Back in January, I went back to the Philippines to spend the holidays with my family. One weekend, we took a trip to the province of Ilocos Sur, just to get away from the city for a couple days. We stayed in the city of Vigan.

Beautiful views — at least something to look at during that 10-hour drive away from the city!

10+ hours later, finally arrived in Vigan. It is the only surviving city that dates back to the 16th century, which still exhibits the Spanish Colonial times. This city may be small, but it is beautiful.  Surrounded by horse-drawn carriages and cobblestone streets, walking the streets brings you back in time to when the Philippines was under Spanish rule.

Because my family is huge, we decided our best option would be to rent a house through AirBnB. We were able to rent a beautiful house, big enough to house all of us for the weekend. Not only that, we had a view of the Bantay Bell Tower right from our bedroom. What a beautiful view to wake up to!

Provincial life can be so beautiful!

View from the top of the Bantay Bell Tower!

Freshly made empanadas — must try when in Vigan! Hot and crunchy, so delicious! You eat this with vinegar — which is what makes it a Vigan specialty!

This sunset made it hard to leave it all behind to head back to the city.

Although it is a rather long trip from the city to Vigan, it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re willing to drive out there. I grew up visiting the Philippines every year, but this trip made me realize there’s so much of this country I have yet to explore. I’ve taken for granted how beautiful the Philippines really is.