My trip to the Ilocos provinces this time around was quite eventful. Laoag and Vigan were having their city fiestas. With fiestas come events. And events come political personalities; political personalities like Edu Manzano and Gibo Teodoro; and entertainment personalities like the bands Paraluman, Pedicab, and Calalily.
On the night I arrived at Laoag City was the night of the Gimikada free concert. I was able to watch Paraluman, Pedicab, and Calalily not with the crowd, not on front row, but closer; backstage. Before the the three main bands and after the opening bands, Edu Manzano made an appearance and gave the crowd his 'Game ka na ba?' Every night for the whole month of February, there are scheduled activities for the townspeople and tourists.
This is also the first time I stayed at Laoag Renzo Hotel. For those who would like to know about this hotel, I have the details at the end of this entry. I had the standard room and to my surprise, it had a personal refrigerator. I thought I had the wrong room so I asked the front desk and they said all rooms have refrigerators. Neat-o!
Before going to Vigan, I had a little unexpected tour of Paoay, where the Malacanang of the North is located, and Batac, the hometown of Ferdinand Marcos.
Malacanang of the North is located in Paoay. It has a nice view of Paoay Lake. This lake is said to be constantly rising. According to the stories, long ago, there used to be a barangay where the lake is and in the middle, a church. Of course, all of it is now under water.
The Marcos residence at Batac has Ferdinand Marcos' old things; his old desk, license plates, notes from exile, that little wooden hammer they use in the senate, etc. Of course, Marcos' mausoleum is open for everyone to see. Picture taking is not allowed where the remains are housed.
Sirens were coming from the distance. A convoy went into Marcos' compound. It was the visiting convoy of presidential candidate, Gibo Teodoro. He visited Marcos' mausoleum and shook some hands.
Before leaving Batac, we had a little snack that I treated as my lunch; Miki. Batac has another specialy; the empanada. The empanada here is a lot different from the usual empanada that you can buy in Metro Manila or along the way to the southern provinces of Laguna, Batangas, or Quezon. The empanada here is quite heavy stomach-wise. The empanada itself is bigger that the empanada that I'm used to; maybe two and a half times bigger, or more. And the ingredients are packed; eggs, monggo, shredded papaya, and who knows what else. I sure don't know what else.
Onwards to Vigan for my official business. And no, I didn't do any touring of Vigan or its nearby towns. As far as I was concerned, I had enough touring for the day. Besides, there's always a next time.
Laoag Renzo Hotel Contact numbers:
0908-214-4488
(077) 770-4898
(077) 770-5288
They offer corporate discounts.
