Travel Throwback: A Visit to the Puzzle Mansion

Have you experienced to visit a house full of jigsaw puzzles? If you experienced that, do you want to have your own collection of jigsaw puzzles? Can you collect and solve thousand of jigsaw puzzles? 

Last summer, I visited the Puzzle Mansion, the house which holds the record of world's largest puzzle collection by the Guiness Book of World Records. It is  located at Barangay Asisan, Tagaytay City. which can be found in a hilly terrain the midst of pineapple fields.

The Puzzle Mansion has a puzzle museum, a puzzle store, an infinity pool, a ten room Bed & Breakfast, a function room with capacity for 400 guests and a garden.

The mansion is somewhat hidden and you can enjoy the view in the midst of pineapple fields.

If you are traveling with groups, you may ride the customized Puzzle Mansion jeep where the fare is worth P10.00

In order to get there, you need to take a bus going to Tagaytay City. After that, you will stop on the arch of Barangay Asisan where you can ride a tricycle going to Puzzle Mansion. The curved roads going to the mansion are thrilling and when you get there, it is your choice to ride on their customized jeep created by Sarao Motors, one of the leading jeepney makers in the country.

When I get there, I decided to try their shuttle service to the mansion and it feels good, but it is better to have my friends in riding their customized jeepney. Then, when I get there to the mansion. it was very overwhelming to see a collection of puzzles. There are approximately one thousand jigsaw puzzles which are collected by Gina Gil Lacuna. She was awarded in 2012 by the Guiness World of Records with her 1,028 puzzles.

Inside the Puzzle Museum, you can see solved jigsaw puzzles of different artworks, famous personalities, landmarks and tourist attractions. In addition, you can also see wooden puzzles, spherical puzzles, and 3D puzzles in the museum.

One of the largest jigsaw puzzles in the mansion.

The section for Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles.

Different landmarks around the world are featured in 3D Puzzles.

Spherical puzzles from cartoon characters, underwater life and fruits.

Aerial views of the cities such as London, Tokyo, New York City and Paris in a 3D Puzzle. 

Putting Puppies

The jigsaw puzzle of "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most favorite attractions in the museum.

Coca Cola Puzzle from collected small leaflets

The portrait of Pope John Paul II in a jigsaw puzzle.

The forty-four presidents of the United States.

Wooden dinosaur puzzles

"The Watchers"

In the second floor of the museum, you can see the largest jigsaw puzzle with 32,000 pieces created by Keith Harring. This puzzle has vibrant colors but it is gigantic and a massive challenge for puzzle lovers. In addition, there's a puzzle shop where you can buy jigsaw puzzles or even spherical, wooden or crystal puzzles in which you can assemble in your home. You can also enjoy assembling puzzles in the Puzzle Station.

The largest jigsaw puzzle in the world with more than 32,000 pieces with its pastel colors.

Puzzle Mansion Store

In 2016, I want to come back in the Puzzle Mansion to get to know more about the Puzzles as well with different artworks. I realized that Puzzles are considered as a big help in improving your intellect and academic performance. It will serve as an aid in Geography and to enhance assembling and logical skills. Before I left the place, I bought a  Jigsaw Puzzle with 300 pieces featuring a Kitten on a picture. One of these days, I will come back again in the Puzzle Mansion and I will try to visit more than three times next year or if possible, to have an overnight stay with the family or friends.

My Instamag collage of the Jigsaw Puzzle that I bought in Puzzle Mansion.

Puzzle Mansion is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday) and 7:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday). They are located at Purok 4, Cuadra St., Brgy. Asisan, Tagaytay City. Entrance fee is worth P100.00 including kids.

Date of Travel: April 11, 2015

Travel Throwback: The Climb to Callao Cave

One of the most memorable experiences in our vacation in Cagayan Valley was the trek to Callao Cave. This is one of the most popular tourist spots in the town of Penablanca. I can tell that I need to treasure this moment because it is the first time that I visit a cave and seeing limestone formations such as stalactites and stalagmites. 

Penablanca is a town located in the eastern boundary, a long stretch of the Pacific Ocean. The town got its name from a Spanish friar because of its white rocks. The first settlers of this town were a group of hunters from Tuguegarao. They adopted the kaingin method of farming and they occupied the part of the town which is now called as the poblacion. Penablanca was considered by the Spaniards as a hunter's paradise because of the abundance of wildlife such as wild pigs, deer and wild birds of various kinds are found there. In addition, it is rich in verdant forests, vast agricultural lands and the abundant marine life in lakes and rivers.

