Road to the Past – Crisologo Street @ Vigan, Philippines (1/15)

A short vacation I took this weekend helped me appreciate what my country has to offer.

Being one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Crisologo Street is one of the places in the Philippines which you can experience the past now. Being 400kms away from Manila, a 7 hour drive will take you to this place in the North. This place hosts a lot of nostalgic feelings but most importantly, it gives you a glimpse of the past. For those who doesn’t know, the Philippines was colonized by Spain for centuries thus, culture-wise there are more Spanish culture with a mix of Chinese (because of the traders who settled here) in spite of the colonization of America and Japan after.

Crisologo Street in particular is a maintained place, with minor repairs and modification done to the road and structures. This road is more commercial on the ground level and residential on the second floor which is a common house layout back then. I can just think that back then, what used to be sold here were the basic needs such as clothes, food and even pottery or furniture.

The roads here are made of brick and cars are restricted. The only vehicle that can pass here are carriage driven horses which is still considered a mode of transport of the place.

The beauty of Crisologo does not just awe people during the day but in the night, it remains jaw dropping. To replicate the candles that were used back then, yellow light is now used and the soft lights brings a unique feel of coziness and warmth.

Visiting the Philippines, if you are into cultural and heritage, this place will give you a more realistic feel of the past.