Weekend Get away

 Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a 400 hectare open-air museum and heritage park in Bagac, Bataan where neglected architectural pieces were restored by its owner, José “Gerry” Acuzar. The park provides restaurants, a beach, a swimming pool, calesa rides, tours, workshops, event bookings, and 27 Spanish casas (houses) that also serve as hotel accommodations.

Visiting Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar reminded me of Calle Crisologo in Vigan, Ilocos Sur as well as Intramuros in Manila because they capture the idea of being transported back to the Spanish colonial era. One of the effects of this 300-year colonial period in the Philippines was the influence of Spanish architecture. Filipino houses in particular evolved from nipa huts to stone houses (translated as “bahay na bato” in Filipino). A nipa hut is made from natural materials while a stone house is made from wood and, well, stone.
José Acuzar who is also the owner of New San Jose Builders, Inc. (developer of The Philippine Arena) transferred abandoned historical stone houses from Manila, Quezon City, Bulacan, Pampanga, La Union, Ilocos, and Cagayan to Bataan by rebuilding them to his heritage park now known as Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

  

Casa Binondo: built in 1890 and used as a school in 1914

Paseo de Escolta is a replica of Escolta buildings in Manila.

It has 17 rooms that serve as accommodations for guests. The rooms were designed by Jose Acuzar’s wife, Tess Acuzar, who is an interior designer.

Casa Luna. Novicio family of Namacpacan, La Union was the original owner of the Casa Luna that was built sometime in 1850. The original house in La Union fronts the plaza across St. Catherine of Alexandria and the convent and casa municipal. We explored the second level of the house where a corridor surrounds the entire floor. Our guide reminded us of the concept of the “Aliping Sagigilid” (hearth slave), the lowest among the social class of our precolonial period.

How to be an aliping sagigilid in Casa Luna?

The corridor, literally on the “gilid” (edges) of the second level, served as the walkway for the servants when catering the needs of the family and their guests.

Hotel de Oriente (Convention Centre)

CASA QUIAPO used to be in the University of the Philippines as it's first campus and now it's in LAS CASAS FILIPINAS.

It was built in 1867 and owned by the University's first director.

We dropped by La Puesta del Sol part to see some of the houses and visit the narrow canal that imitates that of Venice’s grand canal. Ancestral houses in Plaza Marcelino are also hotels in addition to those along the road on the other side of the waterway.

 

Casa Ladrillo was my favorite casa, appearance-wise.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
Barangay Pag-Asa, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines
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Ilocos AdvenTour, an unplanned trip

Seriously, I really do not have to explain it further since I am pretty sure you have seen Laoag on a lot of travel shows, you have googled it, and just like me, you have dreamt of visiting it. But well, there would be a lot of ways to reach Ilocos -- either via plane, public bus, or an 8-hour-private-ride.

This was an unplanned trip, why? because it was just an ordinary day for me when Wein (also a traveler who i met in Thailand) called me up tru messenger that she's bored and took a 4days leave from work and she never been in Ilocos, so she was just trying to ask me if i would like to come.. And since i just been from Manila to get some orders, so I said yes.. that night we traveled separately. Wein from Manila, and me from Pangasinan. We decided to meet in Laoag.

We visited the Paoay Church first thing we arrived in Laoag. We ride a tricycle, DIY transpo. We never hired a tourist for less expense.

SAND DUNES

To start your Paoay Sand Dunes Adventure, hire a 4x4 Rough Riding vehicle at the base of the site. A fleet of these 4x4s are at your disposal and a professional driver will be your guide to the vast sand dunes. For 1,500php for a maximum of 5 people per car, the driver will tour the group at the Sand dunes for 30 minutes. Sightseeing and photo sessions can be done for this package. Since we're just two, we shared to pay the 1,500 fee :D

For the more adventurous type, rent the 4x4 for an hour which will then include sand boarding and thrilling drops on steep sand ridges that will make you scream in excitement. Hold on to the steel bar while standing on the 4x4 for the most exciting adventure in Paoay. The sand ridges can go as high as 10-20ft at the most, while the most thrilling ride is the “rollercoaster”, where a series of sand hills will make you hold on to that bar of steel for dear life.

We were in the middle of Paoay Sand Dunes, one of the many thirsty lands in Ilocos. Paoay Sand Dunes is an 88 sq km parched paradise that lies adjacent Suba Beach. It is one of the two most popular sand dunes sites in the province, the other one being La Paz in Laoag City.