Penablanca is nestled in the foothills of Sierra Madre mountain range and it is the home of caves particularly the Callao Cave. It is a seven chamber show cave and one of the three hundred caves that dot the area. It was visited by Governor-General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. in 1932 and it is one of the earliest national parks in the country which was established in 1935. 

Callao Caves is one of the ecotourism zones in the province of Cagayan.

Today, Callao Cave is an ecotourism spot in the town of Penablanca and one of the popular tourist spots in Cagayan Province which visited by several local and foreign tourists. It is located in Barangay Magdalo and it features more than 300 caves in the area.

The Pinacanauan River, river system flowing along the Penablanca Protected Area,

There are 184 concrete steps before you reached the Callao Cave.

Parents should teach the young people to explore local places to appreciate our country.

Before you reach the cave, you need to take the one hundred eighty-four concrete steps. While climbing, you can also see the Pinacanauan River, the river system flowing along the area where you can do river rafting, boating and kayaking. The Callao Cave system is composed of seven chambers each with natural crevices above where the light illuminates the dark areas of the cave. There were nine chambers before but an earthquake in the 1980's cutoff the last two chambers.

The first chamber of a show cave  is the largest room with a width of about 50 m (160 ft) and a height of 36 m (1188 ft).

The chapel inside the Callao Cave.

The rock formation where you can see magnificent images are formed inside the cave and it can be used as an altar. 

Stream of light from the rooftop opening of the cave.

The cathedral-like room was turned into a chapel by the local people. The rock formation served as an altar lit by a stream of light came from the rooftop opening. Several, magnificent images are formed because of the stalactites, stalagmites and speleothems are also added as attractions inside the cave.

Sketches on the limestone walls outside the caves.

While roaming around the area, I also read that this cave was the home of the pre-historic Callao Man which is considered as a remains of the Homo sapiens. I also noticed some sketches in the walls outside the cave where I hope that the residents should avoid vandalism in the place.

Therefore, Callao Cave is one of the best places to visit in Cagayan. I've also had a chance to see the indigenous people of Penablanca (Gaddangs or Ibanags, but somewhat related to the Aetas) where they sold tourist T-shirts, refrigerator magnets and brooms. After that, we are going to Tuguegarao City for a sort of city tour and explore more the beauty of Cagayan Valley.

Watch out for the third part of my Cagayan Valley series - Tuguegarao and Piat.

Date of Travel: December 28, 2014
#TravelThrowbackSeries

Travel Throwback: An Encounter with Captivating Caves and Rustic Sceneries of Cagayan Valley

I can tell that it is the proudest travel achievement I've ever made so far.  I experienced to have a land travel for more than twelve hours, passing various cities and provinces, enjoying views from the tall buildings of the Metro, the vast rice fields of the Central Plains, and the wide rivers up to the lush verdant mountains while I was  enjoying  roller coaster ride in the zigzag highways of the North. In addition, I spent quality time with my friends in this travel, eating in different stopovers and exploring a different culture in the north. Finally,  I made it to the northernmost province in the eastern portion of mainland Luzon.

A large province situated between the two mountain ranges of Cordillera Central and Sierra Madre and bounded by the Pacific Ocean in the north and east, Cagayan is surrounded by Isabela on the south and the Cordillera provinces of Kalinga and Apayao on the west. 

Last month, I had a visit in Cagayan Valley where I was invited for the wedding ceremony of my friend. The first thing that I noticed about the place is the simplicity of life among the residents that I appreciated so much. In this post, I will show you some pictures in our visit in the towns of Piat and Penablanca as well with the tour in one of the most progressive cities in the North and the provincial capital of Tuguegarao.

We traveled from Cavite to Cagayan with our van for almost twelve hours. We passed the urban cities of Metro Manila, the plains of Central Luzon and the mountainous terrains of the North before we reached our destination. Twelve hours of travel is such an accomplishment for me because I experienced to sleep in a van for a long time and the fact that I overcome the longest zigzag ride ever from Carrangalan, Nueva Ecija to Cordon, Isabela. I woke up when we reached the province of Isabela when I heard Ilocano songs in the radio and we had a stopover in a gasoline station in Santiago City.

Route to some towns in Isabela before reaching Tuguegarao City.

After that, we decided to take the route passing the towns of Roxas and Ramon in Isabela going to Piat, Cagayan. It's six in the morning when we saw the majestic view of landscape in Cabagan, Isabela. It is such a great morning view to see the Sierra Madre mountain range in Isabela as well with the rolling hills and the wide plains in the province. Then, we also passed the towns of Enrile and Solana before we reached the town of Piat.

