Exploring Ilocos Norte: Laoag Part 1

Let me take you to a joyride. Let’s discover the beauty of Ilocos Norte!

The first three parts of this journey are posted here, here and here! 😀

Hop on and let’s continue the ride! 😀

The Sign

The beginning of the second day of our three-day trip in Ilocandia was marked by this awesome Laoag sign!

FYI: Laoag, officially the City of Laoag (Ilocano: Ciudad ti Laoag; Filipino: Lungsod ng Laoag), is a third-class^[4] city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte in thePhilippines.^[2] The northernmost city in the nation, it is the province’s political, commercial, and industrial hub and the location of the Ilocos region’s onlycommercial airport.

And our first stop is…

The Bell Tower

FYI: Sinking Bell Tower, which is part of  Laoag Cathedral, canonically known as Saint William Cathedral, sinks into the ground at a rate of an inch a year. It has an Earthquake Baroque style. The tower, built presumably after the 1707 earthquake, has a foundation of 90 metres (300 ft).^[3] It is made of locally manufactured bricks joined by molasses and juice of sablot leaves mixed with lime and sand, and reinforced with four massive columns on each corner and a winding stairway leading to the belfry. It used to have a big clock on the tower’s western face.^[4]

It has started to rain a bit and we just stayed there for a couple of minutes.

Because we arrived at almost lunch time… our next stop is

The Ylocano Resto

Credit

FYI: Saramsam is an Iluko word, which means informal and constant dining, with connotations of a fun atmosphere of friends getting ogether to eat. The Restaurant is furnished with an eclectic mix of furniture and decor, which complement each other to exude a bohemian atmosphere.

I would say that the restaurant interiors is surely captivating. It’s eccentric and the ambiance is truly rustic.

Our orders are…

(L) Bagnet, deep fried pork’s meat, the Ilocano version of Lechon Kawali, also known as Ilocano Chicharon Baboy. 

(Top Right) Poqui Poqui , an Ilocano dish made of eggplants, tomatoes, onions, and eggs.

(Middle Right) Dinardaraan is the Ilocano term for dinuguan or blood stew.   Dinardaraan which refers to the blood stew of the Ilocanos is very much different from the blood stew, dinuguan, of the Tagalogs.  Dinardaraan is dry and sometimes oily as compared to the soupy dinuguan. 

Bottom Right Ginisang Monggo with Tinapa, or mung-bean soup with smoked fish is a known dish for the poor but hey! it’s flavorful!

More travel stories and photos next week!

I hope you’re enjoying the ride?

~

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©2016 Rosemawrites@A Reading Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Photo credit: ALL photos are MINE except stated otherwise.