Heading North (1st of 3 parts)

Walk back into the past by immersing yourself into the remarkable Ilocano culture with its authentic works, ancestral homes, historical sights, cobbled streets and numerous churches.

The city of Laoag is renowned for its attractions scattered all over town. Its most famous landmark that charmingly stands (but is also known to sink at about an inch per year) is the Italian Renaissance style Sinking Bell Tower. Directly beside it is one of the largest churches in the country, the St. William’s Cathedral. A drive further into town stands the Museo Ilocos Norte (the most informative place in town for all Ilocos Norte traditions, also originally the Tabacalera Building). I particularly liked how each and every single artifact was put together so realistically, making it easier for every visitor to understand and appreciate the local culture and history even more so.

Further down, you will find the Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino, the only 5-star resort in the region, also the place where you may organize a ride on a 4x4 to visit the scenic Suba Sand Dunes, which sprawl all the way to the town of Paoay, also the very same place where Hollywood films such as Mad Max and Born On The Fourth of July were filmed, as well as local films, Himala and Panday. Another option is a ride on a hot-air balloon, both with reasonable costs for a sand dune experience that you wouldn’t want to miss!

For exotic Ilocano fusion cuisine, the Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant and Bar located in Laoag’s city centre is the place to be. Food you might want to sample is the famous Saramsam Pasta (a mixture of green and ripe mango, red onions, prawns, cilantro, green and red bell peppers, olive oil and parmesan cheese served with bread) Poque-Poque pizza (a mixture of aubergines, tomatoes, onions and eggs) or Dinuguan (pig’s blood) pizza as another alternative, baraniw (wild basil) iced tea and kalti (Ylocano fondue). The recommended place to stay is at Balay da Blas www.balaydablas.com

Moving on to the next town called Sarrat, I stepped into the actual Marcos Museum and Birthplace. It was an incredible detailed residence with respectful displays. Close by is the Sarrat Church, where Irene Marcos’ massive wedding was held, having invited the whole of the town. Up to this day, the towns people still talk about how grand a wedding it was, one local even shared the experience with me. You may also choose to drive to a close by town called San Nicolas, famous for pottery products.

A bit further down south, you will find yourself in a quaint little town called Paoay to witness a UNESCO World Heritage sight - the elegantly structured Paoay Church. Another sight in town is the Malacanang of the North (known as White House of the North and one of the Marcos’ rest houses) overlooking the timelessly scenic Paoay Lake. As I stood outside the veranda, it made me wonder what life was like back in the day. A newer attraction in the town of Paoay is the Ilocos Norte Convention Centre, which attractively sits along the main road.

An appetizing dinner at the Catubay-Vasquez ancestral home serving authentic Ilocano pinakbet (the way to cook this dish is to lift the pan with the lid on and give it a toss to ensure the freshness of the vegetables then top the dish with bagnet, note that pumpkin is never included), bagnet (pan-fried pork meat similar to chicharon), igado (commonly a mixture of chopped liver, heart and kidney but you may use regular meat as an alternative), seaweed and tomato salad, caldereta (goat meat), bibingka (oven baked sticky rice cake) and biko, was absolutely delicious! Yhank you very much! The recommended place to stay in the town of Paoay is at the Casa Dona Emilia www.casadonaemilia.com

Another town in the surrounding area is called Batac where the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum is located, a memorabilia of former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, where his remains are sealed in a glass coffin with uncanny music played in the background. The place is open to the public but do check for opening hours as they vary. Across the bridge, you will find the best place for freshly made tasty empanadas (filled pastry with bean sprouts, papaya, egg and longganisa) in town!

The southernmost town in the northern region is called Badoc, a place where you will find the Juan Luna House, a restored ancestral home of Ilocano painter, Juan Luna. The museum features a copy of his famous painting, the Spolarium. A few recent additions have been added, I could never get bored of being appreciative of his famous works of art! Apart from this restored home, the town of Badoc is also famous for its basket crafts.

Ilocano products to sample are corniks (corn kernels which come in different flavors, garlic is the most common and probably the tastiest), bagoong Ilocano, tobacco cigars, fresh garlic, banana chips, basi (sugar wine) or tagapulot (brown sugar) all to take-me-home. Didn’t miss buying some magnets as well to add to my collection.

I reckon that Laoag City and its surrounding areas are incredibly beautiful, well kept and very rich in culture that all the towns I’ve listed above are well worth a visit!