Welcome arch of Piat from Solana. Source: Google Photos

Finally, we saw the arch of Piat from the boundary of Solana. The arch said "Maddulot Tera" an Ilocano word meaning "Welcome". We enjoyed the view of rice fields and the fresh air. We stayed in the house of our friend and we witnessed the preparation for the wedding ceremonies on the next day.

Meanwhile, we went to the town of Penablanca to visit the Callao Cave, one of the well known tourist attractions in the province and one of the three hundred caves that is located in the area. The word "Penablanca" is taken from the Spanish word for white rocks because of the presence of white limestone rocks in the area. We climbed the approximately 150 steps to the cave and we are amazed with the beauty of stalactites and stalagmites. Actually, it is the first time that I visited a cave.

Callao Cave

The feeling that I was amazed with the stalactites and stalagmites because it is my first time to visit a cave.

After our visit in Callao Cave, we went to the capital city of the province, Tuguegarao. We attended an afternoon mass in the Saints Peter and Paul Metropolitan Cathedral. Then, we had our afternoon walk in the town and took our snack in an eatery that offers Pancit Batil Patung.

Sts. Peter and Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, Tuguegarao City

Pancit Batil Patung

The next day, we witnessed the nuptials of our friend in the Basilica of Our Lady of Piat. The church was built in 1604. It is one of the old Spanish churches  in Cagayan, that is why the town is known as "The Pilgrimage Center of the North."

Basilica of Our Lady of Piat

After the wedding, we traveled for 2 to 3 hours from Piat to Santiago City to visit our friend and join their Christmas celebration. In the afternoon, we left Isabela and we arrived in Cavite on the next day after 11 hours of travel from the North. This travel to Cagayan is definitely one of the best travels I've experienced so far. I enjoyed the rustic ambiance and the verdant rice fields of Piat. I appreciated the promise of Tuguegarao, being one of the most urbanized and progressive cities in Cagayan Valley. I was amazed by the serene ambiance of Penablanca. Definitely, I will come back to Cagayan very soon to explore the beauty of the province.

Watch out for my posts about Piat and Penablanca.

Date: December 28 - 29, 2014
#TravelThrowbackSeries

#TravelThrowback Series

Watch out for the #TravelThrowback Series in my blog. I wasn't able to update the blog for how many months due to busy schedule. Before the end of 2015 and to keep my website active, I will post blog entries that features the places I've visited since 2014 to present for my Travel Throwback Series.

I'll be posting the blog entries every Tuesday, Thursday or weekends starting September 2015 for my Travel Throwback Series.

Watch out for the following locations:

1. Cagayan Valley

• Penablanca Caves Tour
• City Tour in Tuguegarao
• Rural Life in Piat

2. Tagaytay City

• Puzzle Mansion
• Mushroomburger
• Fish Spa in Tagaytay

3. Metro Manila

• Quiz Nights in the Metro

4. Batangas

• Pilgrimage Churches in Batangas

5. Lucban, Quezon

• Kamay ni Hesus 2015
• Pahiyas Festival 2015

Thanks a lot for reading my blog posts :)

Visita Iglesia: Historical Churches in Cavite

Cavite is regarded as a historical province because it is the place where many battles of the 1896 Revolution occurred here and the proclamation of independence happened in Kawit on 1898. In fact, the province is known as "The Cradle of the Philippine Revolution" and "The Birthplace of Philippine Independence."

It is located at Metro Manila's southern doorstep, Cavite is known for several tourist attractions and historical sites. In addition, the province is also a home of the churches which was built during the Spanish era and various prayer houses and chapels which can be found in Tagaytay City. Therefore, the pilgrims can have their Visita Iglesia (a visit to fourteen churches which was commemorated during Holy Week) in this province.

Nuestra Senora de Candelaria Church, located in the town center of Silang.

Our Lady of Candelaria Parish

Silang

The Our Lady of Candelaria Parish Church (Nuestra Senora de Candelaria Church) in Silang is one of the oldest churches in Cavite. It was established on 1595 by the Franciscan friars where it was built with a small chapel. The Silang Church was a simple Baroque church without any magnificent ornamentation in the facade of the church. It also has a large wooden church entrance. 

The Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Dasmarinas City

Immaculate Conception Parish Church

Dasmarinas City

The Immaculate Conception Parish Church is located near the city hall. It was the site of bloodshed of Philippine Revolution in 1897. During the Japanese occupation, several men detained inside the church in 1944 where many of the residents died during that time.

