" The Best of Culture and Nature / Heritage Village of the Philippines " The Ilocos region is located in the northwest part of Luzon. It is bounded by the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley to the east, Central Luzon to the south and the South China Sea to the west. It is composed of four provinces, namely: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan. Ilocos Norte, you are most likely to start in Laoag. It's the capital of Ilocos Norte and the hub of everything Ilocano. It is a coastal province so different colors of sand can be found here -- the blackest of black in Laoag, the brown sands in Currimao, the white sands in Pagudpud. Some parts in Pagudpud are also lined with a rocky shore. Pagudpud's beaches are amazing -- stretches of white sand lined with coconut trees and crystal -- blue water. Vigan City is the capital city of Ilocos Sur. Vigan brings images of antiqueted houses, cobbled narrow streets of the old Mestizo District, popularly known in the olden days as Kasanglayan (Chinese Quarters). Access to Ilocos Ilocos is accessible both by land and air. Major bus lines like Partas, Fariñas Transit, GV Florida Transport have trips every hour that travel the Laoag -- Manila route or v.v. Travel time is 10-12 hours. Travel by air: Take a direct flight from Manila to Laoag via Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pacific. Travel time is about an hour. What to See: Ilocos Norte • Bangui -- Pagudpud Beach -- uninterrupted stretches of white sand beaches with crystal blue waters and beautiful coral reefs. This is cause of its reputation as the "Boracay of the North" • Sand Dunes of La Paz -- offers a spectacular vista of the South China Sea. It is declared and protected as a geological monument because of its unique land formation. • Man-made Sinking Bell Tower -- the tower has sunk to the ground and leans slightly to the north. • Man-made Bacarra Bell Tower -- known as "the bowing acrobat church of Southeast Asia" its massive bell tower dates back to the 15th century, and lost its third and top floors during a powerful earthquake in 1913. • Bangui Wind Farm -- the construction of 15 wind turbines standing 70 meters tall became an added attraction to Bangui, attracting tourists and photographers alike. • Northwind Bangui Bay Project -- is a 25-megawatts wind power generation plant, the first wind power plant in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. • Patapat Highway -- the access road built to connect the last towns of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte to Sta. Praxedes, Cagayan. It has a nice view of South China Sea. • Museum and Mausoleum -- the ancestral house of the Marcos Family in Batac was transformed into a museum which showcases the memorabilia of the late President. • Malacañang of the North -- built as the official residence of then President Marcos in Ilocos Norte • St. William Cathedral -- It is also known for its Sinking Bell Tower Ilocos Sur • Crisologo Museum -- the museum houses the memorabilia of the Crisologos and its original furnishings of a typical Vigan ancestral houses. • Burgos Musuem -- the Burgos residence in Vigan houses the memorabilia of the martyr-priest Jose Burgos as well as Ilocano artifacts and ethnic arts of the Tinggians. • St. Paul's Cathedral -- the original church was a chapel of wood and thatch erected in 1574 on orders of Juan de Salcedo, the conquistador and Founder of Villa Fernandina (now Vigan). • Pagburnayan -- the Ilocano jar called "burnay", used for storing the local vinegar, local wine "basi", and "bagoon" and as decorative ware, is produced in factories using pre-historic method in the southwestern end of Liberation Avenue in Vigan

• published: 25 Apr 2014
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