Home for the Holidays (Part 5): La Union's Luna and Bangar - More Historical "Finds"

- Dec. 31, 2023-Jan. 1, 2023, Sunday to Monday.

- As usual, I couldn't sit still in the province, and so I spent my New Year's Eve up and about. My first agenda was to visit Bato de Luna. It is a stone's throw away (see what I did there) from Bahay na Bato (see here), and is also another place that has a lot of stone art. Unlike Bahay na Bato, this place appears more playful, and has more tributes to Korean culture, as its artist Mr. Bong Kim is Korean. He was the same artist who did Bahay na Bato.

- Albeit a smaller property, I still enjoyed my visit as I was able to play around more with the art work around the area. I also liked the fact that there were less people around, since it was New Year's Eve. 

I like this place too!

Giant turtle.

Inside the turtle!

Sitting on a giant Korean Hahoetal mask.

Giant animals.

I have big shoes to fill!

I find this place cozy.

Pretending I know how to wall climb.

I have a giant mouth.

Mrs. Puff?

Three of me is three times better!

- I also fancied talking a stroll at Luna's center, just to visit the church and the municipal hall as I found them interesting through the several times that I've passed by them in the car. I didn't realize they were more intriguing than I thought they were, mainly because of their historical backgrounds and significance. First I passed by the Church of Santa Catalina de Alejandria, which is also known as Namacpacan Church. It was built in 1690. The statue of "Our Lady of Namacpacan" from the 1800s, still intact after centuries, has been known for its miraculous properties.

General Antonio Luna in the town of Luna. The town was named after the Luna family, not just Antonio Luna.

Before he town was called Luna, it was called Namacpacan, Hence, the name "Napacpacan Church."

Inside the church.

A devotee prays to Our Lady of Namacpacan.

The well is said to have miraculous properties as well. I wouldn't really know.

 

- Across the church is the town hall, built in the 1900s. The hall is visibly old because it this unique balcony where announcements used to be done. The flagpole in front of the hall is equally historical, being erected in the 1940s.

Municipal hall.

Another Rizal statue.

- Finally, I visited another church, this time in Bangar. The Bangar Church or Church of Saint Christopher was built in the 1689. It was eerily dark when I visited, but that was will enough for me to see the interior. I have also seen it a couple of times before, but I guess it was only this time that I'm seeing it "with the intention of seeing it."

Bangar Church, also in Earthquake Baroque style.

Inside the church.

- That was the last touristy thing I did in La Union, yet not the last significant thing that happened. So while preparing for our New Year's Eve meal, this butterfly came from nowhere and landed on a container that my parents used during their engagement. The butterfly flew from spot to spot before landing beside this container. It didn't move for hours until we finished our meal. Whether you believe in this sort of thing or not, we thought this * might * be my mom visiting the family and our close employees during New Year's Eve. Whatever it is, it did make our meal more special. 

The butterfly.

The red container that my parents used during their engagement many years back.

New Year's Eve.

Happy new year!!

It was nice to see a reasonable amount of fireworks. (Not enough to make me deaf.)

- We came back to Manila on January 1, just to beat the traffic. True enough we arrived in record time, as compared to last year when everyone had a mass exodus back to NCR after spending the holidays elsewhere. As tired as I have been since I arrived, I am in high spirits after being able to spend some time in the province and take time to process things and breathe from the crazy year that was last year. As cliche as it sounds, I am hoping for a better year ahead, and I hope that it will be good to everyone else as well! 

Home for the Holidays (Part 4): Towns of Ilocos - Sulvec, Santa Maria, San Esteban

- Dec. 29-30, 2023, Friday to Saturday.

- Ilocos has many small towns that are often ignored for a lot of reasons. Some include not being too accessible by public transport (as with many small towns in the Philippines), not having a lot of tourist attractions, being too far. However, given the opportunity, I think they have their own charm, with some even having places that are of historical or cultural value.

- After leaving Vigan on the 29th, we went to stay in Sulvec (a barangay in Narvacan) for a night in Sulvec Greece, a private resort. Since it was rare for me to have the chance to stay in a private resort, I took as many photos as I could before leaving the next day.

I mean....

It had its own Orthodox-style church. Mamma Mia vibes!

There was a giant German bible!

This is what the church looks like from outside.

Sunset in Sulvec.

Here we go again, my my.

A ship-shaped building.

Glowing toilet bowl.

- I had an early start the following day by visiting the Santa Maria Church in Santa Maria, which wasn't too far away from Sulvec. The church is one of the UNESCO Heritage Sites in the Philippines. This well-preserved Baroque church was built in the 1700s, although its history goes as far back as the 1500s when it was still a smaller church. This church is also unique as it sits on top of a hill, unlike other churches that are often located in wide spaces in the city center, with a plaza in front for people to congregate.

Stairs leading to the church.

Truly one of the most remarkable churches I've seen in the Philippines, though it may not be as huge as other churches.

Belltower.

Stairs at the back leading to the cemetery.

Yes, it was THAT hot. Also, notice the tiny full moon behind me!

Balcony.

Our Lady of Assumption.

Inside the Church.

- Later on, after breakfast, I had a short visit to the Sulvec Watch Tower, which was just a few steps away from Sulvec Greece. Most likely built in the late 1700s, this watchtower serves the purpose of any watchtower: to see if there is any danger approaching. My dad told me that the watch tower used to be in the middle of the shore, which made the view of the sea more interesting. At some point it was fenced within a residential area, and has been restored for visitors to see. However, the lot beside the tower has been occupied, so my dad said that it doesn't look as magnificent as it used to be. But anyway, I like this tower because visitors can visit the second and third floors!

Sulvec Watch Tower. It looks like a nice castle!

Feels medieval.

On the way to the viewing deck.

Humpty Dumpty.

I look like a Polly Pocket model.

- After lunch, we headed towards Bangar, passing by San Esteban's own watch tower. Here, the watchtower is smaller, but the viewing deck had binoculars!

It looks older than the one in Sulvec. This one was built in the 1500s.

Kindly read.

At the viewing deck. Didn't see any pirates.

- We also passed by the Mapisi Rock (or "Biak Na Bato", literally "broken rock", but not referring to the historically-significant "Biak-na-Bato" in Bulacan.) This place is just a few minutes away from the San Esteban Watch Tower. Currently it is undergoing some upgrades so people can appreciate the rock formations more (at least, I hope so, since the renovations look a bit tacky.) I appreciate it as an interesting natural landmark though.

Mapisi Rock.

I like what they did here, but you don't really get to appreciate that the rock was sliced in half because of the waves and other natural forces.

More rock formations.

Oh wow, a beach on the other side!

- Not long after, we reached Bangar, and I took the rest of the day off since I had a long day. However, I was happy to have seen other parts of Ilocos beyond the usual touristy spots!