Category Archives: ACTIVITIES

Mindoro Trail: San Jose (Mindoro Occidental) to Calapan City (Mindoro Oriental)

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The dreaded Day 3 soon dawned upon us, the long (210 kms.) haul, with Charlie again at the wheel, from San Jose down south the previously mentioned horrendous stretch, then up north to the Mindoro Oriental border and on to Calapan City, the provincial capitol and the island’s only city.  We hoped to make it in time to meet with city officials.  After a short, early morning visit to San Jose’s Caminawit Port and 6 kms. of concrete road out of the town, the road soon returned to gravel up to Magsaysay town.

Bulalacao Bay

This was heaven to what awaited us: a “short” 35-km. uphill/downhill stretch along one of the worst “roads” I have ever seen, still tossing about, even in a car with good suspensions.  We never encountered any car, only motorbikes and an occasional bus.  The bad road condition was tempered by beautiful mountain scenery untouched by “progress” (brought about by good roads).  Upon entering Bulalacao, the road soon hugged the coast opening, before us, a panoramic, offshore scenery of beautiful islands along Bulalacao Bay.   Upon reaching a gas station, we had our dusty car washed, thinking that the road ahead would be better.  How wrong we were!  Although the worst was behind us, it was still gravel all the way to Mansalay and Roxas, again coating our newly-washed car with dust.  

Danggay Port

We arrived at Roxas town’s Danggay Port by noon, taking our lunch at a small eatery, part of the time watching people and cars unloading from  a slow ferry at the RORO pier, the gateway to the white sand beaches of Boracay Island (a 5 to 6-hr. boat ride away), the country’s No. 1 tourist destination.  The road from hereon to Calapan City was paved, partly concrete and mostly new and ancient asphalt (with occasional potholes).  It was still a long, nearly 100-km. drive to the city but, from now on, it was all smooth sailing.   Still, we were in a rush.   

Lake Naujan

However, old habits die hard and the tourist in us egged us to veer into a narrow dirt road, hoping to get a better view of the 79-sq. km. freshwater Lake Naujan, the largest (covering the towns of Naujan, Pola and Victoria) in the province and fifth largest in the country.  Ideal for birdwatching (it supports a large number of ducks and other waterfowl), the lake’s rich fauna also includes the country’s two crocodile species: the highly endangered Mindoro freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) and the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus).  However, no matter how far we went, no good vantage point was in sight so I decided to leave the car, go by foot up a hill and there, get a good shot. 

Calapan City Hall

We finally reached Calapan City by 4 PM and got to meet with city officials at their stunningly new, white-painted and 2-storey high City Hall, built in the Neo-Classical style of architecture.  Calapan has changed much since my last visit and the city is now booming, with new hotels sprouting up.  One such, the Calapan Bay Hotel, where we stayed overnight, is worthy of note.  Aside from its 12 beautiful airconditioned rooms with bath and cable TV (standard and superior), its appeal lies in its porch-like, multi-cuisine coffee shop (Café Angela) facing the sea.  Here, one savors not only the good food but also the all-embracing whiff of the cool sea breeze.  Too bad it was just an overnight stay.  I would have enjoyed a longer stay.  Just the same, we still had to proceed to Puerto Galera, our final destination and debarkation point back to Manila.

Mindoro Trail: Pandan Island Resort (Mindoro Occidental)

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Pandan Island’s sparklingly white sand beach

Day Two was to be a long haul drive from Mamburao to San Jose, a distance of little over 160 kms..  What would normally be a 2.5-hr. drive in excellent road conditions, took us double that.  We made a stopover at surprisingly progressive Sablayan (coined from the Visayan word meaning “where the waves meet’) town, the gateway to the remote and undeveloped Apo Reef Natural Park (a 2.5-hr. boat ride), the largest atoll-like reef in the country, the second largest in the world and one of the world’s best dive spots.  The park has a sunken lagoon system noted for its spectacular wall diving. 

Foot bridge at Sablayan

Once at the town proper, we decided to take a welcome breather and check out the Pandan Island Resort.  Located at the 38-sq. km. North Pandan Island (also called Pandan Grande Island), it is highly touted by noted German travel writer Jens Peters as one of his favorite islands.   We parked our vehicle along a road beside the Bagong Sabang River, and hired a banca (PhP300 roundtrip) to bring us to the island. 

