Destinations:

• Bantay Abot Cave
• Bangui Windmills
• Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
• Sinking bell Tower
• Calle Crisologo

We had our breakfast at the accommodation before leaving for Bantay Abot Cave. Here’s a back story before going to this attraction: We were supposed to visit Blue Lagoon the day before, but since our driver told us that our accommodation has pool and free beach access, he convinced us not to go there anymore. The weather wasn’t that good either, so we agreed with him. What he didn’t mention to us was that the other attraction in our itinerary was near Blue Lagoon, so it was stripped off our itinerary as well. But after insisting that we should go back and visit Bantay Abot Cave, he had no choice but to comply.

It was a good thing that we insisted on going back, because the place was breathtakingly amazing. Sadly, I didn’t get to take a picture of the “cave” from afar, but I did take a photo of the view while I was in the cave.

Then, we went to Bangui Windmills where we bought a very colorful Pagudpud shirt (I really insisted on getting one the moment I saw that particular design lol) and some windmill-shaped fridge magnets for pasalubong (and for ourselves).

After having lunch at one of the nearest eateries that serves Ilocano food, we were off to Kapurpurawan Rock Formation where we went horseback-riding going to the actual rock formation. It was so fun having to ride a horse again, because the last time I did was two years ago in Baguio. I remember throwing a tantrum just because I wanted to ride one as a kid. In fact, we couldn’t leave Baguio without me having to ride a horse.

Also, another attraction we weren’t able to visit was Cape Bojeador Lighthouse because, apparently, there have been a landslide and the road going to the lighthouse is temporarily closed. So after the visit, we were already off to Vigan and on the way there we stopped over at the Pagudpud arch.

We also had a stop over near the Sinking Bell Tower and the Ilocos Capitol.

When we arrived at our accommodation in Vigan, it was already starting to get dark. The driver told us to visit Calle Crisologo during our free time (so as not to be included in one of the itinerary for the next day (turns out, they also went there to have dinner and let us all pay for a tricycle ride when we could’ve rode in the van instead)) which was only a 5-minute tricycle ride from the place and since the accommodation is not inclusive of dinner, we decided to head out and have dinner there.

Here’s a trivia about me: Empanadas are one of my favorite food, but Ilocos’ empanadas are a game-changer. I used to eat them for lunch whenever I get the chance, but since this was my first time in Ilocos, this was also the first time I got to try authentic Ilocos empanadas and they are definitely scrumptious. I can eat it all day, every day. Certainly, it’s a must-try. I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy the ones they sell here in Manila (lol). So I had empanada for dinner, while my boyfriend, his mom, and his cousin ate at Max’s.

We went inside this little museum where we saw a few paintings and old, vintage things, writings, and a bit of historical information. Then we spent the rest of the night roaming around, taking photos, and basically rummaging store after store for pasalubongs.