Thanks to Governor Chavit Singson, Baluarte is now one of the must-see attractions in Vigan. Baluarte is owned by Governor Singson, a hectares of land where the Governor’s multi-storey house sits. The mini zoo which is open to the public is a private collection of the Governor from all over the world and others indigenous to the Philippines which he generously shares to the public for free. Yes it is incredible to point out that admission to Baluarte is FREE.
Let me share some of my photos:
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The mini zoo unlike others of its kind, offers a close encounter with the animals, the kids and young at heart will enjoy watching these animals just walking around the park and interacting with the visitors. But please teach your kids how to respect the animals.
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Below picture on the left is a llama, a South American camelid. On the right is my shot of the kids enjoying "tiburin", a small horse-drawn carriage.
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Here is my niece enjoying her close encounter with a colorful parrot. she wants to take it home afterwards..
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And here are the kids.. all smiles! The problem with bringing kids to your travels is that they are not easy to please, they don't enjoy historical walks. So after shopping for "burnay" (locally known as tapayan or banga) and the kids are already sulking, bring them here and for sure it would be your time to sulk since they won't let you leave early!
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Nakakatuwa pamangkin mo! I remember when I went to Baluarte, I had an encounter with the monkey. Everybody was laughing when the monkey run after me, I thought he'll grab my hair so I run away! He's so fast! He grabbed my bag and took my toothpaste and eyeglasses. Good thing the caretaker was able to get back my eyeglasses but not the toothpaste because the monkey already put it inside his mouth lol!
ReplyDeletehaha nakakatawa naman! takot din ako lumapit sa monkey you won't know kasi baka bigla ka nalang sunggaban.. hehe
DeleteI've been there last July 20. Daming Animals kaya lang quick lang kami kasi maulan. :(
ReplyDeleteBaluarte is one of the place I want to visit in Ilocos.
ReplyDeleteI like the tiger. hmmm.. it is definitely a must see park
ReplyDeletei like places like this. It gives children a chance to experience being with animals. I think teaching kids to be compassionate with animals would mold them into better human beings in the future. I havent been there but I will surely love to when I have the time!
ReplyDeleteIf Vigan was a stone's throw away from where we live, my daughter and I would probably be in Baluarte every single day! She loves animals. I've been to Vigan once, but haven't visited Baluarte.
ReplyDeleteMy sister's family often visits the place, the owner is a good friend and she would post photos of them there, her son can be seen enjoying the view of animals, would surely enjoy it there too! Nice place!
ReplyDeletei can see that... most zoos don't have dinosaur in them... (LOL). kids and photo enthusiasts would surely love to visit this place. nice shots. Yahweh bless.
ReplyDeleteWow cool! I didn't know na meron ganitong place here. I'll be sure to keep this in mind when we take a vacation next year.
ReplyDeleteYes this is an exciting adventure for the kids and adults alike and the best thing is it's FREE, talagang for public consumption sya.. kudos to Gov. Singson!!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the few decent zoos we have here in the Philippines. Kudos to Gov. Singson for making this available to the public for the kids to really appreciate and have a love for the animals. It's good that you mentioned about parents teaching the kids to respect the animals. I've seen a lot of kids in zoos that mistreat the animals there and it's really heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteWhy is the tiger being chained? Isn't it supposed to be roaming around? I'm quite sad for it. :(
ReplyDeleteyeah so far sya lang nakita kong naka chain, for the security of the kids na din for sure. It's not safe din kasi to have tigers roaming around.
DeleteIts good to know that there is such a thing as Baluarte being offered for the enjoyment of the public for free.
ReplyDeleteThis is the place I want to visit; we planned to go there with my officemate. Sayang hindi kami natuloy. I wish to go there someday :-).
ReplyDeleteThe place looks so awesome! I love watching this show in Lifestyle Network called "Fabulous Beekman Boys", and they have a llama. Their llama is such a diva! But that just added more charm to it. ;) Would love to visit this place soon :)
ReplyDeleteAll of us at hoe love animals and one thing na nag iisa akong amused is the snake. I love the feeling cuddling it.. basta tanggalan lang muna nila ng kamandag haha...:D
ReplyDeleteOMG snake! antapang nyo ma'am.. di ko sya kayang hawakan.. hehe
DeleteOh this is an awesome Zoo. It would be great to bring my siblings in here.
ReplyDeletenice!!! may ganyan pala sa pinas?! kakapangilabot ung snake!!! kapatid ko nakatira sa vigan.. would love to visit places dyan pag bakasyon namin! keeping my fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful thing that they offer it for the public for free. The zoo looks amazing and your kids seem to have a lot of fun! :)
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