The House of Halo-Halo in La Union

Halo Halo de Iloko is not your ordinary halo-halo house. The artistry and great food of the place makes it a must place to visit in La Union. It was even certified by TripAdvisor.

Located at San Fernando City, Halo Halo de Iloko is very popular because of course of their halo-halo. Aside from halo-halo they offer other Filipino cuisine.

Travelers just need to ask the locals on how to get to the restaurant. For those who are commuting, you can just ride a tricycle and just ask the driver to drop you off at the place. The place can easily be spotted because of its colorful design. The structure of the place is just like an ordinary house.

We went to Halo Halo de Iloko for our lunch. It was our last day in La Union and we really want to savor the remaining hours of our vacation.

Halo Halo de Iloko offer a set meal that already consists of a rice, a viand of your choice and an iced tea. I've ordered their adobong pusit which I might say is very delicious. Unlike, the adobong pusit that is cooked in our house, their adobong pusit tasted like adobong manok or baboy. It has the right taste of sweetness. Their pusit is also soft and tender.

My friend ordered their best seller which is Binagoongang Baboy. Just like the pusit, the pork is tender and is not too much salty. The mangoes even complimented the taste.

Aside from the set meal, we've ordred their Bicol Express which has bits of the famous Ilocos Bagnets. 

Of course, we will not leave the place without trying their halo-halo. Their best seller is the Buko Halo-Halo wherein the ingredients of the halo-halo are placed in the Buko (coconut). Their halo-halo has ice cream, cheese, corn flakes, shredded coconut meat, tapioca pearls, jellies and pastillas. They also use carabao's milk for the halo-halo.

The place is also popular because of their unique designs. Below are some of the stuffs that we saw inside the restaurants.

Halo Halo de Iloko is at #12 Zandueta St. San Fernando City, La Union.

The Watchtower of La Union

Locals in La Union living in the coastline are usually fishermen. Early in the morning you can see them already selling their catch at the beach. It's very amusing to watch the everyday lives of the locals. You get to learn their culture and somehow understand their life.

Since La Union is a province in the sea, the place has some encountered with pirates in the past. Our ancestors built a watchtower in the town of Luna to which is used as a vantage point to look-out for pirates.

From San Fernando, the capital city of La Union, it will take an hour ride to get to Luna. The drop-off point to Luna by jeeps and buses are at the Church. From the church, you may ride a tricycle to bring you to the watchtower. You may ask the tricycle driver to wait for you because tricycle seldom goes to the place.

The watchtower is also known as the Baluarte however the sad thing is the locals are not familiar about the watchtower. We have asked some locals on how we can get to the place and they all said that they don't know about the watchtower. It's only when you get to the town of Luna where locals can give you directions to reach the watchtower.

The watchtower is situated just near the beach. There are also some houses built near the watchtower. It is very evident that the watchtower is a very old structure. Since the watchtower is on a public place, it has been neglected. There are a lot of trashes inside and outside the structure of the watchtower. 

Aside from the watchtower, the beach has beautiful colored pebbles. Locals sell the pebbles in a transparent bottle that cost for P30-50.00. Below are other pictures of the watchtower or Baluarte.