I know I've mentioned it's hot. Its worth noting that it seems hotter up north, the only difference is that the breeze up north is much cooler than the hot breeze in Manila. So it's slightly less horrible. I suppose.
Also, most people might not know that traffic in the Philippines is worse than any other place I've been, including California and DC. The only difference here is that traffic rules are merely a suggestion. So you take a space and go with it. And you consistently overtake cars, motorcycles, trikes (motorcycles with a side car, usually with at least 4 people involved on the bike or in the car or sitting on top of the side car in some cases) and buses. Basically, anything in your way, you try to move around and if there's another car coming in the opposite direction, you just drive faster while honking your horn and get out of the way as fast as you can.
I'm pretty sure Pete will be trying this method when we return to the states.
So after crashing out in a car for about 7-8 hours, we finally arrived in Vigan, Ilocos Sur - an actual UNESCO World Heritage Site due to most of the city keeping the original Spanish buildings and structures intact. It's always been one of my favorite places in the Philippines. Wanna know why? Take a look:
Supes cute, right? You can ride a kaleysa (a horse drawn carriage) through the streets still. If it wasn't so dang hot, I'd consider it.
My mom went to school in this town, a mere 20-30 minute drive south of where she grew up, so we'd always come here. What makes it even better is that my uncle and his family opened up a hotel here and the last time I came to visit, it was under construction. Happily, it is fully complete and up and running and so it's my first time to the hotel - and it's gorgeous and wonderful. I really could spend the entire vacation here and be perfectly happy.
(I really need to get a better picture of this courtyard. Mental note for the morning)
But today, we went to my grandmother's home in Lapog, San Juan, Ilocos Sur. It's the home my mom and her siblings grew up in, so it's definitely a place where many of us feel connected to as we all have visited it numerous times in our lives. It was unbearable inside, however - the heat in the north has made it pretty hard to stay indoors. Luckily, my grandmother has a nice and newer shaded and covered area out back with a lot of fans - so it was a little more bearable outside. Surprisingly enough. We had a feast of fantastic, homemade Filipino food and we were all quite happy. We decided to sweat it out by walking to my uncle's farmhouse (the equivalent of 5 blocks away, but we were bathed in our own sweat upon arrival) and were introduced to a brand new baby goat that was merely a day old.
"No, Mr. U.S. Customs officer, I did not touch any livestock on my visit." No, really. We just took pictures. I swear. Goats can be mean and chickens will chase you. I know things.
We introduced Pete to halo-halo, a delectable frozen treat that hit the spot for all of us (and only cost $0.50) and after getting asked by adorable little Ilocano kids for money (this is a normal thing, especially when they saw Pete and called, "Uncle! Uncle!" just to get a wave), we even returned to Vigan to shop for some gifts for a spot. We stopped at a usual stop on my Vigan tour at the ceramics and pottery place and my cousin even got to throw some clay.
But before the sun set, we all agreed that we really wanted to hit the beach. I mean, we were in the Philippines after all and even with the heat, had to dip a toe into the Pacific, right? So we raced back to get there just before sunset. I think we succeeded, as you'll see below. The water was ridiculously warm, like tepid bath water, so it was hardly refreshing, but the beach and water and scenery were worth the trip back.
We had limited time with my grandmother, but we were still excited to see her. Also fun to note: one of the gifts I brought for her was a DC 1707 AFSCME baseball hat - her union and of which she is a proud retiree - and she immediately put it on her head. If only we could get a Yankee game on television, it would have been like old times. Just very warm.
Tomorrow, we leave here and head to Baguio and the mountains, usually a very cool spot and known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines". I just hope the breeze is nice.
It is dawning on me that it's already Wednesday. This trip is already going by too fast. It feels like seeing the Philippines on fast forward. But it is very relaxing. So I'll take it and enjoy what's left!
Until the next internet stop, I give you Sulit-Sulit at sunset.
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