Ilocos Norte: Gem of the North

Traveling in a big group has its perks, you could just rent a van and let your driver take you to all the nice places. Our group only had to plan for accommodations and I am glad to have met a group of frugal friendly travelers who were up for anything. For a three-day trip, our contribution per person for the land arrangements, breakfast, and homestay was only 2,200 pesos, and this also includes our short stint in Ilocos Sur. Anyhow, for the remaining two days we took our time on seeing some of the most popular attractions in the different areas of Ilocos Norte.

It All Began in Vigan, Ilocos Sur

I used to be an active lurker of Philippine travel forums when I wasn’t still aware of the existence of travel blogs during the early 2010s. It was exciting to meet people who have the same passion as I do and I was amazed by how many Filipinos are traveling to the different parts of the globe. It was thrilling to read about their adventures even though I don’t really know them personally. It was also at a forum wherein I saw an open invitation to join a group on a three-day trip to Ilocos. I was hesitant of course, it would be a first to join strangers on a trip. So I invited a kaladkarin friend who was also up for some new experiences. We decided to take a bus, an exhausting 14-hour ride to the historical city of Vigan.