Wandering the Heritage City of Vigan.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

In the light of continuous modernization and innovation, visiting a heritage place where they have preserved history and tradition is like stepping into the portal that connects us to the past. This is the vibe that Vigan City gives off when we step into it.

Vigan City is a small village that is listed as one of UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a tiny village, consisting of hundreds of beautifully restored houses that was built date back hundreds of years. The village has a strong Hispanic touch, from the pattern on the pavements to the structural design of the houses, the design of the street lights, and its way of transportation.

Horse-drawn carriages are still commonly seen in the busy streets of Vigan. We called that carriage "kalesa" and kalesa driver is what we called "kutsero". Since the Philippines was colonized by the Spanish for over three centuries, our language has had a strong Spanish influence. The word kalesa was derived from the Spanish word "calesa".

For the sake of experience, of course we couldnt miss trying to ride the kalesa. My sons were hesitant but curious to try the ride because they pity the horse for carrying five heavy people, including the kutsero, but thats the reality of the past, when access to mechanical vehicles was limited.

We didnt expect the Kalsea ride to be affordable because, of course, it's a famous tourist spot so we asked beforehand how much to ride and tour around the village. The kutsero politely offered 200 pesos, or around $3–$4, for all four of us. We immediately agreed with the deal and hopped in the carriage.

Kuya Kutsero acted as our tour guide while touring the streets of Vigan. He gave fun facts about the place at every corner we turned, told a little background about the village, and he even took pictures of us riding the calesa with my phone. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to ask his name.

He knew the place like the back of his hand. I asked him to recommend a place to buy the empanada, for which Vigan is famous. An empanada is a vegetable, egg, and meat wrapped in crispy fried dough. He offered to drop us off there since he knew the location and it was on the way.

Before dropping us off, he warned us that there was always a long queue of patrons and tourists wanting to try their famous empanada. He also reminded us about the light and dancing fountain show that will start in a few minutes in the plaza, which is also one of the highlights of Vigan.

True to his word, the empanada house that he recommended was packed with customers, and most of them were buying in bulk. We still fell in line because we were not leaving Vigan without trying the empanadas.

The latest batch of empanada orders was given, and it was our turn. There were two guys before me ordering; the first guy ordered 20 empanadas, and the second ordered 34. I was like, Oh my god, this will take hours as the empanadas are made and cooked to order. When it was my turn to place an order, I said I would just order two orders of Double Double Special for me and my husband. The two first guys who ordered looked at me and said to the staff, "You can give her the first two empanadas of my order so she can go, as it looks like the light show is now starting". I couldn't help but smile at his kindness. We had a quick talk while waiting for the order to be done. He asked me if it was my first time in the city, and I said yes. He said I came to the right place to try the empanada.

After 5 minutes, they had already served my order. ate it while strolling to the plaza to watch the light display, it was freshly fried hot, but I forgot to take a picture because we were in a hurry. The show was about to start when we got there, and we made it! Thanks to the kind guy who helped us with our order. We already have seats reserved by our buddies. While waiting, we still had a chance to snap photos.

It was time for the show. My kids and I were seated close to the fountain, enjoying the show while feasting on the food we had purchased en route to the plaza.The kids were mesmerized by the light show. Every child observing can't help but be fascinated by the various figures that are reflected in the water fountain. The show lasted for half an hour.

When the show was over, it was time to go. After exploring the historic heritage streets, we entered a contemporary light-show world. What a wonderful way to end a cultural evening! Our stomachs and eyes were overwhelmed.

It felt good to participate again to #Wednesdaywalk initiated by @tattoodjay!

Thank you for reading, and see you on my next blog!

❤️❤️❤️

_{All photos are my own, unless stated otherwise.
The lead image was edited using Canva.}