The picturesque northwestern Luzon city of Vigan is a colonial treasure, highly recommended by WoWasis for her outstanding architecture. While there, we stayed at the Villa Angela, a wonderful rambling colonial house that’s been turned into an inn, and found an exceptional restaurant, Café Leona. Villa Angela, on Quirino Boulevard, is within easy walking distance […]
Read the rest of this entry »Mt. Pinatubo lahar’s path to destruction
In June of 1991, Mt. Pinatubo on the Philippine island of Luzon blew its stack, sending up a giant plume of ash 25 miles high. Most of the destruction in human terms, however, came with a typhoon, in which a deadly mixture of water and ash caused massive lahars to wash over a huge amount […]
Read the rest of this entry »Vigan: the Philippines’ jewel of colonial architecture
The picturesque west Luzon town of Vigan is relatively little-known, probably because it’s so damn hard to get there. A good 8 hours north by car from Angeles City-Manila, this town of fascinating colonial homes and two-wheeled carriages was founded in 1572. It makes for a wonderful 2 day stop, and if you can plan […]
Read the rest of this entry »The rice terraces of Malecong, near Bontoc, Philippines
Perhaps the most-visited ancient rice terraces in northern Luzon are those near the city of Banaue, but few would disagree that having this bucolic setting pretty much to oneself makes the experience more personal. The terraces of Malecong are 30 km north of Banaue, 7 km north of the city of Bontoc up a winding […]
Read the rest of this entry »Tough Bessang Pass provides real challenges in traveling to the Bontoc-Banaue-Sagada area from Vigan
The lack of proper driving maps for northern Luzon, Philippines is one of several challenges in driving the island. Still, there’s much to see in the north, from the colonial architecture at Vigan to the spectacular rice terraces in the Bontoc and Banaue areas. This post will help you to avoid a tough road situation […]
Read the rest of this entry »Deadly Mt. Pinatubo lahar becomes new beach hot spot for bathing beauty
The terrible damage and destruction caused by the spectacular lahars resulting from the volcanic action at Luzon’s Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines may result in miles of new beachhead for western Luzon. While we were documenting the current situation in the lahar area, WoWasis researchers ran into a young woman clad in beachwear, who informed […]
Read the rest of this entry »Christina Aben’s fascinating Ganduyan Museum in Sagada, northern Luzon
Founder and curator of the town of Sagada’s Ganduyan Museum, Christina Aben is a national treasure. But neither she, nor her family knows it. Through decades of meticulous collecting of tribal pieces, Aben amassed a spectacular collection detailing a vanishing Igorot (Philippines mountain tribes) culture. “When we were kids, we were always stepping over the […]
Read the rest of this entry »Death by Hanging: Sagada’s cliffside coffins
At over 5,000 feet in altitude, and accessible only by roads that are fit for off-roading, the visitor really has to want to come to the Philippines village of Sagada. In addition to Christina Aben’s Ganduyan Museum, the cliffside and cave coffin sites are the biggest draws in this small, quiet hillside town. For hundreds […]
Read the rest of this entry »4 Major Road Hassles while driving on the Philippine Island of Luzon
We’ve found the driving on the main island of Luzon to be among the world’s worst driving experiences, on a par with some of the toughest conditions in Africa. On the other hand, hiring a car and driver isn’t a panacea either, as you will only pay surcharges for the driver’s time, meals, and hotels, […]
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