Bali Hai Beach Resort, Bauang, La Union, Philippines
Tropical Relaxation by the SeaBali Hai Beach Resort, Philippines > Articles > The Soldier Who Saved Vigan
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We asked the curator about Captain Donato. She had never heard of him. As we left the museum a kid on a bicycle called, "Good afternoon sir." I waved back. Then it sank in - "Good afternoon sir"? What a change from "Hi Joe," that GI legacy so common in the south. We walked back along Burgos Street to the Cathedral of Vigan, one of the largest and oldest churches in the Philippines. Built in 1641, it replaced a wood and thatch chapel erected by Juan de Salcedo in 1574. The church was packed for the 3:30 mass, so we stood outside by the massive double wooden doors. A plaque set into the wall described Father Burgos's baptism here in 1837. On the same wall a poster advertised the opening of the Vera Cruz Skin Clinic on September 8, 1993. It looked strangely out of place. At the south end of Quezon Avenue we found the cemetery chapel. It was closed, but the gate to the cemetery was open. We walked among the marble tombstones and wondered at the strange mix of religious symbols and graffiti. A block away we came across another old house, also needing repair. A sign above the door said National Museum. The shutters were up and the wooden doors were bolted. No sign indicated when it would open - or, if it ever would. We asked a passer-by when the museum would open. She said, "Perhaps tomorrow." Our guide book said the Museum was mainly a tribute to "the good ole Marcos era."
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