more of laoag






Laoag is a small city. It is the capital city of Ilocos Norte so both the city hall and the provincial capitol are sharing the same plaza. Thankfully Laoag still retains a lot of its old charms. We are not yet seeing the mallification of this countryside. However according to Buddha, a major shopping mall is being planned near Laoag. Of course you can find Kentucky Fried Chicken, Jollibee, Max's in the city center. Our first night we had a great dinner at La Preciosa where we sampled typical Ilocano dishes. Afterall the whole point of visiting a place is also to sample the local cuisine. Ilocano food agrees with me because of its simple and spare home cooked food. They do not have the elaborate sarsas that is present in the Pampango food that was fiesta fare in my parents' home town. Of course there is bagnet which is the Ilocano version of the lechon kawali, which I can only now manage just to taste. But I feasted in pinakbet, dinengdeng and there was one heavenly dish that had a name that sounded like the vernacular name of the female sex organ said twice over. Oh, before I forget, we did pass by Marcos's home. The museum was closed indefinitely. They however had a small display of his pictures near his maosoleum. I had to surrender my camera to Buddha when we entered the maosoleum which automatically plays a dirge when the doors open. I commented to my sister that the body of Marcos looked very waxy. Later we were told that a lot of people suspect that what is being shown is made of wax. Perhaps this explains the sign outside which says " No cameras and hard objects allowed inside". The work of just one vandal will be enough to reveal the truth. As far as Marcos is concerned, there are still many potential vandals. The biggest hotel to stay in is still Fort Ilocandia near the Laoag airport. However you should try some of the smaller places. Balay ti Blas was a place that offers good value and is located within the city of Laoag itself. The breakfast alone makes the stay worth it because it is oversized and will fill even someone who has a huge appetite. When visiting the North, it is best to stay in Laoag because Vigan is just an hour and a half away. After all you do not need to spend days to see the old town. Around Laoag are interesting churches the most prominent of which is the church of Paoay. From Laoag you can drive north to go to Pagudpud or even onto Aparri or Claveria in Cagayan. I asked Buddha if there are boat trips from Aparri going to Basco Batanes. He said there is none. I am assuming that this has something to do with the rough waters in that part of the country.

all photos © 2005 daddywasabi, all rights reserved