ilocos living

want to have a history lesson and a vacation in just one trip?
my best bet is you go to Ilocos.

Ilocos is full of historical sites such as the Heritage Village in Vigan, to it's old world churches, Museums such as the marcos museum,  and other historical landmarks, and the beauty of it is,most of these sites can be visited without paying any entace fees...

don't want to join your Grand Pops do the " I remember the days" tour, well heres for you...
you could visit Gov. Chavit"s pride, Baluarte in Vigan and enjoy the animals. You can interact with birds, dees, ostrich, camels, orangutan and butterflies. Hope that they' succeed in breeding a Liger, that would be a first.. Liger, Attack..

Its also hot in Ilocos. A lot hotter than your morning pan de sal  i must say, good thing they are blessed with beaches, that could rival even boracay.

Pagudpod is the most famous beach in the region, but you could also visit beaches in Curimao.
Pagudpod is 75 km north of Laoag  city ,but if you have a car with you, you could visit Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in burgos, and the Bangui Windmills.

Once in Pagudpod, you could go to the town Proper for the most popular beaches and hotels, but if you like some peace and quite, drive a few miles more along the highway and go to the Blue Lagoon, where it is more laidback. Try your luck staying in Agua Seda, the owner is very accomodating, she even lets us use imported toiletries sent by her relatives living abroad. Sosyal...

things to try when in ilocos

1. vigan longanisa
2. Bagnet ( Crispier version of Lechon Kawali)
3. Royal Bibingka ( I like Martha's  bibingka located in the national hiway before reaching vigan)
4. Chichacorn ( level upped cornick)
5. Empanada ( try it in Vigan and Batac)
6. Sinanglao ( soup made out of beef and other internal organs to be seasoned with gastric juices, a
    local  version of of papaitan, but much better.

Nice to Know:
 If you happen to visit  Paoay church, There is a resto in front of the church serving Pizza with toppings such as : Pinakbet, Longaniza, and Dinuguan.

How to get to there

Going to Ilocos is easy. Just bring a lot of  Patience because the trip would take 8-10 hours by bus. There are different Bus companies such as Partas and Florida located in Cubao that has scheduled trips daily going to vigan/laoag. My best advice for you is that you head to the Partas station in Edsa Pasay, north bound after rotonda, and take their de luxe bus that leaves at 9pm. The fare is a bit higher than the regular but the seats are more cozy, just like a lazy boy, and you can  just sleep your way all the way to ilocos.

adobo ala ax

What better way to start my adobo warrior blog than to share my  recipe of adobo. Its a simple dish and a favorite request of my girlfriend... it could also last for a couple of days with out refrigeration, ideal staple  for a guy like me... and the best part about it is, its very easy to cook, just dump all the ingredients, wait for 45 mins and lo and behold, the National Dish Of the Pinoys..

all you need is.
1. half kilo of pork ( adobo cut) ask your local meat shop for those cube cuts of pork
2. 1 sachet of vinegar.
3. Soy sauce (according to taste, for me its about half the amount of vinegar)
     you could use salt instead for the white adobo version
4. Lots of garlic ( bout half the head of the imported ones)
5. 2 Laurel/bay leaves
6. Dash of sugar
7. 1 Pack black pepper (whole)

just put the ingredients in a pan, put the lid on and cook for about 45 mins... You could also try chicken instead of pork, or better yet do a combination of both  and you'll have the famous CPA.(Chicken And Pork Adobo).

And dont forget to cook lots of rice heheheh.... its even better if paired with cold rice

for an oriental touch you could also add a teaspoon on chili garlic sauce... yummmy.

all this blogging makes my hungry, maybe I'll create a new version of adobo... till next time.