I've been to a lot of cities here in the Philippines, and one of my favorite cities is Vigan. If you are not familiar of Vigan City, it is situated at the western coast of northern Philippines, particularly at the island of Luzon. It is currently the capital of Ilocos Sur.

So what makes Vigan City special?

1. Vigan City was famously known for its old structures, i.e. the houses built during the colonial era, particularly the Spanish period which is pretty apparent with the designs of the buildings. The picture shows Calle Crisologo, a street where most of those beautiful old structures can be found. Hence, the city was listed among UNESCO's World Heritage Site.
2. Few years ago, the city was officially recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities, which the result was based from online polls conducted by New7Wonders Foundation. 

 

Aside from Calle Crisologo, as well as other old structures in the entire city, there are a number of places where you can visit, and make it worthwhile. 

The picture above shows Baluarte, a popular zoo owned by the former governor of the province, Chavit Singson. Among the zoos I visited, this is the most organized and the friendliest, considering visiting the zoo is free of charge despite being owned privately. The facility earns and provided jobs for the citizens of Vigan through the stores situated within and outside of the zoological park. What's even surprising is the employees inside the park do not accept tips as directed by the owner. 

 

This is inside the Safari Gallery, which is among the features of Baluarte Zoo. Those life-size animals shown were preserved bodies as hunted and collected by Chavit Singson. More of the pictures below.

 

After trekking around the zoo, we headed to Plaza Salcedo, and waited for a couple of hours to watch a dancing fountain show, which was held everyday from 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Again, there is no fee.

 

The site of Dancing Fountain Show, an hour and a half before the show starts. 

While Dancing Fountain Show is ongoing. 

 

Truly, a visit in Vigan is worthwhile. If you have more time to spend, explore more about Vigan, and its surrounding towns, and you will surely enjoy never feel you're gone in Vigan. 

 

Photo credits:

The map picture was taken from Google, while Calle Crisologo was taken from Wikipedia. All the remaining pictures was taken by the author.