VIGAN                   

The Americans left behind McDonald's, the Japanese left behind bombed ruins, and the Spanish left behind Vigan—now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thank­fully, the city was spared the devastation that gutted Manila's Intramuros, leaving one of the TRANSPORTATION. The Philippine Rabbit terminal, on Gov. Reyes St., is the origin of buses to: Baguio (4hr., every hr. 5am-llpm); Laoug; and Manila (8hr). Dominion Bus Lines, near the south end of Quezon Ave., sends buses to Manila (8-10 per day 4:30am-10pm  ). The Partas terminal  is south of the public market, with buses to Cubao in Manila (every 30-60min. 4:45am-10:30pm).

ORIENTATION AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION. Vigan lies west of the Mestizo River. Its grid-patterned streets are easily covered on foot or by horse-drawn calesa. Quezon Ave., parallel to the river, intersects P. Burgos St. on the east side of the city's main plaza area. The main plaza area is beside Municipal Hall, which houses the police station (166). The newly restored Mena Crisologo St., dis­tinguished by its cobblestones and antique shops, runs south of Plaza Burgos near the provincial tourist office (open daily 8am-5pm). One block south of Burgos St., Florentino St. runs east-west and passes a branch of Philippine National Bank, with a 24hr. ATM. Gen. Luna St. is home to the PT&T Telephone Office, (Open M-W 7am-8pm, Th-F 8am-8pm, Sa-Su 8am-5pm.) The Gabriela Silang General Hospital is on Quirino Blvd., which runs north-south on the east side of town along the river. (169Open 24hr. English spoken.) Farmacia Fernandina is on Quezon Ave., between Bonifacio and Gen. Luna St. Open daily 7am-10pm.) Internet access is available at Powernet, 32 Gov. A. Reyes St., just west of Mena Crisologo St. The post office is one block past the bank on Bonifacio St., near the corner of Gov. A. Reyes St. Postal code: 2700.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND FOOD. Grandpa's Inn ©, 1 Bonifacio St., on the corner of Quirino Blvd., not far from the river, is an affordable way to experience old-world chic. El Juliana Hotel O, 5 Liberation, on the corner of Quirino Blvd., in the southeastern corner of town, recreates the Spanish villa experience. The swim­ming pool is open to the public 7am-6pm and 6-1 lpm . The Vigan Hotel ©, at the corner of P. Burgos St. and V. Pelos Reyes, features spacious rooms. The comfortable Gordion Inn , on V Delos Reyes St., offers comfortable rooms with large beds, A/ C, cable TV, private bath, and complimentary breakfast.

Street vendors O along Plaza Burgos serve Spanish empanadas, deep-fried rice tortillas filled with local vegetables or meat and eggs , and okoy, crispy shrimp and onion pancakes, from late afternoon until early morning. Cafe Floresita , set within attractive arches by the Ancieto Mansion, has fabulous longganiza. Cafe Leona Restaurant & VIdeoke Bar , on Mena Crisologo St., is Vigan's sole outlet for Thai and Japanese entrees. The "ice tea"  is actually fully frozen. The 8.88 Restaurant and Pool Hall , on Rizal Ave., draws a local crowd with pool tables and a variety of entrees, from squid balls  to longsilog , a combination of egg, fried garlic rice, and longganiza. (Open daily 8am-2am.) Cool Spot Restaurant, behind the Vigan Hotel on Quirino Blvd., is a local favorite renowned for its homemade bag-net and longganiza.best-preserved of Spain's 16th-century colonial holdings in Asia.

SIGHTS. The legacy of the Spanish conquistadores is well preserved in the town's architecture, but Vigan has also been shaped by its participation in the lucrative galleon trade with Europe, Asia, and Mexico. Rowilda's Hand Loom, on Crisologo St. near Cordillera Inn, is reminiscent of the hand-weaving craft that once contributed to the international textile trade of colonial times. (Woven hand- bags. Open daily 8am-6pm.) Pagburnayan Potteries, on the corner of Liber­ation Blvd. and Rizal St., produces the stoneware burnayjar used by the Ilocanos to store everything from vinegar to wine. A water buffalo squashes the clay under hoof, and mammoth wood-fired kilns bake the sculpted clay. Padre Burgos House National Museum, 6 Burgos St., adjacent to St. Paul's Cathedral, commemorates the death of Padre Burgos, one of the most famous Chinese mestizo residents of Vigan, whose martyrdom in 1872 galvanized the revolutionary movement. On dis­play, among other things, are ancient itneg (ovens) of the Tinggian tribe, which were recently discovered inside a bat cave in Ilocos Sur. (Open Tu-Su 8:30-11:30am and l:30-4:30pm.) Crisologo Museum, 23 Liberation Blvd., is another ancestral home that has evolved into a museum. This former residence of con­gressman, governor, and war hero Floro Crisologo contains icons and natural his­tory exhibits. (Open daily 8:30-ll:30am and l:30-4:30pm.) St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral, the unfortunately orange-colored yet striking church on N. Segovia St., is an example of distinctive "Earthquake Baroque" architecture. Attached to it is the Museo de San Pablo, a religious museum with life-size Jesuses. West of the cathedral is Plaza Salcedo, an elevated elliptical plaza, former site of public execu­tions, which features a 17th-century statue—the oldest in Northern Luzon.