Last day of our Ilocos tour!
We started the day taking a walk by the beach. We thought we’d at least feel the sands on our feet since we didn’t get the chance to swim while we stayed at Casa Victoria in Pagudpud the night before (it was too dark to swim by the time we arrived from our tour).
This is a nice beach. But still I prefer Boracay more.
While waiting for our van to arrive, I got Mai to braid my hair. I don’t know how to do it myself actually. I only know pony tails so when I found out that my friend actually knew how to do braids well I just had to ask!
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| I love this braid! |
For our third and last day in Ilocos, we went to Vigan to visit the famous Calle Crisologo to buy souvenirs and more picture taking of course.
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| Wearing my H&M sun dress here |
Vehicles are not allowed to pass by Calle Crisologo any time of the day. There are only calesas in this area. You can see the cobblestone streets lined with heritage houses of the families of Filipino-Chinese traders who were well known for trading abel cloth, indigo, gold, tobacco and other goods that were transported from all over the North.
Calle Crisologo reminds me of Intramuros. They said the magic of Calle Crisologo happens at night. The shadows of the night adds to the 18th century ambiance of the lamp-lit street that will make both visitors fall in love with the place.
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| Kinda makes for a romantic ambiance
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Too bad we didn’t get the chance to stay around ’til the night. I think I would’ve loved having dinner in one of the restaurants in the area. Definitely going to come back here!
Also dropped by to say a prayer at the Vigan Cathedral…
For every place I visit, I like to buy souvenirs of their famous landmark. For my Ilocos trip, I bought this miniature of the Bangui Windmills and the Cape Bojeador for only Php90.
They said that every travel is going to teach you something. Well, in my Ilocos tour, here are the three things I learned about me as a traveler:
1. I don’t mind trips that mean spending hours on the road. For as long as I’m sitting beside the window, I’m good because I like to sight see.
2. Give me an itinerary and a time schedule to follow, I wouldn’t mind following. The reason I got to visit so many places in just three days is that St. Michael Explorer gave us schedules to follow i.e. 2 hours to trek and swim at Kabigan Falls.
3. But I really don’t like to be rushed when it comes down to eating. During the first day of our tour, it was rush rush rush. It stressed me out!
4. I wouldn’t mind being the planner and coordinator of trips with friends/family! Just as long as the people I’m going to travel with are easy to deal with. This trip almost didn’t push through because my friends suddenly had schedule conflicts and other life dramas to deal with! Nakaka-stress I swearrrrrrrr!
Overall though, I enjoyed my Ilocos trip with Mai. It was a really nice bonding experience. I’m glad I took this tour of St. Michael Explorer Travel and Tours because I got to see a lot of places in both Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. I’m also glad that the company’s booking agents were very easy to reach and accommodating. So yeah, I’d definitely recommend this to people who are looking to experience tours. Taking tours is a great way to see a lot of nice spots in a place that you’re not familiar with at all because all you have to do is pay for the trip, sit back and let the drivers tour you around. No hassle at all!