"I've always envied the civil discipline you have. Tricycle drivers are honest. They do not overcharge. They are polite."

[LAOAG, ILOCOS NORTE, PHILIPPINES] ► Hey Laoag! It's been a while. I've visited you countless times but I rarely write stories about you. I don't know why I used to ditch writing the memories and experiences I've spent with you. Lately, I realized I need to add more space on my blog dedicated for you. You're my hometown's sister and its northern counterpart and I should've done this before. You'll consume more space on my travel diaries.

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO LAOAG!

Why I'm here?

IT'S GOOD TO MEET YOU AGAIN LAOAG. I visited you because of a certain work assignment I accepted for the love of traveling. The assignment was to audit a brand product and the opportunity to visit you few weeks before we leave 2016 is one of the reasons why I accepted this task. The job was easy. In 30 minutes, it's done. The rest of the day could be spent exploring you.

However, I have another commitment at 3 PM. My duties as a professional nurse was calling me. Good thing, I could spend the morning with you.

But you know, I was crazy that day. I woke up late and left ▼ #VIGAN

#VIGAN


at 10 AM. I thought it would only take me less than 2 hours to reach you but I forgot I rode in a PUB (those generic PUBs, not branded). As we all know, these generic PUBs have many stopovers so it took me 3 hours before I could reach out to you again.

So I reached you at 1 in the afternoon and finished my task at 2 PM. So if I'm gonna ride a generic PUB again, it would mean I'll be late on my work, obviously.

After my task, I immediately went home so I had no chance to explore you more intimately. I know, I've explored you countless times but I was thinking there'd been changes in you that I could note down. Anyway, I was running out of time. And you know what? I reached Vigan at 6 PM. I was 3 hours late on my work.

The Umbrellas Around the City Hall

I FELT AMAZED WHEN I PASSED BY your city hall. How did you do that thing? You painted that air with colors, uh. It looked so charming and festive though and I felt good about it. Those umbrellas made the premises of the city hall fancy. 

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ► IT'S CHRISTMAS SEASON BUT THIS JUST LOOKS LIKE SUMMER.

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ► THE UMBRELLAS AND THE TOBACCO MONOPOLY MONUMENT.

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ► UMBRELLAS OF DIFFERENT COLORS

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ► THE UMBRELLAS WITH THE TOBACCO MONOPOLY MONUMENT AND THE SINKING BELL TOWER

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ►THE CITY HALL FOUNTAIN AND THE UMBRELLAS


Actually, it's my first time to see you wearing a colorful get-up. That's one of the reasons why I blogged this. I would like to create a timeline of what you have done in the past. This is just the beginning, and like what I'm doing in your sister city Vigan, I'll note my insights and observations everytime I visit you for future reference.

There's More Conservation Efforts

You know what, I was impressed by the conservation efforts you're doing. You do not have an extensive inventory of ancestral and historical old houses but it seemed like you care about them a lot.

When I saw the Globe business center in front of the Caltex gas station few meters away from ▼ AURORA PARK

[LAOAG] ► Aurora Park Laoag: A Heritage Tour Without Moving from Your Place


TEASER ▬ Just imagine that, I was having a heritage tour without walking or riding. I just stayed at one place and just turned around for 360 degrees, it was already a heritage tour.

, it reminded me of the conservation efforts of my hometown Vigan. You know, in my hometown, many modern business centers and some fastfood chains were housed inside our ancestral houses. The set-up I saw is so similar with what we are doing in Vigan.

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ► THAT GLOBE CENTER INSIDE AN OLD STRUCTURE REMINDS ME OF VIGAN.

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ► THAT GLOBE CENTER INSIDE AN OLD STRUCTURE REMINDS ME OF VIGAN.

Ending Thoughts

I've always envied the civil discipline you have. Tricycle drivers are honest. They do not overcharge. They are polite. In my hometown, I've encountered many arrogant drivers. Many also do overcharging despite the fact that the city has an ordinance providing the schedule of fares. Well, I'm not generalizing all the tricycle drivers in Vigan because there are also many of them who are good-hearted but I can't deny the fact that I've been angered and disappointed many times. Kudos to the tricycle drivers of Laoag. They don't wait for their tricycle to get full. They will bring you to your destination even if you're alone with no overcharging. That has always been my experience each time I ride a trike there. I never got disappointed.

