Vigan at nightVigan was a Spanish trading town and many of the old buildings are still in tact having survived earthquakes and bombs. The town has been recognised as a World Heritage Site and so there is money to help preserve the old town. It was pretty quiet while we were there and there were hardly any tourists about. 
By day! 
The proud owner of a brand new tricycle joins the queue waiting for customers. 
The chickens are cooked and still in the shell!
By day!We stayed in a renovated Spanish style hotel with beautiful highly polished floor tiled floors, archways, and elaborate plaster ceilings. The windows were wooden sliders with shells inside the trellis work to let the light in. They also let in the mosquitoes and the rain!
The Philippines is not a popular tourist destination like other parts of Asia but there are thousands of men who visit the place looking for sex or to find a young wife. There are many restaurants or guesthouses that are run by ex-pats and their wives.
While in Vigan we were able to watch TV and see the 'coup' taking place at the Manila Peninsula Hotel. These things keep the tourists away as well.
We visited the old home of one of Vigan's senators (Crisologo) who was assassinated in the local cathedral. They even had the police photos of him sprawled between the pews covered in blood and had the clothes he was wearing at the time on display. The killer was never found and the family has a message in the house stating that they do not want to avenge the killing!
You can ride around the old city by kalesa/calesa: horse and cart.
The cathedral is built with a wide base to prevent it collapsing during earthquakes and the bell tower has been built a few metres away so that it cannot fall onto the cathedral.
We visited the old home of one of Vigan's senators (Crisologo) who was assassinated in the local cathedral. They even had the police photos of him sprawled between the pews covered in blood and had the clothes he was wearing at the time on display. The killer was never found and the family has a message in the house stating that they do not want to avenge the killing!
You can ride around the old city by kalesa/calesa: horse and cart.The cathedral is built with a wide base to prevent it collapsing during earthquakes and the bell tower has been built a few metres away so that it cannot fall onto the cathedral.
The proud owner of a brand new tricycle joins the queue waiting for customers. The chickens are cooked and still in the shell!
