Ilocos Sojourn - Day 1 (Laoag)

Ilocos Sojourn (Our Laoag, Vigan, Pagudpud Getaway) will be divided into 5 blogposts, each narrating our itinerary for the day. I hope you'll be able to visit Ilocos (if you haven't yet) and if you have, may these posts bring back good memories.

Day 1 - Laoag
Day 2 - Vigan
Day 3 - Pagudpud
Day 4 - Laoag
Day 5 - Laoag

It was a brief stay. But it was memorable. Our first family trip to Marcos country was a treat, not just to the adults but to the kids as well... Not just to the eyes but to the palate... It was an exciting journey to a repository of cultural, historical and natural treasures. It's amazing how something felt so familiar yet so unfamiliar. Ilocos should be a destination of every Filipino, who's ready to be amazed by the exoticism of his own country. We went to Ilocos a week before Holy Week. We were rushing to the airport because of the unusual traffic. Lo and behold, the counter of Airphil Express for Laoag was already closed and the staff was explaining that we can't board any more. Imagine our shock and disbelief. Our kids were very excited about this trip. I can't take no for an answer. Thank God for their supervisor. I think one look at our kids, and he realized that not letting us on that plane would haunt him for the rest of his life. He told us to rush and run. He even asked his staff to accompany us so we wouldn't have a hard time going through security. We needed to board a bus to our plane. When our feet felt the steps of the airplane, we knew we made it. It was like a montage of video snippets from a suspense movie.

We landed in Laoag around dusk. And we're lucky because Laoag has a program where in they shuttled their visitors to their respective lodging places for free. We got a free ride to Balay da Blas.


BALAY DA BLAS PENSION HOUSE
Balay is a pension house in Laoag. It's cozy, homey, clean and very affordable. We're also happy with their breakfast meals. And the kids had a good time roaming around their living room.

SARAMSAM
Since it was already dinner time, we rode a tricycle going to Saramsam. Ramir and I knew that we would have our dinner here for their pinakbet and dinuguan pizzas. I was a skeptic. I didn't think pinakbet would taste good in a crust with cheese. But I was wrong. I became a convert. It was good. And what made me pleasantly surprised was it tasted even better, not with hot sauce but with slightly spicy bagoong patis. I can't comment about the dinuguan pizza and the other meat dishes because I don't eat pork and beef. But I must say I was pleased. The food was generally good and the price was reasonable.

PROVINCIAL CAPITOL, LAOAG PLAZA and the TOBACCO MONOPOLY MONUMENT
From Saramsam, we walked our way to the kapitolyo and the plaza. We strolled, looked around and took photos. The Tobacco Monopoly Monument, a clay obelisk signifying the abolition of the tobacco monopoly, was the center piece at the plaza. We sat on benches and brick pavements, while the kids ran about. We practically had the place to ourselves. It looked serene on a week night - us, the sound of vehicles going around the area and the humid March wind.

After sometime, we headed back to Balay via a tricycle ride.


Details in a Nutshell:
 
Balay da Blas Pensionne House
10 Gen. Giron, Laoag, Ilocos Norte
(077) 770-4389

Saramsam
N. Corpuz Building, Rizal cor. Hizon Streets
Barangay 7-A, Laoag City
(077) 771-5825