Bagong Sabang River

Once out into Pandan Bay and past South Pandan Island (also called Pandan Piqueño), the island’s palm-fringed, sparklingly white sand beach soon hove into view.  The boat trip took just 15 mins. and soon we were walking barefoot on its Boracay-like sand.     The resort, established sometime in 1993, is managed by French adventurer Dominique Carlut and his Ilongga wife Marina.  The island is much like Boracay during its early years when it was without electricity.  It has 16 cottages (5 budget, 10 standard and 1 family), all with their own toilet and bath.  There are no televisions.

One of the resort’s cottages

The cottages, as well as the restaurant, are all built using native nipa, bamboo and sawali, simple yet comfortable and truly in harmony with the island’s natural features.  But unlike Boracay during the early years, the resort doesn’t rely on eco-unfriendly electric generators using, instead, cleaner solar energy (12 volts)  to supply the lighting needs of its cottages.   To charge lights, cameras, laptops etc., 220 volts (as well as an internet connection) is only available at its well-equipped dive shop (Mariposa Divers Pandan, established in 1992). 

The resort clubhouse

For lunch, we feasted, buffet-style, on Filipino and French cuisine with its variety of fresh fish, poultry or meat with vegetables, fruits and coffee. The bar has a selection of fine, white and red French wines which you can sip while watching the sun sink into the South China Sea. In 1994, the island was declared as a marine park and thanks to this strict no fishing and “hands off” policy, the variety and density of the marine life has grown by leaps and bounds. The dive sites around the island range from shallow, tropical fish-rich coral gardens, easily reached from the beach, to deep drop-offs on the island’s north, ideal for experienced divers, and reached by dive boats in about 15 mins..  Dive safaris are available to Apo Reef  Natural Park (a 1.5 to 2-hr. boat ride),and the World War II Japanese wrecks at Busuanga (Palawan). 

Caminawit Port

After snorkeling its coral and tropical fish-rich waters, we left the island and returned to the reality of another bumpy, 80-km. drive to equally progressive San Jose, another starting point for diving excursions to Apo Reef.  Offshore are Ambulong Island, Ilin Island and White Island.  The town has an airport and a port (Caminawit Port).  Upon arrival, we checked in at airconditioned rooms with bath at the Mindoro Plaza Hotel, again the town’s best.  No videoke this time as we had a big next day ahead of us. 

Mindoro Trail: Batangas City to Mamburao (Mindoro Occidental)

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The 10,245-sq. km. Mindoro Island, the country’s fifth largest island, remains relatively unknown in the tourism highway.  Outside of Puerto Galera and what little we know of the traditionally animist, polytheistic and semi-nomadic Mangyan tribe and the rare, severely endangered and elusive Mindoro dwarf water buffalo or tamaraw (the country’s largest wild animal), very few have even heard of it.  More so with Mindoro Occidental, its western part.

 

Batangas International Port

Yours truly, together with Mr. Harland “Charlie” Kemplin of United Tourist Promotions (makers of EZ Maps), wanted to correct this sad state of affairs by creating a tourist map of the island (featuring Puerto Galera, Calapan City, Mamburao, Sablayan, Pandan Island Resort, etc.), probably the first of its kind to be so conceived.  To do this, we had to experience the island, first-hand, by circumnavigating.  For this purpose, we will be using the latest Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology plus a rugged, 4-wheel drive, circa 1994 but newly refurbished Ford Explorer.  We intend to complete this island circuit in 5 days.  We left early in the morning of 6 April, Charlie driving all the way to Batangas City’s International Port in a little over 2 hrs..  There are 3 entry points to Mindoro from Batangas City: Abra de Ilog in Mindoro Occidental and Puerto Galera and Calapan City, both in Mindoro Oriental.  We opted for Abra de Ilog, the least traveled of the three.   

A RO-RO Ship

We estimated that the ancient RORO (Roll-On-Roll-Off) ferry boat we loaded the car on had a capacity for 9 vehicles but we were told it would carry 13.  How this came about was soon revealed to us when 3 cars were fitted in a space ideally suited for only 2, forcing the driver to stay inside (unless he could exit via a sunroof) for the duration of the 2.5-hr. cruise with no toilet breaks.  We entered last, parking where the ship narrowed at the bow, thus allowing us to get out of the car.  We also had the added advantage of being the first out the ship upon landing at Abra de Ilog.