I enjoyed the sand boarding!

Pagudpud Day Trip

We dont have plan to stay overnight in Pagudpud, we woke up so early and we ride a van from Laoag to Pagudpud which it takes just 1 and a half hour of travel. The van dropped us in Hannas Resort but we were no longer interested in that place since it is already over decorated so we jump off to the tricycle to take us to he famous Patapat bridge.

It was raining badly so we decided to abort the planned trip. We missed to visit the formation rock and the Bangui Windmill due to heavy rain. We rushed heading back to Laoag and to catch up the next trip going to Vigan..

Vigan

The Historic city of Vigan was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 due mostly to the fact that the place has been carefully preserved to show the fusion of old Asian and Spanish architecture. The influx of tourist in Ilocos risen to almost 40 percent since the declaration of Church of San Agustin in Paoay and Vigan as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Calle Crisologo

Amazing street full of spanish style houses built during the spanish era. The ground is a layer of cobblestone while the rest of the street is asphalt. It was like going back in time during the spanish colonial times. The local government prohibits any motorized vehicle to travel along the road. Never leave Vigan without visiting Calle Crisologo. One of the best UNESCO world heritage site that I visited. 

Bantay Church And Bell Tower

Built in 1590, the St. Augustine Church or Bantay Church is considered one of the oldest churches in Ilocos Sur.

Few meters from the church is the Bantay bell tower nestled on a picturesque landscaped hill.

Our next stop is the Pagburnayan Pottery Maker in Vigan. The word "burnay"  is an earthenware jar crafted by a skillful hand, pottery wheel and kiln. 

Lets Make Jars

Liking for the burnay has reached the markets abroad, especially in Europe. Local and foreign traders have made contacts with factory owners to order from their current offerings or for burnay products to be done according to new buyer or market specifications.  

Hidden Garden was our last destination. And yes, i know that was a lover's corner.. just waiting for my right man to sit besides me :P

Masungi Georeserve Ecapade

Reservations

Masungi Georeserve just opened December 2015 but due to popularity, getting a reservation is quite challenging. They do not entertain walk-ins so you have to secure a schedule before going. As of writing the earliest weekend schedule available is by November 2016. They only had 2 schedules per day when they opened but now they have tours scheduled every 30 minutes from Tuesdays-Sundays. You can make reservations through their website http://www.masungigeoreserve.com. Minimum of 7 and maximum 13 guest per scheduled tour. The tour costs PHP1000-1400 per person. You can pay the required 50% deposit via BPI or via Credit Card. The fee includes the kit you'll be needing for the trip and a light snack.

Getting There
Masungi Georeserve is located at KM47 Baras Rizal. It is so much easier to bring a car which would be about 1.5 hours drive from Manila. But my group decided to rent a jeepney, and since I have an uncle which lives in Cubao and has a jeep, we paid for it for the whole day.

We arrived a bit early in the morning, so we have to wait for our 1pm trekking schedule. We went for a sidetrip first which is Daranak falls. It is a magical place! 

No justice on this photo.. its such a nice place

SILUNGAN

Silungan (shelter), the starting point and briefing area. Once you get here, you can start preparing your gears and make your final bio breaks because there are no shower rooms along the 4-hour trail. So, make sure that you are 100% ready.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

– Wear a casual, lightweight & comfortable clothing, paired with non-slip closed shoes, is the required attire.
– Bring your important stuff: Water, towel, sun protection, camera, and change of clothes.
– Loud noises are not allowed. Wildlife can’t be disturbed and feel harmed, right?
– Strictly no alcohol and smoking. Self-explanatory I guess? 
– Always wear the helmet provided to avoid injuries.
– The trail can take 3 – 4 hours including the time spent for picture-taking and resting.
– Enjoy and have fun! Remember to give respect to one another because we all want instagrammable shots, right?

Next to it is the level 1 challenge of rope climbing. At first, you might be overwhelmed if this is going to be your first time. It was also my first time. If I did it, why can’t you? Trust me, this is just easy. My tip is to take the sideways because the rope is tighter there so you can have a better grip. 

You can't climb to those ropes without washing your shoes first, to maintain its cleanliness

SAPOT

Moving on, the first attraction and probably my favorite because it was really awesome. .This is made of weaved steel and is pretty stable. This is one of the famous attractions in Masungi. According to Kuya Jason, our guide, they were supposed to just build a structure here made of rocks to create a view point where you can see Nanay and Tatay but it will take more time and ruin the already existing rock formations so they just decided to work around it to preserve the natural beauty of the place hence the "Sapot". You can notice that they try to be as non invasive as much as possible to preserve the rock formations.

