Past Revisited

Whenever we go to a new place, we would always incorporate little "education" for the children like visiting museums and animal parks. I remember when they were still so young, we brought them already to National Museum in Manila. I don't think there was already appreciation that time, but we believe there is really never too early for knowledge.  You root them so they will not go astray later on. When we were in Singapore for instance, we went to their Asian Museum on the first day and then we visited their zoo and bird parks and sanctuaries. When the Underground River in Puerto Prinsesa was declared as one of the New Seven Wonders Of Nature, we immediately booked our summer vacation in Palawan. Of course, Anjo has been so persistent asking us to go to Disneyland (even in HK, she pleas). In time, we said. 

This year, we are looking forward to the opening of the The Louvre in Abu Dhabi. Paris is still a dream, so for now, we are truly grateful that UAE is giving us an opportunity to see the universal collections of paintings. I heard opening is 2015, so heads up!

When we were in the Philippines for our short vacation, we booked the whole family in a heritage village in Bataan. It's a collection of old houses bought from several owners from different provinces. It was a good educational trip for the children. 

 This was where we spent the night. Wala namang multo, don't worry.


Some of the houses

 This church is still under construction.

 This also.

 There was a cultural show when we were there. Our hotel room was the one behind the dancers. So could just have stayed in our veranda to watch the shows.

Some of the houses looked familiar to me, even their furniture, their woods and lamps because my paternal grandmother's family was once the owner of a grand house in Mindoro. My lola who had a strong Spanish features grew up in a prominent family which explained why she and her other sisters had fine demeanor. During our tour, the guide was telling us about how the wealthy families would treat their alipin and I could very well attest to the veracity of what she was telling. 

When I was younger, I was told by my mother that my grandmother (my father's mother) and her siblings had their own "slaves" following them wherever they would go. I even told my husband that some of these slaves even up to their old age had remained their "alila" because I would see them before cleaning the house and washing the dishes in the old house. 

Of course, my grandparents went bankrupt when my grandfather became paralyzed and was unable to effectively supervise the vast tract of lands. He lost the authority over the whole property and later on he just have to make do of my grandmother's inheritance. It was still a lot though and we still have them until now, but due to his illness that time, harvest was not maximized due to cheating of the caretakers. My father and his other siblings had to send themselves to school while being servants  to their rich cousins. Hard time for them, indeed.

Anyway, back to the houses...

 The village has also a nice beach. They have a lot of activities too.

I have a lot of photos but you might get bored. If you're looking for an adventure, this Las Casas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan is surely worth your time. Better to stay longer so you'll have time to explore their beach and aquatic activities. Foods were good but please bring money. It's expensive, I tell you. Don't buy their halo halo, it's Php178.00 and it's just an ordinary halo halo. Maraming lahok but no science applied. If you know what I mean. :)

Happy Summer Philippines!