The Heritage Village, Calle Crisologo in particular, is a very charming place. It is a heaven for photo enthusiasts and a paradise for antique collectors. One can explore the heritage village via horse carriage for P150/hour. But despite the scorching heat (we arrived at around 10am), we opted to walk around as the place is relatively small and very walkable.
Calle Crisologo is perhaps the most photographed part of the Heritage Village. Picturesque houses, numerous calesas, souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels -- all of these you can find along Calle Crisologo. Needless to say, it is the busiest part of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
When we visited Vigan, we had no idea where we were going. We just parked the car where most cars were parked at that time and walked towards where all the tourists were going. By some good luck, we found ourselves in front of Leona Florentino's statue, which is incidentally one of the best starting points for most tourists.
What do you expect on a super long summer weekend? Touriiiiists. Lots of them. But didn't mind them, really :) I thought they made the whole place much more dynamic and livelier.
The Heritage Village is small that we thought it's sort of a waste of money to rent a calesa to tour us around the village. In fact, it's so small that I think it's virtually impossible for someone to get lost in the streets. But if for some sort of black magic you find yourself astray, you can head to the Heritage Village Administration Office along Calle Crisologo. It's in the middle of the busy strip so you won't have a hard time finding it. Or you can always ask the friendly locals.
And if you find the heat unbearable, you can always opt to rent a calesa. The cost is a reasonable P150/hour for a maximum of 3 people. Also, the calesa tour isn't only limited to the Heritage Village. You can ask the kutsero to take you to the St. Augustine Church or to Chavit Singson's Baluarte -- both 10 minutes away from the village.
I wanted to explore more of the area but my mother, who was already in the car after eating lunch (yes, I know!!), kept on texting me and asking me where we were. I was torn between seeing more of the village AND going back to the car where our parents were impatiently waiting for us. I chose the latter :| But I promised to myself that I'd go back to Calle Crisologo to take more pictures and buy more souvenirs! And of course, check out the museums and the local restaurants :)
How about you? How's your Calle Crisologo experience? :)
All photos in this post are taken byJuan "Toto" Luna.
How about you? How's your Calle Crisologo experience? :)
All photos in this post are taken byJuan "Toto" Luna.