Bauang is a coastal town in La Union. Long dismissed as a stopover on the way to the provincial capital, San Fernando, and the more famous beaches of San Juan, it has its own attractive beaches and heritage monuments of interest.
Understand
[edit]Bauang is one of the oldest towns in La Union, having existed in the precolonial era as a coastal trading post for Chinese, Japanese, Ilocano and Cordilleran traders. It was conquered by the Spanish in 1572 and officially established as a town in 1590. Its name derives from the local word for garlic, a common crop in the Ilocos Region.
Bauang is the second largest settlement in La Union, after San Fernando, and is frequently regarded as a suburb of the provincial capital. It was also the original beach getaway of La Union in the 1970s and is also the Fruit Basket of the North for its production of grapes, guapples (apple-shaped guavas) and other fruits.
Get in
[edit]Bauang is along Route 2 (Manila North Road). Buses also ply this highway. It is also the terminus of Naguilian Road (Quirino Highway, Route 54), the main thoroughfare to Baguio for those coming from the Ilocos provinces.
Get around
[edit]Tricycles are the main form of transportation in town.
See
[edit]- 1 Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church (Bauang Church), Nera Street, Central East. Bauang's main Roman Catholic church, built during the Spanish era in a Baroque style in 1590 and consistently repaired to its original state following multiple earthquakes and wars.
- 2 Bauang Bakawan Eco-Tourism Park, Parian Oeste – Nagrebcan Road. An extensive ecotourism reserve featuring mangroves (bakawan) along the coasts of Barangays Parian Oeste, Pudoc, and Payocpoc Sur
- 3 Mount Kabugbugan, Palugsi-Limmansangan. The highest point in Bauang with a height of 251 metres (823 ft). Its peak offers commanding views of Lingayen Gulf.
- 4 Arguilla House, Manila North Road, Nagrebcan. A colonial-era house belonging to Manuel Arguilla, one of the leading English-language Ilocano writers during the American period who was beheaded by the Japanese in 1944 for joining the guerrilla resistance during World War II.
- 5 Bauang Watchtower Ruins, Pugo. The remains of a Spanish-era watchtower meant to guard against pirates and foreign invaders from the South China Sea. The site was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government in 2015.
- 6 Taberna Beach, Taberna.
Do
[edit]- 1 Gapuz Grape Farm, Manila North Road, Urayong, ☏ +63 917 554 0966, [email protected]. 7AM-6PM. Established in 1980, it is one of 61 grape farms in the area after it was found that Bauang's semi-arid soil and climate was ideal for growing the fruit. Offers grape-picking to be paid by weight.
- 2 Nariz Grapes Farm, Manila North Road, Payocpoc Norte Oeste, ☏ +63 966 927 3397, [email protected]. 8AM–5PM.
Buy
[edit]- 1 Bauang Commercial Center, Manila North Road, Central West.
Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]- 1 Ciano Umok Gallery Cafe, Palugsi-Limmansangan. A cafe and art gallery featuring folk and local artworks.
Sleep
[edit]Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]| Routes through Bauang |
| Vigan ← San Fernando ← | N  S
|
→ Caba → Urdaneta |
| END ← | W  E
|
→ Naguilian → Baguio |