Ilocos Sur Side Trips in Banaoang, Narvacan and Santa Maria

Apart from Vigan and Bantay, the province of Ilocos Sur still has a lot of beautiful sites to offer. It is easy to go on side trips whether you travel by private car or public vehicle because the sites are just near or right off the main road. If you’re heading back to Manila, it is worth to stop by these yet to be explored towns.

GETTING THERE
From Vigan, I rode a PUV or the Public Utility Van. The terminal is at the vacant lot beside the provincial capitol. I arrived at the terminal around 8 in the morning, and had to wait for about a few minutes for the van to fill up with passengers before leaving. Banaong is just a short 10 minutes away from Vigan. The driver dropped me off right before it gets on the Banaoang Bridge. To get to my succeeding stops, I just hailed a PUV passing by the main road.

I had a bit of a hard time hailing a PUV. I could not read the signage on their windshield because they were all going so fast. I suggest to just hail any passing PUV, and just ask the driver from there.

If you want to go back to Manila after this trip, just head back to the main road and hail for a passing bus. If you are going back to Vigan, you can either hail a PUV or a bus passing along the main road

ITINERARY
Below is my itinerary to the three towns. I leisurely finish it in half a day. Note that this is part of my itinerary in my Christmas trip in Vigan.

DESTINATIONS

Banaoang. Banaoang’s main attraction is the Banaoang Bridge (old bridge) that stands parallel to the Quirino Bridge (new bridge). The bridges beautifully connects two mountains, while offering a good view of the wide river. It’s a good place for sunrise or sunset chasers. You can set up a picnic mat on the grass and enjoy a quick snack together with the goats.

At the end of the bridge stands a zipline for thrill seekers. Unfortunately, it was not open on Christmas.

I continued heading opposite to the direction of Vigan until I reached the Banaoang view deck. This place gave me a different angle of the two bridges. In this place, there is a statue of Diego romantically hugging Gabriela Silang from behind; these lovers were the leaders of the revolution against the Spaniards in the Ilocos region.  Too bad there were graffiti all over this place and the room below the deck reeks of urine.

Narvacan. Narvacan is one of the usual stops of busses coming from Manila. People do not know that this place has a hidden gem called Paraiso ni Juan. The entrance to this area is just across the bus stop.

I went here on a Christmas, and a number of families and friends were having a picnic at the rocky shore of Sulvec Bay. This quick trip is my most favorite of all because it involved an outdoor adventure accompanied by a contemplative experience. Reaching Paraiso ni Juan, the grotto, I had to traverse through the most slippery rocks I had probably encountered. My knees were shaking with fear of not wanting to have an embarrassing fall. Climbing the fence-less grotto is another adventure for the thrill-seeker me who has acrophobia.

The grotto is a very peaceful and sacred place. I took my time here in feeling the gust of wind and watching the waves hit the big rocks. I also enjoyed watching a couple of people who were catching fishes with a pail.

I wanted to spend more time at the grotto but a group of family who also climbed up was persistent in inviting me back to the shore with them. The pressure was high while I was walking through those slippery rocks again, especially when the rest of them seemed to be showing not much effort and stress. I’m proud to say that there were no boo-boos to mend. And the kid whom I was exchanging local celebrity sightings along the way helped in giving me a distraction.

Across the entrance/exit of Paraiso ni Juan is the bus stop. You can grabe a quick meal there if you get hungry.

Santa Maria. Getting to Santa Maria Church from Narvacan was just a 15-minute ride. I just hailed a random PUV passing by the main road with the hopes that it was going to pass by Santa Maria. And it was, thankfully. I think most of them was, anyway. The person sitting beside me was also bound for Santa Maria. So we both alighted the van at the same time, and she pointed me to the direction of the church. I walked for about 10 minutes before I reached my destination.

A staircase led me to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (aka Santa Maria Chuch). It strategically stands atop a hill because it served as a defense fortress of the town during the Spanish era. I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on this red-bricked Baroque church. It’s not a wonder why it was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The noticeably buttresses at the sides of the church protects it from earthquakes.

Before climbing the staircase to the church, take time to view the outdoor chapel. Also, stroll around the church and appreciate the external beauty of the church.

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Travel Date: December 25, 2013 (solo)