Going to Taal Heritage Town was an eye-opener. At first, I was skeptical. I have never been on that side of Batangas. Enjoy sana yun trip going there except inabutan kami ng Saturday traffic at nakipagsabayan kami sa mga weekenders. Sabayan pa ng saksakan ng init —welcome na welcome namin ang summer along SLEX.
Almost 3 hours ang lakbay from Makati via SLEX and Cuenca papuntang Taal. You pass through Lemery before you get to the arko of Taal Heritage Town.
Fun fact: Dahil sa Heritage Act of 2008 ang mga old Spanish Colonial houses and mansions sa Taal ay bawal baguhin or gibain. Pwede lang silang ayusin or i-refurbish.
Kung trip mo ang history, particularly Philippine revolutionary history, dapat mong puntahan ang Taal Heritage Town. Ang mas nakakatuwa pa dito sa lugar na ito, ang mga bayaning pinagpipitagan ay puro kababaihan. Double pride naman ako and extremely inspired sa mga kwento tungkol sa matatapang at magagaling na kababaihan ng Katipunan – Marcela Agoncillo and Gliceria Villavicencio were the most prominent ones.
The corner of this carpet saved the lives of katipuneros, thanks to the courage and patriotism of a WOMAN, Gliceria Villavicencio, the Godmother of the Philippine Revolution.
Maraming “living museums” ang matatagpuan sa Heritage Town. These are houses that are preserved and open to the public for viewing and tinitirhan pa din ng mga may-ari, usually the great great descendants of the original owners. Some have been turned into quaint bed-and-breakfast places, others into novelty stores, galleries, cafés, etc. Kung hindi lang brownout, we could have gone around and gone to more places, pero hindi pa uso ang generator sa mga establishments and mukhang hindi reliable and BATELCO according to the residents. Kaya brace yourselves at baka machempo din kayo sa brown-out pag bumisita kayo.
SUPER-BOCK??!!
My favorite memory from this place would have to be the Crispy Tawilis
Our quaint little room for the weekend.
Another fantastic attraction is the Basilica of St. Martin. It’s an amazing structure. We even got to go all the way up to the bell tower and got a full view of the town and the nearby bay. We were told by April of FlipTrip that it takes about 10-15 minutes from the Basilica to the water’s edge. Wala nga lang maayos na resorts…yet.
It looks massive.. because it is.
View from the bell tower.
Marami pang pwedeng i-develop sa Heritage Town. And I am looking forward to watching it become a prime tourist destination in the Philippines.
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