12 hours in Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan, a photoblog

I found my self forgetting the present in the embrace of the past.

There was a time when I was a grad student when I just had to stop and let go. I found my self one night in Vigan. The trip was unplanned.

Vigan is 404 kilometers north of Manila. It was an Asian trading post before the Spaniards came. It then became the capital of the encomienda of Juan de Salcedo in the 16th century. Hence, the mixture of Oriental and Spanish influences in its architecture.

Click on an image to go to gallery view.

Organic Christmas tree. Dried vegetables and fruits made up this Chirstmas tree. When I arrived in Vigan late 2006, this is the first thing I saw.

St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral. The present church was completed in 1800. It has a facade that reflects Vigan’s Chinese heritage.

Calle Crisologo is beautifully eerie at night.

Sy-Quia Mansion was the residence of Elpidio Quirino, the 6th President of the Philippines.

Mornings are calm.

Simbaan A Bassit or the Small Church is a cemetary chapel. It is the only chapel in the Ilocos Region with a Bell-gable design.

Breakfast on the go.

I asked for help.

Pagburnayan. The Ilocano clay jar is called burnay.

Only the small ones can fit inside my backpack.

Line.

Bantay belfry built in 1590 was my last stop before leaving Vigan.

There were plenty of things that  I didn’t see but I had to go.

I left Vigan refreshed even for just 12 hours, ready to wrestle with that dissertation once again.