In the countries of south-eastern Asia hostels barely compete with the cheapest accommodations around. But they offer much better quality and a pleasant bakpacker’s atmosphere.
The Philippines are no exception. I’ve decided to visit at least one HI hostel and the most attractive was the hostel Villa Angela in the city of Vigan on north of the largest island of Luzon. I was attracted by the image of the old colonial house that was accepting travellers since 1987. The house is still owned by the Versoza family, which built it in the 1870. The young manager Ninay has gained my attention to stay at the hostel with photos of the interior, which give the hostel a rustic feel. The actual rooms made an even greater impression on me, with their size and stylistic furniture – it was like stepping into another time. I stayed at the smallest room, which still had enough room for two carved wooden beds with a baldachin. Similar beds are in all six rooms. In one of them, even the famous actor Tom Cruise spent a night – in the Cuarto de senior (master’s chambers) – back in 1989. At the time the movie Born on the 4th of July was made (and received two academy awards). It is a movie about a Vietnamese veteran, who returns home handicapped. The movie was made in tribute to the real life story of Ron Kovic. The scene from the restaurant was shot in one of the old Vigan’s houses. Tom Cruise was fascinated with the hospitality of Ninaya’s grandmother and the atmosphere of the old house, as well as the traditional island food. The food was prepared by Manang Claring, who still spoils the guests with her culinary masterpieces. If you are in this part of the world, you should definitely stop by for a traditional breakfast of rice with fried eggs, tomatoes and a typical sausage longganisa, with taste similar as our Slovenian “pečenice.” All the time the guests can get free coffee, tea and wi-fi access. For a board with breakfast you need to pay 30€ (or more – depending on the comfort of you accommodations). The lowest price is for the largest room (with 12 beds) for backpackers.
Hostel also prides itself with a sun terrace and a large garden. The location is prime, for it is only ten metres away from the stone street with the most beautiful colonial houses. The street has many shops and restaurants and is a real promenade and is closed off for traffic. The only exceptions are chariots with small horses. These take tourists on romantic exploration of this not too large city. The streets are especially lively at the end of January, when celebrations are prepared in honour of the local patron. There are several parades organized, slowly passing the hostel. Each parade is in honour of a religious procession and there are several festivities in the evening. Among these festivities there should also be different beauty contests. The events are also accompanied with numerous stands with various food and trinkets. Most delicious are the empanada. They are some pockets made of dough, filled with vegetables and meat, which originate from South America, but have reached these islands with the Spanish colonists, who made Philippines their home. In addition I also had some pancakes, fried bananas and some local cupcakes, which are made fresh in the local bakeries.
A tricycle discovery ride
Despite the tourist feel, the prices are fairly moderate. Actually they are low if compared to European prices. Lunch (on, not to large portions) can be bought for one or two Euros. About half of that would be enough for a local beer and even less for non-alcoholic beverages. The best way to get to know the city is on foot. But if you’re arriving with your hands full of luggage, it’s better to get a taxi or maybe even better a picturesque motorised tricycle. With these the locals transport up to five travellers with luggage at once. If there’s not enough room in the back, you go up front with the driver and as the last possible resort you can also travel on roof. Most drivers are honest, but it’s good to ask some locals for a price, before you decide to take a ride. Moving around the city is usually around 10 cents, but for longer distances it can take more. I’ve paid 1,50€ to get enjoy a little swim in the ocean. The best beach is some five kilometres away. The beach is attractive at the first glance already, but the long miles of sand with no shade quickly turn out to be quite useless. You can splash around in warm water, but after that you should go back to the city. The beach doesn’t have and places to retrieve to from the hot sun. Tricycles are also good for visiting local markets, where you can get various tropic fruit that really does have full flavour. The banana are already different from what you can buy back home, not to mention mango, papaya, pineapples… And if you arrive in the durian season (in winter) you should try and taste it. Some people are discouraged by the smell, but others – like myself – cannot get enough of the creamy inside, which reminds me off vanilla pudding.
Vigan is some 500 kilometres from the capital of Manila. Both are connected by bus lines. Most of the distance is covered by highways, still the ride can take up to 10 hours. Most of this is because there are many stops (not on scheduled stations), heavy traffic and driver’s breaks (who love to have a little snack and drink). Fares are cheap, for you would only have to pay 12€ for such a long drive. The buses are fairly modern and equipped with air conditioning (set way too low) and a DVD player. Many people are not impressed by them, for they usually play very violent action movies.
