
carnivore, but I managed to appreciate the pizza. It was really good especially
when you put the bagoong sauce on
top. Yummyyyyyyy~~~
After eating, we headed straight to Calle Crisologo at Vigan. I thought I would be excited but I
was overwhelmed by the number of people visiting the place. Parang mas na-appreciate ko yung Las Casas
kesa sa Vigan. The street was full of souvenir shops instead of historical
thingies, which I didn’t really expect. I felt like I was in a market instead
of a time warp wormhole. Haaaaayy.
We weren’t able to take our lunch due to shopping and picture-taking. So
after an hour and a half, we just decided to take out from McDo. I felt somehow
disappointed because I’m expecting to eat something different from what’s
usually available in Laguna. I know the lapse is on our side, but I still feel
that waaaaaayyyy… Ughh. Haha. How frustrating. I think 1.5 hours is not enough
for Vigan.
After a few-minute drive, we reached the Baluarte ni Chavit. I felt like a five-year old child excited to see the live animals up close. All the hype suddenly went down when I reached the museum, and I wish I never went to that place. Yes, all the preserved animals are nice to look at. But when I saw them dead on the pictures below their preserved bodies, it made my heart ache and wanted to cry. How I wish I never went to the gallery so that I wouldn’t feel this much regret, anger and agony.
After a few-minute drive, we reached the Baluarte ni Chavit. I felt like a five-year old child excited to see the live animals up close. All the hype suddenly went down when I reached the museum, and I wish I never went to that place. Yes, all the preserved animals are nice to look at. But when I saw them dead on the pictures below their preserved bodies, it made my heart ache and wanted to cry. How I wish I never went to the gallery so that I wouldn’t feel this much regret, anger and agony.
Moving on, our last stop is the St.
Augustine Church and Bantay Bell Tower. Given the time and energy
remaining, I didn’t want to go to the Bell Tower but since we’re already there,
our travel manager advised that we go up there. Sayang nga naman. ANNNND, no regrets. The view and the feeling of
the wind brushing my face is incomparable. We stayed there until the manager
finally called us.
It’s time to leave. Back to reality. Work, work, work na naman on Monday. To sum it all up
there were disappointments, a lot to be honest. But then, if you look back to
all the experiences, the views, etc… you will forget those disappointments and
think of it as part of the overall and unforgettable memories of this three-day
journey to the North. ♥
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