A Blast
from the Past
I am a big fan of old houses that are centuries
old. When I first visited Vigan, I was really thrilled and excited, but the
shops along the old pavement made me feel so disappointed.
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| December 2016 |
You see, when you are inside a century
old house, it tells you a lot of things particularly their way of life back in the olden
times. The house itself talks to me in
so many other ways.
So when I heard about Las Casas
Filipinas de Acuzar in Bacag, Bataan, I told myself “I have to see this for myself."
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar means "houses in the Philippines" and the idea of putting these historical houses from different parts of the country in one place came from Mr. Acuzar.
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| Behind me is Hotel De Oriente. According to them, the original structure was destroyed during the Second World War. This is just a replica. |
It was on the 24th of
December 2017 when our family decided to have a feel of it. We had a day tour
before our check in time, and I must say: the place definitely
brought us back in time!
Tip: Join the day tour
in the morning before your check – in time. The tour itself is one and a half-hour, therefore it’s something that
you will not do anymore once you are officially checked in. You can spend it in
other things like swimming, and more selfies!
Checking-in is not the usual. Guests are only allowed to park in the
designated area which is outside the resort. There's a drop off point (Casa
Manila) where you can leave your baggage while checking in or doing your day
tour in the morning. Then, once everything is settled, ride a jeepney (for
free) to proceed to your hotel or to Casa Lubao where the Day Tour starts. Tip: BE A LIGHT PACKER!
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| Our service going to Plaza Escolta, where we spent our Christmas Eve |
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| the view from the second floor of Casa Manila |
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| Waiting for their turn to be transported to their hotels. It was a little inconvenient to those with big families |
Day tour starts at Casa Lubao. I have not much to say. The whole experience was so overwhelming that I focused more on taking souvenir shots than listening to our guide. My daughter was even telling me: "Mommy, please listen." What an irony. Here's a little girl telling a teacher to listen.
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| Gabrila Silang in red skirt... |
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| Ceilings are original! |
Next stop is Casa Luna.
The house was originally from La Union. It was said that it belonged to the Uncle of the famous Luna brothers. It has passageways intended for aliping sagigilid. According to our tour guide, these alipins were not allowed to mingle with their masters. They shouldn't be seen. They use a particular term for this pasilyo; I just forgot.
Anyway, the artifacts inside this house belong to Mr. Acuzar and it was fascinating to see where most of our things now a days came from.
The bridges are replicas of the old bridges in the past-- sort of European style.
Below are other sights to see. Old houses turned into hotels with private pools and staircases leading to the river to serve as docking areas of the balsa in case the occupants want one.
