reallyjillytravels

Friday, June 9, 2023, Salomague, Philippines We arrived at the port of Salomangue at 9:30 am, an ancient port of call for Chinese merchants who traded with the people of the Philippines before the Spaniards arrived. Dancers and drummers greeted us on the dock.  Dancers at the dock By 10:30 am, we were on a bus heading south to Vigan City, one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Ilicos region of the Philippines. Vigan is about an hour away, was established in the 16th century, and is considered the most intact example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia (or the world, depending on who you ask). The bus dropped us at the Vigan Cathedral (Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Paul), completed in 1800. It was damaged by a 2022 earthquake so we could not enter, but we started taking photos here. Vigan Cathedral We then walked to Calle Chisologo, the cobblestoned street and main tourist draw in the center of town. We walked by a line of horses and buggies awaiting tourists, many offer