Imus Cathedral, the seat of the bishop in Cavite. In front of the cathedral is the Battle of Alapan Marker.

Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral

Imus City

The Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral (also known as Imus Cathedral) is the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Imus. It was established in 1616 by Augustinian missionaries. Fr. Nicolas Becerra wanted to move the town center to its present location. The present church was constructed in 1823 using forced labor and the structure was made of stone and bricks. Its facade was patterned after the Manila Cathedral. On November 25, 1961 by the virtue of Apostolic Constitution Christi fideli, promulgated by Pope John XXIII that Cavite was created a separate bishopric from Manila. 

The facade of St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church in Bacoor City.

St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church

Bacoor City

The church was located in the coastal city of Bacoor, Cavite. It was built through a cedula real on 1752. Father Mariano Gomez, one of the GOMBURZA, was assigned to be the head priest of Bacoor.

The historical St. Mary Magdalene Church is located near the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit.

St. Mary Magdalene Church

Kawit

Located in the small but historical town of Kawit is the St. Mary Magdalene Church. The church was built in 1624 by the Jesuit friars. It was the church where the first president of the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo, was baptized in 1869. 

San Roque Parish Church
Cavite City

This tall church located in Cavite City was built during the Spanish era. The patroness of this city is the Our Lady of Solitude of Porta Vaga. The icon of the Virgin Mary of Our Lady of Solitude is enshrined in this church.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of the Caracol

Rosario

The church is located in the coastal town of Rosario, formerly known as Salinas. The town is famous for its salt evaporation industry. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the patroness of the town who saved the people's lives in the midst of the strong typhoon during the Spanish Era. Rosario became a town in 1845.  

Maragondon Church is one of the National Historical Treasures in the Philippines.

Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church

Maragondon

It was built in 1618 by the Jesuits, followed by the construction of the new church from 1630 to 1633. The current stone church was built in 1714. This church is also a base during the Philippine Revolution in 1897 where Maragondon became the headquarters of Emilio Aguinaldo. In 2001, it was declared as  National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum.

The facade of Sto. Nino de Ternate Parish.

Sto. Nino de Ternate Parish

Ternate

In a coastal town located in western part of Cavite and the natives speak in Chavacano, there's the Sto. Nino de Ternate Parish. It was built in 1663 by the Jesuit missionaries. During the Philippine revolution, the church was ruined in a battle and the Holy Image of Santo Nino was left.

The tall church of Naic with its white facade,

Diocesan Shrine Parish of Immaculate Conception

Naic

It is one of the largest churches, Naic Church was established in 1796 and the stone church was completed in 1839 by the Dominican friars. The church was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The church features its golden altar and the beautiful stained glass windows aligning the walls. 

The facade of Indang Church, located within the town's poblacion.

Saint Gregory the Great Parish Church

Indang

Saint Gregory the Great Church is located in the poblacion of the historic town of Indang. It was used to be part of Silang, the town established a parish in 1625. The church features its beautiful interiors, the paintings on the ceiling and the old pulpit in the platform where the priests used to preach during the mass.

Santa Cruz Church played an important role in the Philippine Revolution in Cavite.

Santa Cruz Church

Tanza

Santa Cruz Church was built in 1780 where Tanza was part of San Francisco de Malabon, which is the present town of General Trias. Tanza was formerly known as Santa Cruz de Malabon. The church played a relevant role in the Philippine Revolution where Emilio Aguinaldo and Mariano Trias took their oaths in the church. The event led to the organization of Revolutionary Government in 1897.

Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church
General Trias

The church was built by the Franciscans in 1611 where the town was formerly called as San Francisco de Malabon, a visita of Cavite Viejo. It was transferred to the Jesuit order of Cavite Puerto (now Cavite City). In 1753, it eventually lead to a separate parish. The church featured its convent where the Banda Matanda, a local marching band, practiced the Marcha Filipina, the music of the Philippine National Anthem, before they played it in the Proclamation of  Independence in 1898.

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish

Tagaytay City

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish is located in the Second Summer Capital of the Philippines and the highland town of Tagaytay. It was built in 1945 by the Order of Capuchin Friars. The church is also a typical venue for weddings.

This journey means a lot where I get to know more about my home town and I discovered a lot about the historical province of Cavite through this pilgrimage. I would like to thank the Lord for this wonderful opportunity and I'm looking forward for more places to visit in a Visita Iglesia.

Date of Travel: April 17, 2014