Ilocos Norte: Paoay, Batac Public Market, Pangil, UNESCO World Heritage, Ancestral Houses and Food

I am not really the typical tourist now. I go where my feet are leading me. So MOST OF THE TIME, I would only travel more than the reason of leisure. Being a flaneur I get to appreciate things that are surrounding me. I am nearly forty and my ways of traveling are far different from how I used to be in my late 20s and early 30s. Now, my reasons are more relaxed and because I have to. I will be telling you more about flaneuring next time. 

So, taking the bus to Ilocos and traveling for more than ten hours was because of a very special reason. - My Uncle Dencio died. (July 2022)

PAOAY KUMAKAWAY

If there is one place in the Philippines that I've been to multiple times, it is definitely Ilocos Norte. I couldn't count how much I've been to this place. Primarily because this is my parents' hometown and this is where the extension of my family is located.

Paoay in particular is not a strange place for me. Although I was born in Pasig, I was influenced by tradition, food (vegetables and bagnet), ancestral houses, fam, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So, I considered myself the prubinsyana (countryside) from the city. I am thankful that my parents were from here. I got to experience these things that people from the city were not able to experience like riding the carabao, attending the town fiesta at the plaza, and walking in the rice fields. These were the things that I was able to accomplish as young as I was three. I considered myself lucky! 

Inang and Tatang's House in Paoay

ANCESTRAL HOUSES

If you know me, you know that one of the reasons why I roam around a place is to see old buildings and houses. I've been to various world heritage houses around Asia and I am contented to just see these beautiful abodes without having to trek a mountain or dive into the sea. (You see I am getting old, but I was able to experience those things when I was young.) I even got to sleep to some. Maybe I am an old soul that's why I am enchanted by ancient things. They are timeless beauties. 

The ancestral houses were based on Filipino-Spanish colonial architecture. Most of the old places of residence were made of wood and stones. The windows were made from capiz, shells that were framed together. 

I remembered how I used to push and pull the windows when I was little. It was not that heavy to move but not that easy too especially if it got stuck.

I am not sure about the name of the owners of most of these houses here except for the famous Carpio and Diaz Houses which could catch your eyes instantly because of their prominent white features when you pass by Pias-Currimao-Balacad Road. Aside from that, it is next to the baroque-inspired single-arched bridge which is also considered the most intact bridge in the Northern Philippines, the Paoay Bridge. 

PAOAY CHURCH

The Paoay Church was the very first UNESCO World Heritage Site that I've been to. It is called the Saint Agustine Church and is part of the four brotherhood of baroque churches in the Philippines.  This church was established in 1710 and is also a  part of the National Treasure of the government in 1973. 

The beauty of this church can be seen not just in front but as well as the shell-like facade at the side of the church. So, if you go to this place, make sure that you marveled through the entirety of this famous landmark of Paoay.

BATAC PUBLIC MARKET

One of the best places that you could see when you are a flaneur is the public market. I love traditional markets. I felt that it should be part of the itinerary when traveling. (I am serious!) Although in my case, I would not need to go that far to do so as we have a commodious market in Pasig and our house is near there. But you know, take me to the market and you will make me happy. 

As I get old, I appreciate its aesthetic. How colorful this place could be even to other countries. (I wonder how it looks in person in countries like India and Morrocco.) In the Philippines though, what makes the market vibrant is the produce harvested by the farmers. The sellers organize it like how the artists are painting their blank canvas. 

I had the chance to go to Batac Public Market with my mom. When she's here in Paoay, she likes going to Batac to buy vegetables that she would also sometimes bring to Manila. She said it's still cheaper there. Of course, she would not bring that much. Just enough for her to carry.  

One of the things that is different in Batac Public Market is the meat area. It is also the place packed with bagnets where they are placed inside the glass shelves so that people can choose. This is my favorite part of this market. 

More than bagnet, my mom would just buy garlic, one of the cheaper products in Ilocos as compared to when you buy in Pasig Public Market. So we went to buy garlic. The seller showed the ones beautifully tied together vertically. And you know what? If you are a tourist and come to this place, you could bring that as a souvenir even to your manager because it was neatly arranged. Trust me! 

I hope that you could visit a local market and buy the products from there. If not in your city, when you get the chance to travel, try to see what you could purchase from this place because the culture is here. I've been to the public market a lot of times during my travel and of course, when I was living in Vietnam, I would sometimes pass by the market to buy veggies, especially my favorite mushroom (Which was really cheap in Ha Noi). It was fun interacting with the locals. Aside from that, you could buy at a lower price. I have a lot of stories about traveling and "marketing". I could share it with you next time. Doing this is one way of helping the local farmers especially here in the Philippines. 

Imagine, we are living in an archipelagic country, and all markets are scattered. If we can travel from one place to another to support the locals by buying something from them, in a way we are supporting their needs. Through this, we are immersing ourselves more to deepen our knowledge and connection with our countrymen. What you will know about the Philippines will not only be based on what you understand but what other Filipinos would understand about our country. So regardless if we are an archipelago, as long as we understand each other, that's all that matters. So, drop by the nearest palengke (market) even in your place. (Lol!) 

*Batac Public Market could be easily accessed through jeepney/electronic bus and tricycle. 

                        

BATAC PUBLIC MARKET

Address: 3H87 + 7CJ,City of Batac, Ilocos Norte

Phone Number: 0920 219 6190

BARBECUE, EMPANADA, CHICHACORN, AND MIKI

The Riverside Empanadaan is a famous place in Batac where you could eat their local food. This place is facing the church of Batac and is a few steps away from Marcos Museum and Batac Mini Park. (Sorry if I was not able to take pictures.)