Tayamaan Beach

One thing was revealed to us before the trip: there is no road (erroneously indicated in other maps) connecting Abra de Ilog with neighboring Puerto Galera.   The only way to proceed was south.  A portent of things to come was revealed as soon as we left Abra de Ilog’s Wawa Port by 2:30 PM for the 35 km. drive to Mamburao, the provincial capital.  A road less traveled is probably a road unpaved and the road south was mostly such.  The only comfortable drive we encountered was an 18-km. stretch past San Isidro.

The Provincial Capitol

Upon reaching Mamburao, we made brief stopover at the town’s beautiful but short Tayamaan Beach.  Next, we proceeded to the Provincial Capitol where we met up with provincial officials.  We were given advanced warning of the horrendous road conditions from San Jose to Bulalacao (the first town on the Oriental side).  Charlie, who did all of the driving, was having second thoughts of pushing on but, with our pioneering spirit egging us on, insanity finally prevailed.  But first, we had to rest and we checked in at 2 airconditioned rooms with bath and cable TV at the upscale La Gensol Plaza Hotel, the best in town.  Later that night, we sang our hearts out at a videoke, together with Provincial Tourism Officer, Ricky Martin-wannabe and namesake Mr. Benjie Datinguinoo.   

Governor’s Island (Hundred Islands, Alaminos City, Pangasinan)

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From Martha Island, our boatmen brought us over to Governor’s Island for a brief stopover, One of 3 developed islands in this mini-archipelago (the others are Quezon Island and Children’s Island), it has a governor’s guesthouse with 2 bedrooms for 6-8 people, living room, dining room, toilet and bath, kitchen (with dining and cooking utensils provided for), ceiling fans and generator lighting.  It also has 2-pax nipa huts and camping is also allowed here.  
 
The viewpoint of Governor’s Island
There are white sand beaches on both sides of the island.  From the beach, we a short hike up some carved steps that lead to the island highest point.  At this viewpoint, we had an  unobstructed panoramic view of the many granite and scrub-covered islands that compose this national park.  After some photo ops, we made our way back down the hill.  Back at our boat, we were finally brought back to Lucap Wharf.  After paying our boatmen, we had our first freshwater shower at the complex, loaded our gear at our car, had lunch and proceeded on our way to Bolinao.

Martha Island (Hundred Islands, Alaminos City, Pangasinan)

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The sun was already low in the sky when we packed our tent and belongings and again boarded our boat to take us to nearby Martha Island.  We thought we had the island to ourselves as the white sand beach, connecting the two islands, was deserted.  Once on dry land, our boatmen left us, promising to return the next morning to pick us up.  We were soon setting up our tent and was  just about done doing this when boats, one after the other, began unloading local tourists, with the same mindset as ours, on our tiny strip of beach.  I guess there’s simply no escaping the maddening crowd.  

Martha Island

It was too dark to go swimming, so we just settled down in our tents, ate our packed dinner and spent the rest of the night playing cards.  Jandy and the others slept inside the tent while I slept outside, on my rubber mat.  I thought I came fully prepared for camping but I forgot one essential item – Off Lotion. There were no mosquitoes around.  Instead, what bothered me during my sleep were nasty sandflies (locally called niknik).  The ground I was sleeping on was also lumpy.  Sleep didn’t come easy to me that night, if at all.   

Relaxing under the shade
The island’s beach

Come morning, we prepared our breakfast of coffee and sandwiches.  Luckily for us, the rocky outcrop beside our tent shaded us from the morning sun.   Right after breakfast, we donned our swimming attire to go swimming.  The waters by the shoreline wasn’t as clear or as inviting nor its slope as gradual as the beach in Romulo Island.  Poor visibility meant no snorkeling.   Still we made do with what was before us.  Our boatmen arrived earlier than expected, so we packed up our tent and belongings and boarded our boat.  

Romulo Island (Hundred Islands, Alaminos City, Pangasinan)

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Come morning, we checked out at Texas Inn and proceeded to Brgy. Lucap, the gateway to the Hundred Islands National Park.  The port was already packed with local and foreign tourists, it being the Holy Week break.  Our plan was to go island hopping and then stay overnight at one of the islands.  Just a few days earlier, on March 19, the management of the Hundred Islands  was turned over by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) to the Alaminos City government. 

