The Philippines is an archipelago in South-East Asia. The nation consists of 7,107 islands located between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam, and north of Sabah and Borneo. Combine all its beaches it forms one of the world's longest coastlines. Since Spanish colonial times, the country is considered to be Asia's largest Catholic country. Over a hundred ethnic groups, a mixture of foreign influences and a fusion of culture and arts have enhanced the uniqueness of the Filipino identity and the wonder that is the Philippines.

 

 

 

Banaue is a town on the Cordillera mountain range in the north of the island of Luzon. Sometimes called the "Eighth Wonder of the World", the 2000 years old Banaue rice terraces are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and while many are still in use today, the outer rims are showing signs of deterioration. They were created by the Ifugao (local native people), in a massive engineering project to cover the sides of the valleys (probably 200 meters from floor to rim) for several miles, irrigated by means of mountain streams and springs that have been tapped and channelled into canals that run downhill through the rice terraces.

 

 

 

Many bus companies and tour agencies have trips to Banaue. The direct Manila to Banaue route is operated by 3 bus companies (Ohayami Trans, Florida & Autobus)

 

Ohayami Trans and Autobus operates 1 trip daily and Florida has 2 trips daily during summer time from February to April which leaves Manila at around 10 pm. Bus fares are P450 for Florida and P400 for Ohayami Trans and Autobus. They have terminals in Sampaloc Manila in the España area near the Sto. Tomas University. You can take the train to Legarda station then a pedicab to any of the two stations (fare: P20). They have daily trips back to Manila daily at 6:30 pm for Autobus, 7:00 pm for Ohayami Trans and 8:00 pm for Florida.

 

Vigan is in Northern Luzon. Its Spanish colonial influence in local architecture and old-world charm make it a unique city in the Philippines.

 

It's 7 to 10 hours drive along the scenic Ilocos Highway from Manila to Vigan. Partas Bus Co., Dominion Bus Lines, Viron Transit, and St. Joseph/Aniceto Transit have regular buses going directly to Vigan. Bus lines like Philippine Rabbit Bus Line, Farinas Transit, Maria de Leon, and RCJ Transit have regular buses plying the Manila-Laoag route, which passes by Vigan.

 

 

 

The Mestizo District offers a wonderful glimpse into the Philippines' colonial past. The ancestral houses were mostly built by Chinese traders using a mixture of local, Asian and Spanish architectural styles.

 

St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral (admission free) was built by Augustinians around 1790 and features a unique design intended to minimize earthquake damage; a style that came to be known as "earthquake baroque". Look out for the brass communion handrails forged in China, complete with Chinese characters scrawled by its ancient installers. The eight-sided bell tower is just south of the cathedral. Its position was actually the safety measure of the earthquake baroque style: it was built separately from the church so that in case of earthquakes, it would not topple into the church. Its eight-sided design reflects its Chinese Feng-shui influences. One would look closely inside the cathedral and one would find the tombstone of the great Ilocano poet Leona Florentino (in the column near the entrance facing Plaza Burgos).