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T H E A R T I S T ’ S W A Y
I spent the majority of my day walking
around most of the city center, taking
in the sights, buying what souvenirs
and
pasalubong
I found fascinating,
when I stumbled upon a corner that I
thought perfectly captured the sense
of the city: The Old World meeting the
New. I saw this old house that had been
renovated into an eatery. Traces of the
old structure — the second floor had
walls of dark, weathered wood and
large window frames with capiz
panels — remained, while the lower
half had been changed into something
else. There are many of such structures
around the city, and the
whole interplay between old and
new seems to be a running theme. It
makes Laoag one of those delightfully
storied and often picturesque
destinations. It was evening when I
ended my walkabout and as I headed
back to my hotel, I espied charming
scenes of the unhurried life — children
playing in the streets, grownups
amiably chatting with one another as
they made their way home from work
—
and for a moment I forgot that Laoag
is a bustling stop on the tourist map.
Just one of the many contradictions
that make it worth a visit.
Cebu Pacific flies to Laoag from Manila,
