Its Not Grim Up North

Another early morning to get a 5.30am bus to Vigan, we had to spend 11 hours on buses to get there but it was worth it. The seats on the first bus were so small that Dean and I were crushed together, and his ribs were crushed against the armrest every time we went round a bend. The locals always have a good laugh at poor Dean as he tries to cram himself into buses and jeepneys designed for small framed locals.

01 Viva Vigan

Vigan is a beautiful city, the 3rd oldest i the Philippines. It narrowly escaped being carpet bombed in WW2 and is now the best preserved Spanish colonial city in Asia. For those of you who've been there, its a bit like Cartegena without the tourists and the watch salesmen. We've hardly seen any tourists here, I guess theres no need for hiking boots so they don't bother! We've spent the last couple of days wandering the streets, eating nice food (for a change) and going to old mansions that have been converted into museums.

02 Vigan by night

After I last wrote we spent another day in Vigan just chilling out and wandering the streets, theres one main colonial st which has been restored but I also really liked the "faded charm" of the surrounding streets. On the last night we went for a ride in a Kalesa, a horse drawn carrige. The ponies there were in suprisingly good condition so we picked out the healthiest looking one and went in the evening when it had cooled down so we didn't feel too guilty. It was a lovely way to see the city and afterwards we found a bar which sold 6 beers for $3!

03 Vigan

04 Vigan