Ilocos Norte Road Scenes

This is the Sinking Bell Tower in Laoag City. Older folks said that a man on horseback can enter the tower in the old times. Now the tower has sunk such that those who are allowed to enter have to bend. The bell tower is just a walking distance from St. William Cathedral. The cathedral was built in 1612 by Augustinian friars to replace a wooden chapel.

The bell tower has been a common sight when I attended junior high school at the MMSU Laboratory High School that I did not give it much attention. Today, the sight of it also means "I am back home."

The following photos were taken along the road during my last trip to Ilocos Norte via bus.

                         Entrance to Vigan
 

Somewhat blurred...well they are really blurred...

..

Some nature shots

                     

This intersection is so memorable. This is located in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

 

Manong vendor who sells those native household tools is about to cross the intersection towards the city center of Batac. He came from the Paoay-Batac road in front of the sprawling main campus of Mariano Marcos State University. The pedestrian lane bypasses the national highway.

The San Nicolas municipal hall

Park beside San Nicolas municipal hall

The San Nicolas rotonda, on the far right you can see the municipal hall and its red rooftop.

Just a glimpse and yet so excited! Laoag!

Another pic of the welcome arc of Laoag City

The Gilbert Bridge that connects Laoag to other towns

                                               

      The Aurora Park is like an island at the foot of Gilbert Bridge

                  

The Marcos Hall of Justice Building is the 2-story building in the background

A shopping square near the provincial capitol of Ilocos Norte

The Dingras municipal hall. From Laoag to San Nicolas, on to Sarrat, the town of Dingras comes next.

                     

                     

                     

Provincial feels

     

               

                   

I realized that you also have to reconnect sometimes...

Dora at the Alabang van terminal

Last December (2007) my family attended the wedding of my husband's paternal cousin, in Macalelon, Quezon. Our kids were excited. It's been so long since we as a family last traveled farther than Metro Manila or Dasma. Besides my daughter is still 3 years old, so she stays mostly at home, while my son is in the 2nd grade at Holy Child Jesus Montessori. Nowadays hubby and I had to synchronize our scheds with that of our son so we can all spend rare bonding times together.

So, we really were glad when my husband was asked by his cousin to let Joy be one of the flower girls and JB to be the ring bearer. Of course, the thought of my kids specially my daughter marching as flower girl and my son as ring bearer made us more excited of the event than our kids!

We took the van ride to Alabang from the Robinson's terminal. The kids were delighted when they saw the Dora and Friends Activity Center (Or was it a hill/mountain? A path winds up a structure made to look like a hill/mountain. The structure was decorated with Dora characters.) I took some shots of them while the van was being filled with passengers.