Hundred islands National Park

Before, anything else, we had lunch at the port and then decided on what to bring (camping equipment, swimming attire, sleeping bags, packed food, etc.), leaving the rest of our stuff inside our parked car.We then negotiated with some boatmen for a motorized boat to take us island hopping and settled on the price of PhP1,200.  Lastly, we had to choose from 127 islands and islets that make up this 1,844-hectare national park.  As we prefer beaches, choosing was easy as most of the islands are granite and scrub-covered and heavily-undercut at the base.  Only a number have sandy beaches.

On our way

The plan was to go first to Romulo Island, where we can go swimming, then  transfer to Martha Island where we were to stay overnight.  We left the port on our chartered motorized boat a little past 2 PM and soon made landfall at Romulo Island by 3 PM.  The island was packed with tourists sheltering on what little shade they can get on the island, mostly low shrubs and the undercut bases of the island.   We came prepared for this eventuality, setting up my tent on the white sand.  Our tent provided privacy as we changed into our swimming attire.  

Romulo Island.  Ours is the only tent on the beach
Vi beside our tent
A suited up Lulu ready for a swim

The island’s clear water was simply pristine and slope gradual.   Just across, Braganza Island seemed so near but experience told me that the short distance can be deceiving.  Besides, the current between the islands is notoriously strong.  Instead, we just lazed the afternoon away by swimming or snorkeling. Too bad, it wasn’t low tide yet.  A cave on the other side of the island is exposed and approachable during this time.

On the Road to Alaminos City

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Come Holy Week, I decided to bring Jandy to the Hundred Islands in Alaminos City as well as Bolinao, both in Pangasinan, a first for both of us.  For companions, I invited friends Lourdes “Lulu” Siguenza and Rosevie “Vi” Sevilla, also both first-timers to these destinations.  Bringing along my 2003 Toyota Revo as well as camping equipment (tent, portable stove, sleeping bags, portable lamps, etc.), we departed Manila by 6 PM and, somehow, avoided heavy traffic, it being the holiday rush, and being stopped for number coding violations (we weren’t  sure if this was suspended). 

Vi and Lulu at Texas Inn

At the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), we made a short stopover for dinner at a Chowking outlet in Petron Marilao (Bulacan) then continued on our way.   It seems I took the wrong exit at NLEX as I found out, much later, that I was headed for Zambales instead.  As a result, we lost valuable time, and gasoline, as we backtracked and entered the proper NLEX exit at Dau.  From there, we passed through Tarlac City and Camiling, then entered Pangasinan, way past midnight, at Mangatarem.  We then passed through the towns of Bugallon, Labrador and Sual before entering Alaminos City, arriving there by 1:30 PM.  Being very late, we decided to get some sleep at the first inn we could find – Texas Inn which, I found out soon enough, was a drive-in motel.  I was too tired to care.  

Mystical Mt. Makiling (Los Banos, Laguna)

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It was field trip time for my daughter Cheska’s Colegio San Agustin class and Lakbay Kalikasan, Southeast Asia’s first and premier outbound education outfitter, was tasked to organize it.    Mt. Makiling was the selected destination.  Upon invitation by Mr. Ramon Jocson, Lakbay’s Corps Director, I decided to tag along.

Mt. Makiling
This 1,090-m. high, 3-peaked mountain, located 65 kms. southeast of Manila, is, owing to its natural history, the most biologically well-known of Philippine mountain and a favorite for field trips.  The slopes of the mountain form a 4,244-hectare national park covering portions of Bay, Calamba City and Los Baños; all in Laguna, and Sto. Tomas in Batangas.  These places depend on the watershed of the mountain for their domestic water requirements and irrigation while Los Baños’ and Calamba’s resorts and tourism industries depend on it for their hot springs.

 

Most field trips, including this one, enter via U.P. Los Baños (UPLB) which is halfway up the summit.  The mountain is also accessible from Alaminos (Laguna) and, for the extreme adventurer, from the more difficult and barely passable (due to the thick jungle) Sto. Tomas route, on the other side of the mountain.   Makiling is said to be the legendary home of the beautiful local goddess, Mariang Makiling.

According to folklore, she was the beautiful young daughter of two deities: Dayang Makiling and Gat Panahon.  Half goddess, half spirit of the air, she was tall, svelte, sweet, with big black tantalizing eyes, long, black, abundant hair reaching to her ankles, pure brown skin, and enchanting smile and a captivating, melodic voice.  She was born of the rays of the moon and lived in the beautiful mountain, roaming the forest and protecting its wild boars and other animals.

