Travelling to Cuba comes with complications. Photo / Unsplash
One needn’t travel to Cuba to taste its culture when Vigan in the Philippines is closer, writes Julia Hammond.
It’s not hard to see why Havana’s photogenic, crumbling heart is a hit with overseas travellers. However, this Caribbean capital isn’t the easiest place to visit, not only because of the lengthy journey to reach it but also because of potential future trip-related complications resulting from current US foreign policy. (Since 2021, a Cuban stamp in your passport has rendered you ineligible for an ESTA, and there’s often a long wait for a visa appointment).
Instead, set your sights on a much closer Unesco World Heritage Site – Vigan City in the Philippines. Like Havana, Vigan has been singled out for its Spanish colonial architecture. But it’s not just Unesco that has raised the city’s profile: after a global vote a decade ago, it was selected with Havana and five other urban hubs as one of the New7Wonders Cities. I found it a delightful place to spend a few days after time spent island-hopping in this captivating Asian country.
Vigan’s ancestral mansions made a strong first impression as I strolled down Calle Crisologo, the street at the epicentre of the old town. Typically, these heritage buildings utilise stone for the ground floor and timber for the upper level. Their ornate balconies, wrought iron lanterns and hefty arched doors are reminiscent of Spanish colonial era architecture in Latin America. Look more closely, however, and you’ll see the influence of Chinese-Ilocano culture, for instance, in the tiny panes of capiz shell used in place of glass.
Something felt a little off, though, and it took me a while to figure out what. This is a country where colourful jeepneys tear up city streets, horns blaring, and where the noise of trikes and motorbikes is ever-present. But this street was relatively quiet, save for the clip-clop of horseshoes and squeak of carriage wheels on uneven cobblestones. Motorised traffic is banned on this historic thoroughfare, and it’s all the better for it.
This delightful city, like its Cuban counterpart, was laid out in an easy-to-navigate grid. One of the most popular ways for visitors to venture beyond Calle Crisologo is by kalesa, a covered carriage pulled by a single horse. Though more efficient motorised transport led to their demise as a general form of transport in much of the Philippines, they still exist in Vigan and now primarily serve the tourist market. You can loop the streets that form the city’s historic core for less than NZ$9.
In the cool of early morning, a well-fed horse called Ferrari led me around downtown as a kutsero held the reins with one hand and pointed out places of interest with the other. He showed me the traditional pottery for which Vigan is famous: burnay. These unglazed earthenware jars were typically used to store provisions such as sugarcane wine (basi), fermented fish paste (bagoong), tea and vinegar. Another local handicraft worth investigating is textile weaving. Though you can buy the city’s traditional patterned cotton, called inabel, in any souvenir shop on Calle Crisologo, it’s worth venturing across the river to watch the handlooms in action.
Back to the kalesa: I alighted, as many do, at the Crisologo Museum. It was once the home of an influential politician. For a donation, you can venture inside. The juxtaposition of exhibits depicting Floro Crisologo’s everyday family life and gruesome news reports of his assassination made this a unique, if confronting, stop.
Feeling peckish, I made my way to the hawker stalls at the western edge of Plaza Padre Jose Burgos. I bought a couple of empanadas; as with Latin America, the Spaniards introduced this savoury pastry during the colonial era. Here, they’re served deep-fried, and as I wandered through the square, I could feel the grease soaking through the paper and on to my fingers. During my stay, I couldn’t resist trying another local culinary speciality, Vigan longganisa; this deliciously garlicky pork sausage is so popular it’s celebrated with its own annual festival.
Time slipped away from me as I pottered around the grid of streets bounded by the Govantes and Mestizo Rivers. I gravitated back to the plaza and fixed my eyes on the 17th-century church in front of me, the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Conversion of St Paul the Apostle, its beauty evident despite the scaffolding that shrouded its front facade.
As night fell, there was an exodus to neighbouring Plaza Salcedo, so I followed suit. Municipal buildings such as Ilocos Sur Capitol and Vigan City Hall flank this important square and are illuminated each evening. As people settled into the grandstands and bought glow-in-the-dark toys for their kids, a beam of light played with the top of a stone obelisk. A sound and light show followed, and as the fountains danced, I wasn’t the only one singing along to the music.
As I strolled back to my hotel along Calle Crisologo, I couldn’t help thinking how the similarities with Cuba went far beyond architecture: its family-friendly vibe wouldn’t have been out of place either.
Getting there
Flights between Auckland and Manila via Brisbane take as little as 12 hours (Havana is more like 32), from where it’s a short hop by plane and bus to reach Vigan.
Where to stay
Many heritage buildings have been converted into characterful yet cheap hotels. I stayed in My Vigan Home Hotel, one block away from Calle Crisologo (rooms from about $60).
The writer travelled independently.