Batangas Journey: From the Highlands to the Heritage Town

One summer day, I had a travel where I passed the highlands in order to make it to the heritage town located in the progressive province of Batangas. From passing the highland roads which provides the view of rolling, verdant hills to the busy streets which lead you to the town where you can feel that you are traveling back in time. As you travel in Batangas, you can see the small houses and buildings dotted in the rolling hills, a tall and colorful castle with green mountains in the background, visiting century-old ancestral houses which gave you an idea of the history and taking a tiring but memorable walk in the scorching heat of the sun to discover the heritage town preserved for many centuries and a place where heroes and historical figures are born.

The rolling verdant hills of Batangas.

Fantasy World, an amusement park in the stunning and verdant hills of Lemery, Batangas.

I traveled for almost two hours from Cavite by riding a bus going to Lian, Batangas where I stopped at the boundary of Alfonso, Cavite and Nasugbu, Batangas. Then, I rode a jeepney going to Taal passing the towns of Laurel and Lemery. As the jeep ascended to the zigzag roads, I saw few buildings (particularly resorts and hotels) dotted in the verdant mountains of Batangas. Therefore, the place that really caught my attention is a huge and colorful castle in Lemery called Fantasy World. It is also a favorite shooting place of some local fantasy series  and reality shows in this amusement park.

Taal Basilica

The church interior of Taal, Batangas.

Then, I made it to the heritage town of Taal. The town has similarities with other heritage places such as Vigan, Intramuros and Pila where there are many ancestral houses from the Spanish era, so I decided to visit the Taal town proper. In the center of the town, you can find the Taal Basilica or the Basilica of Saint Martin de Tours. It is known as the Asia's Biggest Catholic Church. It was built in 1575 and it was originally located in the present town of San Nicolas. It was destructed by a volcanic eruption on 1754 and rebuilt in 1755 to its present location. In 1849, the said church claimed its title as the "Biggest Catholic Church in the Far East."

Taal Park

Taal Municipal Hall. The town of Taal was found in 1572.

The Taal Cultural Center. It is known as Escuela Pia during the Spanish era.

Other interesting places in the town center are the Taal Park located in front of the church, Taal Municipal Hall and the Taal Cultural Center which is known before as the Escuela Pia during the Spanish era. The town proper of Taal reminded me of the society in the Spanish era where major infrastructures like church, school, town hall and the market are located here.

Goco Ancestral House

The ancestral houses of Taal Heritage Town mingled along with the progress and urbanization.

Marcela Agoncillo's Ancestral House. She created the Philippine Flag used in
Declaration of Independence in 1898.

Leon Apacible Ancestral House

Galleria Taal

Then I decided to take a walk to the heritage town where the ancestral houses are located. In the town of Taal you can find the Marcela Agoncillo Ancestral House, Leon Apacible Ancestral House and the Goco Ancestral House. I also had a chance to visit the Galleria Taal, an ancestral house owned by 1935 Consitutional Convention delegate Antonino Barrion. In this house, you can see the different vintage cameras as well with the old photographs from 19th century to the 20th century.

Our Lady of Caysasay Shrine

The miraculous well of St. Lucia

The 150 steps to the town proper via San Lorenzo Ruiz Steps.

My travel experience in Taal would not be completed by visiting the Our Lady of Caysasay Church and the miraculous well of Saint Lucia. Then, I took the San Lorenzo Ruiz Steps where I took the approximately 150 steps to the town proper.

Therefore, my travel experience in Taal is such a great trip because I feel that I traveled back in time and appreciate our history especially in taking a look at the heritage houses where some of the heroes and politicians came from this town. In addition, I appreciated that Taal is a town where the Christianity served as a legacy by the Spaniards.

Date of Travel: May 15, 2012

This is a June 2012 post on Perspectives in White Scratch Papers, my official blog.