By 9 A.M, we were in Bantay, a town quite near Vigan. It is the locale of the historic Bantay Bell Tower on top of a hill. It was used by our ancestors as part of the city's defense against possible enemies. Just a few steps away is the St. Augustine Church which was built in 1590. It is also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity.
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| Adoration Chapel |
You need to register at a Tourist Center tent in front of the gate of the Bell Tower. Entrance is free but a donation is appreciated. I just signed over my name and gave 50 pesos as our donation. There are several stairs to get to the base of the bell tower and once you are inside, more stairs to get to the top. It was a really warm, sunny day and I was sweating buckets so I opted to just wait for D as he made his way up the bell tower.
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| That's me with the umbrella. :D |
In 2005, my sister and I visited this bell tower. There was a caretaker who opened the gate for us. We were the only visitors so we both climbed to the top to catch an amazing view of the whole town. On our way down, I went a few steps ahead of my sister. When we were out and going back to the van we rented, my sister asked me if I saw a little boy who was on his way up. I said 'no, what?!!' There was no one else there, it was just the two of us. She was adamant and insisted there was a small boy. I still shudder and get the goosebumps when I remember this story. But that is NOT the reason I declined to go to the top, I was really dehydrated from sweating too much so I was wary about climbing.
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