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Ilocos in Pictures

Ilocos happened by chance.

I was supposed to go to Batanes, an archipelago province in The Philippines situated in the Cagayan Valley region. It is the northernmost province in the country, and also the smallest. As luck would have it, just few days before my trip, typhoon struck there and everything came to standstill. The damage was done. The flights were cancelled, so was the trip.

windmills in ilocos in pictures
Gorgeous Bangui Windmills.

The organizers TBEX offered me three other options to choose from. I was so disappointed with the cancellation that I asked them to put me on any.
Thus Ilocos.

Ilocos did not disappoint me. The Philippines is famous for its white sandy beaches but Ilocos had none of those. Still we enjoyed it fully, confirming “It’s more fun in the Philippines“. Have a look at these photos to see yourself.

taoid museum ilocos lemonicks
Laoag Taoid Museum which became my favorite museum in the region.
Paoay sand dunes. Ilocos is the only region in the Philippines which has sand dunes.
Paoay sand dunes. Ilocos is the only region in the Philippines which has sand dunes.
Unusual rock formations.
Unusual rock formations.

I did not have an idea what Ilocos was going to offer us. Especially for fans of UNESCO World Heritage sites, Ilocos has surprises.

Church of Saint Augustine
Church of Saint Augustine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic landmark.

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When my guide said, there are more churches in Ilocos than malls, I had no other choice but to believe him. 😀

ilocos in pictures sta monica church lemonicks.com
Santa Monica Church
A chariot outside St. Williams Cathedral.
A chariot outside St. Williams Cathedral.
Interior of St. Williams Cathedral.
Interior of St. Williams Cathedral.
Interiors of Church of Saint Augustine
Interiors of Church of Saint Augustine
Vigan Cathedral at night ilocos in pictures at lemonicks
Vigan Cathedral, also known as St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral & part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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An old private chapel for family & friends

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Cobblestone streets of Vigan city during the day and at rain soaked night. More on Vigan city later.

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Imelda Marcos House Overlooking the River
Imelda Marcos House overlooking the River
Ilocos pictures Empanada
Your visit to Ilocos is incomplete if you haven’t eaten Empanada.
And then aftermath of the typhoon Lawin.
And then we witnessed aftermath of the typhoon Lawin.

The surprise element of the trip was the typhoon Lawin which struck when we were there. 😀 More on that in a separate post.

Do you want to see more picture stories ? 😀

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42 thoughts on “Ilocos in Pictures”

  1. Wow! Ilocos looks beautiful.
    Loved the churches. pls write more about them.
    I am not a beach person and I agree. There are many other things to do if you are not on a beach.

  2. The Church of Saint Augustine is a beauty both inside and out. I always enjoy visiting UNESCO sites around the world and will bookmark for when I’m next in the Phillipines.

  3. I love the look of Vigan. That street looks beautiful. Great pictures too – hopefully this trip wasn’t too much of a disappointment, it doesn’t look like it!

    1. The trip was fantastic….. mostly because of the awesome company I had. Thank you very much.

      I fell in love with Vigan city. Would love to go there again to spend more time.

  4. How wonderful that after your disappointment you found somewhere so beautiful and unusual. The Church of St Augustine looks fabulous – and I’m amazed at how good everything looks even in the rain!

  5. I’m loving those tiles on the floor of the St. Williams church. And, that carriage is gorgeous. Glad to hear that you had a good time in Ilocos even if it wasn’t your first choice to visit.

  6. The best trips are the unexpected ones 😀 Or maybe because the expectations are low we tend to enjoy them more 🙂
    Feels great to be back here to your wonderful posts 🙂
    LOVED the pictures in this one. Especially the cathedrals!
    cheers!

  7. Fantastic….this is something I am marking for my own. Would love to know more about those churches. They look gorgeous. I am so glad that you went here instead of elsewhere. Maybe the cancellation is a good thing to happen.

  8. A great photo tour for me. The night shot of St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral has come out well. I love UNESCO sites so I am keen to explore more if ever I get there.

    1. Yes, this region isn’t that popular with tourists because of those beautiful beaches. 😀

      But I assure you there are things many things to spend time here.

  9. Ilocos indeed is a very nice and well known place in the Philippines, which I came from. You shared the best things in Ilocos which is very helpful for tourists/travellers if they will be visiting the place. Cheers!

  10. You may not have been able to make your original travel plans, but it looks like it worked out in the end. Sand dunes and a UNESCO world heritage church in the Philippines? I would never have guessed that.

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