It was my first time trying their grilled chicken internal organs here in Paoay, which is also famous street food in the entire Philippines. The place was near Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School. The one at the side of the church. It was introduced by my cousin, Manang Cita. So, since I loved it, when Peejay, another cousin, and I went to this place to eat again, I told him that we should buy there. The sauce was really good. 

It is always full in Riverside Empanadaan. Since this is the center of the town, some people would come here to eat in the afternoon or before they would go home. Most tourists would try to eat in this place too because this is also the place of the famous Ilocos Miki and empanada. 

Miki and Empandas are the famous street food in Ilocos Norte. In Paoay, there are miki and empanada food stores near the church too. So, we can grab a bite a few meters away from my relatives' houses. 

But since we went for a ride, we decided to go to Batac to eat. The next day, the same thing happened, when I asked Peejay to accompany me for a walk, he brought his car instead and we headed to this famous place for the best miki and orange empanada. (Isn't it interesting to see that orange cover?)

I remember when I was in grade school, my cousins and I, would eat the empanada from a food cart. Sometimes, Inang, my aunt, would buy us empanadas for our midnight snack. 

Here are the tips: 

1. Empanada is best with Ilocos vinegar. 

2. Empanada is best to consume when you are in Ilocos. I tried bringing it home to Pasig, unfortunately, I didn't like the taste even if I re-heated it. 

The good thing is, you could bring home bits of Ilocos anywhere. The Chichacorn became famous. I was not really a fan of it before. Now, I am addicted to the sweet and sour flavor of chichacorn. I could eat it in one sitting. This chichacorn could be bought near Paoay church or Batac. Maybe in some souvenir shops too.

The Bagnet. I love bagnet. But the bagnet in Manila or even in Ilocos Sur is different from the Bagnet in Batac. I am not sure how I could differentiate those, it's just different for me. So, most of the time when we buy bagnet in Manila, I am not that contented.(I didn't say that it's not delicious but I think I could just buy longganisa or other meat) Hmmm....Do not worry. It is not you. It's me. This is based on my opinion anyway. 

Having mentioned that, so when one of us would go to Ilocos, bagnet is our family's (pop and yours truly kami lang pala.) preferred pasalubong. Before, I would sometimes ask my mom to tell Uncle Dencio to buy me bagnet when he would come to Pasig. She would refuse to tell because you know, my mom would prefer vegetables over meat and she wanted me to limit my pork intake. Luckily, even if I would not tell my uncle, he would still bring bagnet from time to time. Awwww... I miss Uncle Dencio. 

ARROS

For some people, they would visit Ilocos and go to the tourist spots which were recommendable. But since my parents were from here, and I came here for a special reason, I would prefer to visit my Uncle Dencio's place. 

My uncle was a bachelor. So, we (nieces and nephews) were considered his children. He was living in this part of Paoay called Arros. This place was where I stayed in with my Mom since my Uncle decided to build his house here when we used to visit him when he was still alive. 

I love this place because it's surrounded by greens and chickens. I used to sleep and read Lang Leav under the mango tree. I liked how I would consume my coffee and bagnet here. It was a calming place for me. 

It was also in this place that I told my mom that I wanted to work in another country. I was not able to visit when I came back because of the pandemic and was not able to see my uncle alive for the last time. So when I went during his burial, I made sure I visited this place because this was where he is and this is where he would want to be.  His soul was here. 

PANGIL, CURRIMAO

I went to Pangil, Currimao twice. The first one was with Lalang, Joshua, Ethel, and Ryan. Lalang was my first cousin while Joshua and Ethel were my niece and nephew. Ryan was a distant relative. Lalang asked me if I would like to see the sunset in Pangil and since I knew I would only stay in Ilocos for a few days, I did not decline. 

It was only the time that I got to bond with my relatives in Ilocos especially them since we do not really spend too much time with each other and I appreciated the invitation. We were also able to pass by Janjan's (Lalang's brother) house and met his three kids and met Ethel's dog when we drove her home to Batac. It was fun but short.

We were not sure if we would be able to see the sunset. We stayed by the beach and chatted. It was still bright but when we were about to go home, the sky turned pink and yellow. I loved sunset just like how I loved sunrise. I told them, "we should have brought drinks with us." But it was too late. The beauty of sundown is still revealed at that moment. I think that is far more important. 

We used to go to Pangil when we were young. It was famous for its rock formations. Currimao is just the next town to Paoay so it was not that far to drive there. So, every time that we visited Ilocos before, our families will go there sometimes with the whole barangay. Isn't it fun to live in the Philippines?

The next day, I was supposed to walk around Paoay with Peejay (my cousin too) but he showed up with a car. He said he hadn't been to Pangil recently and he would like to see it. And I said, ok. We drove there again but this time, he went to this part where there's an unused boat and it was docked. He was not sure why it was there. We didn't ask either. It was a bit dim during that time and we were not really expecting sunset. We were expecting rain to fall anytime soon and so it did. We ran!

It was a different kind of view on this side of Pangil. There were still rock formations visible underneath and can be seen even from afar. There were people walking and Peejay said they may be getting some seaweeds. Oh, life here was really amazing! 

*If you are interested to visit Currimao, there were a few hotels near the beach.

Ilocos, Ilocos, Ilocos. I am looking forward to see you again soon! Kita kits ulit next time families!!!!!