ilocos sur: where the sun meets my chaos
i woke up to a ceiling fan whirring like it was judging me. ilocos sur is that kind of place where you either embrace the sun or hope it doesn’t notice you. the air smells like lechon grilling and regret. last night, i stayed in a room that smelled like old rice wine and a dream. i checked the weather, expecting something dramatic, but it’s just 25.26°C. dry. balanced. like my soul after three cups of ilocos coffee.
last week, i met a neighbor who claimed the local market had the best balut. he was insistent. i didn’t ask for details. i trust him less now. if you ask him, he’ll tell you the street food here is a myth. some people swear by the tatao, others say it’s just overcooked tofu. i ate both. the tatao was fine. the balut? i’m still questioning life choices.
i heard that the nearest bus station is a 10-minute walk, but i drove. bad decision. google maps told me to take a left, but the left led me to a flock of geese that aggressively stole my fries. it’s a civic duty here. geese are guardians of snacks. on a related note, someone told me that the provincial government is building a sculpture garden. i didn’t believe it. what do they know? they couldn’t even fix the wifi in my hostel. i checked tripadvisor for the hostel. 3 stars. reviews said the owner ‘meditates during breakfast.’ i’m still waiting for the peace.
last night, a local brave enough to sell me street-side tikling. it’s chicken feet, right? or is it something harder? i ate it. i survived. the braai master said it was a delicacy. i’m 70% sure he was high. we’re both unsure about this dish. i added it to my list of ‘experiences to Google later.’
for context, i’m rolling through here with a backpack, a DSLR, and a laptop that’s probably slower than your grandma’s dial-up. my goal is to freelance photos of sunsets that don’t exist. also, to find a yoga class that doesn’t cost a month’s rent. i passed a sign for one called ‘zen in the pigeon city.’ pigeons? really? i didn’t ask. i didn’t want to. i did ask about the coffee. ilocos coffee is strong. it’s also the reason i couldn’t sleep last night. i half-dreamed of a cappuccino.
i linked into a local fb group. the first post was about a hidden sourdough bakery. someone warned me not to trust the baker. he’s allegedly mixing flour with sand. i went anyway. the bread was good. maybe not sand. maybe just underseasoned. i posted a yelp review. it said ‘delicious but we miss the crust.’ i’m not sure who ‘we’ is. maybe the pangas. maybe the pigeons.
the sun is still up. 25.26°C. feels like a midlife crisis alarm clock. if you get bored, san francisco is a short flight. or vigan. those cities are just trips away. i heard vigan’s beach is sandy. no one told me. i’m still calculating how much sand to pack.
i found an unsplash photo of a road with banana trees. it’s not the best. here:
. another one of a market scene. maybe. and then a photo of a dog that looks like it’s judging me.
. finally, a beach vibe with waves that look like they’re texting.
.
i’m still here. the roof leaks. the geese are gone. but i have a story. ilocos sur is not for the faint of heart. it’s for the weird, the hungry, and the ones who want to type this kind of sentence. i’ll be back. probably. maybe. tripadvisor says it’s okay. yelp says it’s a scam. don’t listen to either. trust your geese.
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