Ilocos happened by chance.
I was supposed to go to Batanes, an archipelago province in The Philippines situated in the Cagayan Valley region. It is the northernmost province in the country, and also the smallest. As luck would have it, just few days before my trip, typhoon struck there and everything came to standstill. The damage was done. The flights were cancelled, so was the trip.
The organizers TBEX offered me three other options to choose from. I was so disappointed with the cancellation that I asked them to put me on any.
Thus Ilocos.
Ilocos did not disappoint me. The Philippines is famous for its white sandy beaches but Ilocos had none of those. Still we enjoyed it fully, confirming “It’s more fun in the Philippines“. Have a look at these photos to see yourself.
I did not have an idea what Ilocos was going to offer us. Especially for fans of UNESCO World Heritage sites, Ilocos has surprises.
When my guide said, there are more churches in Ilocos than malls, I had no other choice but to believe him. 😀
Cobblestone streets of Vigan city during the day and at rain soaked night. More on Vigan city later.
The surprise element of the trip was the typhoon Lawin which struck when we were there. 😀 More on that in a separate post.
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Wow! Ilocos looks beautiful.
Loved the churches. pls write more about them.
I am not a beach person and I agree. There are many other things to do if you are not on a beach.
Thank you.
I agree with you. I always try to find something unusual.
I will write about those churches in a separate post. 🙂
Some great pics especially the UNESCO site Church of Saint Augustine. Any shoes left in the house of Imelda Marcos .
Thank you.
Ha Ha Even I was looking for them. But yes, there were cupboards & cupboards (locked) which were used to keep those shoes. 😀
The Church of Saint Augustine is a beauty both inside and out. I always enjoy visiting UNESCO sites around the world and will bookmark for when I’m next in the Phillipines.
Sure!
UNESCO heritage sites have so much to tell !
I also liked Saint Augustine Church very much.
I love the look of Vigan. That street looks beautiful. Great pictures too – hopefully this trip wasn’t too much of a disappointment, it doesn’t look like it!
The trip was fantastic….. mostly because of the awesome company I had. Thank you very much.
I fell in love with Vigan city. Would love to go there again to spend more time.
How wonderful that after your disappointment you found somewhere so beautiful and unusual. The Church of St Augustine looks fabulous – and I’m amazed at how good everything looks even in the rain!
Hi Fiona,
Yes. It turned out to be a fabulous trip inspite of it not being my first choice and the typhoon striking us. 😀
Loved it.
I would have never expected the Philippines to looks like this! Great surprise!
Indeed! We all think Philippines means beautiful beaches but it’s more than that.
Thank you.
Great photos Nisha! Can’t wait to read the upcoming posts..
Thank you Kat!
Upcoming posts? I am having writer’s block these days. 🙂
Ilocos looks like it has a rich history and heritage. The buildings reflect another time. Next time I’m in the Philippines I’ll try and pop in for a visit.
Yes, Ilocos has a lot of heritage and I loved it for that. Small town, not very crowded and away from beaches. 🙂
I’m loving those tiles on the floor of the St. Williams church. And, that carriage is gorgeous. Glad to hear that you had a good time in Ilocos even if it wasn’t your first choice to visit.
Agree, they are beautiful.
Yeah, I enjoyed it a lot. It came out as blessings in disguise for me. 🙂
The best trips are the unexpected ones 😀 Or maybe because the expectations are low we tend to enjoy them more 🙂
Feels great to be back here to your wonderful posts 🙂
LOVED the pictures in this one. Especially the cathedrals!
cheers!
Absolutely ! Very true, the unexpected things bring most of joy. 🙂
Good to see you on my blog again. Keep coming.
Cheers! 😀
Fantastic….this is something I am marking for my own. Would love to know more about those churches. They look gorgeous. I am so glad that you went here instead of elsewhere. Maybe the cancellation is a good thing to happen.
Yes, I too think so. I got to see this side of Philippines.
Will write in details about those churches. 🙂
A great photo tour for me. The night shot of St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral has come out well. I love UNESCO sites so I am keen to explore more if ever I get there.
Indrani, pls plan to go there sometime. Philippines is full of surprises, including typhoons. 😉
Thank you, even I liked the night photos.
It’s so very beautiful !!
Thank you.
I remember reading about this region when I was in the Philippines, but I never went there unfortunately! Will definitley head back there if I return to the country in the future!
Yes, this region isn’t that popular with tourists because of those beautiful beaches. 😀
But I assure you there are things many things to spend time here.
those churches looks so cool 🙂
Yes, they are beautiful ! 🙂
Awesome pics 🙂 Great post.
Thank you.
Lovely frames, Nisha. Nice to know about this place.
Thank you and you are welcome. 🙂
Luck wanted you to uncover a precious hidden gem, Nisha. The town is lovely, the old private chapel and rain soaked streets caught my eye.
Thank you Arti. It was a lovely place. Wouldn’t mind going there again.
Enjoyed the virtual tour! Good you got to see a new place:)
Thank you.
Ilocos indeed is a very nice and well known place in the Philippines, which I came from. You shared the best things in Ilocos which is very helpful for tourists/travellers if they will be visiting the place. Cheers!
Oh really ?? 😀
I didn’t know that. Well, this is just a glimpse, will write in detail about it.
Thank you.
You may not have been able to make your original travel plans, but it looks like it worked out in the end. Sand dunes and a UNESCO world heritage church in the Philippines? I would never have guessed that.
Ha Ha Cameron,
I also did not expect that in this region of Philippines ! Hidden gem I must say.