Visible to, and loved and respected by the townspeople, she had a generous heart, scattering golden ginger in the yards of every house in her domain and never turning down a request for help or assistance.  She rewarded hunters, who, at her request, spared the animals.

Her kindness, sympathy and acts of benevolence were often forgotten and disregarded by the people.  To punish them, she denied permission to pick fruits in the forest and prohibited hunting of wild animals. For those who disobeyed, she would cause the sky to grow dark and the heavy rain to fall.  To hunters, she assumes a frightful form and sends them to their death.  She fell in love with a mortal man who proposed to her but backed out before their wedding day and later married a mortal woman.  Despondent, she disappeared into the forest and was never seen again.  Her presence, however, is still felt as she continues to watch over the mountain’s natural bounty.

Makiling is one of the few mountains in Luzon that still has some primary forests.  It originally had lowland dipterocarp forests up to the 600 m. mark but the western and southern flanks are now denuded due to kaingin (slash and burn) farming and logging while the eastern slopes are covered with coconut, banana, coffee and other crops.  However, exotic lowland type dipterocarp forest trees and orchards have been introduced for reforestation at its lower slope, transforming the forest below 300 m. into a “parang” type of vegetation.  Above 900 m. are some montane forest and, at the summit, a dwarf mossy forest.  Makiling is a dormant volcanic massif but remnants of its north wall crater no longer exist.  However, heat still escapes from it in the form of mud springs and hot sulphur springs.       Makiling is also a field laboratory for many environmental and biological researches in UPLB.   Aside from being a favorite for school field trips, Makiling is also a popular camping and hiking area for Boys and Girls Scouts, as well as other camping enthusiasts.  The 10th World Boy Scout Jamboree was held on the mountain from June 17 to 26, 1959 and camping is still done at the BSP Wood Badge Area.

Camping, however, wasn’t in the field trip agenda.  They were here to learn. This outdoor classroom showcases the rich biodiversity of the country, being home to 2,038 species of vascular flora (85% of Philippine flora spread out in 949 genera, 19 sub-species and 167 varieties), 24 species of mammals (10 families and 19 genera) and 21 species of amphibians (4 families and 8 genera), 10 of which are endemic. Bryoflora includes giant ferns, 34 species of mosses and 42 species of liverworts.   About 60% of all known fungi have also been found here.     Popular with bird watchers, the mountain is home to 163 species of birds (spread out in 110 genera and 16 families).

Museum of Natural History
A repository for all these biological specimens is the Museum of Natural History, located immediately to the left of the archway going into the College of Forestry and Natural Resources. Housed in a former student dormitory of UPLB, here students are awed by its collection of more than 200,000 Philippine plants, animals, microorganisms and other bioda.  Most of the late Prof. Dioscoro Rabor’s priceless collections are also housed here. Its exhibits feature, among others, the Philippine eagle, tamaraw, tarsier; snails in Mt. Makiling and Laguna de Bay; Philippine plants, forests, shells; Philippine cobras, marine turtles and mammals; and a Philippine map made of 4,012 locusts and lahar from Mt. Pinatubo. A visit here is the piece de resistance for any Makiling field trip.

Rappelling at Wawa Gorge (Rodriguez, Rizal)

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Wawa Gorge

I again joined as a guest in a demonstration tour hosted by Lakbay Kalikasan for teacher representatives from 9 different schools, this time to Montalban (now renamed Rodriguez after its late local son and Senate president Sen. Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez, Sr.), a town steep in mystery and folk legends, and one of the nearest, it being just 28.60 kms. from Manila.  Assembly and pick-up point was our usual EDSA Shrine.  Our 2-van convoy made a brief stopover at U.P. Diliman (my college alma mater) before proceeding to our final destination, the town’s Wawa Dam and its beautiful gorge.

The two mountains of Bernardo Carpio

Montalban is mostly mountainous, its central and eastern sections being traversed by mountain ranges extending north to south.  It also has a series of steep, sloping ridges. The province’s highest peak, the 1,468-m. high Mt. Caladang, is located along the Rodriguez/Quezon province boundary.  The town’s mountains and caves figured prominently during the early days of the Katipunan (a hideout and a site for secret meetings) and the Philippine Revolution (site of a June, 14, 1897 rout of Spanish forces under Col. Dujiols).     

