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Municipality in Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Photo: Giovanni G. Navata, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Paoay (pronounced as pa-wai) is a town in Ilocos Norte. One of the most visited places in the Ilocos region, it contains the summer residence of former Philippine president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos, a lake, a desert-like stretch of sand dunes, and a UNESCO World Heritage Roman Catholic Church.
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Saint Augustine Parish Church
A monumental church built in a mix of Baroque and Javanese architecture that took three centuries to complete. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993
Malacañang ti Amianan
President Marcos' official residence in Ilocos Norte, with a veranda overlooking Paoay Lake. Sequestered by the government following his overthrow in 1986, it was turned into a museum about him and his living conditions, although the exhibits mention nothing about his regime's abuses.
A stretch of sand dunes on the arid coastal plain stretching to Laoag that has also been used as a shooting location for desert scenes in domestic movies.
A natural lake with no connecting rivers said by folklore to be the site of a sunken community. It has been a national park since 1969.
Herencia
Serves Ilocano and Filipino fare. Its main specialty is Pinakbet Pizza, which was invented by the restaurant and features pizza topped by the ingredients of the signature Ilocano vegetable stew, including fermented fish paste (bagoong). Also has a Sunday breakfast buffet.
A Baroque-themed two-story commercial building containing souvenir stores and restaurants, with a colonnaded arcade for those seeking shelter from the scorching Ilocos sun.
The nearest airport is at Laoag, from which the Laoag-Paoay Road leads to Malacañang of the North, the Sand Dunes and then downtown Paoay with its church.
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Laoag City · International · LAO
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