Sunday, November 10, 2013

ilocos sur

"Go to Vigan," was the urging I was given by every Filipino I spoke to. Not that they had ever been there of course, although they all had a desire to after learning about it in school.

Vigan is the capital city of Ilocos Sur, a region 10 hours north of Manila. In the late 1500's a group of Spanish explorers found it a suitable place to settle, so they did. Today the old Spanish architecture is the primary reason local and foreign tourists take the ever-long bus ride up to visit.

Although there may not be tons to see, the ability to stay in old Spanish mansions for $9 a night is hard to beat. The rice tortilla empanadas are quite good too, assuming you eat one with sanitary sanctions that doesn't leave you with a mild case of food poisoning.

Grandpa's Inn, Spanish mansion hotel



rice flour empanada

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