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Old
world
charm
On a quick tour of Laoag
in Ilocos Norte, illustrator
Rob Cham brushes up on
history in a city where the
past is firmly in the present
I’D BEEN TO LAOAG
a few times before:
once on a school field trip, and another
time for someone’s funeral. I had enjoyed
my visits from before so I was keen to
take on this assignment: fly in, scope out
what remains of its past as one of the
northern country’s main outposts, sketch
what sights I find interesting, and fly back
out. As soon as my e-ticket popped up in
my inbox, I readied a small backpack and
put in a change of clothes, my sketchbook,
and other things I would need to do this
job. Two days later I was off. After less than
an hour’s flight, I landed to find a charming
small city that had grown, around
remnants of its former glory.
