Follow Philippines Immigration to experience life in the Philippines: Vigan is not far from Manila, the capital of the Philippines; it takes only 40 minutes by plane and no more than eight hours by car. However, when the people of Vigan learned that I had come from Manila, they all widened their eyes and said, "Such a long road, so far..." When I walked into the ancient city paved with cobblestones, I immediately understood why they were so amazed. Compared to this 400-meter-long street where they spend their days, Manila is indeed very, very far from here.
Listening to the passage of time in a horse-drawn carriage
Vigan is an ancient Spanish city with a history of hundreds of years. It is a small city where the main street is a straight road. On both sides of the street are two- or three-story Spanish-style buildings with white walls, most of which have weathered to reveal the red bricks hidden underneath. Although the red roofs and red wooden windows are equally old, they possess a charming texture that allows one to read the messages left by time. Windows are open or closed, some inlaid with stained glass, which looks exceptionally beautiful under the sunlight. These paintings embedded in the glass seem as if they should appear in a church; the outline of Jesus, the figures of angels, the face of the Virgin Mary... these patterns also carry a strong religious color. Just outside those windows painted with religious images, the balconies are covered with green plants, fiery red flowers bloom in clusters, and long green vines hang down. They grow wantonly under the intense Philippine sun, to the point where the entire balconies of many houses are completely occupied by plant vines, leaving no room to stand.
This ancient street is almost the entirety of the city. In 1999, UNESCO included it in the World Heritage List, making Vigan one of the few "World Heritage" sites distributed throughout the Philippines.
To protect the ruins and preserve the ancient atmosphere, no motorized vehicles are allowed on this street at any time. If you want to come here, it is best to walk, because there are too many details on the road worth stopping for; of course, you can also take a horse-drawn carriage. The flashy large carriages are a feature of traveling here that should not be missed. The tall horses with smooth, shiny manes wear exquisite headpieces and saddles, and are hung with many beautiful decorations, even the bridles have sophisticated carvings. Some are so exaggerated that they resemble the mounts of medieval European knights. Behind the horse, two large wooden wheels are symmetrical, also in an extremely retro style. When a person sits in the carriage, the coachman will gently flick the whip, but that is just a signal to the horse. The horse will immediately respond, first taking a few crisp steps in place, and then moving forward at a suitable, unhurried pace. At this time, as the person in the carriage looks through the front edge of the sunshade, the old buildings flow before their eyes, while the sound echoing in their ears is the "clippity-clop" of horse hooves and the "jingle" of the metal decorating the carriage.
Living under the rainbow
Compared to the feeling of being in a carriage, sitting on a chair by the side of the road is another feeling I like. The former is lively and gorgeous, while the latter is more comfortable. Every afternoon in Vigan, I would sit idly for a long while, watching the sunlight visit the ancient city from different angles, observing the people coming and going in the city doing almost the same things at different times... Perhaps many people like this static way of traveling, so there are quite a few chairs in the ancient city, and they are special in appearance, with armrests shaped like wheels—they are made exactly like horse-drawn carriages, with wheels on both sides, a roof on top, and a seat at the bottom. Except for not being able to move, they are almost the same as the carriages. This is no different from sitting in a carriage, except that it seems no horse in the whole city has such patience to remain motionless and let you stay in one place for so long.
On both sides of this cobblestone road in the old city of Vigan, the first floors of the houses have almost all been turned into shops, selling all kinds of antiques, old objects picked up locally or elsewhere, and goods with very local Philippine characteristics. In terms of merchandise, every shop is about the same; such a situation happens in almost any tourist area in the world, and there is nothing too strange about it. I wanted to find a suitable location to take a panoramic view of the ancient city from above, so every time before or after I sat in a daze on the chairs by the road, I had to stroll around the street for a while to observe where the second floor had a better view at different times. As long as I saw someone who looked like the owner at the door of the first floor, I would cheekily go up and ask: "Can I go to your roof to take pictures?" The people of Vigan are very friendly, and I was almost never refused. Therefore, I climbed the dim stairs of many houses, passed through living rooms and bedrooms to get to the balconies. Because the heights were about the same, I ultimately did not find a suitable location to take the panoramic view I wanted, but I did see the interiors of many houses. Among them, there was a stout old grandfather whose house made me feel the most eye-opening. After entering the house, an entire wall was covered with black-and-white photos in black wooden frames, along with the house's antique furniture and Spanish antiques. "My grandfather was an official here during the colonial period, and I still have many relatives in Spain. They come here every year." Presumably, whenever someone asks him questions like I did and praises his house, the old man always says this proudly. Those items in the house are a testament to the prominent family of that time. The old man said that there are many houses in the city with stories like his. If there is enough time to chat more, one will surely harvest many interesting stories.
In the evening, I would leave the ancient street that I had walked many times. At this time, the Baroque-style cathedral at the entrance of the ancient city would become more prominent. Under the sunset, its bright yellow exterior and the bell tower of the same color next to it appeared even more eye-catching. There is a square in front of the church, which is a place for locals to relax and cool off. Contrary to the tranquility in the ancient city, this is a very lively place. The school next to the church was letting out at this time, and students left in twos and threes on foot or by vehicle, becoming beautiful silhouettes against the backlight of the sunset. Cars, tricycles, and horse-drawn carriages gathered together in a chaotic yet orderly manner.
On the evening of the day I was leaving, I was taking pictures of the church in the sunset. The sky suddenly became a bit cloudy, but it passed quickly, and the sun poked out from the clouds again, hitting the church and presenting a golden outline. As soon as I looked up, I found a rainbow next to it. Perhaps it had just rained elsewhere, and this place was also lucky. The rainbow was next to the church, becoming more and more complete, turning into a full semicircle. People and cars passed by under the rainbow, but it seemed that no one noticed, and no one stopped to watch, except for me, foolishly, looking up, staring blankly.
Traveler's Notes
Philippine Airlines has daily flights from Manila to the northern city of Laoag, taking 45 minutes. From Laoag, it takes two hours by bus to reach Vigan. You can also take a long-distance bus directly from Manila to Vigan, which takes eight hours.
There are some hotels in the ancient city of Vigan converted from old houses. There are not many rooms, but they are very atmospheric. In the morning, you can enjoy a traditional Philippine breakfast in a restaurant with a view of the ancient city. In addition, there are some homestays around the ancient city to choose from.
There are many restaurants at the entrance of the ancient city that serve authentic local flavors, and the prices are not expensive.
You can spend an hour or two browsing the shops in the ancient city. Luzon cigars and 7D brand dried mangoes are excellent souvenirs.