LAOAG

[LAOAG] ► AURORA PARK IN LAOAG WITH THE SINKING BELL TOWER NEARBY.


People in Laoag are also lovable. They speak sweetly. The Ilocano accent in Laoag is like Ilonggo, sweet and poetic.

Anyway, this Laoag visit was short yet sweet. | end |

29 NOVEMBER 2016
LAOAG, ILOCOS NORTE PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES

LAOAG CITY

[LAOAG] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO LAOAG!


► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post was filed under the category "Special Features." There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

[2] The maps I used on this post are from Google Maps and Mike Gonzalez (via Wikipedia).

[3] All photos are mine.

[4] The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try or see the properties or places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time so it's not my responsibility to update all the information on this blog because once published, I already consider it an archive and I won't update my narratives because I want them to become my references of what have happened in the past. I'm very particular of the dates because I want my amazing readers to understand that I am writing stories based on my perspective and insights on the day of my visit. You can see dates almost everywhere on this blog. Exempted from this rule are my travel guide posts that need to be updated.

More Stories from #Laoag

Map Showing the Location of #Laoag

MAP OF LAOAG

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CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRY COVERING ILOCOS NORTE.

MORE POSTS FROM THIS CATEGORY: *SPECIAL FEATURES*

[BASILAN] ► Untold Stories of Two Island Cities: Lamitan and Isabela

_________________
TEASER ▬ I was conditioned to embrace the mindset that Basilan is dangerous everyday of my life—and I couldn't win the fight anymore. I lost the psycho-war.

[VIGAN] ► Tres de Mayo: Vigan's Iconic Day for Culture and Heritage

_________________
TEASER ▬ ...this day is Vigan's most iconic day. It's jam-packed with cultural activities that have been present in Vigan for centuries with cultural substance you cannot see anywhere else in the world.

[BANTAY] ► Kannawidan Festival: Where the Countryside Superlatives Convene

_________________
TEASER ▬ The superlatives in the agriculture world are here!

[FEATURE] ► This 2016: New Changes and Features for Edmaration.com

_________________
TEASER ▬ ...these are the things you should expect this 2016. I'm already 5 years in the blogosphere...

[PHILIPPINES] ► 2015 Travel Summary: Where Did the #TownExplorer Go?

_________________
TEASER ▬ Travel-wise, I would say my 2015 is blessed. Most of my travels in 2015 is unplanned. They just came unexpectedly and ignoring these travel opportunities is a sin I must say.

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► Blog Coverage: PPUR Day's Bonggang Bakasyon

__________________
TEASER ▬ ...for us to appreciate the conservation efforts we are doing, we must first become knowledgeable and aware of the reason why we are doing such effort.

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► A Perfect Example of a Community-Based Sustainable Tourism

_________________
TEASER ▬ They live with the glory of their natural heritage—sustainable tourism at its finest.

[VIGAN] ► What to See and Expect on Halloween, All Saints/Souls' Day?

_________________
TEASER ▬ ...this is just the surface of what you should know and for you to understand the details of the tradition, you need to become a Bigueรฑo and practice it with us—the intangible heritage is for us to keep.

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE

VIGANSIBUTU, TAWI-TAWISIBUTU, TAWI-TAWILAMITAN, BASILANBANTAY, ILOCOS SURTUBOTINEGKUALA LUMPURPUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN

Latest Contents Covering 'Feature Posts'


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EDMAR GUQUIB, Travel Blogger
EDMARATION #TownExplorer





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TEASER ▬ ...be careful what you wish for, 'cause you might just get it all. I wished for an all-out adventure and I got it all—more than I could handle.

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TEASER ▬ Rush hour in San Fernando is equivalent to all bus seats occupied and the only option you have to pick is to grab a space inside the bus where you could stand.

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EDMAR GUQUIB y DEL CASTILLO

Born and Raised in Vigan, Philippines. Hardcore Ilocano-Cordilleran. Professional Nurse on Weekdays. Coffee Addict. Travel Blogger in Between. For collaboration or partnership, email your business proposal at admin@edmaration.com.

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