*This is the last part on a series of posts detailing our trip to Ilocos. Now, read!*
With the Vigan expedition done, we proceeded to the bus terminal to start the last leg of this northern adventure. Upon arrival to the terminal though, we learned that the trip back to Laoag was already fully booked and we will be accommodated as chance passengers only. Ugh. Luckily for us, a helpful security guard (people in the provinces are always waaaay too kind) gave us a nice, little tip: we can try our luck on the highway where all kinds of buses pass through on their way to the capital. And indeed, just after a few minutes of waiting, we caught a Farinas bus headed to Currimao, our final destination. Bless you, Kuya Guard!
Probably due to the walking and strolling around the Vigan plaza, the ride to Currimao was a very sound one. A sound sleep for both of us, that is! If not for the good-hearted bus conductor waking us up at the junction, we, sleepyheads, would have probably ended up back to the capital. Coma everywhere, I see. Heh.
A quick trike ride (we are seriously becoming "Lords of the Tricycle", at this point) led us to the Jessica Zafra-approved Sitio Remedios, a heritage village resort by the Western Philippine Sea. A summary of our three-day stay here comes in the form of highlights:
The place. Sitio Remedios boasts of a collection of carefully restored heritage houses lodged in a rustic and serene setting. Lush greenery, an old chapel, stone-made structures, a wood-themed dining area, artistic ceiling decor, rocking chairs, and candlelit nights (seriously, the place must have been a former factory for candles) adorned the surroundings of this fabulous resort. Oh, and there's also a private pool fronting the vast ocean. How cool is that? Sitio Remedios really exceeded our expectations for bliss and quietness. Such a peaceful piece of land.
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| Who wouldn't love this awesome view? |
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| One of the gorgeous Balays. |
The staff and the service. Our experience at Sitio Remedios would have never been complete without the excellent hospitality exuded by the resort's personnel: a staff magically appearing out of nowhere to help us carry our bags (and windmills!); an Ate carefully arranging flower petals on our bed that served as a welcome message (and later on a birthday greeting for C) for our arrival; the two butler-ish gentlemen who assisted and promptly prepared and properly introduced our meals for each day; and of course, the local chef, dressed in plain shirt and shorts, who masterfully cooked the delicious dishes during our stay. Looks can be deceiving, I say.
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| Warm welcomes. |
The room. We have been very fortunate thus far to have booked exquisite accommodations and Sitio Remedios continued that trend. We initially reserved Kuarto San Antonio but upon our arrival, we got upgraded to Balay Bacarra! Hooray for being the solitary guests of the resort for 2 nights. Balay Bacarra featured a comfortable king-sized bed, fresh-smelling blankets, capiz windows, a Julius Babao and family greeting card, wooden floors, and old school doors (oh, yes, that rhymes!). Did I mention we didn't have possession of any room key in our 3 days here? Provincial security at its finest.
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| King-sized mattress and white drapes. |
The food. BAGNET. Batac longganisa. Fish bacon (Espada). Just like what we had in Hotel Felicidad. Pinakbet. Steamed talakitok. Ilocano versions of Pork Chops, 'Tinola', and a cross between 'Nilaga' and 'Sinigang'. Eggs. Eggplants. Then combine the two. Fresh fruits. Fresh dalandan juice. Hot coffee. Hot tarragon tea. Sesame tarts. And leche flans. That list deserves a big BURP! Very homey and localized taste. Well done, chef! *slow clap*
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| Ilocano food goodness! |
The selfies. What is slowly becoming a norm for our trips are the mandatory selfies that we snap in every place we visit and Sitio Remedios is no exception. Enjoy our vanity collection! :p
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| A dinner selfie.. |
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| ..a pool selfie.. |
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| ...a church selfie.. |
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| ...and a silly selfie! |
The sidequests. While sidequests are mainly related to the video gaming industry (such a geek), we did have our own little trips within this trip (trip-ception?). We did a quick visit of a UNESCO heritage site, Paoay Church (loooove its exterior), a quick merienda of bagnet/longganisa pizza at Herencia Cafe (Sidenote: In case you haven't noticed yet, here in the Ilocos region, you can put bagnet or longganisa in almost everything and still they all taste damn good!), a quick purchase of fine Ilocano blankets, and a quick stop-over at a convenience store to reload some stuff. Later on, it was a quick gulp of San Mig Light (and a chocolate popsicle!) at a nearby resort and a quick stroll along the beach back to Sitio Remedios.
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| Majestic and stunning. |
And lastly..
The birthday and the Fourth Month. This whole Ilocos trip was centered around C's birthday, which was also our Fourth, and us just being alone together, somewhere nice and pleasant. And indeed, this 2013 version of the 1st of October turned out to be quite a calm, tranquil, and lovely affair for us. There's the gift-giving part which I'm sure satisfied the geeky personality of C, the unplanned sidequest above, the carefree, refreshing plunge into the pool, and the romantic candlelit dinner. Above all else though, it was the little details like sitting beside C, holding hands, staring at each other, leaning my head on her shoulders, laughing at silly stuff, giggling at cheesy lines, and just simply enjoying our time together that I liked best and appreciated the most. Simple yet full of happiness and love. *cue cheesy background music* I am extremely blessed and lucky to be a part of your life. I hope you don't mind me staying for good. Hihi. You have been my source of inspiration and happiness since Day One and I am eternally grateful and thankful for that. Let's go on more trips, more birthdays, more adventures, and more nth month celebrations then, shall we? For infinity. :)
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| Happy Cs. |
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