Define: love

(Warning: long post ahead. I love "love" after all lolol)

I know, I know. First happiness, now love. What's next? Crush? Most embarrassing moment?

Vigan, Ilocos Sur is a quaint city that boasts of culture, history and nostalgia. About some 2 years ago, I visited the town of Melaka in Malaysia, a place known for its history, old houses and heritage museums. Being in Vigan a few weeks ago brought (or as Finn of Glee says, brung) back memories of walking trips, invading other people's old houses and marvelling at the antiques they've amassed and kept intact through the years.

Before you do anything in Vigan, I suggest heading first to the Village Heritage Admin Office in Calle Crisologo. They give out free, unused maps of the city, and tips on kalesa and tricycle fares (P150/hr and P30-50/trip, respectively). They can also shuttle you free of charge using the city's e-jeepney, if you're heading to the River Cruise dock (P100/person). The office may only be open during office hours, though, I think. So, if you arrive wee in the morning, or super late night, depending on your bus schedule (check Partas Bus Transit), of course it's best to secure accommodations first. Try Grandpa's Inn. They have both types of accommodations: suites and air conditioned brick-walled rooms for the I-need-a-place-to-relax-in type of tourist, and simple fan rooms with common toilets and bath for the I-need-a-place-to-crash-in types. Our trip being uber-impromptu, and not very long, we opted for the latter. It was comfy, clean and just right for a simple, restful sleep.

Mode of transportation, aside from tricycles and private motorbikes

I liked Vigan for 2 things: the calmness, and the food. We spent 2 days walking around the city, some hours walking back and forth Calle Crisologo, the famous street of old houses and cobblestone steps, watched a local beauty pageant, and visited the public market. In all these times, no one was rushing. I purposefully had to slow down my walking pace. People seemed relax. Store and restaurant staff provided attentive service, without being overly zealous and customer-service-y. No one was running, except for a game of patintero on the street. The only speeding we saw were from bikes participating in a bike race on Sunday afternoon, to which we gamely cheered on, along with residents who waited outside their houses to watch the bikers go by.

Calle Crisologo

The food was something altogether. It's simply not a place for people on a diet. Vigan has lots of local dishes to choose from, six meals in two days were just not enough to sample them all. So, naturally, we resorted to eating two orders of whatever we liked (Irene's Empanada), and ordering main dishes for dessert (bagnet as main in Cafe Leona, then their Napolitan pizza for dessert), finally culminating in hoarding Vigan longanisa in the public market. Of course, there was the last-minute sampling of sinanglaoan soup right before we boarded our bus going back to Manila.

Vigan longanisa, bagnet and sukang Iloko

Irene's Empanada, best eaten when hot and crispy, not for take-out

In every trip, there is a moment that defines the best memory of the city. For me, it was our visit to the Syquia Mansion, the famous mansion-turned museum of the Syquia-Quirino family, and house of former President Elpidio Quirino. Ferdinand, the city-appointed tourist guide, closed the museum doors at the time of our visit, so he can give us a private tour of the place. Later on, we found out that it's common practice among tourist spots here to provide each tourist group with their own private tour guide, whether it's one of the old houses, or up the Bantayan Bell Tower.

Ferdinand knew his history, knew the house, and knew his city. His last bit of information for us: do you not wonder how the city's architecture survived war and destruction that left other cities in ruins? He's right. That is something to wonder about, given that Vigan does not have the usual fort that can be seen surrounding old cities (think Intramuros and Cebu's Fort San Pedro).

These houses are aging gracefully.

Near the end of the Japanese invasion, the Japanese were ordered to burn and destroy all the places they occupied before leaving. Captain Fujiro Takahashi, the Military Commander in Vigan then, asked the help of a priest to take care of his Filipino wife, Adela, and their children. Fr. Kleikamp agreed with the condition that Takahashi and his men leave quietly. The following morning, the Japanese were gone, and Vigan was spared.

Legendary love is everywhere. Helen of Troy, Mark and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, Jack and Rose. To die for the person you love, or to die together, has always been the popular storyline that became a popular definition of what love is. Perhaps this is why Vigan's love story is not that well-known. While our love stories end in destruction, tragedy and tears (it ain't good drama without tears), Adela's and Takahashi's saves a whole city. That's the real stuff legends are made of.

Happy Valentines Day! :D

Kuya Ferdinand did not have time to tell us the complete story, so if you'd like to know more, this article might help.