Old Quirino Bridge

Visited the bridge twice - once during the day and later on at night. During the day you can appreciate the history of the bridge and look at the beautiful river. At night, the vibe is completely different and in my opinion the most beautiful. The entire length of the bridge is decorated with different lights and the sound of Filipino folk music. The hills of both sides have projected lights/messages on them while the iconic “One Ilocos Sur” sign is lit up.

Looks very old! It feels like you're time traveling to some 20 years in the past. No tour guides to tell us the history of the bridge, but it must have been revolutionary at the time it was built because it's made of metal. In the older days, local bridges were usually made out of wood. There are old-looking, tall lamps (unlit) along both sides. If you've seen San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in California in the US that's red orange, well, this bridge gives some similar vibes because of the wind. This is the Ilocos' local version of an old scenic bridge and it's white! The inside height is smaller, the width narrower, and it's simply fun to waltz in. The landmark to this bridge, if you're coming in from the side where the mountains are on the left side, was a set of 10 commandments of the old testament Bible in stone written in the local tongue on the side of the mountain. If you see that, then you're at the right spot. The old bridge is named after former President Elpidio Quirino, the second president after World War 2 of the Third Republic following Manuel Roxas and of a liberated Philippines. As to why it was named after him and why there's an old testament there, we don't know because there are no tour guides nearby. The wind really blows here. Be careful that you don't fall of the bridge or even pretend that you're going to fall for some stunt. Even your cellphone might fall into the water while you're doing selfie if you're not careful. The place seems too empty and it's really windy. We stood a distance away from the railings to be sure. Kids stayed at the center. It was too windy that your hair can get messed up unless tied down properly. The view of the mountains and the water passing through under the bridge was most spectacular. The height of the water from the bridge isn't that far off either, but it can still be daunting if you don't like heights. Since the old bridge runs parallel to the new bridge, you can see how important it is to connect these two sides. Vehicles are not allowed to pass through the old bridge anymore, but we saw 2 vehicles way over the other side of the bridge with other tourists. Maybe they came in from another entrance without knowing that it's not safe or allowed anymore for vehicles to pass through. I don't think I've seen any signs informing people that the old bridge is for people only and not for vehicles. There's also no sign of the opening and closing hours for the bridge. We arrived here at 4pm. At 4:30pm, the bridge was barred for pedestrian tourists. So glad we got to have our photos before then. The couple who arrived in a motorcycle could not enter the bridge by then to take pictures. Straight ahead looked like some shops, but we didn't have the time to check it out. The ones guarding the bridge were stationed on that side too. On the way back, we passed by the scenic route and through the new bridge alongside the old one.