Montalban is full of legends and folklore.  Near Wawa Gorge, the folk hero and demigod Bernardo Carpio was said to hold two mountains apart, with his mighty hands, to prevent them from colliding.   His enemy, the enchanted king of the mountains of San Mateo, was defeated by Bernardo in a wrestling match.  The king had his revenge when he enticed Bernardo to enter Pamitinan Cave.

He blocked the entrance, with two gigantic boulders of rocks, and trapped him inside forever, thus shackling him to a prolonged bondage. When an earthquake occurs every 100 years, it is said to be Bernardo breaking one of his chains.  It is said that when all his chains have been broken, he would then liberate all his countrymen from their own slavery.

Wawa Dam

Wawa Dam (also called the Montalban Dam), located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, in Brgy. Wawa, supplies water to the Novaliches area in Quezon City.  Overlooked by Mt. Irid, its spectacular, forested Wawa Gorge lies between two marble and limestone mountains (of Bernardo Carpio fame) and, through it, passes the Wawa River (or Marikina River) as it flows into Laguna de Bay.  On our way to the dam, our group espied one of 4 caves believed to be Japanese strongholds during World War II.  A historical marker was said to have been placed at the entrance of one of the caves in memory of the Japanese soldiers who died in the three-month long battle in 1945.  Treasure hunters are also said to be attracted by rumors of gold buried in the caves.

Wawa Gorge is also the place to be for the relatively new, adrenaline-pumping and extreme sport of rock climbing.  The gorge’s 400-meter high cliffs provide different levels of difficulty for rock climbers.  There are ten rock climbing sites with approximately 50 established routes, graded 5.0 to 5.12, all stable, free from vegetation and generally safe from rock falls.   Its Redemption Area, perpendicular to a metal footbridge, features “Fun in the Sun” (unrated), “Redemption” (5.10, bolted), “Sacrament” (5.8, bolted), “Sanctuary” (5.6) and “Under the Bridge” (has three short, unrated climbs).  The strictly traditional “Sanctuary” is the most popular.

Trying my hand at rappelling

We, however, weren’t there for the rock climbing and there was to be no rock-climbing spectacle either on this hot summer day. Lakbay Team Leader Ryan Viado, however, had a special treat in mind for us: the equally adrenaline-pumping sport of rappelling at the gorge’s metal footbridge.  Rappelling, is nothing new to me, having tried (and enjoying) it during a past Lakbay tour of Biak-na-Bato National Park in Bulacan. Assisted by Alan Galang and Alexes Erquiza, Ryan soon had our rappelling equipment installed at the bridge.  Initially, there were no volunteers willing to try this seemingly once-in-a-lifetime experience.  To set a precedent and embolden the others, I took the first crack at it, doing a near-flawless performance. Just like in Biak-na-Bato, rappelling was the piece de resistance for this fruitful and memorable day.

Lakbay Kalikasan: G/F Balai Lakbay, 2 Alondras St., Mira-Nila Homes, Tandang Sora Ave., Quezon City, Metro Manila.  Tel: (632) 932-7818 to 19.  Mobile number: (0917) 500-4796. Website: www.lakbaykalikasan.com.

Mena Crisologo Street (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

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After lunch at Laoag City (Ilocos Norte), we continued on our way to Bauang (La Union) but decided to make a stopover at Vigan City and do some sightseeing and souvenir shopping along Mena Crisologo Street.  This cobblestoned street  is lined with a number of shops selling antiques and more recent novelties such as abel handicrafts, miniature furniture, fans and white and colored T-shirts.  Aside from some abel wall hangings and some T-shirts, we bought some decorative burnay pots.  


Mena Crisologo Street


The street also has a number of Spanish-era structures.  Vigan, recently included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List, has 220 Spanish-era structures, 156 of which are old houses.  Many of the old homes of Vigan’s elite, documented by the Vigan Historical Society, were built in the 1850s by Chinese taipans during the profitable indigo trade.   Built in various styles (Spanish, Mexican or Chinese), all have thick brick and stone lower walls with imposing wide arch doorways, piedra china, grand staircases, wooden upper floors with massive, polished narra floors, high ceilings and sliding capiz windows with ventanillas, red tile roofs, balconies with ornate metal grillework overlooking the street and cool azoteas (tiled patio) in the rear.