PATAK

Patak (droplet) is like a tree house but instead of being suspended by a tree, it is hanging by the bridge that’s really high from the ground. It is named patak because of its shape being similar to a water droplet.

Actually, you can rest here for a bit because the next
one will be a tough one. All these hanging bridges
 are nothing at all after all the things you’ve gone
 through the trail.

Ditse

A small peek after Patak, you have to climb a Lambat to reach this.

My knees were shaking seeing how we should go down. It's quite a high fall after all and there were no safety harness. So far there's no fatality... yet.

DUYAN

Duyan (swing) is a giant hammock that stretches from Ditse to the other end where you’ll get to the next attraction. You have to be extremely careful here with your stuff like camera, one single mistake, and your gadget is gone.

It was indeed fun and exciting here. Your legs may get shaky if you are afraid of height. But after some time, you’ll get used to it and you will feel relaxed lying down the hammock while you feel the cold breeze.

NANAY

Nanay (mother) is the second highest peak and has a better resting place and instagrammable view of the area. The bridge that connects the limestones is perfect for doing some moments and photo shoot. Finally, nanay completes the family of highest peaks in Masungi Georeserve.

And I reached the very top of the mountain!

After the trek, they will serve a light meal (sandwich) then go back to the shed to claim your things and freshen up. The trek lasts for 3-4 hours back and forth depending on the pace of the group. We started around 2pm and ended around 5pm and that is with a lot of stops and rests..

Saigon Vietnam

1^st day Vietnam

                 Exactly at 1pm, bus arrived in Saigon. As my host instructed me, I took Vina Sun taxi and gave my hostel address. The place is in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. I booked my room 2weeks before my trip and Ms Yang Homestay immediately responded which is a plus point. Ms Yang Homestay has an astonishing part. MY ROOM. It was far different in the photo I saw though it looks nice. But it was really huge in actual for only one person. Spotless from any dirt and so feminine! If I could have some days to stay, I would love to stay the wholeday in my room. Anyways, the room cost me only $17/night (111,250 Dong).

                So again, no time to kill, Ms yang gave me a city map and she marked the tourist attraction. And I saw there’s a lane of motorbike in her yard and then asked her if those are for rent and viola! I have bike for $5/wholeday.

 

The Palace

First time in my life to pay 39,000 for 
a piece of cake and a coffee :)

 

It was a pleasure to see inside of the Cathedral

According to wikipedia: 

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon (Vietnamese: Vương cung thánh đường Chính tòa Đức Bà Sài Gòn or Nhà thờ Đức Bà Sài Gòn; French: Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saigon), officially Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception (Vietnamese: Vương cung thánh đường Chính tòa Đức Mẹ Vô nhiễm Nguyên tội; French: Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Immaculée Conception) is a cathedral located in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Established by French colonists who initially named it Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saïgon, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. It has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters (190 feet).

2^nd day Vietnam

Cu Chi Tunnel

I booked a half day tour from Remnant War Museum for 556,250 Dong or $25. The van picked me in my hostel at 8:30 am. The journey from Saigon to Cu-Chi Tunnel is 1 ½ hour.

It’s the only destination that I thought I must visit during my stay in Ho Chi Minh. I heard about it before and often saw the photos where people’s head coming out from a small underground hole. I was wondering how small the hole inside the tunnels look like, whether I could fit into it, or whether I dared enough to go through it, etc.

The Cu Chi tunnels were the location of the Vietnam War and the Viet Cong’s base back in 1968. It was about 120km long and as deep as 12 meter underground. The original size was about 60cm width and 80cm height. However, they’ve resized it into 80cm width and 150cm height so that it’s accessible for Western tourist to experience it. They used it as hiding spots, as well as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon storage, and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters to resist from their enemies. Once we entered into the location, we were brought to a place to sit and watch the black and white propaganda movie.

There was a shooting range too where you could have a chance to fire number of assault rifles and light machine gun by paying some additional money (around US$1.20/bullet). Therefore, you could hear some gun shots while you were there, which made the war environment seemed to be alive! :)

Aaaand that was I ended up my day!

i went back to my hostel and waited until night for my flight back to Manila..

My very accommodating host.. Ms.Yang