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...

strange...

When I was in college I had to stay for the night at a university dorm where Wilma (a BSBio classmate, I forgot her surname) stays. We were working on something, I can’t recall now, but I think it was a class report or something.

The dorm stands on farm land inside the University. Although the University Staff Housing is a five minute walk away and some of the University buildings can be seen (about 20 minutes walk away to the nearest building – Administration Building). When you can feel other strange presences like some people you’ll know that there is something unusual with the place (always damp and dry at the same time, there are places where one can feel as if it isn’t frequented as if there’s some presence that can’t be seen). That’s how I felt whenever I go to that dorm.

the admin bldg.

Wilma was fast asleep and I was fidgeting on the next bed (she told me earlier that maybe because it was the first time that I slept there). Then I fell asleep. I was roused when I felt a heavy hand passed on my face as if the hand was wiping my face. I thought it was Wilma trying to wake me up. So I opened my eyes and I saw that she’s still fast asleep on her bed which was two steps away from where I sleeping. I was a bit surprised and afraid that time so I covered myself with my blanket, mumbled a prayer, and forced myself to sleep and tried not to think of “others.”

The next morning I recounted to Wilma what happened to me in the wee hours of the morning. She was not surprised at all, she said things like that has occurred at the dorm.

Wowweeeee! Yuck! That was my first paranormal experience and no more of it please!

That experience came to mind while an officemate (Macoy) and I were talking about unusual occurrences. Macoy said one of the writers at the publication he once worked for saw something sitting on Macoy’s lap while he was waiting for the writers to finish writing something. The writer said it was wearing an old dress from the Spanish era and was just sitting there on Macoy’s lap! As if she (it) likes Macoy! Hahahaahaaaa!