I had the chance of being part of the group travelling with the author of this nice article and must agree that we had an unexpected experience. We learnt a lot on the people, the culture, the cuisine and had a great number of wonderful surprises in this Region of the Philippines.I would really like to contribute to promote this wonderful country.

By Roger ALLNUTT

Most tourists heading to the Philippines fly into the capital Manila and after a couple of days fly out to one of the popular island destinations such as Cebu, Boracay or Palawan.

However the region north of Manila at the northern part of Luzon island is not be missed. An hour’s flight from Manila to Laoag brings you to the fascinating Ilocos region at the top of the Philippines archipelago. Prior to the arrival of Spanish conquistadors under Juan de Salcedo in 1572 the numerous tribes of the region traded with Japanese and Chinese merchants. The Spanish colonialists first settled in Vigan which became the centre for the ‘galleon’ trade between the region and the Spanish settlements in Mexico, especially from Acapulco.

Vigan, in Ilocos Sur about a two hour drive south of Laoag, represents a unique fusion of Asian building design and construction with European colonial architecture and planning. It became a listed UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 as an exceptionally intact example of a European trading town.

The compact layout of the small town encourages walking as you admire the old buildings and plazas and see the tourists parading while shopping for souvenirs or eating at one of the many restaurants. Even in winter the temperature is pleasant and eating outside is common.

One strange sight was to see a sign over a doorway in the main street saying ‘accredited mortuary’ and I peered inside to see a line-up of different coffins for use – many are apparently rented!

A number of old mansions highlight the status of the wealthy families in the region. Syquia Mansion is one of the best ancestral homes in the Philippines and is still lived in by descendants of former President Elpidio Quirino (1948-54). Beautiful spacious rooms, lovely furniture and some superb antiques.

Hotel Luna is a good choice of accommodation. Located in an old heritage house all the facilities are modern while the house contains a great collection of artefacts and paintings. It is like staying in a gallery.

Much of the city life centres on Plaza Salcedo with the imposing St Paul’s Cathedral at one end. The Philippines is a strongly Roman Catholic country and the evening mass was well patronised by family groups – the service was actually in English.

The large fountain in the plaza is lit up at night for a ‘performance’ of the dancing fountains with a colourful interplay of music and lighted water display.

Vigan is famous for the production of jars using the local red clay and also a hand loom weaving technique called Abel Iloco; examples of the cloth, table runners, scarves etc make a good souvenir. The new Vigan Conservation Complex is an arts and crafts museum, training centre and conservation laboratory.

At Bantay a village a few kilometres outside Vigan a stop of the St Augustin Church and Bell Tower is worthwhile. Climb to the top of the bell tower for panoramic views of the countryside with the rugged Cordillera Mountain range on the horizon.

Thera are many attractions round the regional headquarters of Laoag, in Ilocos Norte. There are many large churches but the St Augustine Church at Paoay (also UNESCO World Heritage listed) is superb with imposing interior, unique balustrades along both sides and a large coral-encoated belltower. The Museum of the North provides information on the local tribes in the area; many still live in the nearby Cordillera Mountains.

The region is mainly agricultural with crops including garlic, corn, rice, tobacco and dragon fruit. Try local delicacies like longganisa a garlic flavoured sausage or empanada in its deep pastel coloured wrapping. Other favourites are bagnet, crispy fattening pork belly or chichacorn, crunchy flavoured corn.

Ex-President Ferdinand Marcos was born in the area (at Sarrat) and at the village of Batac visit the museum about him and see his embalmed body in the adjacent mausoleum. His summer house on Paoay Lake can also be visited.

North again from Laoag there are interesting attractions round Burgos and Bangui. Buggy rides on the sand dunes are a new attraction although I found the ride very rough and I didn’t fancy standing up in the open back cabin.

The Kapaurpurawan Rock is a huge white rock seemingly precariously sitting on a rocky promontory; horse rides are available along the sandy beach. Nearby are some of the many wind farms ‘installed’ in recent years to provide environmentally better wind power. It is very windy along the coast so the turbines operate most of the time.

Near Laoag I stayed at Fort Ilocandia a large hotel complex popluar with Chinese tourists. It has many sporting facilities including a golf course, casino and excellent restaurants. I was not taken with the mini zoo which had some animals and birds in small cages.

If you are really adventurous then include a visit to the Cordillera Mountains particularly to Banuae to see the 2000 year old Rice Terraces, recognised as one of the wonders of the world.

Getting there: Philippine Airlines has regular flights to Manila from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns with connections to many internal destinations in the Philippines.