VIGAN

VIGAN
07-08-16

When I was a kid, the family would make frequent trips to Ilocos Sur, particularly to the towns of Caoayan, Bayubay and Vigan. Even when my dad would have speaking engagements up north, the trip to Vigan would be a no-brainer.


You guessed it.
I'm a GI - a genuine Ilocana.
Both of my parents hail from Ilocos Sur. Though they come from the outskirts of Vigan, it was quite acceptable to say they were from the famous town. So, as a little girl, I would skip the cobbled streets of Calle Crisologo, even before it became the tourist spot it is now. I would look up and admire SyQuia Mansion, Quirino house and other old houses while dreaming of being a princess locked up in the second floor. I would have home-cooked sinaglaw for breakfast, empanada for merienda, longganisa & pinacbet for lunch and dinuydoy for dinner.

But as things would usually go, we grew up.  Our schedules got fuller and lives got busier. My manang and manong began to have their own time out of the house. The frequent trips became occasional,
then rare,
then only to whenever the opportunity came by. Maybe in the last 17 years, I made the trip to south Ilocandia only thrice.

Through these years, thanks to television and then the internet, I saw Vigan transform. She stood out like a queen in the pages of travel books, travel blogs and Facebook posts. So now I have returned to my blood roots, being undeniably GI even if I don't speak ilocano.
Maddic ammo nu kasano! Diak agsasao ti Ilocano! 
hahahaha

It was a different Vigan that welcomed me this time.
It felt somewhat nostalgic, yet somewhat different.
It felt like home, yet not truly home.

But it was nice to see the familiar pop up here and there. Then slowly, i began to feel I was home.

So while many things in Vigan have changed through the years, one thing still remains. The local folks are still as laid-back as ever. Really! So it would be good to know that they will not go fast-er to cater to your whims. So relax. If you go to Vigan, then just relax, unwind, and let the ticking of the clock go by.
That's my Vigan!

PS. If you want to know where to get most authentic Vigan longanisa...the one's mga apo nanangs make!
Go to Santa!
That's a trivia for you.